SOLICITATION_Localization and Translation Service.pdf

PROGRAM AREA: USAGM/Voice of America

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Blanket Purchase Agreement (FAR part13.303).

COMPETITION: Small Business set-asides

PROJECT NAME: Localization and Translation Services.

CONTRACT SPECIALIST (POINT OF CONTACT): Hayder Faisal, HFaisal@usagm.gov

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL INFORMATION:

QUESTIONS DUE DATE: February 09, 2023, at 12:00 pm – Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

ANSWERS POSTING DATE: February 14, 2023, at 12:00 pm – Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT).

PROPOSAL DUE DATE: February 22, 2023, at 12:00 pm – EDT

• The government plan to award a single or a multiple BPA for localization and translation Services. The contractor is required to submit a fixed rate per minute for every listed language. The list of languages is provided in the Statement of Work (See Appendix A:

REQUIRED LANGUAGES).

• This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation sets forth requirements for proposals for an agreement to provide services as described. Proposals conforming to the solicitation requirements will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation and award criteria set forth herein. A Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) is not a contract, but an agreement that establishes the price and terms and conditions of future orders.

• Neither the solicitation nor any part of an Offeror's proposal shall be part of the agreement except to the extent expressly incorporated therein by the Contracting Officer.

• The Offeror's proposal submitted in response to this solicitation shall constitute a firm offer. No agreement shall be formed unless and until the Contracting Officer has countersigned the SF 1449 submitted by an Offeror and delivered to the successful Offeror (s) a copy of the SF 1449 with original signatures together with the agreement reflecting the successful Offeror(s) proposed prices.

• Disclosure of Information: Information made available to the successful Offeror(s) by the USAGM for the performance or administration of this effort, shall be solely for those purposes of the service. If the successful Offeror (s) is interested in using the information in any other way, the successful Offeror (s) must seek and receive written consent from the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR.) The successful Offeror (s) agrees to assume responsibility for protecting the confidentiality of government records, which are not public information.

• The government identified in the Statement of Work under the technical requirement (see 3. Technical Requirement) the capabilities and level of efficiency that the contractor must possess in order to perform the job perfectly.

• Extent of obligation. A statement that the Government is obligated only to the extent of authorized purchases actually made under the BPA.

• Purchase limitation: Individual purchases shall not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. However, agency regulations may establish a higher threshold in accordance with FAR part 13.303-5(b)(1) and FAR part 13.303-5(b)(2)

• individuals authorized to purchase under this BPA: list of individuals authorized to purchase under the BPA will be provided to the BPAs holders upon award.

• Invoices: The Government will pay the Contractor for each BPA call after the Contractor completes the translation service and the Government accepts it; payment will be made within one month of the Contractor’s submission of a complete invoice for a completed, accepted translation. All invoice payments supposedly aligning with the Prompt Payment Act.

PRICE

Each Offeror must propose a fixed rate per minute for every listed language in the Statement of Work (See Appendix A: REQUIRED LANGUAGES).” The Government will provide each Offeror a Microsoft Office Excel sheet with the list of languages.

For each successful Offeror, each order issued under its BPA will include a firm-fixed-price derived by multiplying the fixed rate for every minute by the number of the minutes ordered.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

The USAGM plan to award a single or multiple BPA with a period of performance from the date of award through 2028 for five years.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Proposals must be electronically delivered to HFaisal@usagm.gov prior to the time set forth in the first page.

Exchanges and communication with any USAGM personnel regarding this solicitation other than the Contract Specialist named above, may be considered a basis for disqualifying the Offeror.

This solicitation does not commit the Government to pay any costs incurred in the submission of proposals or for studies or designs for the preparation thereof.

The Contracting Officer is the only individual who can legally commit the Government to the expenditure of funds in connection with this procurement.

PROPOSAL FORMAT:

Failure to submit ALL required proposal documents described herein or to follow the required proposal format (with the exception of page limits, where USAGM will not review any information on the pages exceeding the page limit) may result in a determination that the Offeror’s proposal is “Unacceptable” and may be removed from the competition. Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation shall include a transmittal letter and the proposal sections listed below. The transmittal letter shall identify the name of the firm submitting the proposal and any other documents that are attached.

Written sections of the proposal shall be formatted as follows:

a. Page Size: 8 ½ x 11” with at least 1” margins on all sides

b. Font Size: 12 point or larger (font size for graphics and tables may be smaller but not less than 10 point)

c. Page Numbering: Pages consecutively numbered within each section

d. Page Count: Title pages, tables of contents, and section dividers not included in count;

appendices, graphs and charts are included in the page count, unless otherwise specified.

e. Format: Two-column format is allowable

Proposal Section Format Page Limitation

Volume I – Executive Summary Written 5 Pages

Volume II - Technical Approach and Capability

Written 15 Pages

Volume III - Past Performance Written

Narrative – No Limit

Volume IV - Price Written No Limitation

Volume V – Sample Video SRT / VTT file No Limitation

Offerors are cautioned that they must not exceed the page limitations cited above. Any pages that exceed the page limitations cited above will not be read or considered in the evaluation.

Proposals shall be delivered via email to the following email address: HFaisal@usagm.gov. The email’s subject line shall be structured as follows: [Solicitation Title] – [Company Name]. For example, RFP Localization and Translation Services – JLM Company.

Written sections of the proposal shall be formatted as follows:

When submitting the Price Proposals, Offerors shall use Microsoft Office Excel sheet.

Unnecessarily elaborate proposals, or other presentations beyond those sufficient to present a complete and effective response to this solicitation are not desired and may be construed as an indication of the Offeror’s lack of cost consciousness.

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL:

When submitting a proposal via email, the offeror must ensure that the submission is readable, in the format specified in the solicitation, and has been verified as free of computer viruses.

Prior to any evaluation, the Government will check all files for viruses and ensure that all information is readable. In the event that any files are defective (unreadable), the Government shall only evaluate the readable electronic files. Further, if the proposal is defective (unreadable) or the document cannot be downloaded, the Government shall consider the proposal incomplete and non-responsive and remove the proposal from further consideration.

Each section of the proposal (Executive Summary, Technical Approach and Capability, Past Performance, Price, and Sample Video) shall be submitted as a separate document. Files with computations shall be submitted as Microsoft Office excel files and can be separate attachments.

USAGM will not require evaluators to search other proposal sections for information, nor will USAGM require its evaluators to search other sections within a proposal. If information is not placed in the appropriate section, that section may be deemed “Unacceptable” and an offeror’s proposal may be removed from the competition. Therefore, the Offeror shall ensure that each proposal section is complete in itself, well-written, and submitted in accordance with the instructions discussed herein. Each section shall be written on a standalone basis.

USAGM personnel must be able to evaluate each section independent of the other sections. If a proposal is found to be unacceptable under any factor, the proposal is not eligible for award.

SOLICITATION QUESTIONS/COMMENTS:

All questions concerning the solicitation shall be submitted in writing to the Contract Specialist HFaisal@usagm.gov. Government responses to questions will be posted to Sam.Gov website as an amendment to the solicitation.

Answered questions will not disclose the Offeror’s identity. Questions are due no later than February 09, 2023, at 12:00 PM EDT. The Government may not consider questions received after that date and time.

Offeror may not direct questions concerning this solicitation and USAGM personnel other than the Contract Specialist identified above. All questions shall be submitted via e-mail with the subject line (Localization and Translation Services – Questions). No questions will be answered that are posed via telephone or fax.

NOTE: Do not depend on any answers to questions that were provided by USAGM under previous solicitations and/or conversations with USAGM personnel prior to the release of this solicitation.

VOLUME I – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Identify at minimum the solicitation number ( if any), enclosures being transmitted, contractor’s name, DUNS, Cage Code, Tax Identification Number (TIN), proposed subcontractors and team members to be utilized under this requirement, a statement regarding Representations and Certifications being incorporated or attached to offer, acknowledgment of solicitation amendments, and acknowledge that the Government requires that offers remain effective for a period of 120 calendar days from the day the solicitation specifies for receipt of offers.

The government required every bidder to have an active registration in the System for Award Management SAM.gov and must be identify in this section.

VOLUME II - FACTOR 1. TECHNICAL APPROACH AND CAPABILITY:

No pricing information is to be provided in the Technical Proposal. The Offeror shall provide a technical narrative addressing their understanding of the requirements and its approach to performing the work. An offeror’s understanding of the work will be shown through its ability to demonstrate that it can perform the work described in the SOW and the extent to which potential risks are identified and mitigated.

VOLUME III - FACTOR 2. PAST PERFORMANCE:

Past Performance is defined as a measure of how well the offeror has performed under previous opportunities of the same type of services. USAGM evaluation of past performance will be a subjective assessment based on information provided by the Offeror and information obtained independently by USGM from a variety of public and private sources including the references provided in the proposal. Please submit the PPQ or CPAR with the proposal as a separate document.

VOLUME IV - FACTOR 3. PRICE PROPOSAL:

Each Offeror must ensure this volume contains all pricing data required by the solicitation. The Government is requesting each Offeror to submit a fixed rate per minute for every language listed in the Statement of Work (See Appendix A: REQUIRED LANGUAGES).” The Government will provide each Offeror a Microsoft Office Excel sheet with the list of languages.

Each fixed rate must be readable and free of errors. The Government reserve the right to reject any unreadable or unstructured version.

LATE SUBMISSIONS, MODIFICATIONS AND WITHDRAWLS OF OFFERS:

Offerors are responsible for submitting offers, and any modifications or withdrawals, so as to reach the USAGM office designated in the solicitation by the time specified in the solicitation.

Any offer, modification, or withdrawal received at the USAGM office designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt of offers is “late” and will not be considered.

EVALUATION FACTORS AND SELECTION CRITERIA:

In accordance with 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options. (JUL 1990).

Technical qualified USAGM personnel will evaluate proposals submitted in response to this solicitation. Award(s) will be based on a best value decision by applying the criteria stated below.

The Contracting Officer may award a single or multiple BPA on the basis of initial proposals received, without discussions or any opportunity to make a further submission. Therefore, each initial offer should contain the Offeror’s best terms from a price and technical standpoint.

USAGM will use the following factors, listed in descending order of importance, to evaluate proposals:

• TECHNICAL APPROACH AND CAPABILITY:

• PAST PERFORMANCE

• PRICE

EVALUATION FACTORS AND RATING METHODOLOGY:

Proposals shall be evaluated on the following technical factors: Technical Approach and Capability, Past Performance, and Price.

Technical Approach and Capability. The evaluators will consider the degree to which the strategies and methods proposed by the Offeror are likely to meet and exceed the requirements identified in this Solicitation and demonstrate a strong understanding of the work to be accomplished.

Past Performance. The past performance evaluation will evaluate the quality of each Offeror’s past performance on relevant contracts performed in the last three years.

Price. In accordance with FAR 15.404-1(b)(2), the Government will use various price analysis techniques and procedures to ensure a fair and reasonable price.

BEST VALUE DETERMINATION:

In utilizing the “trade-off” process the Government may award a contract to other than the lowest priced or the highest technically rated Offeror. As part of the best value determination, the Government will assess the quality and risks of each proposal and will select the proposal that is most advantageous and represents the best overall value to the Government.

NOTE: Contractor must mark all data delivered under this agreement, “Confidential — For USAGM Use Only.

APPENDIX A: APPENDIX A – REQUIRED LANGUAGES:

The following is a list of the key languages that the Contractor will be asked to translate to and from. All Offerors must therefore have a demonstrated ability to service all languages in Appendix A.

English Burmese Dari Indonesian Korean Mandarin

Pashto Persian Russian Spanish/Latin America

Ukrainian Urdu

Turkish Thai French/Africa Swahili Kurdish Hindi

Georgian Bangla Portuguese/Africa Serbo-Croatian Somali

Note: Upon approval from the contracting officer some languages may be added on short notice, based on government's needs.

APPENDIX B – POTENTIAL LANGUAGES:

The following is a comprehensive list of the potential languages that the Contractor may be asked to translate to and from.

Bambara Kinyarwanda Kirundi Lingala Wolof Hausa

Amharic Tigrigna Afan Oromoo

Shona Ndebele Cantonese

Khmer Lao Tibetan Vietnamese Armenian Bosnian

Macedonian Creole Azerbaijani Rohingya Uzbek Sango

Albanian

52.227-17 Rights in Data-Special Works.

RIGHTS IN DATA-SPECIAL WORKS (DEC 2007)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause-

Data means recorded information, regardless of form or the media on which it may be recorded. The term includes technical data and computer software. The term does not include information incidental to contract administration, such as financial, administrative, cost or pricing, or management information.

Unlimited rights means the rights of the Government to use, disclose, reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute copies to the public, and perform publicly and display publicly, in any manner and for any purpose, and to have or permit others to do so.

(b) Allocation of Rights.

(1) The Government shall have-

(i) Unlimited rights in all data delivered under this contract, and in all data first produced in the performance of this contract, except as provided in paragraph (c) of this clause.

(ii) The right to limit assertion of copyright in data first produced in the performance of this contract, and to obtain assignment of copyright in that data, in accordance with paragraph (c)(1) of this clause.

(iii) The right to limit the release and use of certain data in accordance with paragraph (d) of this clause.

(2) The Contractor shall have, to the extent permission is granted in accordance with paragraph (c)(1) of this clause, the right to assert claim to copyright subsisting in data first produced in the performance of this contract.

(c) Copyright-

(1) Data first produced in the performance of this contract.

(i) The Contractor shall not assert or authorize others to assert any claim to copyright subsisting in any data first produced in the performance of this contract without prior written permission of the Contracting Officer. When copyright is asserted, the Contractor shall affix the appropriate copyright notice of 17 U.S.C. 401 or 402 and acknowledgment of Government sponsorship (including contract number) to the data when delivered to the Government, as well as when the data are published or deposited for registration as a published work in the U.S. Copyright Office. The Contractor grants to the Government, and others acting on its behalf, a paid-up, nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license for all delivered data to reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute copies to the public, and perform publicly and display publicly, by or on behalf of the Government.

(ii) If the Government desires to obtain copyright in data first produced in the performance of this contract and permission has not been granted as set forth in paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this clause, the Contracting Officer shall direct the Contractor to assign (with or without registration), or obtain the assignment of, the copyright to the Government or its designated assignee.

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(2) Data not first produced in the performance of this contract. The Contractor shall not, without prior written permission of the Contracting Officer, incorporate in data delivered under this contract any data not first produced in the performance of this contract and that contain the copyright notice of 17 U.S.C. 401 or 402, unless the Contractor identifies such data and grants to the Government, or acquires on its behalf, a license of the same scope as set forth in paragraph (c)(1) of this clause.

(d) Release and use restrictions. Except as otherwise specifically provided for in this contract, the Contractor shall not use, release, reproduce, distribute, or publish any data first produced in the performance of this contract, nor authorize others to do so, without written permission of the Contracting Officer.

(e) Indemnity. The Contractor shall indemnify the Government and its officers, agents, and employees acting for the Government against any liability, including costs and expenses, incurred as the result of the violation of trade secrets, copyrights, or right of privacy or publicity, arising out of the creation, delivery, publication, or use of any data furnished under this contract; or any libelous or other unlawful matter contained in such data. The provisions of this paragraph do not apply unless the Government provides notice to the Contractor as soon as practicable of any claim or suit, affords the Contractor an opportunity under applicable laws, rules, or regulations to participate in the defense of the claim or suit, and obtains the Contractor’s consent to the settlement of any claim or suit other than as required by final decree of a court of competent jurisdiction; and these provisions do not apply to material furnished to the Contractor by the Government and incorporated in data to which this clause applies.

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