FOD ASL SOW 2026.docx

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Sign Language Interpreter Services

1. PROJECT TITLE: Accommodation Support Services for the Field Offices and all subordinate Field Offices.

2. BACKGROUND: USCIS provides immigration benefits through Service Centers, District Offices, Field Office, and Application Support Centers. The Field Offices have a requirement for ad hoc American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation Services to support applicants who are deaf. Such applicants attend various interviews, naturalization services, and information services appointments and will need sign to voice and voice to sign interpretation/translation services. The service will allow the applicant to fully participate in required interactions with USCIS staff.

3. SCOPE: Provide in-person and Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) sign language interpretive services on an as-needed basis for Deaf or Hard of Hearing applicants within Field Operations Directorate see Section 6, Place of Performance below. These services will be utilized during interviews, naturalization ceremonies, information services appointments, and other interactions with USCIS staff members as required. The Contractor shall provide interpreter services of both sign to voice and voice to sign utilizing Signed English (SE) and/ or American Sign Language (ASL) and Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI). Scheduled appointments are crucial for the applicants to attend and it is imperative that interpreter services are received; if a scheduled interpreter cannot meet the required timeframes a qualified replacement interpreter should be made available.

4. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS: Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, Section 501 of 1973, and The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), all which can be located at the following website: http://www.eeoc.gov/

5. SPECIFIC TASKS:

a) Ad-hoc in-person and Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) sign language interpreter services for the following, but not limited to regular scheduled appointments during business hours (Monday through Friday, 7am to 5pm EST, excluding federal holidays) meetings, weekend events, and after normal business hour events. The days and times of ad hoc events may vary.

b) A team of two interpreters, one American Sign Language and one Certified Deaf Interpreter may be needed in instances where it has been determined that the applicant to be serviced requires both an ASL and CDI interpreter.

c) Local interpreters are requested.

d) Ad hoc services shall be reflected in 2-hour increments for the base request and then 30- minute increments in addition to reflect

e) A detailed call log of each service event shall be maintained by the Contractor company to include but is not limited to the following information:

· Date, time, duration of hours/minutes

· Location

· Amount charged

· Description of event

· Any problems and mitigation of issues/follow-up needed

· Applicant A#

f) The contractor is required to notify the government in writing when 85% of each CLIN has been expended. Any work hours worked by the contractor above the ceiling value of the award shall not be reimbursed by the government.

g) No contract employee is authorized to perform work at a government site without a Government employee being present.

h) Contractors will not be provided with a PIV card. Contractors will be provided with an identifying badge, which is to be worn conspicuously at all times while contract employees are on site at USCIS facilities and/or while providing services for USCIS applicants on behalf of USCIS.

i) In the event the Contractor terminates associated contract employees, or any contract employee resigns, the contractor is obligated to inform the COR, in writing, within one business day of the termination/resignation.

j) Federal holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas.

k) Upon arrival, interpreters shall briefly meet with the USCIS staff as needed to discuss appropriate actions within the work environment.

l) The contractor shall develop and maintain a contingency plan if there is a no show for a scheduled interpreter. Upon notification from the government the contractor will send a replacement cleared interpreter. Any premium cost incurred will not be billed to the government.

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

6. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE:

Field Operations – Field Office Listings

(Lafayette Street Entrance)

Oakland Park Field Office

& ASC

4451 NW 31st Ave

Oklahoma City Field Office

& ASC

Philadelphia Field Office

& ASC

30 N 41st St

Building 7

Portland, OR Field Office

& ASC

Rio Grande Valley Field Office & ASC

Suite 100

Blvd

7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

The base period of performance: TBD

8. POINTS OF CONTACT:

Contracting Specialist (CS) Marianne Green Marianne.Green@uscis.dhs.gov

Contracting Officer (CO) Eric Bishop Eric.M.Bishop@uscis.dhs.gov

Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) Lisa Lewis Lisa.M.Lewis@uscis.dhs.gov

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) Jerry Austin Jerry.R.Austin@uscis.dhs.gov

Contracting Officer’s Representative (Alt. COR) Daryl Mezzacasa Daryl.L.Mezzacasa@uscis.dhs.gov

9. PERSONNEL AND QUALIFICATIONS:

All interpreters and professionals providing Sign Language Interpreting services, whether primary or additional, must meet the qualifications listed below AND must go through the Entrance on Duty (EOD) process upon award of the contract.

a. Be 18 years old or older.

b. Hold a high school diploma or equivalent.

c. Be a U.S. citizen.

d. Fluency in American Sign Language (ASL) or requested system depending on the effective communication access needed by the task orders.

e. Be certified/qualified in interpreting English to ASL, or other sign system, and transliterating from ASL, or other sign system, to English.

f. Have a minimum of three years of experience that involved transliterating and interpreting through the use of ASL or other sign system depending on the effective communication access needed by the task orders.

g. Be registered with the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and hold a certification of NIC (National Interpreter Certification) or CDI (Certified Deaf Interpreter) or have a state-equivalent certification/licensure; and Comply with the Professional Code of Ethics established by RID or state Professional ethics established by the states.

h. Interpreters shall have the ability to voice interpret when a Deaf or Hard of Hearing person’s speech is not easily understood.

i. Interpreters shall have the ability to imitate nuances, tone information, inflection,

j. and the spirit of the speaker’s voice to enable the Deaf or Hard of Hearing person to fully receive messages.

k. Interpreters must be courteous.

l. When more than one (1) interpreter is needed for an assignment, interpreters must work collaboratively and professionally with each other.

m. Interpreters must be trained and familiar with the features and functionality of both Zoom and Microsoft TEAMs, ensuring they can navigate the platforms efficiently and provide uninterrupted interpretation services during virtual sessions.

Reporting Requirement for Suspected or Confirmed Incidents Relating to PII/SPII

Contractors must report the suspected or confirmed loss or compromise of Sensitive PII to USCIS in a timely manner and cooperate with USCIS's Inquiry into the incident and efforts to remediate any harm to potential victims.

1. Contractor must report the suspected or confirmed loss or compromise of Sensitive PII by its employees or sub- Contractors to the USCIS Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or Contracting Officer within one (1) hour of the initial discovery to the USCIS Security Operation Center at uscissoc@uscis.dhs.gov and the USCIS Office of Privacy at uscis.privacyincidentsbreaches@uscis.dhs.gov.

2. The Contractor must complete annual privacy awareness training through the USCIS training platform by which its employees and sub-Contractors are trained to identify and report potential loss or compromise of Sensitive PII.

3. The Contractor must provide a written report to USCIS within 24 hours of the suspected or confirmed loss or compromise of Sensitive PII containing the following information:

a. Narrative, detailed description of the events surrounding the suspected loss/compromise.

b. Date, time, and location of the incident.

c. Type of information lost or compromised.

d. Contractor's assessment of the likelihood that the information was compromised or lost and the reasons behind the assessment.

e. Names of person(s) involved, including victim, Contractor employee/sub- Contractor and any witnesses.

f. Cause of the incident and whether the company's security plan was followed or not, and which specific provisions were not followed.

g. Actions that have been or will be taken to minimize damage and/or mitigate further compromise.

h. Recommendations to prevent similar situations in the future, including whether the security plan needs to be modified in any way and whether additional training may be required.

4. The Contractor must cooperate with USCIS or other government agency inquiries into the suspected or confirmed loss or compromise of Sensitive PII.

5. At the government's discretion, Contractor employees or sub-Contractor employees may be identified as no longer eligible to access Sensitive PII or to work on that contract based on their actions related to the loss or compromise of Sensitive PII.

10. TRAVEL:

Travel (more than 50-mile radius) may be offered as a reimbursable cost and may be billed against a Travel CLIN.

Although, non-local travel will not be expected, if it becomes required any arrangements for long distance travel or travel time compensation must be authorized by the requesting program office as well as the Contracting Office point-of-contact before being made. Non- local travel will be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations and current GSA per diem/mileage rates. Any expenses exceeding $75.00 must be documented by receipt copies that are submitted along with the invoice document pertaining to that travel event.

Any unique event that requires non-local travel that involves parking, tolls or mileage reimbursement needs approval from the Contracting Officer's Representative and the Contracting Officer prior to any arrangements being made.

Portal to Portal Reimbursement Please note that Portal to Portal will only be approved under the following circumstances:

1. When an applicant elects not to participate in VRI, or

2. When an in-person sign language interpreter (SLI) is required for a re-examination appointment.

When Portal to Portal Reimbursement is authorized, the interpreter must submit a travel request (up to $1,000.00 maximum) for approval by the Contracting Officer.