Statement_of_Work.doc

Statement of Work

SSA-RFP-16-1005

I. BACKGROUND

A. General Description

It is the policy of the Social Security Administration (SSA) to assure equal employment opportunity for any deaf or hard-of-hearing employees or employment applicants by providing sign language interpreter and/or Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART) services as a reasonable accommodation.

B. Legislative History

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires federal agencies to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified employees or employment applicants with disabilities, unless it would cause undue hardship. In general, a reasonable accommodation is a modification or an adjustment to a job or the work environment that will enable a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the application process or to perform essential job functions. It also includes adjustments to assure that a qualified individual with a disability has rights and privileges in employment equal to those of nondisabled employees.

II. SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor shall provide all of the necessary personnel and services needed to perform the work set forth in the following sections.

A. General Requirements/Technical Requirements

1. Overview The Contractor shall furnish all labor, materials, and equipment to provide sign language and/or other recognized modes of interpreting and CART services for deaf, hard-of-hearing (DHOH) and/or deaf-blind employees and/or SSA employment applicants for the life of the contract.

For the purposes of this contract, contractor shall provide services at SSA Headquarters located in Baltimore, MD, the Wilkes-Barre Data Operations Center in Wilkes-Barre, PA, Falls Church, Virginia, Crystal City/Arlington, VA and at other locations in the greater Baltimore/Washington D.C. Metro area. Additionally, services may be required at other SSA locations nationwide (see section B-1.3 as well as SSA’s website www.ssa.gov/org/).

Interpreters and CART providers shall provide clear and accurate interpretation/ translation of information in a variety of settings (see A.1 above) allowing the DHOH employees to fully engage in work activities and enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment. The Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) shall address any questions regarding the technical aspects of services.

All interpreters providing services under this contract shall abide by and maintain professional boundaries as required by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) Code of Professional Conduct. All CART providers shall follow the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) Consumer Bill of Rights and Code of Professional Ethics. Any infractions may be grounds for removal. Due to the personal nature of SSA business, any misuse of proprietary information, or Personally Identifiable Information (PII) acquired while on assignment may be subject to Federal prosecution.

Professional business attire (no flip flops, cutoff jeans, t-shirts or anything with profanity) is expected of all interpreters and CART providers unless otherwise directed by the COTR, and Alternate COTR.

No overtime shall be authorized or paid under this contract.

B. Daily On-Site Services (DOS)

1. Estimated Quantity of DOS Personnel

Interpreter Services will be ordered in months, not to exceed one year per task order. The exact number of interpreters required will be defined on each task order. The following is an estimated number of interpreters required for DOS Services under this contract.

National Computer Center (NCC) - One (1) interpreter Security West - Eight (8) interpreters Wabash Complex – One (1) interpreter Main Complex – Five (5) interpreters Wilkes Barre DOC – One (1) interpreter

Falls Church/Crystal City/Arlington, Virginia – One (1) interpreter

2. Roster

The Contractor shall provide a daily roster of sign language interpreters for daily assignments via a real time internet based calendar acceptable to SSA (e.g., Microsoft Outlook).

3. Offsite Assignments

The DOS interpreters may be required to provide services for DHOH employees who are on off-site assignment. The distance to off-site assignment locations will not be greater than 75 miles from the DOS duty station listed in section A.1 above. The Contractor shall require their sign language interpreters to provide their own transportation to these sites, unless SSA shuttle service or other government arranged transportation is available. A Government vehicle shall be used for the Contractor to ride with a Government employee if available. Government vehicles may only be reserved and driven by Government employees. Requests for interpreters to provide services “in transit” to a meeting or conference will be addressed by the COTR. If a DOS interpreter is assigned to an off-site assignment that either starts at the beginning of, and/or goes until the end of, their scheduled shift, travel time to or from the assignment should not be considered as part of the scheduled shift (e.g., if the interpreter’s shift ends at 4:00 p.m., the interpreter is to remain on assignment until 4:00 p.m.).

4. Lunch Hour SSA will not pay the Contractor for the lunch hour. Contractors are permitted to a one (1) hour unpaid lunch. Interpreters should plan to lunch during SSA’s lunch hours 11:30a.m. – 1:00 p.m. when possible. If the interpreter is scheduled for a lunchtime meeting, they can choose to take their lunch hour before or after their scheduled assignment. In locations with multiple interpreters, rotating lunch periods are required to ensure that an interpreter is available at all times.

5. Schedule Changes

The Contractor may be required to provide interpreter services Monday through Friday between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) unless otherwise noted, excluding Federal holidays. The Government will attempt to provide the Contractor with five (5)-business days advance notice of any changes to the weekly DOS schedule.

C. SSA Headquarters DOS Schedule The SSA Headquarters DOS service delivery schedule is as follows, excluding Federal holidays:

1. National Computer Center (NCC) The NCC interpreter provides services to employees who are (DHOH) and primarily work as IT specialists dealing with network and mainframe administration, systems engineering, voice communication technology, and data management. As such, the interpreter assigned should have knowledge of general computer concepts and terminology. The NCC services are requested through the Contract Coordinator; therefore, regular communication between the NCC interpreter and the Contract Administrator is essential.

Hours: Monday - Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

One (1) interpreter

2. Wabash Complex The interpreters at the Wabash Complex are assigned to specific Office of Central Operations (OCO) modules, which provide service to a group of employees who are DHOH. DHOH employees will request services, as needed, directly from the DOS interpreter assigned to their OCO module. OCO employees work responsibilities include, but are not limited to, SSA benefits and claims processing, computer specialists, clericals, and mailroom duties.

Hours: Monday – Friday One (1) interpreter: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

3. Security West Complex

The interpreters at the Security West Building and Wabash Complex are assigned to specific Office of Central Operations (OCO) modules, which provide service to a group of employees who are DHOH. DHOH employees will request services, as needed, directly from the DOS interpreter assigned to their OCO module. OCO employees work responsibilities include, but are not limited to, SSA benefits and claims processing, computer specialists, clericals, and mailroom duties.

Hours: Monday – Friday

One (1) interpreter: 6:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Three (3) interpreters: 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

One (1) interpreter: 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Two (2) interpreters: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

One (1) interpreter: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Note: This is an estimated number of interpreters needed. See Section II.B.1 above.

4. Main Complex

The work responsibilities of the employees who are DHOH include, but are not limited to, human resources, public relations, printing specialists, and information technology (IT) specialists (e.g., software developers, web designers, programmers, and database managers), network administrators, and systems engineers. The interpreters shall be available at the Annex Building office:

Hours: Monday - Friday One (1) interpreter: 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Two (2) interpreters: 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

One (1) interpreter: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

One (1) interpreter: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Note: This is an estimated number of interpreters needed. See Section II.B.1 above.

5. Wilkes-Barre Data Operations Center (WBDOC) DOS Schedule Hours: Monday - Friday, excluding Federal Holidays.

One (1) interpreter: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

6. Falls Church, VA/Crystal City/Arlington, VA DOS Schedule Hours: Tuesday-Friday, excluding Federal Holidays

One (1) interpreter: 8:00am – 4:00p.m.

Note: Interpreters will need to pay for parking at the Falls Church, Virginia and Crystal City/Arlington, Virginia sites.

D. Contract Administrator at SSA Headquarters

1. Overview The Contractor shall provide an onsite Contract Administrator. This individual shall provide daily on-site coordination and oversight of the Contractor’s employees. The Contract Administrator sends out daily calendars and updates. Services for Headquarters are requested as needed. The Contract Administrator maintains a schedule of service requests and assigns interpreter(s) as appropriate, working with the COTR or Alternate COTR as necessary through the Contract Administrator. The Contract Administrator shall also provide interpreter services, as needed.

2. Lunch/Schedule The Contract Administrator is permitted to a one (1) hour unpaid lunch. The Contract Administrator shall be available at the Annex Building office, excluding Federal holidays:

Monday – Friday 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

E. Agency wide Service Requests (ASR)

1. Overview ASR’s are in addition to daily on-site services. These services shall be requested on an as needed basis for periods ranging from one (1) hour to several months. These services shall be provided only as authorized via task orders when exceeding $2,500 by the Contracting Officer or work orders issued by the COTR when under $2,500. The Contractor shall provide ASR sign language (and /or other recognized modes of interpreting), CART and/or Video Remote Interpreting/ Video Relay Service (VRI/VRS) services on the assigned date specified by each task order. All ASR services shall be paid at the rates governed by this contract. However, SSA is not precluded from using other vendors for ASR services when the cost is $2,500.00 or less.

2. Roster

The Contractor shall provide a daily roster of interpreters, VRI/VRS and CART providers who are available to provide services at any SSA office, nationwide via a real time internet based calendar acceptable to SSA (e.g., Microsoft Outlook). ASR may include, but is not limited to, meetings, training, mentoring, conferences, teleconferences, career counseling, job interviews, and special interest group meetings.

3. Travel/Transportation

The Contractor shall be expected to have their sign language interpreters and/or CART providers provide their own transportation to and from the location of service. Travel costs (per diem, transportation, tolls, parking, personal vehicle mileage, etc.) shall be allowable on each assignment/task as agreed to by the Contractor, COTR, and/or Alternate COTR. If the assignment location is less than 50 miles from the interpreter’s and/or CART provider’s place of business or home, mileage reimbursement will be made. Travel costs for which the Contractor will be reimbursed shall be no greater than those allowed by the Government Travel Regulations, current as of the time of the travel occurs. These travel costs will be reimbursed from the stated not-to-exceed travel allocation designated in each task order and will be paid as incurred upon receipt of a properly documented invoice. No travel time will be authorized or paid under this contract.

4. Cancellations

The Government may cancel ASR request without penalty when cancelling more than two (2) business days prior to the start of the scheduled service. For any cancellations to an ASR request made by SSA less than two (2) business days in advance of the scheduled service, the Contractor will be paid for no more than 2 days of the requested services at the hourly, rates outlined in the terms of the task order.

III. SPECIFICATIONS FOR INTERPRETER SERVICES FOR SSA

A. Interpreter Qualifications

Certified interpreters and/or CART providers shall perform all interpreting and/or CART services. Certification shall be obtained from a recognized certifying organization. Certification for interpreters shall be from organizations such as:

· Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID)

· National Interpreter Certification (NIC, NIC Advanced, NIC Master)

· Certificate of Interpretation (CI)

· Certificate of Transliteration (CT)

· Consecutive Skills Certificate (CSC)

· The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) (Level IV or V) or

· A recognized state agency

Certification for CART providers shall be obtained from the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) (CRR, CCP) or a recognized state agency. The Contractor, the Contractor’s employees and subcontractors shall abide by all state and local laws, current and future, in regard to certification and licensure of all interpreters and CART providers.

Interpreters and/or CART providers shall have a minimum of four (4) years paid professional experience as an interpreter and/or CART provider within the last six (6) years. Paid professional experience is defined as providing interpreter or CART services on a full-time or part-time basis in a professional capacity for the purposes of gainful employment. Interpreters shall demonstrate fluency in expressive and receptive skills in American Sign Language, manually coded English, Pidgen Signed English, spoken English, Tactile signing, Deaf Interpreting, and Oral Interpreting, and maintain an Associate Membership in good standing of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). Exceptions to the qualification requirements shall be submitted in writing to the Contracting Officer.

Whenever SSA is obligated by contract, legislation, or judicial order to provide interpreters certified in legal interpreting Specialist Certificate: Legal (SC:L), the Contractor, upon oral or written notification, shall so provide.

B. General Information for Interpreter Services

Interpreters shall use a broad range of sign language vocabulary and style as well as appropriate grammatical signs to meet the communication needs of SSA’s DHOH employees. The Contractor shall provide SSA with interpreters who shall provide voice-to-sign, sign-to-voice, or any other accepted mode of interpreting in a variety of situations in the SSA environment. Standard assignments at SSA may include, but are not limited to the following: meetings, training, progress reviews, teleconferences, career counseling, union activities, job interviews, work-related telephone conversations, webinars, special interest group meetings, and counseling.

SSA sponsored special events and/or assignments on-site may include but are not limited to the following: holiday programs, commemorative programs, musical programs, medical situations, focus groups, conferences, satellite broadcasts, Interactive Video Training (IVT), town hall meetings, promotion parties, retirement parties, and social events. Whenever possible, SSA will provide the Contract Administrator or designated Contractor representative a program/script of special events including those that will be videotaped and/or broadcast.

The COTR, Alternate COTR, and/or Contract Administrator will address interpreter services for non-work-related requests on a case-by-case basis.

The COTR, Alternate COTR, and/or the Contract Administrator will determine the number of interpreters scheduled for an assignment. One (1) interpreter may be sufficient for assignment(s) of two (2) hours or less. Two (2) or more interpreters may be needed but are not limited to the following:

· Any assignment exceeding two (2) continuous hours;

· Any assignment where a DHOH person has a prominent role in the scheduled activity and/or there are DHOH participants;

· Any assignment where more than one (1) mode of communication is preferred by the DHOH participants; e.g., interpreting, transliterating, oral interpreting, and/or tactile interpreting;

· Any assignment where the material or subject matter being presented or discussed is extremely technical, complex, or difficult for a lay person to understand;

· Any assignment involving a panel discussion or large group meetings of any length.

C. General Information for CART Services CART services may be provided for, but are not limited to, meetings, training, or conferences. The need for transcripts will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the COTR, and ACOTR.

SSA requires that all requested transcripts be made available the following business day. Transcripts should include a disclaimer stating that said transcript is not official documentation of the event and cannot be used as such.

D. General Information for VRI/VRS Services SSA also provides interpreter services for Federal Employees using remote video technology. Sign language interpreters may be required to provide services in a VRI or VRS setting. All equipment required for VRI or VRS will be provided by the Government. Due to network and physical security requirements, all VRI/VRS Interpreters will be stationed at an SSA facility.

E. SSA Provided Space for DOS Interpreters SSA will provide the following space for the DOS interpreters: office space, office furniture (including a desk and a chair), office supplies, and computer with office communicator, email, telephone, and voice mail. SSA’s photocopy machine and fax machine will be available to the Contractor for copying/faxing work-related documents. Contractor’s use of Government provided space shall be for business purposes only.

F. Parking Stickers/Permits and Identification Badges After completion and processing of all required security documents, SSA will provide the DOS interpreters with parking hangtags/permits for on-site parking and badges, when possible, which will permit access to SSA Headquarters and WBDOC. Interpreter is responsible for paying for parking when SSA parking is not available.

G. Communication Protocol All administrative and personal matters raised by the interpreters as they relate to this effort shall be addressed to the Contract Administrator cited in Section C2-14.

All technical matters shall be addressed to the COTR, or Alternate COTR cited in Section C2-13.

H. Furlough In a furlough situation where there are essential DHOH employees, SSA will relocate the interpreter(s) to the buildings where the DHOH employees are located. The Contractor will be paid the full monthly rate agreed to in the contract. If the agency is entirely shutdown for a furlough, the Contractor will be paid on a prorated basis for services rendered prior to the shutdown.

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