ESBD_377760_1728918595962_Addendum 1 Revised.pdf

PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS

REVISED REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ADDENDUM 1

TO PROVIDE RELAY ACCESS SERVICES

Public Utility Commission of Texas

William B. Travis Building

1701 North Congress Avenue

Austin, Texas 78711

Closing Time and Date:

November 1, 2024

9:00 a.m., Central Time

Revised RFP Number: 473-24-00007 Addendum 1

Project Number: 56436

NIGP Class Item: 915-85

PUCT Revised RFP 473-24-00007 Addendum 1

Table of Contents

SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION ____________________________________________________ 3

SECTION 2 – DEFINITIONS ______________________________________________________ 3

SECTION 3 – STATEMENT OF WORK ______________________________________________ 5

SECTION 4 – ELIGIBILITY AND EVALUATION CRITERIA _______________________________ 21

4.A. EEO and HUB Statement _______________________________________________________ 21

4.B. Minimum Eligibility Requirements _______________________________________________ 21

4.C. Evaluation Criteria ____________________________________________________________ 22

4.D. Texas Vendor Preference ______________________________________________________ 23

4.E. References __________________________________________________________________ 23

SECTION 5 – SCHEDULE AND PROCESS ___________________________________________ 23

5.A. Anticipated Schedule __________________________________________________________ 23

5.B. PUCT Contact Person __________________________________________________________ 24

5.C. Process for Asking Questions____________________________________________________ 24

5.D. Process for Submitting Proposals ________________________________________________ 24

5.E. PUCT’s Standard Process for Selecting Vendors _____________________________________ 25

SECTION 6 – REQUIRED COMPONENTS AND FORMAT _______________________________ 26

6.A. Components _________________________________________________________________ 26

6.B. Format Requirements _________________________________________________________ 32

SECTION 7 – CONDITIONS _____________________________________________________ 32

7.A. Irrevocable Offer _____________________________________________________________ 32

7.B. Proposals are the Property of the PUCT ___________________________________________ 32

7.C. Public Information Act Notice ___________________________________________________ 33

7.D. Publicity ____________________________________________________________________ 33

7.E. No Proposal Costs Reimbursed __________________________________________________ 33

7.F. Contract Terms and Conditions __________________________________________________ 33

7.G. Vendor Performance Tracking System ____________________________________________ 33

ATTACHMENT A –General Terms and Conditions for Proposed Contract ________________ 34

SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION

The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) is issuing this request for proposals (RFP) for a telecommunications carrier to provide Texas statewide telephone relay access service (TRS or

“relay service”) for persons with speech and/or hearing impairments. TRS provides telephone interpreting service for people who can hear and those who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, or speech disabled. TRS makes it possible for persons with hearing impairment or speech disability who may or may not be using special equipment to communicate with hearing persons without special equipment or with other persons with special equipment (e.g. oralist using voice-carryover conversing with a deaf person using a telecommunications device for the deaf (TTY)).

The TRS provider selected must provide access to the telecommunications network in Texas equivalent to the access provided to other customers.

The statutes that establish TRS can be found in Texas Utilities Code Chapter 56, Subchapter D (§

56.101, et. seq.). For your convenience, the statues are available at the following URL:

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/UT/htm/UT.56.htm#56.101.

The PUCT's rules concerning TRS are found in Title 16 of the Texas Administrative Code, Chapter

26, Subchapter P, § 26.414. For your convenience, the rule is available at the following URL:

https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc

=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=16&pt=2&ch=26&rl=414 .

This Revised RFP Addendum 1 addresses questions received by the PUCT regarding the original

RFP posted on 10/3/2024 2024. A submitted proposal should acknowledge it is responding to this

Revised RFP Addendum 1 and not the original RFP posted on 10/3/2024.

SECTION 2 – DEFINITIONS

As used in this RFP, the following terms have the meanings specified:

1) “Average Speed Answer (“ASA”)” means the average amount of time between the point at which the call hits the first measurable switch point to the point at which a relay agent is dedicated to the call and ready to render assistance or accept information necessary to process the call.

2) “Business day” means a day other than: (i) a Saturday or Sunday; (ii) a national holiday under

Texas Government Code § 662.003(a); or (iii) a state holiday under Texas Government Code §

662.003(b).

3) “Commission” means the governing body of the PUCT.

4) “Contractor” means the person, organization, business entity, or other entity that is selected for the contract contemplated by this RFP.

5) “Conversation Minutes” means the time that all three parties (caller, called party, and relay agent) are connected during a relay call, calculated on a per-minute basis of usage. The called party can include answering machines, answering services, voicemail, voice menus, etc. Time spent beginning a call, time between calls, or time spend ending a call when only the relay agent and one other party are connected is not included in conversation minutes.

6) “Day” means a calendar day, unless specifically defined otherwise in a section of this RFP or specifically described as a “business day”.

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/UT/htm/UT.56.htm#56.101 https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=16&pt=2&ch=26&rl=414 https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=16&pt=2&ch=26&rl=414

7) “Desirable Services” means relay service that the PUCT does not require the TRS provider to provide but that in some manner improves relay service provision requirements specified in this

RFP.

8) “Emergency calls” means calls that would normally be routed to a 911 operator.

9) “Mandatory Services” means required relay service features that the TRS provider must make available. Proposers must adhere to mandatory service specifications in providing the TRS.

10) “May” means “is authorized to.”

11) “Parties” means the PUCT and Contractor. “Party” means the PUCT or Contractor.

12) “Proposer” means a person, organization, business entity, or other entity that submits a proposal for this RFP.”

13) “PUCT” means the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

14) “Relay Conference Captioning (RCC)” means a live captions service via web browser that enables a person to actively participate in conference calls, video meetings and webinars.

15) “Relay Texas” means a service that provides telephone access for people with speech or hearing loss who find it challenging or impossible to use a traditional telephone.

16) “Services” means any and all services performed and any and all goods and products delivered by Contractor as specified in the Statement of Work.

17) “Standardized Rate of Service” means one standardized rate for TRS for mandatory services specified.

18) “Statement of Work” means the description of goods and services to be provided under the contract.

19) “Telephone Relay Access Service (“TRS” or “relay service”)” means the service that makes it possible for persons with a hearing loss or speech disability who may or may not be using special equipment to communicate with other persons with special equipment.

20) “Texas Universal Service Fund (TUSF)” means the fund established in Texas Utilities Code

Chapter 56, Subchapter D (§ 56.101, et. seq.) from which payment is made to compensate the TRS provider. The TUSF administrator will make monthly payments, as provided by the contract awarded as result of this RFP, to the TRS provider after the PUCT approves each invoice.

21) “TRS Account Manager” means the individual responsible for all relay services within the

State of Texas, including all subcontracted relay services provided by the contract awarded as a result of this RFP.

22) “Vendor” means a person, organization, business entity, or other entity that has been selected for or entered into a contract with a Texas state agency.

23) “Vendor Performance Tracking System” means the system the Texas Comptroller of Public

Accounts is required to provide under Section 2262.055, Texas Government Code, for evaluating vendor performance. The Vendor Performance Tracking System is located at:

http://txsmartbuy.com/vpts.

http://txsmartbuy.com/vpts

24) “Voice Response Unit (VRU)” means an automated telephone answering system that allows the caller to navigate through a series of prerecorded messages and use a menu of options through the buttons on a touch-tone telephone or through voice recognition.

25) “Week” means seven consecutive calendar days, unless specifically defined otherwise in a section of this RFP.

SECTION 3 – STATEMENT OF WORK

I. Service Categories

A. Proposers must use the service categories when submitting proposals. See Section VI.

(Pricing Proposal) of this Statement of Work for pricing definitions and instructions. All prices must be in conversation minutes.

B. Mandatory: Proposers must adhere to these service categories in providing the TRS, unless

Proposer clearly explains any exceptions pursuant to the pricing instructions in Section VI.

(Pricing Proposal) of this Statement of Work. The price for all mandatory services must be included in one per-transaction rate for TRS and one per-transaction rate for VCO for the entire contract term.

Captioned Voice Carryover (VCO) telephone service is no longer a required service under this Statement of Work, but it is preferred. If a Proposer chooses to offer VCO, separate pricing should be included in the proposal for this service. Further, if a Proposer chooses to offer VCO, it must meet the requirements of this Statement of Work that are specific to

VCO service.

C. Exceptions: If a TRS provider plans to deviate from the requirement of any service specifications or is unable to provide mandatory service, the Proposer must clearly identify all such deviations or inabilities in the proposal.

D. Additions: The Proposer may propose enhancement features not described in this RFP.

II. Mandatory Services

A. Availability.

The TRS provider must make the TRS accessible and available for all Texans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Callers must be able to place calls from anywhere in the world where telecommunications systems exist and from any locations reachable by wireless services

(such as cellular telephones) and must be able to use alternative billing arrangements.

B. Compliance with Existing Regulations.

The TRS provider must establish procedures regarding complaints, inquiries, and comments about the TRS, TRS subcontractors, all relay calls contracted through Relay

Texas, and all TRS personnel. The TRS provider must ensure that relay callers who wish to register a complaint are able to reach a supervisor or administrator while connected during a relay call. Proposers must also include safeguards for complainant privacy and confidentiality.

The TRS provider must keep records of all complaints, detailed reports specifying the manner in which the contractor responded to the complaint, and records indicating whether the complaint was resolved. The contractor must submit this report monthly and submit an annual report to the PUCT containing all information required by the Federal

Communications Commission (FCC), including the Multiple Average Rate Structure

(MARS) report, complaint log report, and others as required by the FCC.

C. Technical Specifications.

1. Switching System. The switching system must ensure that no calls are dropped due to technical failure on the part of the TRS provider. Proposers’ switching system must be capable of undergoing preventive maintenance while the system is in operation.

2. Network Configuration. The TRS provider's transmission circuits must meet or exceed industry interexchange performance standards as identified by the ANSI

T1.506-1990, Network Performance — Transmission Specifications for Switched

Exchange Access Network standards for circuit loss and noise. Proposers should describe the facilities, telecommunications equipment, and software the Proposer will use in providing TRS, including all subcontracted work. Proposals should include a network design diagram that describes the network configuration to be used. This segment of the proposal should describe how callers will access the service and how the Proposer would handle the calls.

3. Service Expansion. The TRS provider must be capable of expanding the service in response to increasing demand. Proposers must meet this requirement and must identify any trends likely to increase the demand for relay services during the contract period.

The TRS must consistently meet, throughout the contract term, all telephone relay performance standards specified in the RFP.

4. Technology Innovation. Proposers must describe how they plan to use changes and improvements in telecommunications technology to improve relay service.

5. Uninterruptible Power System. The relay center or centers must have a back-up system sufficient to allow the centers to operate for a minimum of 12 hours after a power failure. Re-routing to other centers in an emergency situation is acceptable and encouraged but does not replace the back-up system.

6. Disaster Recovery Plan. Proposals must include a business recovery plan to recover and restore relay service in the event of a disaster that shuts down relay service. The

TRS provider must notify the PUCT Contract Administrator of any disruption in service that lasts more than 30 minutes. The TRS provider must provide such notification within three hours of the time the disruption begins. In its notification of service disruption, the TRS provider must explain how the problem will be corrected and give an approximate time and date when relay service will be in full operation.

Additionally, after the service is back in full operation, the TRS provider must submit a written report on the problem and resolution to the PUCT Contract Administrator. If

Average Speed of Answer (ASA) is over 5 seconds due to disasters beyond the control of the TRS provider, and the TRS provider requests that the penalty fee be waived, then the TRS provider must submit to the PUCT Contract Administrator the request for waiver within seven (7) days of the occurrence. Proposers must enroll in the FCC's

Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) program and continue to operate telephone relay services in the event of terrorist acts.

D. Service Standards.

1. Local and Intrastate Toll Calls. The proposed relay service must provide local and intrastate toll calls.

2. Interstate Toll Calls. Proposers must provide interstate relay service. Funding for interstate service will come from the federal government at a rate prescribed by the

FCC .

3. 7-1-1 Service. The TRS must be accessible by dialing 7-1-1. The TRS provider must use a VRU to answer 7-1-1 dialed calls. The VRU will answer with a brief voice interactive menu to give hearing persons an opportunity to press a button to connect to a relay agent to make a voice call. If there is no selection detected, the call will automatically transfer to TTY mode. The TRS provider must use automatic number identification (ANI) to brand the calls based on the device used for future relay calls from the same ANI. The User Database configured by relay user (including hearing persons) must override ANI branding. The TRS provider must then reroute 7-1-1 calls to the relay user's preferred 8xx number (such as VCO, TTY, STS, etc). The TRS provider shall continue to provide 8XX relay. The TRS provider must provide a monthly report showing how many relay calls are initiated by 7-1-1 and 8XX users.

4. Automatic Branding. Proposers must include automatic branding as follows:

i. when a relay user calls Relay Texas through 7-1-1, ANI will automatically brand the telephone number to 7-1-1 for future use;

ii. the next time a relay user uses the same telephone number, the ANI will automatically provide the requested type of call: and

iii. if the relay user uses a different type of call, then ANI will brand the telephone number with the new type of call for future use.

5. User Database and Relay User Input. To assist in making relay calls more efficient, Proposers must provide a database of users' call preferences such as type of call, billing information, speed dialing, slow typing, carrier of choice, etc. This information, once provided by the relay user, must appear on the agent screen when a user calls the relay center from the registered ANI. Relay users must be able to provide their database information to the relay provider via mail, fax, and Internet. If a relay user states a preference for a type of call, such as American Standard Code Information Interchange

(ASCII), unless a waiver has been granted by the FCC, VCO, Speech-To-Speech

(STS), etc., this preference will override the automatic branding. A different relay user may use the telephone number with permanent branding but must be able to ask for a different type of call. The permanent branding remains effective until the relay user specifically requests that the TRS provider's agent change the user's preference in the database.

6. Usage. The Proposer must not place restrictions on the length or number of calls placed by customers through the TRS, even during peak times.

7. Access to Automated System. Proposed services must allow users (including, but not limited to, TTY, VCO, ASCII, unless a waiver has been granted by the FCC, Hearing-

Carryover (HCO and STS)) to call services in order to send messages. These services can include paging services, voice menus, answering machines, or any other automated system that either records or passes on a voice, text, or electronic message to the other party.

8. Courtesy and Intercept Messages. Each proposal must provide that after five rings a courtesy message will inform callers that they have reached Relay Texas or, when applicable, the Captioned Telephone service provider. An example of a courtesy message would be “Welcome to Relay Texas. An agent will be with you shortly."

Appropriate intercept messages must also be provided if there is a system failure or if all relay stations continue to be busy. This message must occur no longer than 30 seconds after the courtesy message has been invoked and may be repeated. An intercept message with a customer waiting on the line will not constitute an answer for the purpose of determining call time. Accordingly, the TRS provider must not bill the time in queue to the TUSF. Busy signals are not allowed, unless related to equipment failure of a third party.

9. Carrier of Choice (COC). The proposed service must allow the relay user to choose his or her preferred interexchange carrier (IXC) when placing toll calls through TRS. The relay agent is not required to offer the option but must describe the option when asked by a relay user. An explanation of COC must be included in all appropriate relay publications. The TRS provider must maintain a list of participating long- distance carriers and share it publicly.

10. Text and Voice Calls. Each Proposer must design its system so that the TRS must be capable of receiving and transmitting voice and text calls that may involve electronic signals, including Baudot code and ASCII standards, unless a waiver has been granted by the FCC.

11. Type of Transmission. The TRS must be able to process relay calls made by digital and analog transmissions, including calls placed using enhanced speed options such as turbocode, unless a waiver has been granted by the FCC, and dial-through technology as offered by TTY manufacturers, during the contract period. Proposers must specify the type of enhanced speed, if any, to be used in the TRS platform.

12. Charges for Local Calls. In compliance with 16 Texas Administrative Code

§26.414(b)(3)(A), local exchange carriers must not impose access charges on calls made through the TRS which originate and terminate within the same toll-free local calling scope.

13. Extended Area Service (EAS). Each Proposer must ensure that relay users are not billed for toll usage when completing EAS calls, including calls made by or to subscribers of optional EAS.

14. Charges for Intrastate Toll. Proposers must provide a copy of the intrastate toll rates that will be billed to relay users.

15. Answering Machine and Voice Mail Procedure: The TRS provider must use the following minimum procedures for processing relay calls that reach an answering machine or voice mail.

i. The relay agent must inform the caller when an answering machine or voice mail has been reached. In the event a captioned VCO telephone service provider is handling the call, the captioned VCO telephone service agent must inform the caller when an answering machine or voice mail has been reached and must convey the answering machine or voice mail message to the relay user in its entirety.

ii. When the relay caller is a text user and the answering machine or voice mail message is long, the agent may record the message in order to convey it to the relay user in its entirety.

iii. The relay agent must relay the complete outgoing message verbatim including the option for the relay caller to leave a message if stated on the outgoing message.

iv. The relay agent must leave the relay caller's message (voice or text).

v. The relay agent must confirm to the caller that the message has been left.

vi. The relay caller may only be charged for one call (the first call) regardless of the number of calls that are required to retrieve and convey the answering machine message and to leave a message.

16. Voice Menus Procedure. The proposed system must allow relay agents to convey voice menus to the relay user quickly in order to process the relay call as quickly as possible.

The TRS provider will charge the relay caller for only one call (the first call) regardless of the number of calls that may be required to retrieve and convey the voice menu message.

17. One-Line Answering Machine or Voice Mail Retrieval. The proposed system must allow a relay user to call Relay Texas to retrieve voice messages from answering machines or voice mail without connecting to the third party. The proposed system must allow the relay agent to record messages from answering machines or voice mail and then relay the message to the caller. The proposed system must provide for deletion of the recorded message once the relay call is completed.

18. Number Verification and Identification of Calls. The proposed system must provide a text relay user with the number dialed and identify the type of call (local, long distance, toll free) made. This will help users know if a number has been misdialed and be aware whether the call is local, long distance, or toll free.

19. Access to 9xx and 8xx Pay-Per-Call Services. The proposed system must allow access to and end-user billing for 9xx and 8xx number pay-per-calls. The proposal must identify how the system will determine if the end user's phone number is blocked from making such calls.

20. Access to Restricted 8xx Numbers. The proposed system must allow access to regionally restricted 8xx numbers by local relay users in cities or towns where relay centers are outside these regions.

21. Directory Assistance. The proposed system will allow users to access local and long-distance directory assistance through the TRS. Local directory assistance calls must be billed to end users at the same rates (or less) that are billed by the local company serving the end user. Long distance directory assistance calls must be billed at the Proposer's tariffed rate or at the tariffed rate of the carrier used for long distance directory, and only conversation minutes used in the call will be compensated.

22. Emergency Calls. The proposed system must include appropriate procedures for handling emergency calls in the shortest possible time. Proposers must offer a system for incoming emergency calls that, at a minimum, automatically and immediately transfers the caller to an appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). An appropriate PSAP is either a PSAP that the caller would have reached if he had dialed

911 directly or a PSAP that is capable of enabling the dispatch of emergency services to the caller in an expeditious manner. Proposers must explain any exception to a fully electronic transfer of emergency calls.

23. Blockage Rate (Mandatory). The proposed system must not allow a caller to receive a busy signal. The proposed system must utilize a queue service when a busy signal is detected, unless it is related to an equipment failure of a third party.

24. Average Answer Time. Proposed average speed of answer (ASA) times must not exceed 10 seconds by any method which results in the call immediately being placed, not put in a queue or on hold, in a single 24-hour period This includes special services such as STS, STS/VCO, Captioning Telephone VCO, etc. The TRS provider must measure this deliverable by sampling the ASA a minimum of once every 30 minutes for each 24-hour period. ASA shall be measured from the time the call hits the first measurable switch point to the point at which a relay agent is dedicated to the call and ready to render assistance or accept information necessary to process the call.

25. Caller-ID. The proposed system must display a caller's telephone number on the called party's Caller ID. Proposers must describe how they will provide this feature. Caller ID options, such as blocking or anonymous call rejection, must be provided.

26. ASCII Split Screen. The proposed system must provide a ̀ Split-screen" for relay agents handling ASCII calls upon a caller's request, unless a waiver has been granted by the

FCC.

E. Service Specifications.

Proposers must address each of the following service specifications in their proposals, describing the functionality they will provide in each category and providing enough detail to allow reviewers to understand precisely how the proposed system will provide the following services:

i. VCO

ii. Two-Line VCO (2LVCO)

iii. HCO

iv. Two-Line HCO (2LHCO)

v. Modes for VCO and HCO

vi. The proposed system must allow VCO and HCO users to utilize both TTY modes:

acoustic mode and direct connect mode. The proposed system also must allow

VCO relay users to set up a call using voice communication without the TTY transmission that is normally required to set up the relay call.

vii. Flexibility in using VCO and HCO. The proposed system must provide VCO and

HCO upon request of the relay user if either VCO or HCO 800 numbers are not used by the person placing the call.

viii. Releasing Relay Call - TTY to TTY. The proposed system must allow a call that began as a voice-user to TTY call to become a TTY to TTY call. Once the user releases a relay call, the TRS provider shall not bill the remainder of the call time to the TUSF.

ix. Speech-To-Speech Relay Service for Speech Disabled (STS).

x. Speech-to-Speech Relay Service for Persons with Hearing Loss with Speech

Understandable by Trained Relay Agents (STS/VCO).

xi. Slow Typing for Deaf-Blind and Visually Impaired Users. Agents shall type at a slower speed for Deaf-Blind and Visually Impaired relay users. The agent must maintain the typing speed throughout the call, in order to maintain efficiency.

xii. Default Typing Speed for Deaf-Blind 800 number: The proposed system must have a default buffer typing speed of 15 words per minute when a caller uses an

800 number for deaf-blind or visually impaired persons. The relay agent may type at a normal pace, but the text will come across to the users at a rate of 15 words per minute. This service must allow the user to request increased or decreased rates of the transmission of text in increments of 5 words per minute.

xiii. Spanish Translation. The proposed system must provide both Spanish-only and translation services: Spanish to Spanish, Spanish to English, or English to Spanish.

xiv. Unique 8xx and 9xx Telephone Numbers for Services. The proposed system must provide a separate 800 for each of these services: TTY, ASCII, unless a waiver has been granted by the FCC,VCO, STS, STS/NCO, Captioning Telephone VCO

(incoming calls from hearing parties), Spanish, Reduced Typing Speed, and

8xx/9xx Pay-Per-Call.

xv. Existing 8xx Telephone Numbers. The proposed system will use existing Relay

Texas 8xx numbers for VCO, HCO, STS, Reduced Typing Speed, STSVCO, 2LVCO, ASCII, unless a waiver has been granted by the FCC, 8xx/9xx Pay-Per-

Call, Voice, and TTY.

F. Relay Agent Specifications.

Each Proposer must address the following agent specifications in their proposals, describing how it will fulfill the requirements with enough detail to allow reviewers to understand precisely how the Proposer plans to staff relay services.

1. Identification of Relay Agent — Gender and Number. Each relay agent who processes

Relay Texas calls, TRS, and captioned telephone VCO service will be assigned an identification number. When answering a relay call, the relay agent will answer with his or her number and gender identification such as: "RTX 105M". The relay caller must be able to request an agent of a specific gender identification.

2. Confidentiality. TRS must be provided in a manner that ensures confidentiality regarding existence and content of conversation as required by applicable laws. The

TRS provider must outline disciplinary and termination procedures in writing if relay agents violate confidentiality laws. Chapter 82 of the Texas Human Resources Code, as amended, contains confidentiality requirements for relay agents and interpreters and may be found at the following URL:

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/HR/htm/HR.82.htm.

3. Relay Agent Training. TRS Relay agent training must include instruction on proper translation and interpretation of typed ASL (ASL gloss and ASL grammar), information about deaf culture, and information about the needs of hard-of-hearing, speech-disabled, and deaf-blind users. Training must involve simulated call handling.

Appropriate parts of agent training must be provided by persons from the deaf, hard-of-hearing, speech-disabled, and deaf-blind communities with expertise in the field of language interpreting ASL. A minimum of three days (24 hours) of training should be http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/HR/htm/HR.82.htm focused on understanding basic American Sign Language. New relay agents may not be changed from probationary status to regular status employees prior to showing a basic understanding of written ASL gloss for a minimum of three months. Proposers must describe how they will provide increased oversight to probationary agents.

4. Relay Agent Counseling. The proposal must outline support programs and available personnel to assist TRS and CTS VCO relay agents in dealing with the emotional aspects of relaying calls. The programs must maintain confidentiality as required above in subsection (F)(2).

5. Procedures for Relaying Communication. All relay agents must convey the full content, context, and intent of the relayed communication style being translated. Throughout the phone call, relay agents must strive to maintain functional equivalency to a standard

(non-TRS) phone call. All secondary activities that would normally be known to a hearing person engaged in a telephone conversation must be relayed whenever possible. Unless the relay user requests otherwise, the agent must relay all calls according to the following procedures:

i. Circumstances under which a relay agent explains the relay service. When a non-text user receives a relay call, the TRS relay agent will ask whether he or she has previously used TRS. If such user has used TRS before, the call will be processed without further delay. If not, the relay agent will explain how the service operates and will notify the text relay user, using parentheses, that TRS is being explained.

The TRS explanation will be brief and concise. A suggested format is: 'The person who is calling you is either deaf or speech-disabled. The caller is typing a conversation, which will be read to you. When you hear the words "Go Ahead," it will be your turn to speak. Please speak directly to the caller. Everything that is heard will be typed to them. One moment for your call to begin." When a non-text relay user initiates a call to Relay Texas, the relay agent will NOT ask whether he or she has previously used TRS unless it is obvious to the relay agent that the relay user does not know how to use TRS. If Proposers have another explanation other than the suggested format, please note the explanations in the proposal. If there is more than one explanation to meet specific features of TRS callers (made from

VCO, HCO, or other TRS features) please note those in the proposal as well.

ii. The originating relay user retains full control of the call. The caller must have the option of telling the relay agent what aspects of the call she or he will handle. For example, a text relay caller may request that he or she introduce relay services to the called party, rather letting the relay agent do the introduction.

iii. Relay agents must maintain a neutral position. Relay agents must not counsel, advise, or interject personal opinions or additional information during a relay call, even if the relay communication breaks down. An exception to this occurs when either the relay caller or called party requests assistance from a relay agent or during an emergency call. Even then, a neutral position must be maintained to the extent possible. Relay agents must not offer any advice based on personal judgments regarding the content of any relay communication (i.e., "Don't do what he is asking you to do" or "he's trying to rip you off"). Relay agents must not have a personal conversation with anyone who calls the TRS at any time, except to extend a polite and concise response when prompted, such as "thank you" if a relay user comments on a job well done.

iv. Relay agents must keep both parties informed on the status of the relay call. This information includes, but is not limited to, an indication of such signals as dialing, ringing, busy, disconnected, recording, fax sound, or holding. Captioned telephone

VCO relay agents must keep CTS VCO users informed regarding the status of a call, including but not limited to an indication of such signals as dialing, ringing, busy, disconnected, recording, fax sound, or holding.

v. To the extent possible, the relay agent must identify to the text and CTS VCO relay user whether the hearing or voice user is female or male by using parentheses at the beginning of a call as follows: "(M)" or "(F)".

vi. All comments directed to either party by the relay agent must be relayed to the other party. For example, if the relay agent asks a hearing party, “Will you accept a collect call?", these words must be relayed to the text and CTS VCO relay user in parentheses. Likewise, all comments directed to the relay agent by either party must be relayed. For example, if a text relay user types, "Yes, I will accept the charges", these words will be relayed to the other relay party as "(The party says, `Yes, I will accept the charges.').

vii. Relay agents must, to the best of their abilities, convey to the text and CTS VCO relay user the voice relay user's tone of voice. Whenever possible, characterizing of tone of voice will first be conveyed with descriptive words such as "yelling", "crying", "loud", "quiet", or "foreign accent". These words must be in parenthesis.

If it is clear to the relay agent that the tone of voice is more emotional than the descriptive sound words can provide, then relay agent can type something such as

"(sounds angry)" in addition to the descriptive sound words if it makes conversation clearer. Such descriptions and other similar utterances must be in parentheses, preceded by the word "sounds." Relay agents may also be creative in the ways that they convey the hearing person's vocalizations to the text user. If the voice Relay User "groans" or "hums" these could be relayed as "OOOhh" or

“hmmm”. An excited "yes" may be relayed as "yesss!!!". The TRS and CTS VCO

Provider must provide training in voice tone conveyances as part of the overall agent training.

viii. When the relay agent verbalizes for the text relay user, the agent must adopt a conversational tone of voice appropriate to the type of call being made. If a text user types an expression (for example, "OOOh"), the relay agent must verbalize accordingly.

ix. The relay agent must identify background noise (e.g. "baby crying", "music", and

"coughing") to the text and CTS VCO relay user whenever possible.

x. There must be no censorship or omission by relay agents in any situation. Relay agents must convey everything, including profanity, to the other party.

G. Relay Agent Skills and Proficiency.

The TRS provider must ensure that no relay agent who, within the training period, lacks the skills listed in this subsection will be used as a relay agent, with the few exceptions as noted.

1. Relay agents must possess 12th grade level spelling skills. The TRS provider must appropriately test applicants to determine grade level spelling skill. The PUCT Contract

Administrator may request that the TRS provider submit reports on relay agent spelling skills, and the TRS provider must comply within a reasonable period of time not to exceed 30 days.

2. TRS relay agents must be able to type at a speed of 60 words per minute (wpm) for five minutes by the first day of actual relay agent work. Relay agents must be tested every six months to ensure that the 60-wpm for five minutes standard (voice to text) is maintained. These periodic tests must simulate actual working conditions and must not be standard typing tests. Tests should be modified with sufficient frequency to ensure that relay agents cannot "learn" the test. The PUCT Contract Administrator may request that the TRS provider submit reports on relay agent typing speed scoring, and the TRS provider must comply within a reasonable period of time not to exceed 30 days.

3. The relay agent's speech must be clear and easily understood by hearing relay users.

4. In order to assist in clearer understanding between the two parties, relay agents must translate the typed languages of relay users whose primary language may be ASL or whose written English language skills are limited to grammatically correct conversational English, unless the text user instructs otherwise. If a text user instructs the relay agent to type verbatim, the agent must follow such instructions.

5. During all shifts, TRS relay agents fluent in Spanish must be available to provide translation when one or both relay users communicate in Spanish. Most Spanish speakers in Texas are familiar with the Spanish spoken in Mexico. Therefore, Proposers must explain how they will ensure agents can speak with accent, idiom, and other language characteristics used in Spanish spoken in Mexico so that their speech will be understandable by Spanish-speaking Texas Relay users and so that they will accurately relay communications by Spanish-speaking Texas Relay users.

H. TRS Audits.

The contractor will be responsible for engaging an independent auditor to conduct the audits specified below. The audits must be completed within 90 calendar days after the fiscal year has ended (August 31st). The contractor must receive the Relay Administrator's written approval of the audit firm and of the proposed scope of work before the audit begins.

1. Years One and Three – The contractor must engage an independent auditor to conduct a SSAE Type II audit on administrative and operational procedures for the fiscal years ending August 31, 2025, and August 31, 2027.

2. Years Two and Four – The contractor must engage an independent auditor to conduct quality assurance audits on all aspects of relay service delivery covered by the contract to determine whether the expected level of service is being met. The scope of these audits must include, but is not limited to:

i. Typing speed and captioning speed;

ii. Typing accuracy and captioning accuracy;

iii. Average accuracy with and without corrections;

iv. Reason for errors;

v. Average connect time; and

vi. Conversation minute length.

The cost of these audits must be billed as a separate line item on the relay service invoice and will be paid from USF funds. Upon completion of each audit, the contractor must provide the auditor's written report with management response to the PUCT. The written report must include all processes and procedures that were examined and the results of the examination.

III. Outreach.

A. Budget.

The TUSF will reimburse the TRS provider up to $95,000 per year (beginning December

1, 2024) for outreach and promotional items to Texas localities and audit expenses, and up to an additional $20,000 per year for website development and maintenance. Proposers must commit to performing outreach activities, describe sample outreach activities, and commit to monthly reporting. Monthly reporting can be part of the monthly invoice as noted in Attachment B. The TRS provider must coordinate or provide annual Relay Texas outreach projects, including but not limited to: a Relay Texas website; participation in events that provide disability-related information for people with hearing or speech loss;

promotional giveaways with Relay Texas logo; and promoting general public awareness.

B. Annual Approval.

The TRS provider annually must outline costs and activities for each outreach project and submit them to the PUCT Contract Administrator for review two weeks after the contract start date of December 1st. Every year after that, the outreach plan is due on October 1st and must include recommended promotional items. The TRS provider must work closely with the PUCT Contract Administrator in designing, developing, and approving promotional items intended to educate Texans about Relay Texas and providing its services to all potential users. These items may include, but are not limited to brochures, giveaways, and videos (informational or training).

C. Website Development and Maintenance.

The TRS provider must maintain a Relay Texas web site accessible by and useful to consumers in order to provide pertinent relay service information, including service provider contact information. The TRS provider must work closely with the PUCT

Contract Administrator in designing, developing, and approving website information intended to educate Texans about Relay Texas. The relay service contract manager must report all updates and changes to the website to the PUCT Relay Administrator as they occur. The website must be operational by December 1, 2024. Costs incurred will be reimbursed up to $20,000 per year.

IV. Reporting Requirements.

Proposers must address each of the following reporting specifications of this section in their proposals, giving enough detail to allow technical reviewers to understand precisely how the

Proposer will provide the required service or information.

A. Mandatory Records Maintenance.

1. The TRS provider must maintain its records of all relay operations to permit the review and confirmation of TRS and CTS VCO data as well as other data by the PUCT

Contract Administrator.

2. The TRS provider must report enough information to local exchange companies to enable them to meet the statutory prohibition on charging access charges on calls that originate and terminate within the same local calling area.

B. Monthly Reports.

The following are mandatory monthly reports. (Refer to Attachment B for formatted copies of mandatory reports from March 2024.)

1. Invoice Cover Signature and Invoice Charges Summary.

i. Must be a single page and have the minimal necessary expense information that will ultimately be submitted to the Texas USF Administrator. Must contain the following information:

(a) Total requested Service Compensation;

(b) ASA Non-Compliance Penalty – Liquidated Damages;

(c) Publicity Expense;

(d) Audit Expense;

(e) Total Amount Due;

(f) Certification of statements and charges’ accuracy; and

(g) Signature lines for TRS Contract Administrator.

2. Details of Compensation and Statistics.

3. Year-to-Date Payment History.

4. Checklist of Deliverables.

5. Relay Texas Service Compensation Invoice.

6. Publicity/Outreach Expenses.

7. Relay Texas Traffic Report – TRS: Conversation Minutes.

8. Calls to Relay Texas by Device (English and Spanish). This report must include the total number of monthly TRS outbound calls handled to each type of device, percent of total calls by device, total minutes of service by device, average length of call for each type of device, total TRS inbound for each type of device, total TRS inbound for each type of device by Spanish-speaking users, and total TRS inbound by English-speaking users. The devices to be included are:

(a) TTY Baudot calls;

(b) Turbocode, unless a waiver has been granted by the FCC;

(c) ASCII calls, unless a waiver has been granted by the FCC;

(d) Voice calls;

(e) Voice carryover calls;

(f) Hearing carryover calls;

(g) Deaf-blind ASCII, unless a waiver has been granted by the FCC;

(h) Deaf-blind Baudot;

(i) Speech-to-speech calls by speech-disabled; and

(j) Sub-total of each.

9. Relay Texas Interstate & Intrastate.

10. Attempted Calls Breakdown.

11. Speech-to-Speech (STS).

12. Texas Access to Relay Products: Total Conversation Minutes of TRS .

13. Texas Relay Conference Captioning (RCC): RCC Minutes of starting balance, minutes of usage, ending balance.

14. Annual Data Collection of TRS, Speech-to-Speech: Conversation Minutes and Session

Minutes for Texas and TRS Fund.

15. Relay Texas Invoice with Account Service Detail.

16. Texas Weighted ASA.

17. Texas Weighted Service Level.

18. Telecommunication Relay Services – Originating City Report.

19. Telecommunication Relay Services – Inbound Calls by Call Center Report.

20. RCC Billing Detail by Day.

21. RCC Monthly Call Data.

22. Customer Contacts.

C. Annual Reports.

Report on Texas Relay activities from previous years, proposed outreach activities for next fiscal year, all FCC complaint Logs and MARS reports.

i. Annual Report draft due by December 31st each year; and

ii. Annual Report final due by January 31st each year.

Contractor must provide a detailed explanation of any discrepancies or errors uncovered in a review of the monthly data provided in the monthly invoice.

(i) If the PUCT requires any corrective action arising from audit reports, Contractor must provide a monthly status report to the PUCT Contract Administrator addressing any corrective action arising from audit reports. This information must include, but is not limited to, the status of actions regarding billing or data reporting errors.

(ii) Contractor must provide notification to the PUCT Contract Administrator of actual or suspected waste, fraud, abuse, or other potential misconduct in writing within two weeks of discovery.

V. PUCT Contract Monitoring Activities.

A. PUCT Contract Administrator will use the required reports to monitor contractor performance monthly.

B. Additionally, the PUCT Contract Administrator may conduct the following monitoring activities, as deemed appropriate by the Contract Administrator:

1. Make random calls to ensure the calls are answered appropriately and within the ASA time.

2. Monthly meetings with the Relay contract administrator to go over call statistics, outreach activities, and any potential concerns.

3. This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of monitoring activities. The PUCT

Contract Administrator may monitor the TRS provider’s performance in other ways deemed appropriate by the PUCT Contract Administrator.

C. Delay or failure by the PUCT contract administrator to identify contract noncompliance in the monitoring activities does not relieve the TRS provider from performance in compliance with the contract, nor does it waive any remedies available to the PUCT.

D. If the TRS provider is not meeting performance standards, the PUCT may, in its sole discretion:

1. Issue warnings regarding the need for performance improvement;

2. Institute a corrective action plan with additional requirements designed to ensure the

Contractor improves performance in order to meet the requirements of the contract, with a deadline, after which the PUCT may choose to terminate the contract for cause, if the Contractor fails to make the required improvements and meet the requirements of the corrective action plan.

E. Warnings and corrective action plans do not replace or preclude any other remedies available to the PUCT under contract or the law.

VI. Pricing Proposal.

Proposers must submit their pricing proposals based on the following instructions and assumptions. Proposers are solely responsible for seeking clarification and asking questions concerning these instructions and assumptions.

A. Conversation Minutes – Conversation minutes must be timed to the tenth of a second (or less) for each relay call. The total number of conversation minutes for each 24-hour period may be rounded up to the nearest second. (See the definition of “Conversation Minutes” in

Section I. of this Statement of Work for additional instruction regarding calculation of

Conversation Minutes.)

B. Standardized Rate of Service – In determining standardized rates for mandatory services, there must be no “minimum minutes” required to provide the service with the rates specified. (See the definition of “Standardized Rate of Service” in Section II of this RFP.

C. The Proposal Pricing Package – The proposal pricing package must contain pricing for mandatory…