NFFKA0002301131 Q and Q Document 7.27.2023.pdf

Solicitation NF-FKA000-23-01131 NOAA NMFS Office of the Assistant Administrator Translation Services Questions & Answers/Clarifications

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The following questions and or clarifications requests were received from various interested parties. All questions and clarifications have been consolidated. Questions / Clarifications are denoted by “Q” and the response is denoted by “R.”

Q1. Multiple vendors requested pictures of the sites where the services were to be performed.

R1. The program office provided access to their shared folder containing pictures as requests were received.

Q1: Can the government provide an estimated number of hours of interpretation needed per year or an estimated number of document translation requests per year? Does the government have historical data that could be shared on either of these trends?

R1: That information is not available

Q2: Does the government have an estimate or any past data on the number of in-person interpretation requests?

R2: No we don’t.

Q3: Shoul’d pricing for simultaneous interpretation services include equipment costs (microphones, headsets, etc.)? R3: Yes Q3: Will the government have a requirement for interpretation equipment during these requests? R3: No If so, will the government provide this equipment or is the contractor required to provide this equipment?

Q4: Can the government provide an estimate of the number of requests for onsite interpretation services that have a duration of (1): Four hours or less in length? (2): More than four hours in length?

R4: We don’t know yet but they can respond by including their level of effort (rate) for both options and we will pay accordingly.

Q5: Page 2 of the Statement of Work under “Contractor Qualifications” requires contractors to “provide interpretation to support electronic correspondence meetings or email exchanges in near real time”. Can the government clarify what services are needed specifically to provide this “support in near real time”? Does the government mean sight translation of written correspondences? Can the government define “near real time”?

R5: I think that this means chat boxes during meetings (for example the chat during Google meet, or the chat during Webex). That would be "sight translation in real time." The email exchanges may refer to an email conversation in which a NOAA Fisheries employee receives an email in another language and needs someone to translate it. I would say within a day is what "near real time"

Q6: Can the government provide an estimate of the volume of after hours requests via telephone,video-conference and email?

R6: That information is not available

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Q7: Page 2 of the Statement of Work requires that contractors “have the ability to receive, store, and send highly sensitive information through a secure file sharing service.” Does the government have a particular file sharing service in mind they consider “secure”? Would the contractor need to subscribe to this type of service? Or is this service at the discretion of the contractor to provide?

R7: I believe it is kiteworks, but I am asking our IT person to help me with that. However, if the vendor had another service, they could use that as long as it is secure and NOAA Fisheries could access it, with a password for example. We are able to use DoDSafe.

Q7: Per the Statement of Work, it describes both Translation and Interpretation Services. It is industry standard to provide translation services on a price per word and interpretation on a price per hour. Per the “REQUEST FOR QUOTATION” form, it is only giving a “Unit Price” and “Extended Price”. How should we differentiate between the prices?

R7: The industry standard is fine and your pricing can be flexible based on the industry standard; meaning price according to industry standard.

Q8: Per the Statement of Work, it describes both Translation and Interpretation Services. It is industry standard to provide translation services on a price per word and interpretation on a price per hour. Per the “REQUEST FOR QUOTATION” form, it is only giving a “Unit Price” and “Extended Price”. How should we differentiate between the prices?

R8: See R7 above.

Q9? Please explain the difference between “Unit Price” and “Extended Price”. Should this be based on the unit of “1”?

R9: See R7 Above.

Q10: Are we able to bid on just the translation rather than both translation and interpretation?

R10: Yes

Q11: Is there a previous incumbent for this contract? If so what were the previous rates?

R11: No incumbent

Q12: Is this a single award or multiple award contract?

R12: Yes

Q13: Is this multiple award? If so, can we only bid on translation services?

R13: Yes it is

Q14: Is there any historical data on translation needs for the indigenous and or low resource languages?

R14: No there isn’t.

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Q15: Does the short turnaround time for projects mentioned include the low resource languages and or indigenous languages?

R15: Yes

Q16: Can you separate the CLIN for each region, so that document translation and interpretation can be priced separately?

R17: No we cannot have that many line items.

Q18: Document translation are usually priced per word, and interpretation per hour or per day.

The solicitation document has JB as a unit. Can this be modified?

R18: See R7 above.

Q19: Can you provide an estimate as to how much translation work and interpretation may take place during the period of performance for both document translation and interpretation.

R19: No

Q20: Is there an incumbent for this effort? If so, can you please provide the contract number?

R20: No

Q21: Can you please provide expected volume(s) for pricing purposes?

R21: No, we do not know yet

Q22: After a thorough review of the CLIN (Contract Line Item Number) structure and the scope of services described in the solicitation, we have encountered a potential discrepancy that requires clarification. Specifically, we have noticed that CLIN 0001 for the Base Year appears to encompass a broad scope of "SERVICES, NON-PERSONAL, TO PROVIDE ALL LABOR, EQUIPMENT

AND MATERIALS (UNLESS OTHERWISE PROVIDED HEREIN) NECESSARY FOR TRANSLATION

SERVICES FOR AFRICA, AFRICA NORTHEAST AND WEST AFRICA." While we understand that the solicitation aims to provide language services for various regions, this CLIN's description seems to be all-encompassing and does not provide specific details on the individual language pairs, volume requirements, or any pricing information that would typically be expected in a comprehensive solicitation.

R22: The broad scope is a general statement that refers to the statement of work that has the requirements and has the paring in the Attachment A Language Table.

Q23: Scope of CLIN 0001: Could you please provide more specific information about the languages and regions covered under CLIN 0001?

R23: The broad scope is a general statement that refers to the statement of work that has the requirements and has the paring in the Attachment A Language Table.

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Q24: Additionally, any volume estimates or pricing details for the translation services required for these regions would greatly assist us in preparing our bid.

R24: This information is not available.

Q25: To facilitate the bidding process and ensure that we can submit a comprehensive and compliant bid, we kindly request the following information: Unit of Measure: Could you please specify the unit of measure for each CLIN (e.g., per-word, per-hour, or any other applicable unit)?

R25: You have the option to quote by per-word, per-hour, or any other applicable unit.

Q26: Pricing Methodology: We would appreciate clarity on the pricing methodology to be used for each CLIN, as this will allow us to provide precise and transparent pricing for the translation services.

R26: NOAA Response: There is no methodolgy.

Q27: Total Pricing Calculation: If there is a total pricing requirement for each CLIN or for the overall proposal, please provide guidance on how to calculate the total price based on the provided unit and pricing information.

R27: You can breakdown your pricing by per-word, per-hour, or any other applicable unit.

Q28: Option Year Pricing: Since the solicitation mentions an Option Year 1 (08/01/2024 through 07/31/2025), we kindly request confirmation on whether the pricing for this period should mirror the Base Year or if separate pricing is required.

R28: Yes, option year should mirror the base year.

Q29: Do we have to use the attached price sheet - or can we create our own?

R29: No. You can use your own form.

Q30: We are in the SAM system - all of our reps and certs are up-to-date. We are active in the system. Does this need to be stated in the proposal in a particular manner? Are you looking for specific language here? Do we need to copy and paste FAR here?

R30: No. As long as your SAM is current and you are active, you can state that your SAM reps and certs are up to date in your email response when you submit your offer.