PerformanceWorkStmnt.pdf

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Performance Work Statement (PWS) for Interpreter Services DFAS-IN

Background: The mission of the Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS) is to lead the Department of Defense (DoD) in finance and accounting by ensuring the delivery of efficient, exceptional quality pay and financial information. Provide responsive, professional finance and accounting services for the people who defend America. DFAS provides accounting and reporting services for all levels of DOD for appropriated, non-appropriated, revolving, trust funds and working capitol; paying military members, civilian employees, military retirees and annuitants; collecting and disbursing DoD funds, including contract, vendor, security assistance, transportation and travel payments; manage the DoD travel card program; and provide advice and recommendations to the Under Secretary of Defense on finance and accounting matters.

It is the policy of DFAS, a federal agency, to provide equal employment opportunities for its employees, former employees, as well as applicants for employment with DFAS. DFAS' policies and practices are in full compliance with the laws and regulations governing equal employment opportunity

There are approximately 34 personnel that need interpretation services on a daily basis. Without interpretation services, the hearing impaired employees are unable to participate in necessary training events and meetings, or receive daily status updates and information essential to performance of their assigned tasks. As a result, they have limited opportunities to cross-train and/or advance in their career fields, and the inability to effectively communicate limits the organization’s opportunities to best utilizing hearing impaired personnel to meet varying workload requirements.

Due to the increase in the demand for and the lack of the resources necessary for effective, and timely interpreting services for the deaf and hard of hearing employees, DFAS has determined that contractor-provided services for this requirement are in the best interest of the Government.

A GENERAL CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

A.1 Description of Work

A.1.1. The purpose of this contract is to obtain onsite interpreting services for various meetings, training, etc for the deaf and hard of hearing employees (hereinafter referred to as deaf) on an as needed basis at Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) in Indianapolis, IN to include interpreting consecutively from:

• Oral spoken English into signed English and American Sign Language (ASL),

• Pidgen sign English (PSE),

• Tactile (deaf and blind),

• Oral,

• Oral with sign or ASL (in reverse) back to oral English, PWS Page 2 of 12

The Contractor shall provide onsite interpretation services with all necessary personnel and equipment as requested on an as needed basis, which shall perform the work identified in this

PWS.

A.1.2. A sample list of onsite interpretation events is provided below. This list is not inclusive and is subject to change dependent upon the requirements of DFAS-IN:

• Staff meetings,

• Commemorative programs,

• Award ceremonies,

• Safety talks,

• Discussions on work procedures, policies, or assignments for formal and informal settings,

• Quarterly performance discussions,

• Annual performance appraisals,

• Disciplinary discussions,

• Basic staff training, classroom training,

• Interviews,

• All Hands meetings, and

• Other ad hoc assignments similar in nature on an as-need basis.

A.2 General Operating Conditions

A.2.1 Place of Performance. The Contractor shall perform interpretation services for DFAS Indianapolis, IN throughout the facilities occupied by the Agency (Buildings 1 also known as the Emmett J. Bean Federal Center) located at 8899 East 56th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46249.

Services will need to be performed in offices, training rooms, warehouses, auditoriums and conference rooms. The conditions may be hot, cold, dirty, dusty, noisy, and involve hazards of working around material handling equipment and operations.

A.2.2 Period of Performance. This contract will be established for a one (1) year base period with two (2)- one (1) year option periods.

A.2.3 Closures

A.2.3.a Federal Holidays. No interpretation services will be required on federal holidays. The Contractor will not bill the Government for interpretation service hours when the Government is closed due to Federal holidays. Federal holidays generally observed include:

New Year’s Day Martin Luther King Day Presidents Day Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day

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A.2.3.b Inclement Weather, Emergency or Unscheduled Closure. Interpreters will not report to an assignment if the federal government is closed due to inclement weather, emergency or in the event of an unscheduled closure. No cancellation fee or charges shall be assessed. The contractor will not bill the government for interpreter service hours when the government is closed due to inclement weather or emergency. Delay and closure information will be announced on the radio and TV stations.

A.2.3.c Inclement Weather - Non-Closures. In the event of severe inclement weather or an emergency that does not result in closure, interpreters are responsible for calling the on-site POC provided on their assignment document or the COR to determine if the assignment is still scheduled. If services have been cancelled with less than 16 business hours (equals 2 business days) notice, the contractor may assess the cancellation fee established in C.3.1. (Reference C.2.2 for defined business hours.) If services are still required and the Contractor is not able to provide the service, the Contractor will not bill the Government for interpretation service hours when required service is not provided.

A.2.4 Current Duty Hours and Access to the Host Installation.

The Contractor shall perform services required under this PWS during the operating hours of the Government activity. Normal operating hours for DFAS-IN are 0600 to 1800 hours; Monday through Friday except Federal Holidays.

Due to changing traffic requirements brought on by construction, changing missions and security concerns within the host installation, access to the host installation is subject to change, sometimes with little or no warning. Inbound and outbound traffic restrictions exist.

Contractor interpreters must arrive no later than twenty (20) minutes prior to scheduled assignment to clear security. Upon clearing security, Interpreter(s) must contact the COR or designee for assistance with accessing the facility, as required. The COR or designee is responsible for ensuring that interpreters are signed-in upon arrival, escorted to the event(s) where the service is needed, and ensuring the interpreter(s) is escorted to the check-out location, as necessary. The Contractor shall not bill the Agency for any of the time described in this paragraph.

A.3 Key Personnel.

The Contractor shall designate a point of contact (POC) for Government representatives. The Contractor POC should possess the basic knowledge and skills required to plan, control and manage the scheduling and accomplishment of interpretation services required for the successful completion of the work. The Contractor POC should have the authority to plan and manage the project to ensure work is scheduled properly to obtain maximum use of resources and prevent inefficient or wasteful methods in the performance of the services ordered; ensure that accurate and timely reports are provided; resolve problems; manage personnel and subcontractors; and monitor operation performance to ensure complete satisfaction.

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In the event of the replacement of the Contractor POC, the Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer (KO) or Contracting Officer Representative (COR) in writing and shall submit a resume for the replacement. This notification shall take place at least fifteen (15) calendar days prior to a planned replacement and within twenty-four (24) hours following an unplanned replacement. The resume and other supporting documents submitted must include relevant qualifications, certifications as applicable, background and knowledge, in sufficient detail, to demonstrate the capability of the person.

A.4 Personnel Qualifications and Certifications.

A.4.1 Certification. All interpreters provided should have a certification obtained from a recognized certifying organization. Certification for interpreter providers must be obtained from organizations such as the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID, NIC, NIC Advanced, NIC Master, CI, CT, CI/CT or CSC), the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), or a recognized State Agency. All interpreters shall conduct themselves according to the NAD and/or RID Code of Ethics.

A.4.2 Special Qualifications. Interpreters must demonstrate fluency in expressive and receptive skills in oral spoken English into signed English and American Sign Language (ASL), Pidgen sign English (PSE), tactile (deaf and blind), oral, oral with sign or ASL (in reverse) back to oral English; ability to accurately interpret in a variety of settings; and ability to keep pace with communications in conferences, meetings, seminars, training classes, etc.

A.4.3 Exceptions to Certification/Qualification Requirement. If the Contractor does not provide interpreters with these certifications/qualifications then the interpreter(s) provided must be submitted in writing to the Contracting Officer within fifteen (15) business days prior to anticipated date of first assignment for approval. Approval will be either granted or denied after an in-person evaluation conducted by a cross section of DFAS employees who are deaf or hard of hearing at no cost to the Government. DFAS reserves the right to accept or reject any or all interpreters, based upon skills required, background and experience of each individual for any given assignment.

A.4.4 Practicum Students. Requests for practicum students/interns to accompany certified interpreters for training purposes shall be submitted to the COR in writing 4 business days in advance to start of assignment. Requests will be approved on a case by case basis.

Students/interns’ time is not billable under this contract.

A.4.5 Culture and Language. Interpreters must have a familiarity with the culture and language of a DFAS Government installation or familiarity with Government finance and accounting operations. Knowledge of specific industry jargon and acronyms are essential to the quality of the interpretation services.

A.4.6 Licenses. The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining all necessary licenses and for complying with all applicable Federal, State and local laws. The Contractor shall maintain

PWS Page 5 of 12 updated copies of any applicable licenses and certifications for all Contractor personnel and subcontractors and make available to the Government upon request.

A.5 Security

A.5.1. All contractor personnel or any representative of the contractor entering any government facility or government leased facility shall abide by all security regulations and be subject to security checks. Contractor personnel or any representative and property shall be subject to search and seizure upon entering, while on, and upon leaving the government facility pursuant to installation regulations. Contractor personnel or representatives may be removed from the site whose continued presence or is deemed to adversely affect health, morale, welfare or good order and disciple on the installation or inconsistent with the best interest of national security.

A.5.2 Security and Privacy Act Requirements: All work-performed relative to the tasking identified in the SOW are unclassified or carry a Privacy Act Classification. System security shall be in accordance with DoD Directive 5200.28, Security Requirements for AIS.

A.5.3 Security Investigation Requirements: No classified work will be required. However, the contractor will be working with sensitive information which is covered by the Privacy Act.

A.5.4 Parking and Traffic Control. Contractor personnel and subcontractors shall abide by host installation parking regulations. All vehicles shall be parked in designated parking areas only. The Contractor and its employees shall conform to Federal, State and host installation driving regulations.

B. DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS

B.1 DOD Dictionary.

B.1.1. The DoD Dictionary of Definitions and Terms is available on the Internet at:

http://jitc.fhu.disa.mil/jitc_dri/pdfs/jp1_02.pdf.

C. SPECIFIC TASKS

C.1 General: The Contractor shall provide interpretation services for meeting the requirements as specified in the PWS. At anytime assignments can be cancelled, additions made, type of assignment changed, and/or changes made to start and stop time. Contractor personnel and subcontractors provided should be able to easily be reassigned to another assignment if cancelled or current assignment concluded earlier than scheduled time and another need for services has been identified during the time scheduled. (Reference A.1.2 for types of interpretations assignments.)

http://jitc.fhu.disa.mil/jitc_dri/pdfs/jp1_02.pdf

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Interpreters must possess a high level of language proficiency in English and sign language and must be able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of DFAS that they are competent interpreters who can render spoken discourse accurately from English into sign language and from sign language into spoken English, and as appropriate, perform interpretations in the simultaneous, as well as consecutive modes and/or render sight translations with a high degree of accuracy.

The Contractor shall attend scheduled and unscheduled meetings with the COR and other government representatives to furnish input concerning the operation and management of the interpretation program. Meetings may be scheduled by the Contractor to determine program requirement.

C.2 Scheduling Requirements.

C.2.1 Method of Requesting Services. The COR or designee shall contact the Contractor POC primarily via e-mail, and secondarily via telephone or facsimile, with requests for, changes to or cancellations of interpretation services.

C.2.2 Request Notification Time Schedule:

The Contractor must be able to provide interpretation services for requests received at least twenty-four (24) business hours in advance. Business hours are defined as Monday through Friday (0700 – 1500), except Federal Holidays. Upon receipt of request, the Contractor shall provide to the COR or designee in writing (email is acceptable) receipt confirmation within one

(1) business day (equals 8 business hours) of receipt of request. The name of the assigned interpreter(s) shall be provided to the COR or designee in writing (email is acceptable) no later than one (1) business day prior to start of assignment.

If, however, the Government should require interpretation services with less than twenty-four

(24) business hours notice, the Contractor shall attempt to provide an interpreter, but the Government understands that the Contractor may not always be able to comply with such a request and therefore shall have the right to refuse the assignment. The Contractor’s acceptance must be given within two (2) hours of the time the request was placed during DFAS’ business days. If the Contractor fails to accept within the time specified, the Government will consider the assignment refused. If the Contractor accepts the request, the agency shall be billed at the hourly rate established. No special rates shall be used for requests placed with less than twenty-four (24) business hours notice. The Contractor shall provide the COR or designee the name(s) of the interpreter(s) as soon as possible but no later than two (2) business hours prior to the assignment.

C.2.3 Agency Provided Information at time of Request.

The COR or designee will provide the Contractor POC the following information at time of request:

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• Type of interpretation required (i.e., ASL, Pidgen, Oral, etc). (Reference A.1.1 for list of types of interpretation applicable.)

• Start/End Date to include daily start and end times and identified lunch break if applicable.

• On-site POC information for Contractor interpreter(s) if other than COR to include office location, telephone number and email address. If no information is provided, it should be expected that the COR will be the primary point of contact for that request.

• Host installation Building Number for the event. Note: It should be expected that all events will be held at Building 1 unless otherwise specified.

• Event Assignment Number.

• Name(s) of Deaf/Hard of Hearing Employee(s)

• Description of event (i.e. staff meeting, appraisal meeting, one-on-one training, etc.).

(Reference A.1.2 for list of types of events applicable.)

• If available, copies of speeches, documents, program specific acronym lists, training materials that will be used during the event in advance of the event. However, there will be occasions when it is not possible for the Government to provide these materials in advance.

The Contractor POC is responsible for ensuring personnel and subcontractors have complete and accurate job information prior to day of assignment.

C.3 Cancellations/Reassignments

C.3.1 Cancellations: The Government may cancel the services no less than 16 business hours (equals 2 business days) in advance with no penalty or charges assessed. If the Contractor is not notified of a cancellation 16 business hours prior to the scheduled assignment, the Contractor may invoice for a two (2) hour minimum. In lieu of assessing a cancellation fee, the COR or designee and the Contractor can mutually agree to reassign the interpreter(s) to another service request covered by this PWS without incurring cancellation charges at the hourly rate established. No special rates shall be used for requests accepted as described in this paragraph.

If a Contractor interpreter appears for an assignment and the necessary parties fail to appear after 30 minutes of the scheduled start time of the assignment, the interpreter may leave and the Contractor may invoice for a two (2) hour minimum.

If the Contractor interpreter does not meet qualifications (reference A.4) or fails to appear at the event location within fifteen (15) minutes of the scheduled assignment start time, the assignment may be cancelled. The Government shall not incur any charges associated with such cancellations.

C.3.2 Reassignments: If upon arrival to the assignment and service is no longer required or the assignment ends early, the interpreter(s) must notify the COR or designee for reassignment. The COR or designee has the option to assign the interpreter(s) to another request without an additional charge/cancellation fee with the stipulation that if the new assignment runs over the

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(Reference A.1.2 for list of types of interpretation applicable.) If after thirty (30) minutes and the interpreter(s) cannot reach the COR or designee or the original scheduled time expires (whichever occurs first), the interpreter may leave. For assignments where no service was provided, the Contractor may invoice for a two (2) hour minimum (Reference C.3.1 Cancellations). For assignments concluded earlier than scheduled time, the Contractor may invoice in accordance with Section C.4.

C.4 Kept Appointments Billable Service Hours

Regardless of assignment duration, the Contractor shall be reimbursed for a minimum of two (2) hours. Assignments lasting more than two (2) hours shall be invoiced in half ( ½ ) hour increments for the actual duration of the assignment, not the estimated duration requested by the COR or designee when coordinating and scheduling the request.

The assignment is considered complete when the later of the following occurs: 1.) conclusion of event equals or exceeds the estimated duration specified when scheduling the request or 2.) the COR or designee releases the interpreter(s).

Time taken for meals shall not be billed. Other breaks are billable.

For examples, if the COR or designee coordinates and schedules a request for an assignment that is anticipated to last from:

• 8:00 am – 2:00 pm but the assignment actually lasts from 8:00 am to 11:30 pm, the Contractor shall bill the Agency for three and one-half hours (3.5) of service.

• 8:00 am – 10:00 am but the assignment concludes at 9:00 am and the COR releases the interpreter, the Contractor shall bill the Agency for two (2) hours of service.

• 8:00 am – 4:00 pm but the assignment actually last from 8:00 am to 4:20 pm and includes a one (1) hour lunch break, the Contractor shall bill the Agency for seven and one-half hours (7.5) of service.

No travel or per diem will be reimbursed for travel.

C.5 Evaluation of Services. Recipients of interpretation services may provide feedback on the quality of the interpretation services received to the COR. This feedback will be provided to the Contractor POC by the COR within seven (7) business days of receipt of feedback. The Contractor shall take appropriate action based on the feedback and provide the COR with a written response to the feedback within seven (7) business days of receipt of feedback.

The COR and the Contractor POC will meet every six (6) months, unless mutually agreed to otherwise, to conduct a quality review of services being provided by the Contractor.

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C.6 Number of Interpreters Required Per Assignment

Number of Interpreters Required Per Assignment. The number of interpreters required is subject to the approval of the COR. In general, two (2) interpreters shall be required for assignments lasting more than two (2) hours; requiring detailed or technical interpreting; or involving general audiences that last more than one (1) hour.

C.7. Invoices

Invoices shall be submitted monthly via the automated system Wide Area Work Flow (WAWF) in accordance with the rate/prices established in this contract. Payment will be made in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act. The invoice shall include a detailed list of each interpretation event worked which has been certified and approved by the COR or designee that billed hours are accurate and accepted. The detailed list shall include at a minimum the following information:

• Event Request Number

• Date(s) work performed and hours expended to include start and stop times

• Description of event worked

• Number of Interpreters

• Name of Interpreters(s) who provided service

• Cumulative totals

• Remarks: any specific/pertinent information

C.8 Deliverables. The Contractor POC shall submit a weekly status report to the COR no later than the Close of Business (COB) on the first workday following the work week, unless mutually agreed otherwise, that identifies an accurate record of all events that requested interpretation services, whether they were serviced, the number of interpreters required and the length of service time.

C.9 Quality Control Plan (QCP)

The Contractor’s quality system shall demonstrate its prevention-based outlook by meeting the objectives stated in the PWS throughout all areas of performance (e.g., all functional areas and all performance standards). The QCP shall be developed to specify the Contractor’s responsibility for management and quality control actions to meet the terms of the contract.

Within 10 business days from date of award, the Contractor shall provide to the COR the QCP for review.

The Contractor’s QCP shall be incorporated into and become part of this contract after the plan has been accepted by the Government. Changes made after the Contracting Officer (KO) or

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The Contractor’s QCP shall be maintained throughout the life of the contract and shall include the Contractor’s procedures to routinely evaluate the effectiveness of the plan to ensure the Contractor is meeting the performance standards and requirements of the contract.

DFAS-Columbus will implement a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) to ensure the Contractor provides the required services and adheres to quality standards as specified in this PWS. The COR shall monitor performance. This monitoring by the COR shall be carried out via the QASP as identified below. The QASP document shall also ensure the Contractor’s QCP effectiveness and provide a systematic method to evaluate the services the Contractor is required to furnish.

D. CERTIFICATION AND ACCEPTANCE

The COR is designated as the point of final inspection and acceptance by the Government of all items and services required by the contract.

E. QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

The Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan is the Government’s plan to ensure the Contractor provides the required services, and adheres to the quality standards as specified in the PWS.

Both the Contractor and the Government will agree to the terms of the contract. During the life of the contract, administrative procedures such as inspections, documentation and retention of records, which reflect the Contractor’s performance, will be retained.

The COR will monitor performance to ensure services are received and carried out in accordance with the standards set in this PWS. The monitoring shall be done via Government inspections and Government review of the various reports and documentations defined above in the PWS.

This QASP will be used to monitor compliance with contract terms and conditions, identify nonconforming services to determine appropriate action. This plan sets forth the method and manner by which the Government intends to conduct surveillance of work under the contract, and is subject to the unilateral change by the Government without modification of the contract.

All work required by the contract is subject to surveillance whether or not specifically included in the plan. When the Contractor performance fails to achieve the acceptable performance level and is clearly the fault of the Contractor, the COR will prepare a report detailing the deficiencies and forward it to the KO or designee to issue to the Contractor. In response, the Contractor shall explain within (7) business days, in writing, why performance was unacceptable, how performance will be returned to acceptable levels and how recurrence of the problem will be prevented in the future. The KO will evaluate the Contractor’s explanation and determine the appropriate actions.

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Performance Measures. Performance Measures will be assessed on a Pass and Fail Grading System as defined below:

Rating Definitions

Pass When performance complies with the PWS Fail Contractor will fail when not in compliance with the PWS

Methods of Surveillance. There are various surveillance methods used to monitor contract performance and compliance. When selecting the appropriate method, the COR will take into consideration task criticality, task complexity, time available, mission requirements. The following are preferred methods of surveillance that may be used to assess contract performance.

1. Random Inspection. This type of surveillance based and assumes the Government receives acceptable performance by the Contractor if a given percentage or number of scheduled inspections is found to be acceptable.

2. Periodic Inspection. This type of surveillance is based upon selecting samples for evaluation on other than 100% inspection or on a statistically random basis.

Procedures. The COR will perform inspections to ensure Contractor compliance with the appropriate paragraphs in the PWS, other government requirements, and the Contractor’s own procedures, and will record the results of the inspections, noting the date and time. If inspection indicates a performance level is not met, the Contracting Officer (KO) will notify the Contractor of the deficiency for correction. The Contractor will be given a reasonable time after notification to correct the unacceptable performance. The length of time allowed to correct the problem will depend upon the requirement, complexity of corrective action(s) and the deficiency. The Contractor will notify the KO if the time allowed for correction is not adequate. The COR will not consider the correction action(s) until all deficiencies have been corrected and determined by the COR to be adequate (Government follow-up). Contractor non-responsiveness, deficiencies not adequately addressed or corrected after notification of such, or estimated dates of completion that are not acceptable to the COR will be forwarded to the KO for action.

Performance Standards Chart. The chart below provides performance standards for specific requirements already stated in the PWS.

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Task Performance Threshold* Grading Scale Method of Surveillance

Scheduling Interpretation Services for each event

Interpreters are scheduled and perform at 99% of the required events.

Pass/Fail COR review/verification;

inspections; COR visual inspections; monitoring;

record keeping

Qualified personnel are performing sign language interpretation services

The Contractor shall provide qualified interpreters and court reporters.

Pass/Fail The COR will perform random inspection of Contractor records for qualification documentation.

The Contractor shall attend scheduled and unscheduled meetings to furnish input concerning the operation and management of the interpretation program.

The Contractor shall attend regularly scheduled meetings and other meetings determined necessary by the COR.

Pass/Fail The COR will monitor meeting attendance.

Provide accurate and current interpretation tailored to the individual needs of the employee and to agency requirements.

Receive no more than 1 valid complaint about service during a month.

Pass/Fail Employee feedback

The Contractor shall provide all documentation properly formatted, accurate and submitted by due date.

97% reports completed accurately and on time; 1 day grace period

Pass/Fail 100% inspections