AMD_0001_N0017419Q0044_-_Released_09-16-19.pdf

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

30-105-04EXCEPTION TO SF 30

APPROVED BY OIRM 11-84

STANDARD FORM 30 (Rev. 10-83) Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

The purpose of this amendment is to update the Pricing Schedule/CLIN information, respond to all Requests for Information (RFIs), and provide a DD Form 254 w ith attachments.

1. CONTRACT ID CODE PAGE OF PAGES

J 1 9

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

16C. DATE SIGNED

BY 16-Sep-2019

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA15C. DATE SIGNED15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of Contracting Officer)(Signature of person authorized to sign)

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., Street, County, State and Zip Code) X N0017419Q0044

X 9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

21-Aug-2019

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

X The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offer is extended, X is not extended.

Offer must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning 2 copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN

REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE

CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(B).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

10A. MOD. OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO.(If applicable)

6. ISSUED BY

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

16-Sep-2019

CODE

NSWC IHEODTD N

4081 N. JACKSON RD

BLDG 841

INDIAN HEAD MD 20640-5116

N00174 7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than item 6)

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.

CODE

See Item 6

FACILITY CODECODE

EMAIL:TEL:

N0017419Q0044

SECTION SF 30 BLOCK 14 CONTINUATION PAGE

The following items are applicable to this modification:

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

The purpose of this amendment is to update the Pricing Schedule/CLIN information, respond to all Requests for Information (RFIs), and provide a DD Form 254 with attachments.

SECTION SF 1449 - CONTINUATION SHEET

1.) SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES

Global Changes

CLIN 0001 -- CLIN 4001

The cost constraint NTE has been added.

CLIN 0001

The pricing detail quantity has increased by 949.00 from 1.00 to 950.00.

The unit of issue has changed from Lot to Labor Hours.

CLIN 1000

The pricing detail quantity has increased by 949.00 from 1.00 to 950.00.

The unit of issue has changed from Lot to Labor Hours.

CLIN 2000

The pricing detail quantity has increased by 949.00 from 1.00 to 950.00.

The unit of issue has changed from Lot to Labor Hours.

CLIN 3000

The pricing detail quantity has increased by 949.00 from 1.00 to 950.00.

The unit of issue has changed from Lot to Labor Hours.

CLIN 4000

The pricing detail quantity 950.00 has been added.

The unit of issue has changed from Lot to Labor Hours.

FOR BIDDING PURPOSES:

The following CLINs shall be estimated Not-to-Exceed (NTE) 950 Labor Hours: 0001, 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000.

The following CLINs shall be estimated Not-to-Exceed (NTE) $25,000.00 Travel Expenses: 0002, 1001, 2001, 3001, 4001.

The following have been added by full text:

RFI RESPONSES

Interpreter Contract – List of RFIs

RFI 0001: We have a sign language translation application. It will recognize sign language and output in English as well as taking English text and converting it to American Sign Language. We are in a beta stage currently. If you think this might be a good solution, please let me know.

Response 0001: Any quote submitted must be in accordance with solicitation N0017419Q0044. Please review the Scope of Work (SOW) for additional information.

RFI 0002: Whether companies from Outside USA can apply for this? (Like, from India or Canada)

Response 0002: Offers submitted for this solicitation/synopsis are expected to be within close proximity to NSWC IHEODTD. Please refer back to the solicitation/synopsis for items to include in the response.

RFI 0003: Whether we need to come over there for meetings?

Response 0003: This contract will require on-site sign language/interpreter services. Please review SOW “3.0 Requirements” for additional information.

RFI 0004: Can we perform the tasks (related to RFP) outside USA? (Like, from India or Canada)

Response 0004: This contract will require on-site sign language/interpreter services. Please review SOW “3.0 Requirements” for additional information.

RFI 0005: Can we submit the proposals via email?

Response 0005: Offerors responding to this solicitation may submit their quote via email to Joshua M. Denton, at joshua.m.denton@navy.mil. The proposal due date is 24 September 2019; 3:00 P.M., EST. Please refer back to the solicitation/synopsis for items to include in the response.

RFI 0006: In Section 3. Requirements, pages 3 and 4 of the solicitation, it mentions that the contractor will be expected to provide on-call services as well as services scheduled in advance, but there is only one Line Item in the price schedule for hourly rates. We normally charge different rates for on-call and scheduled jobs. Can we offer different rates for jobs scheduled in advance and jobs needed with less than 24 hours’ notice? Otherwise we will have to quote all jobs as if they were on-call/rush jobs, which will be more expensive.

Response 0006: The resulting action will be a Fixed-Price Commercial Service contract. Offers shall be submitted in accordance with (IAW) the Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) structure in the solicitation/synopsis. For the purposes of bidding, the estimated service hours shall be estimated not-to-exceed (NTE) 950 per year. Travel expenses shall be estimated $25,000.00 per year.

RFI 0007: Considering that the requests are for regular days every Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and On- Call basis for Mondays and Fridays which can't be pre-calculated. The Pricing Schedule has quantity of 1 LOT.

Could you give us a certain number of hours that all Contractors can uniformly bid on for 1 LOT?

Response 0007: Please refer back to RFI response 0006 for additional information.

RFI 0008: CLINs 002, 1001, 2001, 3001, and 4001 requires quantity 1 LOT and is a Fixed Price contract as per G- 232-H002 (b). At this stage, we cannot provide a fixed 1 LOT price because we don't have the details for the travel.

Will this CLIN be changed to Actual Bill applying section 8.0?

Response 0008: Please refer back to RFI response 0006 for additional information.

RFI 0009: In regards to the SECRET clearance section 7, sentence 3 "It is the contractor’s responsibility to submit all required documentation to the appropriate office to request SECRET security clearances for their interpreters."

do we understand correctly that Naval Surface Warfare Center can help us in facilitating security clearance for our Interpreters?

Response 0009: The contractor must comply with all security requirements in the solicitation/synopsis. A DD Form 254 – Department of Defense Contract Security Classification Specification is attached with this Amendment for additional information.

RFI 0010: In regards to the Solicitation Number N0017419Q0044, it is mentioned in section 7.0 that the interpreters must possess a SECRET security clearance. While we do have a small pool of interpreter that support the agency that are in possession of this clearance, I wanted to see if all assignments require this clearance as the vast majority of our interpreters do not carry this clearance?

Response 0010: Yes, all interpreters must posess a secret clearance. The contractor must comply with all security requirements in the solicitation/synopsis. A DD Form 254 – Department of Defense Contract Security Classification Specification is attached with this Amendment for additional information.

RFI 0011: Could you please elaborate on how to respond to this solicitation? Wound an email to you two suffice, or must a hard copy be mailed in?

Response 0011: Offerors responding to this solicitation may submit their quote via email to Joshua M. Denton, at joshua.m.denton@navy.mil. The proposal due date is 24 September 2019; 3:00 P.M., EST. Please refer back to the solicitation/synopsis for items to include in the response.

RFI 0012: Who is the Incumbent?

Response 0012: The incumbent contractor is Maldon Language Interpreters, LLC.

RFI 0013: Under Section 2.0 – Scope, the solicitation states “activities may include but not limited to, intercepts, voiceovers, and sign language in various settings…” In order to respond appropriately, clarification is needed for what is meant by “intercepts and voiceovers.”

Response 0013: Intercepts are mathematical/scientific terminology and equations. In accordance with a Science and Engineering organization; Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) are a significant part of our hearing-impaired employee’s workload and communication. Currently, scientist and engineers make up our deaf community and we continue to recruit for more.

RFI 0014: 3.0 REQUIREMENTS- NSWC is asking for a daily on-site interpreter Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday on a weekly basis – available between the hours of 6a-6p but with the core hours being 8a-4pm. The solicitation states that interpreter hours will be determined based on the needs of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing employee. Historically, what are the work hours?

Response 0014: Historically, employees have requested service between 8 am –4pm, with the exception of travel when hours have started earlier and have lasted longer, but advance notice is provided.

RFI 0015: 3.0 REQUIREMENTS NSWC is asking for on-call interpreter(s) to be available on an as needed basis for Mondays & Fridays. Historically, how many interpreters are required to be on-call on a daily basis?

Response 0015: Please see RFI responses 0014 and 0025 for related historical information.

RFI 0016: Can NSWC provide historical data from the past year on:

a. The total number of hours of services

b. The number of all-day on-call assignments (interpreters scheduled 7 or more hours per day on the same days each week)

c. The number of assignments that were 3 hours or less

d. The number of assignments that were 7 hours or more

e. The number of hours of evening/weekend work

f. The number of short-notice assignments (less than 5 business days’ notice)

g. The number of short-notice assignments (less than 1 business days’ notice)

h. Will interpreters be required to travel from one location to the next during a workday?

i. How many requests were outside of the main location?

Response 0016: Please see RFI responses 0014 and 0025 for related historical information.

RFI 0017: RID no longer offers NIC: Advanced or NIC: Masters. RID currently only provide one type of certification, NIC. Prior to the NIC, certifications such as CSC, CI and CT were offered, and many highly qualified interpreters hold these types of certifications. Will NSWC add to the list the following certifications: NIC, NIC: A, NIC: M, CSC?

Response 0017: The following certifications are acceptable: ALL RID, NIC (without the A or M), CI/CT, CSC, NAD, and State licensure. Vendors should note that a significant portion of the services requested are for a heavily populated scientific, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) work environment.

RFI 0018: Given the difficulty of availability of highly qualified interpreters, with National Certification and Secret Clearance, will NSWC consider the use of the Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) for as needed/on call interpreting?

Response 0018: The use of Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) will not be added to the SOW. Please refer back to the SOW for additional information.

RFI 0019: Industry standard is to pay interpreters for the full assigned time and all cancellations not received with at least 2 full business days’ notice is billable. The solicitation states that “upon completion of the interpreter service assignments, the contractor shall invoice for the actual number of interpreting hours at the fixed hourly rate identified in the contract.” Is this only referring to the invoicing of “additional time?”

Response 0019: No, this refers to both the current hours agreed upon as a weekly schedule Tuesdays – Thursdays based on need and any additional hours requested for on call. The contractor will bill for hours scheduled, unless changes agreed upon in advance and for any additional hours requested and service provided.

RFI 0020: 11.0 PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT- requires that the contractor provide all Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); and PPE training for its employees. Can the government clarify what PPE is required?

Will NSWC provide this training? Or will the government remove this as a requirement?

Response 0020: Contractors are required to ensure the safety of their employees. This requirement will not be removed from the SOW.

RFI 0021: 3.0 Scope, RFQ page 4- The requester will provide adequate directions, landmarks and travel time estimates to remote building locations/sites as necessary or requested by the interpreter. The requester will provide adequate directions, landmarks and travel time estimates to remote building locations/sites as necessary or requested by the interpreter. Can NSWC provide the addresses/ locations that interpreters may need to travel to during the workday that are located in the DC Metro area?

Response 0021: Interpreters are required to provide sign language/interpreter services to the individual on-site of NSWC IHEODTD. Occasionally, the contractor shall provide interpreting services off-site at our sister Divisions, which includes Carderock, Dahlgren, and NAVSEA HQ, Washington, DC for meetings or special events.

RFI 0022: 3.0 Scope, RFQ page 4- If the individual interpreter service assignment was a last minute assignment with only one business day notice, the contractor shall invoice for the actual number of interpreting hours at the hourly rate identified for last minute assignments. Will NSWC clarify what it considers “last minute”?

Response 0022: For bidding purposes, “last minute” is considered notice within 24-48 hours.

RFI 0023: RFQ Page 7- The pricing structure listed in the solicitation does not allow for the best pricing possible to the government. Will NSWC allow for the vendor to provide their own tiered pricing structure based on how far in advance a request is submitted, with last-minute requests billed at a higher rate to ensure coverage? This allows the vendor to offer a lower base price, keeping the overall cost to a minimum and saves the government in the long run, rather than having to add the very real additional cost of these last-minute requests into the average hourly rate. Will SOLICITOR remove this to allow vendor to offer their best price while meeting industry standards?

Response 0023: Please refer back to RFI response 0006 for additional information.

RFI 0024: Reference: Section 3.0 Requirements “The contractor shall provide an interpreter as required for the needs of each Deaf/HoH individual. The contractor may be required to provide more than one interpreter to meet this requirement.” …”Interpreting services shall be provided by an on-site interpreter Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and on call Mondays and Fridays, 8 hours per day”

The first statement above seems to indicate that multiple interpreters may need to be provided, one for “each Deaf/HoH individual”, yet the other statement noted indicated only one individual is required to be on-site.

Question: Can the Government please clarify the support requirements and estimated FTEs? If it is for each Deaf/HoH individual, can the Government identify the approximate number of individuals that will require support, and if this support will be on a regular daily basis (8hrs/day 5/days a week), or if it is only on an as-needed basis? Is the support to “each Deaf/HoH individual” separate from the one individual required to be on-site during the week?

Response 0024: One interpreter is used for special meetings where more than one hearing impaired individual will be attending, except when scheduled for more than one hour and/or situations indicate the need for additional interpreters. Please see RFI responses 0014 and 0025 for related historical information.

RFI 0025: Reference: Section 3.0 Requirements indicates “an on-site interpreter Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and on call Mondays and Fridays, 8 hours per day”. However, further down in Section 3.0 there is another statement which indicates “be able to contact the on-site interpreter at any time during the hours that the interpreter is required to be at NSWC IHEODTD (Monday-Friday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm)”

Question: Can the Government please clarify if the on-site interpreter is supposed to be on-site 5 days a week, or 3 days on-site and 2 days on-call? And please confirm if the standard work week for the on-site interpreter (for estimating purposes) is 8hr/day 5/days a week?

Response 0025: The interpreter will be on site 3 days a week (Tuesday- Thursday) unless current employee schedule changes and there is a need to have a different 3 days. 2 days are on –call. These are normally if meetings are arranged that the employee must attend are not on the days that the interpreter is not already on-site. Most meetings occur Tuesday –Thursday, however, based on last year, a number of meetings occurred on Monday and Friday.

Normally, the interpreter will work between 16 hours – 24 hours within the 3 days scheduled. Based on the needs of the employees a consistent 3-day schedule will be developed based on 16- 24 hours. On – call has historically been 4-8 additional hours between Monday & Friday, with the exception of assignments involving travel.

RFI 0026: Reference: Section 3.0 Requirements indicates “Occasionally, the contractor shall provide interpreting services off-site at our sister Divisions, which includes Carderock, Dahlgren, and NAVSEA HQ, Washington, DC for meetings or special events” and “The contractor shall provide interpreting services on an on-call/as-needed basis.”

Question: These two support elements present significant unknown variables. It presents the increased likelihood the Government will receive significantly disparate quotes from offerors, given the CLIN is structured as “1 LOT”.

Would it be possible for the Government to provide the estimated number of FTEs required for the two elements of support noted? Or would the Government be open to restructuring the CLIN to allow for more consistent pricing, i.e.

Price per Hour or Price per Unit (15 or 25 minutes).

Response 0026: Please refer back to RFI response 0006 for additional information.

RFI 0027: Reference: Section 3.0 Requirements notes “The Contractor will invoice for the actual number of interpreting hours at the fixed hourly rate”.

This is not consistent with how the CLINs are structured. The Government does not indicate the offeror should propose a fixed hourly rate, rather “1 LOT”, which would leave one to assume the offeror is supposed to estimate all possible hours of labor for the Period of Performance and propose it as a lump sum.

Question: Can the Government please clarify specifically how they want the pricing proposed? (2) The aforementioned statement would seem to indicate that the on-site interpreter’s time would not be automatically billable, which it should be if she is required to be onsite, regardless of how much actual time is spent interpreting during that time. Can the Government please clarify the billable support parameters?

Response 0027: Please refer back to RFI response 0006 for additional information.

RFI 0028: Reference: The Government has not included any proposal instructions in the solicitation.

Question: Can the Government please clarify what format they want the proposal submitted in, i.e. excel, word, Section B populated, etc.? And what supporting information, if any, is required?

Response 0028: The “NET AMT” for each CLIN suggested is on pages 7-10 of solicitation. Please refer back to the solicitation/synopsis for items to include in the response.

RFI 0029: Reference: Federal Business Opportunities Notice issued August 21, 2019.

Regarding the size standard for NAICS 541930. The Small Business Runway Extension Act of 2018 (15 U.S.C.

632(a) (2) (ii) (II)) was amended to allow the size standard to be calculated by a company’s 5 year average of annual receipts instead of the current 3-year average (Section3 (a) (2) (C) (ii) (II)). SAM.gov currently only allows companies to submit their last 3 years and does not have all of the fields to enter the last 5 years to be in compliance with the Amendment to the law.

Question: Would you allow companies to self-certify their size standard based on the 5-year average at the time of RFQ submission?

Response 0029: The Runway Extension is still in flux and the Small Business Administration has not issued a final rule. Therefore, the 5-year average will not be taken into consideration (per Deputy Director for Small Business, NSWC IHEODTD)

RFI 00030: Would you consider adding a 3-hour minimum for all interpreting services? This is industry standard within the DC area and will help the awardee fill jobs.

Response 0030: A 3-hour minimum will not be added to this requirement. Please refer back to RFI responses 0014 and 0025 for additional information.

RFI 0031: Can you clarify from historical records approximately how many hours of added, non-scheduled services were needed in the past year?

Response: 0031: Please refer back to RFI responses 0014 and 0025 for additional information.

RFI 0032: Can you clarify from historical records how many total hours of services were needed in the past year?

Response: 0032: Please refer back to RFI responses 0014 and 0025 for additional information.

RFI 0033: Would the agency consider adding a different rate for services requested last minute? In the DC area, we typically see separate rates for more than five days’ notice and less than five days’ notice. With interpreters being in short supply in your immediate vicinity, this will help secure services with minimal notice.

Response 0033: A different rate will not be added for “last minute” interpreter services. See “Pricing Schedule” on pages 7-10 and subsequent changes to CLINs within this amendment. The following CLINs shall be estimated Not-to-Exceed (NTE) 950 Labor Hours: 0001, 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000. The following CLINs shall be estimated Not-to-Exceed (NTE) $25,000.00 Travel Expenses: 0002, 1001, 2001, 3001, 4001.

RFI 0034: The price schedule provided on pages 7-10 of the solicitation lists the following for Line Item 0001 Base Year - Labor FFP Sign Language/Interpreter Services: Quantity: "1" ; Unit: "Lot." Per period of performance, how many hours of Sign Language/Interpreter Services are associated with the 1 Lot?

Response 0034: See “Pricing Schedule” on pages 7-10 and subsequent changes to CLINs within this amendment.

The following CLINs shall be estimated Not-to-Exceed (NTE) 950 Labor Hours: 0001, 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000.

The following CLINs shall be estimated Not-to-Exceed (NTE) $25,000.00 Travel Expenses: 0002, 1001, 2001, 3001, 4001.

RFI 0035: (Section 3.0, Page 3 of 48): Reference the following paragraph: “Interpreting services shall be provided by an on-site interpreter Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and on call Mondays and Fridays, 8 hours per day, between the flexible Command business hours of 6:00am to 6:00pm, with core work hours of 8:00 am to 4:00pm.

Interpreter’s work hours will be determined based on needs of the Deaf/HoH Employees.” Is the Navy requiring an ASL interpreter to be present, on-site, Tuesday thru Thursday, 8 hours per day?

Response 0035: Please refer back to RFI responses 0014 and 0025 for additional information.

RFI 0036: How many employees require this service?

Response 0036: Less than five (5) individuals currently require sign language/interpreter services.

RFI 0037: Will there be a 2-hour minimum for interpreter services?

Response 0037: There is not a 2-hour minimum for interpreter services. Please refer back to RFI responses 0014 and 0025 for additional information.

RFI 0038: For last minute within 24 hour requests, is there a different hourly rate?

Response 0038: For bidding purposes, “last minute” is considered notice within 24-48 hours. There is not a different hourly rate for “last minute” requests.

RFI 0039: Is there cancellation policy? Recommend a 48-hour cancellation policy. Within that cancellation, reimbursement is for time booked or 2-hour minimum whichever is greater.

Response 0039: Offers submitted for this solicitation/synopsis are expected to be within close proximity to NSWC IHEODTD. A cancellation policy will not be added to the scope of this requirement.

RFI 0040: What pricing method has been considered for this requirement ?(Best value or LPTA)?

RFI Response 0040: The method of Source Selection will be Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA).

RFI 0041: How many full-time or part-time personnel required for this effort?

RFI Response 0041: Please review SOW “3.0 Requirements” for additional information.

RFI 0042: Can you please provide incumbent contract total (base + option) value and contract number?

RFI Response 0042: N00174-18-P-0233; Total contract value: $210,000.00

RFI 0043: How many hours required per month/per hour?

RFI Response 0043: Please refer back to RFI responses 0006 and 0025 for additional information.

2.) All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

3.) The proposal due date and time remains unchanged. Please contact Joshua M. Denton, joshua.m.denton@navy.mil, (301) 744-2596 for questions regarding this amendment.

(End of Summary of Changes)