Statement of Work - Braille Teacher .docx

I. SCOPE OF WORK:

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Corrections, requires a part-time virtual Braille instructor for Pennsylvania Correctional Industries. Trainings will be conducted online. The instructor will be required to train Pennsylvania female inmates on Braille transcriptions. This is a one-year contract.

II. ISSUIING OFFICER:

Any questions related to the bid must be sent to the Issuing Office on this Solicitation. (Leslie Cherry email address (ra-docpurchasing@pa.gov )

III. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS:

Online trainings must be conducted between the hours of 8:00 AM – 2:30 PM Monday through Friday. The bidder must provide a total of 10 hours of trainings and grading a week. Bidder must provide a schedule of hours to the DOC Contract Manager for approval a week in advance. Trainings will not be conducted on official state holidays (New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Day). Online trainings must be conducted over Zoom or Teams.

The selected Bidder, at a minimum, must:

• Instruct and grade lessons 1-20 and drills from the National Library of Congress.

• Instruct and grade students reading and writing Braille lessons.

• Monitor, evaluate, and document student progress.

• Recommend additional resources and support as needed:

• Reinforce concepts taught during Braille lessons and technology using Perky Duck.

2. Work with Inmates and prepare them for the final exercise of the course is a transcription of thirty-five braille pages of material. Inmates will submit the final manuscript along with the print text to the instructor to submit to the National Library of Congress for scoring. Candidates scoring eighty points or above will receive the Library of Congress certificate in literary braille. All lessons, drills and manuscript will be transcribed on a Perkins braille machine. Once inmate is certified in Literary Braille, the inmate can move onto a computer using Perky Duck.

The selected Bidders must also be able to conduct future trainings on:

• Literary Braille Proofreading.

• Formatting.

• Mathematics Braille Transcribing.

• Braille Foreign Language.

• Music Braille Transcribing.

• Tactile graphics.

Bidders will only be paid for the actual hours of training provided. No overtime, weekend, or holiday pay will be paid. Bidders will not be paid for any supplies (computer, internet, Zoom/Teams license, etc.). Bidders may not charge a higher price than that provided in the bid. Training hours may not exceed the hours on the purchase order without prior approval by the DOC contract manager. Training cannot be provided beyond the expiration date of the purchase order. The selected Bidder Shall track the available hours and usage and prohibit billing beyond the allotted hours/expiration date on a purchase order.

The selected Bidder may propose the use of an instructor that is a former employee of the Commonwealth but must disclose this information to the DOC. The selected Bidder may not propose the use of a former Commonwealth employee as a Braille instructor within one (1) year of their separation from the Commonwealth. Any former Commonwealth employee must be in compliance with all applicable laws and policy, 3. No reentrants under active supervision may work at the contracted site or supervise other reentrants. Any reentrant interested in providing services under these contracts must have successfully completed at least two (2) years of parole supervision and must have secured the written approval of their supervising parole agent and District Director including the Pennsylvania Public Official and Employee Ethics Act. Work cannot be subcontracted or performed by another individual without prior approval of The DOC Contract Manager.

IV.CONTRACTORREQUIREMENTS:

Bidders must meet the following qualifications:

•5-Years’ experience instructing Braille materials.

•Certified in Braille Literacy through the National Library of Congress.

•Read and transcribe Braille material.

•Follow Unified English Braille (UEB) resources material rules.

•Proficient proofreading and formatting.

•Access to Video Conferencing, Teams.

Bidder must submit verification of the experience with their bid. The DOC reserves the right to request references at the time of contract award. Bidders must submit a copy of their certifications with their bid. A copy of the instructor’s resume must be included with bid submission. While this position is virtual, instructors must meet the requirements of all relevant DOC Policies including 1.1.4 Centralized Clearances. The instructor is responsible for completing Section A on the Centralized Clearance Check Information Request Form (Public) which is available on the Department’s public website (www.cor.pa.gov) and as an attachment to this RFx. Bidders must comply with Executive Order 2021-06 and upload a signed Worker Protection and Investment Certification form as part of their bid.

V. BID INFORMATION:

It shall be understood and agreed that any quantities listed in the solicitation are estimated only and may be increased or decreased in accordance with the actual requirements of the Department of Corrections. Bids will be opened on the date and time specified in the invitation for bid. Bid tabulations will be posted on the Department of General Services’ eMarketplace website. Tabulations are for information only and do NOT constitute actual award/execution of a contract. The results of the apparent bidders and all bids are under review until final award of the purchase order.

VI. INVOICING:

Contractors must follow the following invoicing requirements:

• Accurately bill the Commonwealth for actual services rendered on all invoices.

• Submit a copy of the invoices monthly along with timesheets to the appropriate resource account within 10 business days of completed service

• Comply with Commonwealth / Department of Correction’s practices for supplier payments.

The awarded supplier should submit all invoices, as outlined by the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget, as a PDF file to 69180@pa.gov. Bidders must follow all invoicing requirements per the Office of the Budget.