A03_PWS-Interpreter-Columbus-2017.pdf

Performance Work Statement (PWS) for

Interpreter Services DFAS-Columbus

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 capital; 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 including but not limited to:

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990

Section 504 and 508 The Rehabilitation Act of 1998

Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Executive Order 13164

DFAS Columbus has approximately 60 employees who need interpretation services on a daily basis. Without interpretation services, the hearing impaired employees are unable to participate in business and training activities necessary for them to be effective members of the organization. If interpreting services were not available, they would 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 shortage of staff interpreting resources during high demand periods, DFAS has determined that contractor provided services 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 sign language interpreter (herein after referred to as interpreter) services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees (herein after referred to as Deaf) on an as needed basis at Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) in Columbus, OH to include interpreting consecutively from:

American Sign Language (ASL), Pidgin sign English (PSE), Tactile (Deaf and blind), Conceptually Accurate Signed English (CASE)

Oral, Signed English

Signed Languages mentioned above (in reverse) to spoken English

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

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 interpreting services for DFAS Columbus, OH, throughout the facilities occupied by the Agency located at the Defense Supply Center Columbus, 3990 East Broad

Street, Columbus, OH 43213.

Though the location specified above will be the primary place of performance, services may also be required for

DFAS-sponsored events at offsite locations in the metro Columbus region.

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 interpreting services will be required on federal holidays. The Contractor will not bill the Government for 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

A.2.3.b Inclement Weather, Emergency, Unscheduled Closure or Early Release. 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 in addition the Contractor POC may call the number for Center wide information at 614-692-1800.

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 hour 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.

A.2.4.1 The Contractor shall perform services required under this PWS during the operating hours of the

Government activity. Normal operating hours for DFAS Columbus is from 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.

A.2.4.2. Contractor interpreters must arrive no later than thirty (30) 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 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.

A.4 Personnel Qualifications and Certifications.

A.4.1 Certification. All interpreters should have certification obtained from a recognized certifying organization.

Certification 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), Pidgin 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.. The

Contractor shall provide interpreters possessing the knowledge, skill and ability to produce complete, accurate, simultaneous translation and display of any live-event setting, with an accuracy of 98% or better.

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 the interpreter teams with a DFAS interpreter for an evaluation, 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. Contractor 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 is essential to the quality of the interpretation services.

A.4.6 Interpreter Conduct. Interpreter(s) shall be dressed in business or business-casual attire. It is understood that the interpreter(s) shall not act as an agent or employee of the Federal Government or DFAS. The interpreter(s) shall not discuss personal business; distribute personal business cards or promotion of personal “cause” while on assignment in order to develop clientele from assignments originating from the Federal Government or DFAS. The interpreter(s) shall adhere to the Federal Government’s rules of protocol, ethics, procedures and professionalism while on assignment at DFAS. Any professional conduct in question warrants an immediate review at the discretion of the COR and the Contracting Officer.

A.4.7 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 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 Security Checks. 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 PWS 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 unclassified 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.

A.5.5 Security Requirements. On-site contractor operations will follow the security and training requirements in

DFAS 2000.1, “Force Protection Program,” DoDM 5200.01-V1-4, “DoD Information Security Program,” and

DFAS 5200.1-I, “Information Security Program.” On-site contractor operations will follow all host security requirements IAW DoD 5220.22-M, paragraph 6-105. The contractor shall immediately report any occurrences of violation of stated regulations to the Contracting Officer or Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

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 interpreter services for meeting the requirements as specified in the

PWS. At any time 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 comparable assignment if cancelled or current assignment concluded earlier than scheduled time and another need for services has been identified during the time scheduled.

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

DFAS-CO Interpreting Office operating hours are defined 0600-1800 Monday through Friday except for Federal

Holidays. These hours are for the purpose of sending and confirming requests. Requests may begin as early as 0600 and finish as late as 1800.

C.2.2 Request Notification Time Schedule. The Contractor must be able to provide interpreter services for requests received at least sixteen (16) 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 of receipt of request. The name of the assigned interpreter(s) shall be provided to the COR in writing (email is acceptable) no later than one

(1) business day prior to start of assignment.

Requests for services made with less than 16 business hours’ notice will be considered a Last Minute Request

(LMR). The Contractor shall attempt to provide interpreters for LMRs, 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 four (4) business 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. 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:

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

Start/End Date(s) 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 21 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 Contractor and its interpreter(s) shall keep assignments. Canceled assignments are not tolerated except for true emergencies. If the scheduled interpreter(s) cancels an assignment, the Contractor shall provide a substitute interpreter(s) and notify the COR within 24-hours. If the Contractor is not able to provide an interpreter(s), the contractor shall inform the COR or designee. 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.

The Government may cancel the services no less than 8 business hours in advance with no penalty or charges assessed. If the Contractor is notified of a cancellation less than 8 business hours prior to the scheduled assignment, but before interpreter(s) arrival on site, the Contractor may invoice for a two (2) hour minimum. (For cancellations after interpreter(s) arrival on site see C.3.2 Reassignments below.) In lieu of assessing a cancellation fee, the COR 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.

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 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 original number of hours of the scheduled assignment, the difference will be charged.

(Reference A.1.2 and C.1 for list of types of interpretation applicable.)

If the interpreter(s) cannot reach the COR and the original scheduled time expires or the 2- hour minimum passed

(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). The 2-hour minimum does not apply if the interpreter leaves prior to notifying the COR (or designee) or before the times stated above. 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 with the exception of the following:

If the same interpreter is used for multiple assignments on the same day where their total performance for the day equals or exceeds the 2-hour minimum, then the 2-hour minimum does not apply when using the same interpreter.

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:

Conclusion of event equals or exceeds the estimated duration specified when scheduling

The COR releases the interpreter(s).

For any assignment over 6 hours in duration and lunch breaks are offered during the assignment(s) for Deaf and/or

Hard of Hearing employee(s), the same time for lunch breaks apply to the interpreter(s) and shall be included within the assignment(s) as paid time. Otherwise time taken for meals shall not be billed. Other breaks are billable.

For examples, if the COR 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 am, 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 – 10:00 am but the assignment concludes at 9:00 am an the COR releases the interpreter, however the same interpreter on the same day covers an event from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm but the assignment concludes at 2:00 pm, 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 hour lunch break offered during the assignment to Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing employee(s), the Contractor shall bill the Agency for eight and one-half hours (8.5) 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 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.

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 Teaming

The practice called team interpreting, is a necessary part of interpreting, some meetings may require teaming with interpreters from other agencies. Reference to RID Standard Practice on Teaming:

(http://www.rid.org/userfiles/File/pdfs/Standard_Practice_Papers/Team_Interpreting_SPP.pdf. ), and the RID Code of Professional Conduct which outlines the respect for colleagues and professional conduct

(http://www.rid.org/ethics/code/index.cfm).

In the instance where the teaming partner is with a DFAS interpreter, the DFAS interpreter would be the primary interpreter and the contract interpreter would be the support interpreter. Interpreters will meet prior to the scheduled event to determine their placement, language, signaling, continuity and turn-taking.

C.8. Invoicing

Invoices shall be submitted as a 2-in-1 or combo on a monthly basis 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. The detailed list shall include at a minimum the following information:

· Sequential invoice number

· 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.9 Deliverables.

C.9.1 Weekly Status Report. 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.9.2 Contractor Manpower Reporting. The contractor shall report all contractor labor hours (including subcontractor labor hours) required for performance of services provided under this contract for interpreter services at DFAS-Columbus via a secure data collection site. The contractor is required to completely fill in all required data fields using the following web address: http://www.ecmra.mil/. Reporting inputs will be for the labor executed during the period of performance during each Government fiscal year (FY), which runs October 1 through

September 30. While inputs may be reported any time during the FY, all data shall be reported no later than October

31 of each calendar year. Contractors may direct questions to the help desk at http://www.ecmra.mil/.

C.10 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 designee approval shall be submitted in writing to the KO or designee for review and acceptance. 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.

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.