Attachment 3-QA.pdf

Questions Answers

We are Spanish <> English Specialists. Are we welcome to become a contractor for just one of the languages needed? Or are we expected to be able to handle all of the requested services?

No. DoDEA is anticipating on awarding a single IDIQ contract that can handle all of the services outlined in the PWS.

a. From the Price Schedule, the unit of measure is EA. Considering that there are many different transcripts from every country, we do not know how many number of pages will there be in one Transcript and how many words content we would need to translate. Also, the standard industry rate for Translation is "per word". Will the DoDEA change the unit of measure from EACH to "rate per word"?

b. The RFQ requires only Translation from Foreign Transcripts to English language. Does this mean no Formatting is required? We asking because Formatting or DTP has a different pricing scheme.

a. No. DoDEA will not change the unit of measure of each to per word.

However, DoDEA will adjust the unit of measure to per page. See amendment and Revised Pricing Sheet‐Attachment 1. Per page is defined as the number of pages DoDEA sends to the vendor. The number of pages returned from the vendor should not exceed the number of pages originally sent.

b. No, that does not mean formatting is not required. Formatting specifications are listed at PWS section 2.1.1.10

a. Is there an incumbent contractor? What was the awarded amount? What was the award number? When was the contract awarded?

b. Please provide an average number of words per transcript. I am asking for any historical data you may have so the I may gauge the size of the unit of issue, a transcript.

a. HE125415D0015 awarded to SPANTRAN, INC. on 29‐Sep‐2015 in the amount of $608,450.00

b. The size and format of K‐12 foreign transcripts can vary widely. Data regarding the number of words per document is not available. However, the average document does exceed 5 pages. The largest document in 5 years was 20 pages.

a. Who is the incumbent contractor for the previous contract and what rates did they charge for the services

b. The industry standard metric for written (document) translation is per word and not per document (i.e., per transcript); therefore, only the incumbent vendor(s) would know how to quantify and evaluate the average level of effort to translate a single transcript (through their proprietary knowledge/experience. It is our position that this provides an unfair competitive advantage to the incumbent(s) based on FAR 9.505–4. Will the Government change the pricing metrics from “per transcript” to “per word” so as to present a fair opportunity for all potential offerors? c.

What is the average number of pages and average number of words per transcript?

a. SPANTRAN, INC., we can not disclose rate because that is proprietary information.

b. See #2a response

c. See #3b response

HE125420Q0020‐Attachment 3‐Questions and Answers

a. Who is the incumbent currently servicing this contract and what pricing structure do they use?

b. Section 2.1.1.11 numeral 4 notes that, “All translation service pricing will fall within one of the three categories listed,” including most commonly used, less commonly used, and least commonly used languages. However, language translation is usually priced per word depending on the resources and commonality of a language. For instance, Spanish is a very commonly used language and it is therefore less costly than Japanese, which is a very rarely used language and resources are few. May we submit a pricing sheet that reflects this pricing structure of translation services per word, per language?

c. The Pricing Sheet requests a maximum total per clin per year. However, in order to provide this we would need the total number of words per language that will be required rather than the number of requests, since translation services are priced per word per language. Will the government please provide us with this information (of estimated number of words per language) so that we can calculate the max total per clin accurately?

a. SPANTRAN, INC. /unit of issue was EACH.

b. The requirement is as written in the RFQ.

c. See #3b response

a. Is this a new or existing contract?

b. If this is an existing contract, who is the incumbent vendor and what were the rates charged on the previous contract? c. If this is an existing contract, what was the annual expenditure for each contract year, or what is the anticipated annual expenditure and volume in # of words for each language?

d. If this is an existing contract, what are some of the challenges you encountered on the previous contract? If this is a new contract, what are some of the challenges that you anticipate?

e. Can you provide some sample transcripts for reference (with any PII redacted)?

f. In terms of the pricing proposal, the industry standard metric for written translation is to charge “per word,” and not “per document” (or transcript), given that the size of transcripts of this type can vary greatly in size. Will the Government consider changing the pricing metric for this effort?

g. Will there ever be urgent assignments that must be completed in less than the standard five (5) business day turnaround time? If so, what is the turnaround time for rush/expedited translations and will the Government add a “rush pricing” category to the pricing spreadsheet?

a. This is an existing contract

b. See #4a response

c. See # 4a/3b response

d. There was no challenges encountered on the existing on the contract.

e. No. We are unable to supply a representative sample of a K‐12 foreign transcript.

f. See #2a response and the Revised Attachment 1‐Pricing Sheet

g. At this point the requirement is as stated in the Performance Work statement

a. The pricing attachment asks us to provide a price per transcript, however industry standard is to provide a price per‐word for translation services. Could the Pricing Sheet be amended so we can provide a price per‐word?

b. Could we add content to our response in the Pricing Sheet in order to include all relevant terms, such as project minimums?

c. How will our proposal be stored and who will have access to the proprietary information contained therein?

d. In case the proposal become publicly available, could we mark certain portions of our proposal confidential to avoid such disclosure?

a. See #2a response and the Revised Attachment 1‐Pricing Sheet

b. Sure you pricing sheet/price volume of all relevant terms however the stated minimums are identified in the RFQ.

c. Procurement will safeguard and only personnel who have signed Non‐ disclosure will have access.

d. Yes

a. Is there a budget allocated to this contract? If yes, how much?

b. Under the FOIA, is there an incumbent currently providing these services? If yes, please identify them and how long the DoDEA has been working with them?

c. Under the FOIA, how much are you currently paying for translation services, broken down by language?

d. Why are you considering changing vendors?

a. Yes, the government can not disclosure this information

b. See #3a response and the period of performance was 4 years.

c. Contractors pricing information is proprietary therefore this information will not be disclosed.

d. The existing contract is expiring.

a. The solicitation requires that only ATA, GTA, Department of State, or other body certified professionals are used for this contract. However, certifications are not available in all the languages requested by the DoDEA, especially the languages of lesser diffusion, making it impossible to meet this requirement. Would it be possible to provide thoroughly vetted and qualified translators, if we detail that process in our proposal?

b. Do you anticipate that the transcripts to be translated will contain graphics, figures, drawings, or other design elements that are not editable in Word, thereby creating a need for desktop publishing? If yes, can we include a rate for Desktop Publishing in our Pricing Sheet?

c. Can we see a representative sample of a transcript, in order to support and establish our pricing structure?

A. Yes, the designation of "qualified translator" was added for less and least common languages. Please refer to PWS section 2.1.1.2.4 B. No. DoDEA does not anticipate the need for graphics, figures, drawings or other design elements. PWS section 2.1.1.10 outlines formatting requirements.

C. See 6e response.

In reference to Pricing (Attachment 1):

a. Could DoDEA provide an average number of words or the typical length (number of pages) for transcripts that will need translation on this contract?

b. Will translation requests typically be transcripts for one academic year or for multiple academic years?

c. Would DoDEA consider modifying the cost structure to a flat fee plus per‐word costs (for translations over a set number of words) by language categories (common, less common, least common)?

a. See #3b response

b. Translation services could be requested for one year or more.

c. See #2a response.

Section 2.2.2 of the RFQ references a requirement for a Program Manager/Alternate Program Manager, but there is no specific CLIN in Attachment 1 for pricing program management services.

Could DoDEA clarify where the program manager costs should be reflected in Attachment 1? For instance, should program management costs be provided in the Tracking Report CLIN since that is a function of the Program Manager?

The Program Manager/Alternate Program Manager cost should annotated on the CLIN breakdown tab and the cost for the services should be embedded in the CLIN cost.

Referencing 2.1.1.2, would three‐plus years of translating for the DoD, including the translation of transcripts for service members, be acceptable to DoDEA in leu of certification by ATA (note: ATA only certifies translators in 14 languages, so many languages listed in the RFQ are not eligible for ATA certification)? See # 9a response.

Could you please clarify what credential (or “certification”) for translation is issued by the State Department?

Individuals who have passed the Department of State language services test https://www.state.gov/bureaus‐offices/under‐secretary‐for‐ management/bureau‐of‐administration/office‐of‐language‐services/

The RFQ does not mention the need for editing (by a second person who speaks the language of the source document) in the customary translation process for transcripts. Please clarify if editing is required by DoDEA or if transcripts will only need to be translated and delivered.

A requirement to conduct a second transcript review and edit for accuracy was added at PWS section 2.1.1.12. See amendment.

Will DoDEA need any of the translations to be delivered as hard copies? e.g. FedEx, mail, etc. No.

Can transcripts be delivered in PDF format only to prevent alterations to translated products? Yes. SEE TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 2 – DELIVERABLES

We have a question regarding how should we provide our quote to you. What is the estimated number of pages per student transcript to be quoted? Or should we just provide a quote per page The quote should be in accordance with section B /Pricing CLINS of solicitation

a. Do you require Desktop Publishing (DTP) service?

b. What is the desired turnaround time?

c. What is the desired deliverable format?

d. While # of transcripts per year (Est.) is stated in the SOW, does this mean the total # of transcripts from multiple languages or per language?

e. Could you please provide us the estimated total page/word count per transcript, based on the historical data?

a. The vendor must determine what software/programs are needed to fulfill the requirement.

b. See PWS section 2.1.1.5.

c. See PWS section 2.1.1.13

d. The total number of transcripts from the (multiple) languages listed in that category.

e. See #3b response

a. Who are the current incumbents? What are their rates?

b. Can you please provide a list of file types/formats required for document translations?

a. See #4a response

b. See #16 response

Given our lack of "direct" past performance, is it substantially worth our time to prepare bids for this project? If the lack of directly relevant past performance would be effectively disqualifying we would greatly appreciate knowing it before undergoing the substantial effort to construct a high‐quality and competitive bid.

In accordance with 52.212‐2 ADDENDUM – EVALUATION – COMMERCIAL ITEMS: In the case of a quoter without a record of past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available or so sparse that no meaningful past performance can be reasonably assigned, the quoter may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance therefore, the quoter shall be determined to have unknown (or “neutral”) past performance.

In the context of acceptability/unacceptability, a neutral rating shall be considered “acceptable”.

Section 2.7, page 77, states the following: “Optical Character Resolution (OCR) Requirement: The Contractor shall provide, upon request, two digital OCR copies of print materials in one or more of the following formats:

• Digital Accessible Information System/National Instructional Materials

• Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) with cascading style sheet

• HyperText Markup Language (HTML)

• Portable Document Format (PDF), (unlocked, embedded fonts, single page)

• Rich Text Format (RTF)/Word document”

a. Can we provide the documents in any of the formats mentioned above? Or will you indicate which one?

b. In case we have to provide them in more than one format, which criteria must we take into account in order to do so?

c. Accessibility is only contemplated in case of DAISY and NIMAS. Shall we also contemplate it for the rest of the formats?

The Contractor shall provide, upon request, two digital OCR copies of print materials. The government is not requesting copies at this time.

a. Who was the vendor or team of vendors that were awarded the previous contract referenced in your solicitation(1.2 Background, page 74) for transcription translation and analysis services? What was the pricing per unit (CLINS 0001AA, 0001AB, 0001AC) for translation in that winning contract?

b. How many academic years are included in an average transcript? i.e. Could a transcript cover 5th grade through 8th grade as one Unit or would each academic year be a separate Unit?

a. See #4a response

b. Translations services should be performed during the RFQs delivery schedule.

a. In order to provide the Government with a per Unit price for translation of transcriptions, the Government would have to define how many pages of transcript are considered one unit, on the average. How many pages is the average transcript submitted for translation?

b. How many words are included in the average page of a transcript?

c. How many pages are included in the average request for translation (one Unit)? See #3b response

a. Can you provide vendors with a representative sample (with personal information redacted) of typical transcript documents that would count as one UNIT as defined in this solicitation?

b. The submission instructions for Volume 4: Price, gives vendors the option of providing alternative pricing information that is more appropriate to our Standard Commercial Pricing. Generally speaking, written translation of documents is billed by the word. This allows the maximum flexibility to price documents as precisely as possible. Can vendors simply provide the per word rate that corresponds to the CLINs and Sub‐CLINs in the Pricing Sheet?

c. Would ONLY providing a per word price for the various CLINs and Sub‐CLINS count as a fully compliant submission?

a. See #6e response

b. See #2a response and Revised Pricing Sheet‐Attachment 1

c. No

a. What additional information other than the per word rates for each CLIN and sub‐CLIN would be required to make the Price submission fully‐compliant?

b. On the Excel Pricing Sheet, there is a tab marked “CLIN Breakdown” requesting information. Is “Quoted Hours” the total number of labor hours that the vendor estimates will be required to complete the corresponding CLIN or Sub‐CLIN?

c. On the Excel Pricing Sheet, CLIN breakdown Tab, does “Fully Burdened Rate” refer to the hourly rate that we are billing the Government?

d. Does it refer to the hourly rate that we are paying our translators? If not, what does it refer to?

a. Quotes shall be submitted in accordance with FAR 52.212‐1.

b. Yes

c. Yes

d. Yes

a. Translation is usually priced by the word and in this case, the Government is asking for us to price it by the UNIT. We do not pay translators by the hour nor do we bill for translation services by the hour. Can you eliminate the section of the Excel Sheet labeled “CLIN Breakdown” as a submission requirement?

b. If not, how can vendors estimate the number of hours it would take to complete a particular CLIN if “Unit” is undefined? Can you provide a formula so that all vendors are working with the same numbers and providing the Government with an “apples‐to‐apples” comparison? See #2a response and Revised Pricing Sheet‐Attachment 1

PWS 2.1 Page 74: Please confirm the number of pages to be translated for each transcript. Does the Government anticipate that the number of pages may vary? If so, how are bidders to address the volume variations in the Government’s pricing model? See #3b response

PWS 2.1.1.10 Page 75:

a. Does “transcript sample” refer to the full translation to be delivered? Does this mean that extraneous information ‐ for example, seals, signatures, graphic elements, institutional addresses, etc. (i.e. data other “course title, grades, credits, etc.) are not required?

b. Could you please confirm whether the formatting of the target file must mirror the source file in every detail?

A. Extraneous graphic information is not required. All words and numbers are to be translated.

B. See #2b response.

PWS 2.7 Page77: Please clarify the OCR requirement. Will requests for submission of translations in other than the MS Word format be communicated at the time of submission of a translation? See #21 response

a. P. 23, Provision 52.212‐2 (a), last sentence says “the government will consider four evaluation factors”; however, only three evaluation factors are listed. Can you please confirm which is correct?

b. P. 75, (PWS), Task 2.1.1.7 references a platform or protocol defined by DoDEA for encrypting PII.

What is the current platform or protocol in place?

c. P. 77 (PWS), Task 2.6.1 references a testing window. Is this relevant to this requirement?

d. P. 78 (PWS), Task 4, Government‐Furnished Resources. In what format are the digital copies of the foreign transcripts? (e.g., PDF, Microsoft Word, etc.)

e. General question. How long (e.g., number of pages or number of words) is a typical transcript? A rough estimate or range will help us provide more accurate pricing.

a. The government will evaluate the 3 factors; (1) Technical Approach, (2) Past Performance, and (3) Price. See amendment for correction.

b. https://safe.apps.mil/

c. Yes if the vendor is supplying the encrypted platform.

d. See PWS section 2.1.1.13

e. See #3b response

a. In Attachment 1 Pricing Worksheet, it appears that the DoDEA is requesting a price per transcript, which will be hard for us to determine as we usually bill per word. Can we submit an alternate price schedule that has prices per word for each of the language groups? If not, can we provide a price‐ per‐page, rather than a price per document? How many pages are usually in one of these foreign transcripts?

b. Will the documents require formatting and recreation work to look like the originals?

c. Is there an incumbent for this contract? Can you tell us who the incumbent is? Can the DoDEA share the rates they are currently being charged?

a. See 2a response and Revised Pricing Sheet‐Attachment 1.

b. See 2b.

c. See #4a response

a. Is this a new requirement? If not, can the Government provide the incumbent name and contract number?

b. Due to COVID‐19 will the Government allow telework options?

c. Is there an anticipated contract start date?

a. See #3a response

b. See PWS section 2.2 for place of performance.

c. See RFQ delivery Information for the anticipated contract start date