PWS ASL Interpreter Services.pdf

Performance Work Statement ASL Interpreter Service for DLA Aviation and Forward Locations

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 1

1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

It is the policy of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), a federal agency, to provide equal employment opportunities for its employees, former employees, as well as applicants for employment with policies and practices in full compliance with the laws and regulations governing equal employment opportunity.

Under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), as amended by the Amendments Act of 2008, Title 1, Section 501 and 504 require federal agencies to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities, baring undue hardship.

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is committed to being compliant in providing reasonable accommodations for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals in the workforce, via the provision of interpreting services when applicable to the employee, applicant or tenet customer. The need for interpreting services continue to increase as the DLA strives to be a model employer by complying with Executive Order 13548- “Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities.”

2.0 BACKGROUND

The DLA Aviation Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Office is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to its deaf and hard of hearing employees, applicants, and tenant activities in various locations on the Defense Supply Center Richmond and DLA Aviation forward presence locations. Due to the increase in the demand for and the lack of resources necessary for effective, timely interpreting services for the deaf and hard of hearing employees to hearing employees, DLA Aviation has determined that contractor-provided support services for this requirement is in the best interest of the Government.

3.0 PURPOSE

This requirement is to comply with the policies and laws to provide qualified American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting services to deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) employees in a variety of work-related settings. These settings include, but are not limited to, office and job-related issues such as: work group meetings; employee orientations; training; wellness program events; conferences and seminars;

employee/manager meetings, to include those regarding performance and/or disciplinary actions; and other employment situations.

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 2

4.0 SCOPE OF WORK

This requirement is to provide interpreter services for D/HH employees and applicants on an as needed basis. Current requirements for services and the primary locations for this contract are at: Richmond, Virginia and DLA Aviation forward presence locations in Huntsville, Alabama and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

When there are new interpreting services outside the scope of this contract, but they are of interest to DLA Aviation, the Contracting Officer may request information and a demonstration of the available services and the contractor shall provide the demonstration of these services at no additional cost to the agency. Such request shall not change any of the terms and conditions of the contract.

5.0 REQUIREMENTS/TASKS

The Contractor will provide all the necessary amounts of interpreters (must meet the qualifications stated in PWS 7.0 PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS), services, and material needed to perform the work set forth in this Performance Work Statement (PWS) including but not limited to all equipment and related materials/office supplies, and administrative support services as requested by the DLA COR or DLA Scheduling Coordinator for each job request confirmed.

Interpreting service requests made by DLA shall be submitted either through the contractors’ electronic portal or via email for last minute modifications and for record keeping purposes. The contractor shall provide confirmation electronically, via system notification or email notification to the designated DLA inbox (Provided at time of award).

5.1 The Contractor shall provide clear and accurate interpreting services for scheduled trainings and other appointments as required. Current requirements include but are not limited to:

• Formal training sessions dealing with specialized terminology in the fields of acquisition, human resources, supply, and quality assurance, etc.

• On the job training in specific applications used in the fields of procurement, human resources, supply planning, and quality assurance, etc.

• Other appointments as requested including, but not limited to, job interviews, safety talks, discussions on work procedures, policies or assignments, and disciplinary discussions, team building events, etc.

5.2 Upon receipt of an interpreting requirement, the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and/or the DLA Aviation Scheduling Coordinator will contact the contractor allowing sufficient time to meet the requirements as follows:

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 3

• Standard Requests: Standard requests are 5 business days (or more) in advance of any single event or 7 business days (or more) in advance for a large or long (more than 16 hours interpreting hours) work training session.

• Emergency Requests: Emergency requests are considered as an assignment when less than 5 business days notice has been given. At all times the expectation is that the Contractor will make every effort to ensure coverage when possible. Emergency requests will be handled based upon the availability of interpreting services; therefore, the contractor has the right to refuse an assignment when less than 5 business days notice has been given to them. There is no penalty to the contractor if coverage cannot be secured on an Emergency Request only. The contractor’s refusal notice must be given within 4 hours of the time that the request was submitted. This refusal must be documented in written format, preferably via email to both the COR and the Scheduling Coordinator.

5.3 The number of interpreters required is subject to the assessment of the COR and/or the Scheduling Coordinator. In general, two (2) interpreters shall be required for assignments lasting longer than one and a half (1.5) hours or more due to the technical nature of the DLA’s environment. On occasion, one (1) interpreter may be requested for non-technical meetings, on-call/staff support or in the event that they will be teamed with a DLA Federal Staff Interpreter. The number of interpreters requested for a job shall be dependent on the assessment made via the COR/Scheduling Coordinator.

5.4 The COR/Scheduling Coordinator will provide the following information:

• If this is an initial request, change or cancellation

• Date request is submitted for services

• Type of interpreters required (American Sign Language, Close Vision/Tactile and/or Oral)

• Dates of the event to include daily start and end times

• Event POC of the organization requesting the interpreter (name, telephone number, location).

• Name of D/HH employee(s)

• Type of interpreting event

• Length of time for the event

• Number of Interpreters

• Location of the interpreting event (in-person or remote-VRI link provided)

5.5 The COR or Scheduling Coordinator that makes the request for services to the contractor is responsible for ensuring the contractor has complete and accurate job information for the interpreter in advance. The Contractor is responsible for ensuring

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Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 4 their interpreters have complete and accurate job information prior to the time of the requirement/task.

5.6 The Contractor shall provide at least 1 business days prior notice to the COR/Scheduling Coordinator of the interpreter names and any installation access requirements, information for the scheduled requirements. In addition, the COR/Scheduling Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that the event POC is provided the interpreter’s name as a double check that the event will occur and that the services are still needed.

5.7 The COR or Scheduling Coordinator is responsible to ensure that the interpreter has access to the installation in advance of the event or access to the platform for VRI interpreting.

• Interpreters must follow location specific base access requirements, providing necessary information to security as needed in advance. All interpreters must have a valid photo identification (ID) that is accepted by DLA Aviation’s Security Office/Visitor’s Center (Richmond) or the Security Offices/Visitors Centers of the DLA Forward Presence sites. The interpreter shall adhere to the badging requirements designated by the security office, whether they must be always escorted while in the facility or not. The contractor shall not bill the agency for any of the time described in this process.

5.8 The interpreter must contact the COR or Scheduling Coordinator upon arrival for assistance with accessing the facility and must arrive approximately 30 minutes before scheduled requirement/task to clear security, where required. A requirement/task will be invoiced for a minimum of 2 hours (industry standard).

Additional time for travel and arrival time to clear security will not be reimbursed.

• Ex. 1 Assignment time: 0900-1000. Invoice will be for 2 hours for the assignment (which may potentially cover interpreter travel time in this case)

• Ex. 2 Assignment time: 0900-1100. Invoice will be for 2 hours for the assignment (no additional time for travel and arrival time to access the installation).

5.9 When on site the interpreter must notify the COR or Scheduling Coordinator if a requirement/task is canceled or completed early. If this occurs, the COR or Scheduling Coordinator reserves the right to reassign the interpreter to another requirement/task as needed for the duration of the assigned time. The preferred method of contact will be in-person, phone, or text and will be provided with every job request. If there is no other requirement to cover, the COR or Scheduling Coordinator will contact the Contractor so that they can release the interpreter early.

If check in does not occur and the COR or Scheduling Coordinator receive notification that the interpreter left without receiving confirmation to release early, the contractor shall be notified of the discrepancy and DLA shall only be invoiced

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 5 for the amount of time the interpreter was present in the facility, regardless of the initially confirmed billable hours for service.

When providing Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) services the interpreter must notify the COR or Scheduling Coordinator if a requirement/task is canceled or completed early. If this occurs, the COR or Scheduling Coordinator reserves the right to reassign the interpreter to another requirement/task via VRI as needed for the duration of the assigned time. The preferred method of contact will be phone, or text and will be provided with every job request. If there is no other requirement to cover, the COR or Scheduling Coordinator will contact the Contractor so that they can release the interpreter early. If check in does not occur and the COR or Scheduling Coordinator receive notification that the interpreter left without receiving confirmation to release early, the contractor shall be notified of the discrepancy and DLA shall only be invoiced for time the interpreter was present in the meeting/event, regardless of the initially confirmed billable hours for service.

5.10 For general audience events, in person or via VRI, the ad-hoc interpreter shall contact the COR/Scheduling Coordinator fifteen (15) minutes after the start of the event if no consumers are present requiring sign language interpreting services. The COR/Scheduling Coordinator has the option to re-assign the interpreter to another request if needed within the allotted timeframe of the original assignment or release the interpreter.

5.11 If the assignment/event is being videotaped (in person or VRI) or is being streamed live (in person or VRI), the interpreter shall provide interpreting services whether there are Deaf or Hard of Hearing individuals in live attendance requiring interpreting services or not. However, the vendor shall be notified at the time of the request if streamed or recorded interpreting services are needed. If the event is not being streamed live or videotaped and no Deaf or Hard of Hearing employees are in attendance in the audience, interpreter(s) are required to follow the standards of procedure set forth by section 5.10.

5.12 When on site or providing VRI services, the interpreter must notify the COR or Scheduling Coordinator if a requirement/task continues longer than scheduled. The interpreters scheduled time cannot be extended without contacting the contractor for approval. If approved by the contractor, the additional time will be reimbursed at the contracted emergency rate however the original time will be paid at the regular rate as scheduled.

5.13 If the communication mode of the customer (D/HH or Hearing) and the interpreter do not match, the interpreter must be replaced within 24 hours. Determination will be made based on agreement between the Government and the Contractor.

5.14 Cancellations: If any standard requirement/task is cancelled by the Government, the Government is responsible for payment of cancellation fees for any

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 6 requirement/task cancelled less than 24 continuous hours before the scheduled start of the requirement/task (Standard 2 hour minimum paid for general requests)

Ex. 1 Assignment for Friday at 0900-1000 is scheduled/assigned/confirmed.

COR/Scheduling Coordinator cancels the assignment on the Thursday 11:00am.

Contractor may bill a 2-hour minimum for the last-minute cancellation (less than 24 continuous hours).

5.15 Cancellations: If any extended standard requirement/task (session that is greater than 2 hours) is cancelled by the Government, the Government is responsible for payment of the requirement/task cancelled that falls within the less than 48 continuous hour cancellation notification. Any time outside of the 48 continuous hour cancellation notification will not be billable.

Ex. 2 A weeklong training has been scheduled/assigned/confirmed to begin on Monday at 0800. Contractor receives notice that the training with 2 interpreters assigned has cancelled the Friday prior at 1100. The contractor may invoice for 8 hours for each interpreter assigned for Monday and Tuesday of the training week.

This equates to 32 total hours that can be invoiced for the cancellation. The remaining hours for Wednesday through Friday are non-billable hours as they fall outside of the 48 continuous hour cancellation notification.

5.16 Scheduling Changes Prior to Assignment: At any time, requirement/task could be changed and/or additions made to start and stop time, the Government is responsible for payment of emergency fees for any requirement/task changed/added less than 24 continuous hours before the scheduled start of the requirement/task.

Ex. 1 Assignment is scheduled for Thursday 0900-1100. On Wednesday at 11:00am the contractor receives notice that the requirement/task has changed to 0800-1000. If the contractor can make the adjustment for an earlier start time, then the invoice would reflect 1 hour of emergency rate/fee (0800-0900) and one hour of regular rate/fee 0900-1000.

5.17 Monthly Status Report: The Contractor shall document the efforts performed in the completion of each task in a monthly status report due on or before the 5th business day of each month and include summary of work accomplished during the reporting period, and recommended changes to include any lessons learned to the COR. A template of the Monthly Status Report shall be provided to the Contractor.

5.18 The Contractor shall attend scheduled and unscheduled meetings to furnish input concerning the operation and management of the interpreting services.

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 7

6.0 QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE

Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP): The purpose of the QASP is to provide guidance on administering subject contract such that the best possible quality in performance can be assured through appropriate surveillance and addressing any performance failures as appropriate.

The contractor, and not the Government, is responsible for management and quality control actions to meet the terms of the contract. The role of the Government is quality assurance to ensure contract standards are achieved. It is also used for assessing contractor’s overall performance, both the good and the bad, which will be used to determine future contract actions with a company (i.e., exercising of options, determining contractor responsibility, past performance for future awards, etc.)

In fulfillment of this effort, the Contractor shall provide the deliverables identified in Table 2. All deliverables shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or Scheduling Coordinator (SC) as noted in Table 2.

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

Performance Measures (Table 1)

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

Performance Requirements Summary (Table 2)

Task PWS Ref.

Performance Threshold

Surveillance Method

AQL Grading Scale

Monthly Remedy Amount

Interpreters provided meet personnel qualifications.

7.0 Interpreters have

been vetted to meet the qualifications with the COR/SC prior to assignment

Copy of qualifications submitted to

COR

98% P/F 2% of invoice amount

Minimum of one

(1) business day prior notification confirming interpreter

5.6 5.7

1 Business Day prior- Name of interpreter, information for installation access provided.

Confirmation via system notification or email to the designated DLAA inbox.

95% P/F 2% of invoice amount

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 8 assigned to a request.

If any change occurs to the interpreting assignment on site, the contracted interpreter must contact the SC or

COR

5.9 5.10 5.11 5.12 14.1

Contact to the Scheduling Coordinator or COR via phone or text.

The SC or COR will monitor and document with follow up to the contractor.

98% P/F 2% of invoice amount

Contractor shall attend meetings to furnish input concerning the operation and management of the contract.

5.18 17.0

Quarterly meetings or more frequently as determined by the

COR

COR will monitor the need and will generate minutes of the meetings for record.

98% P/F 2% of invoice amount

Provide accurate and clear interpretation per the individual needs of the employee for agency requirements

5.1 5.13 17.0

Receive no more than one valid complaint about services per month

Employee Feedback- COR will conduct surveys monthly regarding services.

Surveys conducted in ASL with consumers and documented.

95% P/F 3% of invoice amount

Contractor shall provide documentation and invoices properly formatted and submitted

14.0 14.2 14.3

Submissions are accurate and timely

COR will document via

WAWF- 100%

inspection

95% P/F 2% of invoice amount

Report submitted on or before the 5th business day of each month for a summary of the previous month’s work accomplished

5.17 On time receipt of

complete report based on provided template

Receipt and review by the

COR- 100%

inspection

95% P/F 1% of invoice amount

Report all contract labor hours via ECMRA by

18.0 Report is

completed and submitted by Oct.

31st deadline

COR will validate report date received in

ECMRA

100% P/F N/A

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 9

October 31st of each performance year Contractor is to submit a Quality Control Plan

6.6 Report is

completed and submitted timely

COR will validate receipt and review the plan

100% P/F N/A

Unless otherwise specified the Government will have a maximum of five (5) business days from the day the draft deliverables are received to review and provide comments back to the Contractor, approve or disapprove the deliverables. The Contractor will have a maximum of five (5) business days from the day comments are received to incorporate all changes and submit the final deliverables to the Government.

Final inspection and acceptance of all work performed, reports and other deliverables will be overseen by the COR. The format for the individual deliverables will be determined through consultation between the COR and the Contractor. Products that reflect the Contractor’s analysis and opinion (e.g., surveys, studies, or analyses) may be in template format as provided by the COR. All documents will be provided electronically as requested by the COR. Electronic documents will be provided in the appropriate Microsoft Office format (e.g., Word or Excel). If appropriate, the Government may ask that the documents be provided in compressed or PDF format.

Random Monitoring: Random monitoring shall be conducted for the performance and deliverables identified in this PWS, random monitoring shall be performed by the COR.

The COR will confirm that all deliverables have been received and they meet the requirements described in the PWS. The COR will conduct random monitoring of the contractor’s performance and report all findings. The COR will use this information as basis for the required monthly COR reports.

6.1 Performance Requirements Summary

The tasks the Contractor shall perform are defined in Section 5.0- 5.18 Requirements/Tasks and the Performance Requirements Summary (Table 2).

Additional information about the deliverables produced from the identified tasks is listed in Table 2. The standard set for all tasks is Pass/Fail with 100% Satisfactory Completion. COR/SC 100% Inspection is the surveillance method which will be utilized. This information is detailed in Table 1. The incentive for all tasks will be pursuant to a performance evaluation and payments which is further defined in Section 6.5.

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 10

6.2 Method of Surveillance

The Government will ensure quality assurance of all tasks with 100% inspections performed by the COR/SC. During the inspections, the COR will review for current task completion. More information about the method of surveillance can be found in Table 2.

6.3 Inspection and Acceptance Criteria

Final inspection and acceptance of all work performed, reports and other deliverables will be performed at the place of delivery by the COR or SC.

6.4 Surveillance Schedule

Specific surveillance schedules for tasks can be found in Table 2. The surveillance staff has three components:

A) Contracting Officer: The primary function of the Contracting Officer, regarding the surveillance activity, is to authorize changes to the Performance Work Statement (PWS). The Contracting Officer is responsible for ensuring the completion of all work in accordance with the PWS, and the QASP provided a means to accomplish this. The Contracting Officer will rely on the COR to provide information and recommendations.

B) Contracting Officer’s Representative: The COR’s responsibility is to receive the Scheduling Coordinator’s reports and findings, make recommendations to the Contractor for improvement or when necessary, elevate the concerns to the Contracting Officer to manage or determine changes to the PWS.

Additionally, the COR is responsible for performing specified deliverables as to the contractor as outlined in Table 2

C) Scheduling Coordinator’s responsibility is to monitor, document, report, and make recommendations to the Contracting Officer’s Representative regarding the quality of Contractor work performed or not performed as outlined in Table 2.

6.5 Performance Evaluation and Payments

Performance measurement progress will be tracked based on the milestone event of the Contractor receiving tasking from the COR/SC. Performance evaluation will be based on the complexity and completion of the tasking. The number of completed actions will be balanced against the quality of the output. Receipt and completion of

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 11 tasking is tracked through written documentation between the COR/SC and the Contractor point of contact.

Below are the Performance Standards that will be used in evaluating performance monthly and in determining the amount of the payment owed to the Contractor.

Performance standards and ratings are designed to determine if performance exceeds, meets, or does not meet a given metric and acceptable performance level. Note: The application of these performance ratings or failure of the Government to apply these performance ratings does not waive any of the Government’s rights to damages under this contract. The following ratings shall be used:

Good – Performance meets or exceeds contract requirements in terms of timeliness and quality. Contractor has met or exceeded all the deliverables as outlined in Table 2 100%. COR will determine to pay the contract 100% of the invoice amount.

Fair – Performance meets contract requirements with only 2 Fails that do not adversely impact the mission of the Agency. Performance is satisfactory and has been timely. The COR will determine to pay the contractor the reduced percentage of the invoice based on the deliverables outlined in Table 2.

Poor – Performance narrowly meets contract requirements and borders on unacceptability in terms of timeliness and/or quality or performance may have an adverse impact on the mission of the Agency. This equates to 3 or more Fails on deliverables (Table 2), marginal quality services, or minor complaints submitted by the customers. The COR will determine to pay the contractor the cumulative reduced percentage of the invoice amount (Table 2) after all corrections have been made.

Unacceptable – Performance has been at a less than acceptable level in terms of timeliness or quality. Possible issues include but are not limited to: more than 4 unfilled deliverables, low quality services, significant or serious complaints submitted by the customers, or one or more cure notices have been issued.

Payment will be withheld pending resolution of cure notice(s). Termination for default or cause may result.

The performance will be rated each month by the COR. These findings will be the basis for the amount paid for that month. The ratings, as described in the table above, will be based on the performance of the contractor in meeting the deliverables outlined in Table 2.

Performance below the acceptable level specified in Table 2 will result in consideration for termination of the contract.

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 12

6.6 CONTRACTOR QUALITY CONTROL PLAN (QCP)

The Contractor shall submit a Quality Control Plan within 5 business days of contract award. This plan shall describe the Contractor’s methodology for compliance with the Deliverables above. The COR will notify the Contractor of concurrence or required modifications to the QCP within 5 business days of receipt. The Contractor shall make appropriate modifications and provide a revised QCP within 3 business days.

7.0 PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS

7.1 The Americans with Disabilities Act requires the provision of qualified interpreters in a variety of settings. The Contractor shall submit copy of the interpreter’s credentials prior to fulfilling the assigned requirement. The resumes of all interpreters within 5 business days of date of award. Resumes will include knowledge, experience, education, and certifications. Interpreter must meet one of the three categories listed below (in order of preference):

7.2 Minimum Level of Knowledge and Experience for Nationally Certified Interpreters:

• Minimum of 1 year of professional experience interpreting in formal government training/classroom settings

• Must be proficient in ASL-to-English and English-to-ASL interpreting/transliterating

• Must possess communication skill sets to work in variety of communication modes such as American Sign Language, Contact Sign Language, Signed English, and Oral modes.

• Experience in the fields of acquisition, human resources, supply, and quality assurance preferred

7.2.1 National Certifications: Interpreters providing service that possess, at minimum, one certification for the following and maintain their memberships in good standing:

• NAD-RID National Interpreter Certifications (NIC, NIC-Advanced, NIC-Master)

• RID National Interpreter Certification (CI, CT, CSC, MCSC, SC:L)

• NAD National Interpreter Certifications (NAD IV, NAD V)

7.3 Minimum Level of Knowledge and Experience for Interpreters holding State Certificates or Screenings:

• Minimum of 3 year of professional experience interpreting in formal government training/classroom settings

• Must be proficient in ASL-to-English and English-to-ASL interpreting/transliterating

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 13

• Must possess communication skill sets to work in variety of communication modes such as American Sign Language, Contact Sign Language, Signed English, and Oral modes.

• Experience in the fields of acquisition, human resources, supply, and quality assurance preferred

7.3.1 Certificates or State Screenings: Interpreters who possess, at minimum, one certificate or state screening level and maintain their certificate or state screening level as dictated by the awarding entity and are in good standing:

• Texas BEI (Advanced , Master, Level IV and Level V)

• State Screening Level III, IV or V (State Screening Levels may vary- for approval of level acceptance, documentation of the rating system needs to be provided to ensure quality services).

7.4 Minimum Level of Knowledge and Experience for Interpreters demonstrating experience and/or education without National/State Credentials:

• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience interpreting in formal government training/classroom settings

• Must be proficient in ASL-to-English and English-to-ASL interpreting/transliterating

• Must possess communication skill sets to work in variety of communication modes such as American Sign Language, Contact Sign Language, Signed English, and Oral modes.

• Experience in the fields of acquisition, human resources, supply, and quality assurance preferred

• Education and/or Experience: An interpreter’s experience and/or education will be considered. Documentation of the interpreter’s experience in the interpreting field, specifically government interpreting is necessary. Primary focus will be on experience in the government setting of interpreting with a minimum of 10 years documented service. Additional consideration will be given for the demonstration of educational achievement in the field of Deafness or ASL - Associates degree, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or Ph.D.

7.5 Verification:

The contractor and its affiliates must follow the standards set forth by the Registry of Interpreters for Deaf (RID) and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), Texas Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) and the issuing State Screening Programs.

The Contractor must verify each individual interpreter’s current credentialed status in accordance with the awarding entities’ standards. Additionally, interpreters placed based on education or years of experience must have documentation provided to the contractor, who will in turn provide the documentation to the COR.

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 14

All interpreters will conduct themselves according to the RID Code of Professional Conduct (CPC) and in a professional manner at all times to include but not limited to confidentiality, timeliness, professional responses appropriate for the work environment, attire appropriate for the work environment, etc.

The modes of requested interpreting services will vary, dependent on consumer preference, and shall be performed as such. This may include expressive interpreting or transliteration from Spoken English to ASL, (or a mode of ASL such as Conceptually Accurate Signed English (CASE), Pidgin Signed English (PSE), also known as Contact Sign, or Signed Exact English (SEE) and/or expressive interpreting from ASL (or a mode of ASL as referenced above) to Spoken English. If requested, the contractor shall provide a sign language interpreter with strong expressive skills in English.

8.0 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance will be one 12-month base period with two 12-month option periods (totaling 36 months). The estimated start date is October 1, 2022.

9.0 HOURS OF PERFORMANCE

DLA operates under a flextime schedule, 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday except on government holidays. The hours of performance for this requirement will normally fall between 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with a 30-minute lunch break. However, the Contractor shall make every effort to alter service hours to accommodate government schedules as requested.

Federal Holidays:

• New Year's Day (January 1)

• Martin Luther King's Birthday (Third Monday in January)

• President' Day (Third Monday in February)

• Memorial Day (last Monday in May)

• Juneteenth (June 19- actual observed day may vary if it falls on a weekend)

• Independence Day (July 4)

• Labor Day (first Monday in September)

• Columbus Day (Second Monday in October)

• Veteran's Day (November 11)

• Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday in November)

• Christmas Day (December 25)

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 15

10.0 LEAVE, HOLIDAYS AND CLOSURES

This section describes the specific policies and procedures associated with any leave or closure and how they influence the provision of interpreting services provided.

10.1 LIBERAL LEAVE: If the federal government is on liberal leave, all ad-hoc interpreters must report to the designated facility as previously confirmed, unless the COR or Coordinator/Scheduler has contacted the contractor to specify otherwise. Should the contractor receive additional or modified instructions, the ad hoc interpreters shall be informed via the contractor’s scheduling coordinators for updated information to follow.

If the job request has been cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice, the contractor may invoice for the originally confirmed hours.

10.2 CLOSURE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER,

PUBLIC HEALTH RISK OR EMERGENCY: If DLA has closed due to inclement weather, public health risk or emergency, interpreting services shall not be rendered and therefore no charges or fees shall be assessed. The contractor shall not bill the government for interpreting service hours when the facility is closed due to weather events, pandemics, hazards to human health and welfare whether caused by man or nature.

10.3 OTHER UNSCHEDULED FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CLOSURES: In the event of an unscheduled closure of the federal government, ad-hoc interpreters will not report their scheduled assignments. No cancellation fees or charges shall be assessed. The contractor shall not bill the government for interpreting service hours when the government is closed.

10.4 GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN/FURLOUGH: In the event of a Government Shutdown/Furlough, any previously scheduled assignments that are cancelled due to the Government Shutdown/Furlough are not billable.

10.5 INCLEMENT WEATHER: NON-CLOSURES: In the event of severe inclement weather or an emergency, all interpreters are responsible for calling the contractor’s POC (ie: Scheduling Coordinator) to determine if their assignment is still scheduled. The COR or the DLA Coordinator/Scheduler shall be responsible for relaying information regarding assignment changes or updates/cancellations to the contractor’s coordinator/scheduler/POC. The contractor is equally responsible for following up with the COR or DLA Coordinator/Scheduler to confirm updates/changes if there is inclement weather.

A. If an event has been cancelled due to inclement weather, the contractor may assess the cancellation fee for requests for services that are cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice.

B. If the interpreting service is still required but the confirmed interpreter is unable to attend and provide interpreting services, the contractor is

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 16 responsible for replacing the interpreter with one who can provide the services. If the contractor is unable to supply DLA with replacement interpreters, the contractor shall not bill the government for interpreter service hours.

11.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The primary place of performance will be at Defense Supply Center Richmond located in Richmond, Virginia and DLA Aviation forward presence locations in Huntsville, Alabama, and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

When there are new interpreting services outside the scope of this contract, but they are of interest to DLA Aviation, the KO may request information and a demonstration of the available services, and the contractor shall provide the demonstration of these services at no additional cost to the agency. Such request shall not change any of the terms and conditions of the contract.

12.0 TRAVEL

Travel to and from location of required services will not be reimbursed by the Government for this requirement. The Contractor will be responsible for any travel cost incurred during the required services.

13.0 SECURITY REQUIREMENT

13.1 Security and Privacy Act Requirement: All service performed relative to the tasking identified in the PWS are unclassified or carry a Privacy Act Classification.

System security shall be in accordance with Security Requirements for AIS.

13.2 Security Investigation Requirement: No classified work will be required.

However, the Contractor will be working with sensitive information which is covered by the Privacy Act.

13.3 Facility Requirement: 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. All interpreters must have a valid photo identification (ID) that is accepted by the location’s security office.

Access to Government facility must be coordinated with the COR or Scheduling Coordinator to ensure that any site-specific requirements are met. The Contractor will comply with lawful order of Law Enforcement personnel while on the Government facility. Motor vehicles entering any Government facility shall have a valid state license and vehicle registration. The Contractor employee visiting any Government facility in conjunction with this award shall be subject to the Standards

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 17 of Conduct applicable to Government employees. The Contractor will comply with lawful order of Law Enforcement personnel. Operating a motor vehicle on the Government facility is not a right but a conditional privilege granted by the Government. To retain this privilege, motor vehicles entering Government facilities shall have a valid state license and shall be registered with the Vehicle Registration Office. State license and registration shall be maintained current during the time the vehicle is in use on this installation. Contractor personnel shall return registration decals to the Vehicle Registration Office within 24 hours after termination or completion of work under this contract, when state license is no longer valid, or upon sale of the vehicle.

13.4 DLA retains the right to request removal of Contractor personnel, regardless of prior clearance or adjudication status, whose actions, while assigned to this contract, clearly conflict with the interest of the government. The reason for removal shall be fully documented in writing by the Contracting Officer. When and if such removal occurs, the Contractor shall within five (5) working days assign qualified personnel to any vacancy(s) thus created.

13.5 The Contractor shall safeguard ID Badges when furnished to them. Contractor employees shall not share ID Badges. Each Contractor employee shall always wear the ID Badge conspicuously on his or her outer clothing above the waist while working on the installation. Personnel may be challenged and removed from the work area or denied access to the host installation if the ID Badge is not worn. The Contractor shall not display or use any badge as a means of personal identification outside the installation.

13.6 This PWS may require the Contractor (or any of its subcontractors) to access data and information proprietary to the Government agency or of such a nature that its dissemination or use, other than in performance of this PWS would be adverse to the interest of the Government or others. The Contractor shall not divulge or release data or information developed or obtained in performance of this PWS except to:

authorized Government personnel or upon written approval of the Contracting Officer. The Contractor will not use, disclose, or reproduce proprietary data which bears a restrictive legend, other than as authorized in the performance of this PWS.

The limitations above do not apply to data or information which has been made public by the Government. Further, this provision does not preclude the use of any data independently acquired by the Contractor without such limitations or prohibit an agreement at no cost to the Government between the Contractor and the data owner which provides for greater rights to the Contractor. All products produced and their associated work papers are to be considered the property of Defense Logistics Agency.

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 18

13.7 The contractor shall not bill the agency for any of the time described in the above paragraphs of section 13.

14.0 INVOICING

This section outlines the requirements and expectations regarding reimbursement for interpreting services as well as procedures for invoicing and billing.

14.1 Reimbursement for services: Regardless of assignment duration, the contractor shall be reimbursed for a minimum of two (2) hours per the ASL interpreting service industry standards as long as the interpreter complies with the procedures set forth in the PWS.

Assignments lasting more than two (2) hours shall be invoiced either for the scheduled time requested and confirmed or rounded to the nearest 15 minutes increment thereafter. Example: An assignment is scheduled for three (3) hours but it lasts three hours and twenty minutes (3 hours 20 min), the invoice shall reflect billing for three hours and thirty minutes (3 hours and 30 minutes).

In the event that a job assignment ends earlier than the scheduled and confirmed timeframe, interpreters are required to contact either the COR or the DLA Scheduling Coordinator to either be re-assigned to another job within the same timeframe or to be released early. The contractor shall bill the agency for the confirmed amount of time per the job request, as specified in Section 5.9, unless the interpreter(s) leave the premises early without confirming early release first with either the COR or the DLA Scheduling Coordinator. If the interpreter(s) leaves early without approval, the contractor shall only be allowed to bill the agency for the amount of time the interpreter(s) are on the premises, beginning from the start time confirmed.

14.2 Rates and Schedules: The contractor shall bill the agency using the rates established and agreed upon in the Rate Schedule.

14.3 Contractor shall invoice no more frequently than MONTHLY. The contractor shall invoice DLA via the WAWF/iRAPT system at the beginning of each month, no later than the 5th business day, for the previous month’s services rendered, in accordance

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 19 with DFARS 252.323-7003, the Electronic Submission of Payment Requests and Receiving Reports.

The contractor shall provide a log (in the form of an attachment to the COR) for the invoice submitted containing the following (if applicable): job request number, the date of the assignment, the start and end time of the assignment, the numerical value being billed, the names of the interpreters who provided the services and the description of the assignment event that interpreting services were provided for.

Before validating the invoice for approval, the COR or the DLA Scheduling Coordinator shall review the information provided to review for discrepancies. If any discrepancies are found, the contractor shall be notified and expected to update the invoice appropriately. Once an accurate invoice is provided, the COR shall process the approval.

14.4 Cancellation of requests: The COR or the DLA Scheduling Coordinator shall notify the contractor regarding any cancellations primarily via the contractor’s servicing portal. If no such portal exists, then the contractor shall be notified both in writing via email as well as with a phone call.

14.5 Billable vs non-billable: Standard requests that are cancelled with equal to or less than twenty-four (24) continuous hours’ notice prior to the event shall be reimbursed to the contractor and considered billable. Requests cancelled with more than twenty-four (24) hours’ notice shall not be reimbursed and are considered unbillable.

14.6 Billable vs non-billable: Extended Standard requests that are cancelled with equal to or less than forty-eight (48) continuous hours’ notice prior to the event shall be reimbursed to the contractor and considered billable. Requests cancelled with more than forty-eight (48) hours’ notice shall not be reimbursed and are considered unbillable.

15.0 FAILURE TO PROVIDE SERVICE

If the contractor fails to provide sign language interpreting services (after confirmation has been received by DLA), as described in Section 5.0 (and sub-sections) and 7.0 (and sub-sections); for reasons other than the reasons described in Sections 10 (and sub-section) and Section 14.5 and 14.6, the contractor shall not charge the agency for the services not provided.

For every instance in which the contractor does not provide services for reasons other than mentioned above in Section 15.0, the COR shall document the instance in a monthly evaluation log and a warning letter shall be sent notifying the contractor of their breach of

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 20 contract. DLA expects the contractor to remedy the issue brought forth in a timely manner (within a month’s timeframe from time of notification).

The DLA reserves the right to send both warning correspondence as well as a Show Cause letter(s) to any contractor that repeatedly is unable to supply interpreters for the Government’s requests. If the contractor is repeatedly unable to fulfill the contract, their inaction may result in termination to the contract. This statement applies to non-fulfillment of the contract for any reason other than reasons listed in Section 15.0.

16.0 PAYMENT PROCEDURES

Billing and payment shall be accomplished in accordance with 252.232-7006 Wide Area WorkFlow Payment Instructions (May 2013) DFARS

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause—

“Department of Defense Activity Address Code (DoDAAC)” is a six-position code that uniquely identifies a unit, activity, or organization.

“Document type” means the type of payment request or receiving report available for creation in Wide Area WorkFlow (WAWF).

“Local processing office (LPO)” is the office responsible for payment certification when payment certification is done external to the entitlement system.

(b) Electronic invoicing. The WAWF system is the method to electronically process vendor payment requests and receiving reports, as authorized by DFARS 252.232-7003, Electronic Submission of Payment Requests and Receiving Reports.

(c) WAWF access. To access WAWF, the Contractor shall—

(1) Have a designated electronic business point of contact in the System for Award Management at https://www.acquisition.gov; and

(2) Be registered to use WAWF at https://wawf.eb.mil/ following the step-by-step procedures for self-registration available at this web site.

(d) WAWF training. The Contractor shall follow the training instructions of the WAWF Web-Based Training Course and use the Practice Training Site before submitting payment requests through WAWF. Both can be accessed by selecting the “Web Based Training” link on the WAWF home page at https://wawf.eb.mil/

(e) WAWF methods of document submission. Document submissions will be via web entry, Electronic Data Interchange, or File Transfer Protocol.

http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dars/dfars/html/current/252232.htm https://www.acquisition.gov/ https://wawf.eb.mil/ https://wawf.eb.mil/

Source Selection Information – See FAR 2.101 and 3.104 21

(f) WAWF payment instructions. The Contractor must use the following information when submitting payment requests and receiving reports in WAWF for this contract/order:

(1) Document type. The Contractor shall use the following document type(s).

In compliance with DFARS 252.232-7003, “Electronic Submission of Payment Requests and Receiving Reports (Mar 2008)”, the Defense Contracting Services Office (DCSO) utilizes WAWF to electronically process vendor requests for payment. The Contractor shall be required to utilize this system when processing invoices and receiving reports under this order unless the provision at DFARS 252.232-7003(c) applies. The Contractor shall (i) ensure an Electronic Business Point of Contact is designated in the Central Contractor Registration at http://www.ccr.gov and (ii) register to use WAWF at https://wawf.eb.mil, within ten (10) days after award of this order. The DLA WAWF point of contact for this purchase order is [will be provided at time of award], email address [will be provided at time of award]. The Contractor is directed to use the “2-IN- 1” format when processing invoices and receiving reports. (Choose the appropriate format based on the following: “Combo” is used for goods or any combination of goods and services. “2-in-1” is used for services only contracts. In most cases these formats are the appropriate choices and the DCSO recommended method. However, particular situations will require different WAWF-RA document types.