Amendment 0004 N4008420R0058.pdf

Date: 05 November 2020

Subj: AMENDMENT 0004 TO REQUEST FOR QUOTATION NO. N4008420R0058 FY20

PROCUREMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TRANSLATION SUPPORT SERVICES

AT VARIOUS U.S. NAVY, MARINE CORPS, ARMY AND AIR FORCE BASES AND

FACILITIES THROUGHOUT JAPAN AND REPUBLIC OF KOREA.

1. The purpose of this amendment is to:

a. Provide the responses to the pre-proposal inquiries (PPI), see table below.

b. Revise Attachments 0001, 0004, and Appendix 1

2. The quotation due date is extended from 13 November 2020 at 1430 Japan Standard Time

(JST) to 20 November 2020 at 1430 JST.

3. Quotations shall be submitted electronically to:

Ms. Wendie Narvarte at Wendie.Narvarte@fe.navy.mil Ms. Emiko Uyama at Emiko.Uyama.JA@fe.navy.mil

4. All other terms and conditions remain the same.

Responses to PPIs:

No.

Questions (Should include Specification

Section or Attachment Reference) Answers

1 PWS, Section I, 2.1.1.7: Please confirm that the 3rd Party Reviewer must be located in Japan.

There is no requirement for the 3rd Party reviewer to be located in Japan.

Required turnaround times specified in the contract must be met.

2 PWS, Section I, 10.3: Relating to OPSEC, can you please provide a dot mil email address for Mr. Ishibashi vice gmail?

Corrected to reflect:

michael.ishibashi@fe.navy.mil

3 PWS, Section II, 2.1.1.3: Please provide the specific certification requirements for the contract interpreters and translators.

See Section II, 2.2.2 and Section II, 2.2.2.

Contractor has responsibility to ensure minimum requirements are met and will ensure the quality of their products.

4 PWS, Section III, 1.0: Must the off-site translation work be performed in an approved contractor office space in Japan or Korea?

Contractor will not be granted office space or a facility on-base to perform work. Contractor is responsible for arranging their own accommodations to perform work.

5 Attachment 2, Provisions & Clauses, para 7 (Quotation Delivery Requirements), page 2:

Please clarify if you want Attachment 4 spreadsheet saved as a PDF.

Submit Attachment 4 in excel format.

6 Attachment 2, Provisions & Clauses, para E (Evaluation Factors for Award), page 7, Price Proposal, 1.a.: Please confirm that it will be the Contractor's responsibility to convert the payment from Yen to Won in order to pay for services provided in Chinhae, Republic of Korea.

The proposal shall be submitted in Yen.

Payment for all orders will be in Yen only. This includes services provided in Chinhae, Republic of Korea.

7 Attachment 2, Authorization to Operate and Conduct Business in Japan, page 36, 1st para: Please confirm that Japanese and South Korean business licenses are required to execute the contract if so awarded?

Contractors shall be duly authorized to operate and conduct business in the applicable country and must fully comply will all local laws, decrees, labor standards, and regulations during the performance of the contract.

8 Attachment 2, Authorization to Operate and Conduct Business in Japan, page 36, 2nd para: Based on the statement that US Contractors will not be covered under Article XIV or SOFA. Will the US Contractor be required to pay the 2% excise tax?

Contractors should contact their tax advisor for applicability of excise tax.

9 General Question: Is there a current incumbent? And if so, what is the contract number?

No; this is a new requirement.

10 General Question: Can we assume that the primary contract holder is allowed to sub-contract local interpretation and translation services depending on the task order and location?

Yes

11 General Question: Will any of the material be sensitive that would require a US Citizen for CUI related work?

Sensitive material that requires a US citizen is not anticipated for this IDIQ.

12 General Question: As the interpretation services must be within 150 km radius of the identified location, can we assume the Government will pay for TDY expenses supporting the Task Order as an ODC?

No, the contractor shall be responsible for all costs associated with travel, transportation and accommodations. See section II 4.0 Travel. The proposal and all ELIN prices shall be inclusive of all required cost to perform the services outlined in the PWS.

13 General Question: Will there be an associated CLIN or ODC for all required travel?

See item #12 response

14 PWS Section II - 2.0 The Government requires services that are not priced by the word, character, or hour.

Will the Government add an ODC CLIN to cover such items as interpretation

See item #12 response equipment, transportation, and lodging which may be necessary to support interpretation services?

15 PWS Section II - 2.1.1.1 The Government requires the Contractor to provide a full time representative who is available from 7am to 5pm local Japan Standard Time and on-call 24/7. Will the Government allow offerors to charge for a Program Manager and to add a direct charge labor hour CLIN for Program Management support?

No, program management CLIN / ELIN will not be added. See item #12 response.

16 PWS Section II - 2.1.1.1 Does the Government allow interpretation services to be provided using technology such as Zoom or other remote or video interpretation tools?

Interpretation services should be assumed to be in-person. If the situation requires video interpretation, it will be addressed at the task order level or a modification will be issued at the task order level.

17 PWS Section II - 2.1.1.2 Are there citizenship requirements for contractor personnel supporting this contract? If yes, please specify which personnel must meet these requirements.

PWS Section III - 2.1.1.4 states that translators may be US citizens or Foreign Nationals, but the requirements for interpreters and management staff are not specified.

The requirement for a US citizen to support work is not anticipated for this

IDIQ.

18 PWS Section II - 2.1.1.2 How much notice is required for an interpreter to obtain base access and if s/he is not a US citizen, what security paperwork is required in advance?

Contractor must be able to obtain base access. NAVFAC will provide pertinent information at the time of award.

19 PWS Section II - 2.1.1.3 Please clarify the statement "appropriate certification requirements" that may be specified on individual task orders. What certification requirements may be required?

The Contractor is responsible for ensuring the quality control of their personnel. See Section II, 2.2.2. and Section III 2.2.2.

20 PWS Section II - 2.1.1.5 By requiring interpreters to "translate documents," is the Government referring to providing an oral translation of documents or a written translation? If the latter, can we assume that the Government will provide the necessary computer, software and IT equipment to perform the translation on site?

The Contractor will be responsible for written translation up to 2,500 words prior to the interpretation service. This includes items such as but not limited to, meeting agenda's, meeting minutes, visual aids and diagrams or PowerPoints etc.

21 PWS Section II - 2.2.1 The second bullet refers to reporting travel costs, but no provision is made for travel costs in the pricing template. Will the Government add an ODC CLIN for travel costs to the pricing template?

See item #12 response

22 PWS Section II - 4.0 This section states that the contractor shall be responsible for all costs associated with travel, transportation, and accommodations, but since these costs are currently unknown, it is unreasonable to expect that the contractor build them into their hourly or per word rates. We request that ODC CLINS be added for these costs.

See item #12 response

23 PWS Section III - 2.1.1.1 What "Adobe" format is the Government referring to? It is unclear whether Adobe Acrobat or other software such as Adobe Illustrator is required.

Adobe format is .pdf

24 PWS Section III - 2.1.1.1 Translated documents that require special format or desktop publishing are usually charged by labor hour. Our GSA Schedule, for instance, includes a desktop publishing (DTP) labor hour labor category for this purpose and is only charged when DTP services are needed. Will the Government allow contractors to propose an hourly labor rate to cover such tasks as PowerPoint slides and/or graphics, images, etc. that may be contained in various types of materials?

No, please provide prices per attachment 4 of the RFP.

25 PWS Section III - 2.1.1.2 Website localization utilizes localization engineers, testers and other resources who charge on an hourly labor category, as we have with our GSA Schedule. This is industry standard. Will the Government allow contractors to include labor hour rates for website localization engineering and testing that may be required for content extraction, preparation, reintegration, and verification?

No, please provide prices per attachment 4 of the RFP.

26 PWS Section III - 2.1.1.2 Video subtitling and captioning utilizes a variety of labor categories, some hourly and some daily. Will the Government allow contractors to propose hourly multimedia/studio services using an industry standard rate structure?

No, please provide prices per attachment 4 of the RFP.

27 PWS Section III - 2.1.1.2 Please clarify if the Government anticipates the contractor to provide proofreading services for translations it does not produce.

The Contractor is responsible for ensuring the quality of their product.

28 PWS Section III - 2.1.1.3 and Price Schedule Will the Government allow offerors to propose rates for different modalities of interpretation (escort, consecutive, or simultaneous)?

Please propose one rate for all interpretation services. Provide your prices per attachment 4 of the RFP.

Simultaneous interpretation is deleted from the PWS.

29 PWS Section III - 2.1.1.3 For voiceover, we request the Government add CLINs for hourly multimedia/studio services and multimedia/studio testing that may be required for content extraction, preparation, audio recording, reintegration, and verification.

Voiceover services will not be required for this contract.

30 PWS Section III - 2.1.1.7 The Government states that 3rd party review be performed by an independent agency not associated with the contractor but the pricing table requires a per word rate. Third party review services are customarily charged by the hour. Will the Government allow the offeror to propose an hourly rate?

No, please provide prices per attachment 4 of the RFP.

31 PWS Section III - 2.1.1.14 Can we assume that all graphics will be provided as live images?

Graphics will be provided in the format of the source file. It can be a native electronic file of scanned document flat file.

32 PWS Section III - 2.1.1.15 We request that the Government provide additional information regarding reimbursement of any non-refundable travel costs or travel change/cancellation fees that may be incurred.

See item #12 response.

33 Price Schedule, and Provisions and Clauses (Price Proposal section) Price Schedule Tab "ELIN" states pricing must be in Japanese Yen. Provisions and Clauses document states that price "will be expressed in U.S. Dollars for the administrative convenience of the U.S.

Government. Payment will be made in Yen."

Is the Government able to accept pricing and payment directly in U.S. Dollars?

No. The proposal shall be submitted in Yen. Payment for all orders will be in yen only. This includes services provided in Chinhae, Republic of Korea.

34 General Is the Government required to award the work to a U.S. contractor, or are foreign-owned/operated companies also eligible?

All U.S. and Foreign contractors eligible to do business in Japan and the Republic of Korea are eligible

35 General Does the Government intend to make a single award or a multiple award?

Single award

36 General Is there an incumbent currently performing this (or similar) work? If yes, please identify the incumbent(s).

No

37 Can the Government clarify if proposals submitted in response to this acquisition need to be marked in accordance with DODI

5200.48 CUI?

DODI 5200.48 CUI will need to be considered for all work performed under this IDIQ.

Can the Government provide a copy of "Addendum A" as stated in 10.3 (PWS, page 7)

Revised OPSEC Guidance is provided as an attachment

2.1.1.1 - How far in advance will the Government provide the contractor with a schedule of events that require linguist interpretation?

The task order solicitation will be issued in advance of work performance requirement.

2.1.1.4 - While we understand that 5 is the minimum, can the Government provide a historical average or range for how much time is typically given between receipt of

No historical average exists. Each task order will specify the requirement start date.

task order and start of service (Interpreter on-site)?

2.1.1.5 - Not all professional interpreters are also professional translators. Would the Government clarify this requirement for interpreters to handle translation work?

For interpretation services, see Section II

2.1.1.5 Anything in excess of 2,500

words will be issued as a translation requirement under the translation portion of this contract.

2.2.2 - The section makes reference to interpreters speaking "both of the SCRL required language(s) and English" - Please confirm that individual interpreters are not required to speak Japanese and Korean?

The interpreter is required to interpret between Japanese and English or Korean and English. The interpreter will not need to interpret from Korean to Japanese or vice versa.

2.1.1.2 - Please describe what services will fall under the CLINs for "video translation"?

Will this include transcription as well as translation or oral translation only?

Video translation assumes either subtitling, captioning or providing a translated written transcript of video.

This will be specified at the task order level.

2.1.1.2 - The price schedule does not provide CLINS for Website localization for internet and intranet, Video Subtitling, and captioning. As these services are unique and priced differently from normal translation please explain how offerors should accommodate these additional services?

Video translation will be evaluated by hourly rate charged in order perform the translation task.

2.1.1.2 - Of the 4,350 average number of pages per year as listed in table 1 show, how many of these pages represent website localization for internet or intranet?

The Contractor is responsible to ensure the information translated is clear and understandable to the target language.

Items such as unit conversions are not required and can be left in the source units.

2.1.1.2 - What is the average number of minutes of Video Subtitling required per year?

See attachment 4. Pricing schedule.

2.1.1.2 - What is the average number of minutes of Captioning required per year?

See comment #46 above. Pricing Schedule.

2.1.1.2 & 2.1.1.5- These sections of the PWS appears to reference interpretation requirements. Can the Government confirm it should sit under PWS Section II:

Interpretation Service Performance Work Statement and not Section III?

Yes, Interpretation service moved to Section II.

2.1.1.2 - The price schedule does not provide CLINS for (1) simultaneous interpretation,

(2) Escort interpretation, (3) community, (4) telephonic, or (5) voiceover services. As these services are unique and priced differently from normal consecutive interpretation, please explain how offerors should accommodate and price for these additional services? For instance, interpreters who specialized in simultaneous interpretation come at a much higher rate and telephone interpreting is usually charged by the minute and would not incur travel costs which will be fully burdened in the cost of other interpretation services.

Simultaneous interpretation is deleted from the PWS.

Telephonic/video conferencing interpretation will be added to the ELIN structure to better address COVID travel concerns.

2.1.1.2 - Of the average 60 meetings per year listed in table 1, how many require simultaneous interpretation required?

See comment #28. Simultaneous Interpretation.

2.1.1.2 - Of the average 60 meetings per year listed in table 1, how many require Escort interpretation?

Majority, if not all, will be escort interpretation.

2.1.1.2 - Of the average 60 meetings per year listed in table 1, how many require telephonic (Telephone) Interpretation?

See comment #49. Telephonic and video conference interpretation.

2.1.1.2 - Of the average 60 meetings per year listed in table 1, how many require Voiceover Services?

See comment #29. Voiceover services.

2.1.1.2 - Please define "Community" as a service. Of the average 60 meetings per year listed in table 1, how many require Community?

'Community' interpreters need to be fluent in the language as well as the public services involved. This includes being aware of cultural and racial implications of the interpreting work.

2.1.1.6 - Could the Government provide an historical average for the number of pages requested for a particular task order? Are documents usually in the 1-10, 11-50, or 51- 200 page range?

This will vary depending upon the needs of the customer. Requirements will be specified in each task order.

2.1.1.6 - How often, on average, are documents requested with Expedited delivery?

Expedited delivery will typically arise for emergency jobs or whenever a critical need is identified by the customer or command.

2.1.1.14 - Will all graphics transferred to the Contractor for translation be in an editable format? If not, how should the contractor translate embedded text?

Files will be transferred to Contractor in the native file format. Translation will need to be done in a way to ensure information is clear and understandable.

Can the Government clarify why pricing must be provided in Japanese Yen? Why is USD not an acceptable currency?

The proposal shall be submitted in Yen.

Payment for all orders will be in Yen only. This includes services provided in Chinhae, Republic of Korea.

Non-Price Factors: Would the Government accept corporate experience and past performance for work done that is very similar to the services requested but in languages other than Japanese and/or Korean? For example work done supporting other NAVFAC or DOD Engineering Command entities.

Refer to the definition of relevant project under Factor 1

Non-Price Factors: the 6th paragraph on page 10 of 39 makes reference to The Government reviewing numerous sources of information to value past performance, including, "performance recognition documents". Will the Government confirm such documents may be included in the non-price proposal?

No. CPARS or Past Performance Questionnaire will be evaluated.

RFP section 7. Quotation Delivery Requirements states "All electronic documents should be submitted in Adobe PDF format (*.pdf) unless an alternate format is approved by NAVFAC prior to the due date. " Can NAVFAC clarify whether they would like the Price Schedule submitted in Excel or PDF?

Submit Attachment 4 in excel format.

In 1. Factor 1, Corporate Experience, the RFP lists four kinds of projects bidders can submit corporate experience for, with a maximum of three contracts to be submitted.

Could NAVFAC clarify whether there is a maximum of three projects total, or three projects per category (for a total maximum of 12 contracts)?

There should be a past performance submission for each submission under Factor 1: Corporate Experience. For Corporate Experience, there can be 3 and up to 12 total based on the experience. If a company has experience that covers all four 1) Written translation from English to Japanese (or English to Japanese) for technical documents; 2) Written translation from English to Korean (or English to Korean) for technical documents; 3) Oral translation from English to Japanese (or English to Japanese); 4) Oral translation from English to Korean (or English to Korean) collectively then up to three experiences can be submitted. If the company has experience in all four areas on separate contracts then up to 3 of each experience can be submitted for a total of 12.

[Attachment 2, pages 8-9, Factor 1, Corporate Experience] The Solicitation Submittal Requirements asks for projects demonstrating relevant experience in each of the 4 categories (written translation to Japanese/Korean and oral translation to Japanese/Korean). Should respondents provide 3 total Corporate Experience contracts for this requirement, or 12 total (3 for each of the 4 types)?

See comment #62. Number of projects to submit.

[PWS page 5, 10.1 Information Safeguarding] The Information Safeguarding requirements reference Addendum "A" CONTRACTOR OPSEC GUIDANCE. Can you please direct us to where to obtain a copy of Addendum A?

See comment #38. OPSEC Guidance Addendum A.

Are host nation citizens and dual citizens (US/ROK or US/Japan) permitted to provide interpretation services under this contract?

Will the government require background checks for host nation citizens or dual citizens who are residing in the host nation, and if so what type of background check is required?

See comment #34. Eligible workers.

[Attachment 2, pages 24-32] Will interpreters providing services for this contract be required to undergo the procedure to apply for CAC cards, or can they apply for visitor passes given the intermittent nature of their work (e.g., 20-40 events per year)?

There is no requirement to obtain CAC cards.

[Attachment 2, page 38] The requirements state that the contractor may need to meet with the CO, COR, or other representatives weekly. Are contractors permitted to attend weekly meetings virtually, or is this an in-person requirement? If the requirement is in-person, what is the expected meeting location? Can the contractor receive expense reimbursement if the travel distance to the meeting exceeds 150km?

There is no requirement for in-person weekly meetings.

See comment #12. Travel costs.

[PWS p13 #2.0 and pages 14-15 #2.1.1.6] What percentage of the estimated translation volume is expected to require a 1 business day expedited turnaround time?

Expedited 1 business day turnaround time is intended for emergency situations or emerging requirements. Majority of translation services required will not be expedited but the Contractor is responsible for having the capability in place to provide 1 business day turnaround time if the need arises.

Attachment 7 - OFFEROR CORPORATE

EXPERIENCE PROJECT DATA SHEET,

1. Project Information, Section 1., Page 1

Under Section 1 “Project Information”, Offerors are required to list both “Contract Number” and “Project Number”.

Can the Government confirm that Offerors complete “Project Number” only when referencing Corporate Experience for a specific Task Order under an existing contract?

If there is a "project number" associated with the specific Corporate Experience being listed please list. If the "project number" is a Task Order Number please list. If there is neither then N/A.

Attachment 2: Provisions & Clarifications, Non-Price Factor, 1.i.1-1.i.4, Page 8

Regarding Past Performances, Attachment 2 states “No more than three (3) contracts shall be submitted” for four different deliverables.

Would the Government clarify if if the contractor is to submit three (3) or twelve

(12) Past Performances?

As stated in the submittal requirements, the offeror shall submit past performance information for each project included in its proposal for Factor 1, Corporate Experience. The amount of past performances submitted will depend on the number of projects submitted in Factor 1.

Attachment 2: Provisions & Clarifications, Non-Price Factor, 1.i., Page 8

Is there a limit for number of pages submitted in response to Factor 1, Solicitation Submittal Requirements in total or for individual completed Attachment 7 forms? Please confirm that a narrative summary or introduction may be included preceding the completed Attachment 7 forms.

Only attachment 7 is required for Factor 1: Corporate Experience. All information must be submitted on that form. No page limit to the form.

Attachment 2: Provisions & Clarifications, Proposal Requirements, Page 7

Please confirm that the Government desires for offerors to submit the following three (3) separate files to meet the Proposal Requirements:

- Price Proposal [‘*.pdf’ file]

- Price Schedule/Attachment 7 [MS Excel file]

- Non-Cost/Price Proposal (Factors 1 and 2) [‘*.pdf’ file; to include completed Attachments 6 and 7s]

Correct; All information listed on Pg. 7 of Attachment 2 under Price Proposal section (PDF) in addition to the Attachment 4 Price Schedule (excel); and the Non-Cost/Price Proposal - Factor 1:

Corporate Experience and Factor 2: Past Performance (attachment 6 and 7)

Attachment 2: Provisions & Clarifications, Quotation Delivery Requirements & Price Proposal, Pages 2 & 7

Para 7 on page 2 states:

All electronic documents should be submitted in Adobe PDF format (*.pdf) unless an alternate format is approved by NAVFAC prior to the due date.

Price Proposal instructions on Page 7 appear to require the Completed Price Schedule and Completed Exhibit Line Item Number (ELIN) to be provided in Microsoft Excel format.

Would the Government please confirm that offerors are to provide the completed Attachment 4 as a Microsoft Excel document to be referenced from/as an attachment to the Price Proposal?

Submit Attachment 4 in excel format.

Attachment 2: Provisions & Clarifications, Proposal Requirements, Page 7

Would the Government please confirm that sub-paragraph “a. A copy of current SAM registration” should be lettered as Paragraph “d.”?

Yes; formatting error it is the continuation of items listed that should be included in the Price Proposal Section of the submission.

Attachment 2: Provisions & Clarifications, Non-Price Factor, 1.i., Page 8

Para 1.i states: A relevant project is defined as a single project or multiple projects completed within five years or ongoing projects at 80% completion from the solicitation date.

Would the Government please clarify if the 80% requirement for ongoing projects is based on time or anticipated/awarded contract value?

Given the difficulty in determining a % complete for certain contracts/projects (e.g., IDIQs with option years), would the Government consider requiring a minimum contract performance period (e.g., one year) as an alternative?

The 80% is speaking to the project not the contracting effort. If there is an IDIQ with option years it would be a task order that is at 80% completion. Not the basic contract. The experience should be discussing projects down to the Task Order level.

Attachment 2: Provisions & Clarifications, Non-Price Factor, 1.i.1-1.i.4, Page 8

Please confirm that up to 12 unique projects/contracts may be submitted in order to demonstrate Corporate Experience on the four (Items 1-4) tasks described in Para 1.i.

(3 for each area).

See comment #62. Number of projects to submit.

Attachment 2: Provisions & Clarifications, Non-Price Factor, 1.i., Page 8

If selected relevant Corporate Experience projects/contracts demonstrate more than one of the four (4) tasks described in Para 1.i, may offerors include a summary cross reference as an introduction/road map preceding the completed Attachment 7 - Offeror Corporate Experience Project Data Sheets to summarize relevancy.

All of the additional information (road map) can be fully discussed in the section labeled: Provide a detailed description of the project (the project work for which the Offeror was responsible for) including the specific types of work of attachment 7.

Attachment 2: Provisions & Clarifications, Factor 2 Past Performance, Page 9

Please confirm that, when CPARS evaluation is unavailable, completed PPQ s (Attachment 4) are to be obtained from clients and included in the proposal.

Yes

Final PWS NAVFAC Far East Translation IDIQ, Section 5.0 Technical Proposal Certification, page 3

PWS states:

The contractor warrants that its proposal incorporated herein by reference including, but not limited to, proposed approaches, staffing, methodology, or work plans, shall meet the performance objectives set forth in this contract during execution thereof.

Would the Government please clarify if the offeror is required to provide any certification statement related to the above section or any other aspect of the PWS at time of proposal submission?

No. The contractor's proposal will be incorporated in its entirety in the resulting contract.

Attachment 2: Provisions & Clarifications, Factor 2 Past Performance, Page 9

Factor 2 instructions state:

Offerors may provide any information on problems encountered and the corrective actions taken on projects submitted under Factor 1, Corporate Experience. Offerors may also address any adverse past performance issues. Explanations shall not exceed 4 single-sided (2 double-sided) pages in total.

Would the Government please confirm that the “explanations” referred to above includes both problems encountered and the corrective actions and adverse past performance issues for all contracts/projects?

Yes, the proposal can include additional information for both Factor 1 Corporate Experience and any past performance issues. However, the explanations are still limited to 4 single-sided (2 double-sided) pages in total if combined.

General Question

Does the Government have any text /font size restrictions or margin requirements for the proposal narrative and/or tables used in the response?

No

Attachment 7 - OFFEROR CORPORATE

EXPERIENCE PROJECT DATA SHEET.

The information blocks appear to be out of

This was a formatting error. Please proceed with the sections listed.

Renumbering with an amendment is not necessary.

number sequence. Would the Government please renumber the information blocks?

Would the government consider accepting bids and making payments in US Dollars

(USD)?

The proposal shall be submitted in Yen.

Payment for all orders will be in yen only. This includes services provided in Chinhae, Republic of Korea.

Reference Attachment 2 Provisions and Clauses, under the Evaluation Factor 1 - Corporate Experience, the Government is requiring translation/interpretation experience expressly scoped to English to Japanese and English to Korean (and vice versa). Prospective contractors may have translation/interpretation capability with a qualified pipeline of Japanese/Korean translators/interpreters to perform under this award without specific Korean/Japanese past corporate experience projects. To maximize competition among capable contractors, would the Government consider modifying the requirements under Factor 1 to allow for contractors who have significant translation and interpretation experience and qualified pipelines of Japanese/Korean linguists to bid? In line with this, to ensure contractors demonstrate relevant corporate experience capability specific to Korean/Japanese interpretation/translation, we recommend the Government require resumes of qualified candidates who the contractor has available to support the award.

See comment #60. Past performance evaluation.

Can offerors choose to provide just translation services or just interpretation services?

No

Given current COVID situation, will interpretation services be provided in person or virtually?

Assume interpretation services to be conducted in-person unless specified otherwise by the individual task order.

Given current COVIS situation, what safety protocols will be in place to protect interpreters and their customers?

Each military base has their own specific safety protocols for COVID-19.

4.0 TRAVEL 4.0 TRAVEL

The contractor shall be responsible for all costs associated with travel, transportation and accommodations. …QUESTION: can

Refer to item #12 response.

travel / accommodation expenses be included as additional CLINS?

2.1.1 INTEPRETATION

2.1.1.1 The COR shall provide the contractor

with a schedule of events that require linguist interpretation services. QUESTION:

How far in advance will the schedule go?

See comment #39. Period of performance start info.

4.0 TRAVEL

The contractor shall be responsible for all costs associated with travel, transportation and accommodations. QUESTION: does this mean that we must build the cost of travel into our price…that we cannot, for example, list travel expenses as separate CLINS?

Correct; all ELINS are inclusive of ODC and associated travel cost. Refer to item #12 response.

2.1.1.3 Interpretation Services include the

interpretation of oral communication to and from English and the Specified Contract Required Languages (SCRL). Interpretation includes, but is not limited to:

• Simultaneous interpretation QUESTION:

when simultaneous interpreting is required, does NAVFAC agree that TWO simultaneous interpreters must be present?

See comment #28. Simultaneous Interpretation.

End of Amendment