PWS_OPI_01082026 Final.docx

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

Oral Proficiency Interview Testing and Reporting Services

Part 1 General Information

1. General: This is a non-personal service(s) contract under which the personnel rendering the service(s) are not subject, either by the contract’s terms or by the manner of its administration, to the supervision and control usually prevailing in relationships between the Government and its employees.

1.1 Description of Services/Introduction: This is a non-personal service(s) contract to provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform Oral Proficiency Interview Testing services as defined in this Performance Work Statement except for those items specified as government furnished property and services. The Contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract.

1.2 Background: The Department of Defense (DoD) launched the Defense Language Transformation Initiative in 2004 with the objective of improving the Armed Forces’ capacity to work effectively with international partners. In January of 2005, the Defense Language Transformation Roadmap was published requiring that the Department of Defense and its components train and maintain personnel with language skills capable of responding for operations with the correct levels of proficiency. In August 2005, the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (OUSD) (P&R) issued a memorandum tasking the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) to program funds for test development and field testing. DoD Directive (DoDD) 5160.41E, DoD Instruction (DODI) 5160-71, and TRADOC Regulation 350-70 charged DLIFLC with overseeing the standardization, testing, research, development and evaluation of all foreign language training and education.

The requirements for foreign language testing have increased exponentially. Speaking tests (OPIs) are a prerequisite modality for essential mission and operational requirements.

1.3 Scope: The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items necessary to perform services as described in the PWS and associated contract documents, except for those items specified in Part 3 Government Property and Services. The Contractor shall perform to the standards and acceptable quality levels identified in this PWS and associated contract documents.

1.4 Objectives: The objective of this contract is to provide the following services:

1.4.1 Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPI) Testing Services

1.4.1.1 Contractor shall certify OPI testers based on the OPI tester certification standards as stipulated on 5.2.7.1.

1.4.1.2 Provide OPI testing for 110 languages. Each test shall result in a speaking score based on the ILR scale.

1.4.1.2.1 Two-Score OPIs (TSOPI) shall require an Inferred Listening Score (ILS) along with the OPI score.

1.4.1.3 Contractor shall conduct up to 19,150 OPIs over a 12-month period

1.4.1.3.1 Tier 1 languages: 17,000 OPIs

1.4.1.3.2 Tier 2 languages: 2,000 OPIs

1.4.1.3.3 Tier 3 languages: 150 OPIs

1.4.1.4 Contractor shall provide up to 9,000 Inferred Listening Scores (ILC) over a 12-month period.

1.4.2 Contractor shall provide remote proctoring for up to 500 OPIs.

1.4.3 English Translations of OPIs upon request

1.4.4 Contractor shall provide target language experts to conduct the OPI testing for a mission-critical language(s) not listed on 5.2.1.1. Table A. using Alternative OPIs, if feasible. The language requested shall be considered a Tier 3 language.

1.4.5 Provide for a secure OPI request submission, scheduling, score reporting and tracking interface in accordance with requirements established by the government.

1.5 General Information:

1.5.1 Quality Control Plan (QCP): The Contractor shall develop and maintain a QCP to ensure services are performed in accordance with (IAW) this PWS. The Contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The Contractor's QCP is the means by which it assures that the work provided complies with the requirements of the contract.

The Contractor’s Proposed QCP shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer (KO) through the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for review within thirty (30) days after the date of the contract start.

The Government will review and either notify the Contractor in writing of acceptance of the plan or return their comments to the Contractor within 10 calendar days. If the Government has provided comments, the Contractor shall then have 10 calendar days to submit a Final QCP. After receipt of the Final QCP, the Contractor shall receive the Contracting Officer’s acceptance in writing. Any proposed changes to the accepted QCP are required to be resubmitted for acceptance by the Contracting Officer no later than 10 calendar days prior to the anticipated change and before implementation by the Contractor. The timeline noted above will apply for review and acceptance of proposed changes. At a minimum, the QCP must include and answer the following to be acceptable:

(a) A chart showing the organizational structure and lines of authority, the names, qualifications, duties, responsibilities, and classification of each member of the Contractor's Quality Control Team;

(b) How the Contractor will monitor work to ensure performance complies with all deliverables (etc. timelines, deadlines, and goals);

(c) How the Contractor will monitor work to ensure performance complies with all specifications and requirements of the contract, including the contract’s clauses;

(d) How the Contractor will monitor and ensure staff qualifications remain current and valid including Department of Defense (DoD) Contractor Personnel Office (DOCPER) processes/approvals throughout contract performance;

(e) How the Contractor will identify, investigate, and correct any non-conforming performance and prevent similar deficiencies in the future; and

(f) How the Contractor will file and save all Quality Control related documents for the life of the contract plus 5 years.

1.5.1.1 The Contractor shall inform the COR of issues or potential issues that might affect performance within seventy-two (72) hours of identifying those issues. Verbal reports shall be followed by written reports within 5 working days.

1.5.1.2 The contractor shall provide monthly reports within 5 business days on a 10% random selection of reviews conducted by the contractor's testers, including ratings from the original testers and raters. The Government will provide a report template. The Government shall specify languages to be included in the report, and in certain cases, up to 20% of ratings shall be required for specific languages. However, the total percentage across all languages will not exceed 10%.

1.5.2 Quality Assurance: The Government will evaluate the Contractor’s performance under this contract to ensure that the Contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards.

1.5.3 Recognized Holidays: The following provides information on recognized holidays for the purpose of the PWS. If the submittal of any documentation (e.g. deliverables, submittals, etc.) deadlines fall on a holiday, the closest workday prior to the holiday will apply as the deadline for submittal.

1.5.3.1 U.S. Holidays: Work shall not be performed on U.S. federally recognized holidays occurring during the normal workweek unless otherwise directed by the Contracting Officer. When a U.S. holiday occurs on a Saturday or a Sunday, the holiday is observed on the preceding Friday or following Monday, respectively.

Juneteenth June 19th Independence Day July 4th Labor Day 1st Monday in September Columbus Day 2nd Monday in October Veteran’s Day November 11th Thanksgiving Day 4th Thursday in November Christmas Day December 25th

1.5.3.2 Host Nation Holidays: Not Applicable

1.5.4 Operating Hours: The Government facility office hours, facility operating hours, and the Contractor support hour requirements often coincide, however, they may differ. Please refer to the following.

1.5.4.1 Government Facility Office Hours: The Government facility office hours are 0700 to 1600 (Pacific Standard Time), Monday through Friday except U.S. Holidays identified in paragraph 1.5.3.1 above or when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings.

1.5.4.2 Government Facility Operating Hours: The Government facility operating hours occur between the hours of 0700 to 1600 (Pacific Standard Time), Monday through Friday. The Government facility is closed for operations during the recognized U.S. Holidays identified in paragraph 1.5.3.1 above. The Government facility may close due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings and will be communicated by the Contracting Officer and/ or the COR to the Contractor.

1.5.4.3 Contractor Support Hours: The Contractor shall provide testing support Monday-Saturday. National Guard and Reserve units, however, may require Sunday testing on a case-by-case basis. If feasible, the contractor may test on Sundays. Contractor shall not provide support when the Government facility is closed for operations during the recognized U.S. Holidays identified in paragraph 1.5.3.1, when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings. Such closures will be communicated by the COR to the Contractor. The Contractor shall always maintain an adequate workforce, for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this PWS when the Government facility is not closed for the above reasons. When hiring personnel, the Contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the workforce is essential.

1.5.4.3.1 Contractor Work Plan: Not applicable

1.5.5 Training Holidays: The government has historically granted military personnel training holidays as compensation for the time that they spent in field training. These are typically combined with regular holiday leave schedules (for example, Christmas half days or day on day off schedules). Training holidays may affect access to military operated facilities. If scheduled work or access to facilities is required, coordination with occupants will be necessary or the work in affected facilities shall be rescheduled after the training holiday. However, announced training holidays or exodus of military personnel may provide the Contractor with an opportunity for unrestricted access to facilities and areas. The Contractor shall take full advantage of such opportunities by planning maintenance or actions that are better accomplished when such areas are vacant.

1.5.6 Place of Performance: The work to be performed under this contract will be performed from anywhere in the Continental United States (CONUS), Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. territories or countries pre-approved by the government.

1.6 Security Requirements: The following information is provided on security related matters.

1.6.1 Security Program: Contractor will have access to Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and Personal Identifiable Information (PII). Contractor personnel performing work under this contract are not required to have security clearance. Contractor personnel shall complete applicable training as stipulated in paragraph 1.23.2. The security requirements are IAW with the DoD Contract Security Classification Specification (DD Form 254), which is currently accessible at the following link: http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/forms/eforms/dd0254.pdf

1.6.2 Personnel Security Clearance Requirements: Not Applicable

1.6.3 Installation Access: Access to U.S. installations, buildings and controlled areas is limited to personnel who meet security criteria and are authorized. Contractor shall ensure the pass and identification items required for contract performance are obtained for employees and non-government owned vehicles. Failure to submit required information/data and obtain required documentation or clearances will be grounds for denying access to U.S. installations, buildings and controlled areas. The Contractor shall ensure that any subcontractors used in performance of this contract complies with these requirements and that all employees, of both the Contractor and any subcontractor utilized by the Contractor, are made aware of and comply with these requirements.

The Contractor shall be aware of and comply with the requirements associated with Installation Access Control. The Government is not liable for any costs associated with performance delays due solely to a firm’s failure to comply with Installation Access Control System (IACS) processing requirements.

The Contractor shall return installation passes to the issuing IACS office when the contract is completed or when a Contractor employee no longer requires access.

1.6.4 Background Checks: Not Applicable

1.6.5 Physical Security: The Contractor shall safeguard all Government equipment, information, and property provided for Contractor use.

1.6.6 Operations Security (OPSEC) Requirements: Contractor personnel shall adhere to facility security policies and restrictions. The Contractor shall immediately report suspicious activities to security personnel. Contractor shall be trained and practice good OPSEC to protect critical information for specific government contracts and subcontracts.

1.7 Key Control: If applicable, the Contractor shall establish and implement methods of making sure all keys issued to the Contractor by the Government are not lost or misplaced and are not used by unauthorized persons. NOTE: All references to keys include key cards. No keys issued to the Contractor by the Government shall be duplicated. The Contractor shall develop procedures covering key control that shall be included in the Contractor’s Quality Control Plan. Such procedures shall include turn-in of any issued keys by personnel who no longer require access to locked areas. The Contractor shall immediately report any incidents of lost or duplicate keys to the Contracting Officer. In the event keys, other than master keys, are lost or duplicated, the Contractor shall, upon direction of the Contracting Officer, re-key or replace the affected lock or locks; however, the Government, at its option, may replace the affected lock or locks or perform re-keying. When the replacement of locks or re-keying is performed by the Government, the total cost of re-keying or the replacement of the lock or locks shall be deducted from payment due to the Contractor. In the event a master key is lost or duplicated, all locks and keys for that system shall be replaced by the Government and the total cost deducted from the payment due to the Contractor. The Contractor shall prohibit the use of Government issued keys by any persons other than the Contractor’s employees. The Contractor shall prohibit the opening of locked areas by Contractor employees to permit entrance of persons other than Contractor employees engaged in the performance of assigned work in those areas, or personnel authorized entrance by the Contracting Officer. The Contractor shall establish and implement methods of ensuring that all lock combinations are not revealed to unauthorized persons. The Contractor shall ensure that lock combinations are changed when personnel having access to the combinations no longer have a need to know such combinations. These procedures shall be included in the Quality Control Plan.

1.8 Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings: The Contractor shall attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office in accordance with FAR Subpart 42.5. The Contracting Officer, COR, and other Government personnel, as appropriate, shall meet periodically with the Contractor to review the Contractor's performance. At these meetings the Contracting Officer will apprise the Contractor of how the Government views the Contractor's performance and the Contractor shall apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the Government.

1.8.1 The Contractor shall attend, participate in, and furnish input to scheduled and unscheduled meetings, conferences, and briefings that relate to the functions and services herein as required by the Government to provide effective communication and impart necessary information. The Contract Manager or designated representative shall attend meetings as requested by the Government. Meeting attendees shall at times include Contractor managerial, supervisory, and other personnel knowledgeable of the subject matter. Meetings may start or end outside of regular duty hours.

1.9 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): Refer to Part 2 of this PWS for the definition of a COR. As determined by the Contracting Officer, a COR will be appointed and identified by letter of designation, a copy of which will be provided to the Contractor by the Contracting Officer. The designation letter states the responsibilities and limitations of the COR, especially with regard to changes in cost or price, estimates, or changes in delivery dates. The COR is not authorized to change any of the terms and conditions of the resulting order. The COR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration. The COR is not authorized to obligate the Government. If the work is not written in the contract, the COR is not authorized to request new work. The COR is authorized to perform the following functions: assure that the Contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract, perform inspections necessary in connection with contract performance, maintain written and oral communications with the Contractor concerning technical aspects of the contract, issue written interpretations of technical requirements, including Government drawings, designs, specifications, monitor Contractor's performance and notifies both the Contracting Officer and Contractor of any deficiencies, coordinate availability of Government property, and coordinate site entry of Contractor personnel.

1.10 Key Personnel: The following personnel are considered key personnel by the Government: Contract Manager/Alternate Contract Manager, Quality Control Manager, Systems Administrator. The Contractor shall provide a Program/Contract Manager who shall be responsible for the performance of the work. The Contractor shall provide name of an Alternate Program/Contract Manager, who shall act for the Contractor when the Program/Contract Manager is absent. All Key Personnel shall provide a Curriculum Vitae (CV) for each of the personnel listed below. shall be provided in writing to the Contracting Officer no later than five (5) working days after contract start. The Contract Manager and Alternate Contract Manager shall have full authority to act for the Contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract. The Contract Manager or Alternate Contract Manager shall be available between 0700 and 1600 (Pacific Standard Time) Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays or when the government facility is closed for administrative reasons. Qualifications for all key personnel are listed below:

a. Contract Manager and Alternate Contract Manager: The Contract Manager and Alternate Contract Manager must demonstrate a minimum of 2 years’ experience within the past 10, working as a Program Manager.

b. Quality Control Manager: The Quality Control Manager must demonstrate a minimum of 2 years’ experience, within the past 10, working as a Quality Control Manager.

c. Systems Administrator: The Systems Administrator must demonstrate a minimum of 2 years’ experience, within the past 10, working as a Systems Administrator.

1.11 Identification of Contractor Employees: All Contractor personnel attending meetings, answering Government telephones, and working in other situations where their Contractor status is not obvious to third parties must identify themselves, to include proper marking of signature blocks in correspondence, to avoid creating an impression in the minds of members of the public that they are Government officials. The Contractor shall ensure that all documents or reports, produced by Contractors are suitably marked as Contractor products or that Contractor participation is appropriately disclosed.

1.12 Contractor Identification: Not Applicable

1.13 Contractor Travel: Contractor may be required to travel CONUS and within the National Capital Region (NCR) during the performance of this contract to attend meetings, conferences, and/or training.

1.14 Other Direct Costs (ODCs): All non-conducted testing when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings on day of testing shall be charged at the No-Show rate per test. Examinee absence shall also be charged at the No-Show rate per test.

1.15 Data Rights: The Government has unlimited rights to all documents and materials produced under this contract. All documents and materials, to include the source codes of software, produced under this contract shall be Government owned and are the property of the Government with all rights and privileges of ownership and copyright belonging exclusively to the Government. These documents and materials shall not be used or sold by the Contractor without written permission from the Contracting Officer. All materials supplied to the Government shall be the sole property of the Government and shall not be used for any other purpose. This right does not abrogate any other Government rights.

1.16 Non-Disclosure Requirements: Performance under this contract may require the Contractor to access data and information proprietary to a Government agency, another Government Contractor, or of such nature that its dissemination or use other than as specified in this work statement would be adverse to the interests of the Government or others. The Contractor and Contractor personnel shall not divulge or release data or information developed, or obtained under performance of this PWS, except to authorized Government personnel or upon written approval of the Contracting Officer. The Contractor shall not use, disclose, or reproduce proprietary data, which bears a restrictive legend, other than as specified in this PWS. All documentation showing individual names or other personal information shall be controlled and protected under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, Public Law 93-579, 5 United States Code (U.S.C.) Section 552a.

1.17 Protection of Government and Contract Information: Per Public Use Notice of Limitations stated by Defense imagery Management operations Center and contained at www.dimoc.mil/resources/limitations/ , the Contractor shall not cite any information (e.g., contract information, pictures, locations, etc.) obtained through this contract on any hard copy or digital marketing tools to include its company website.

1.18 Non-Disclosure Agreements: The Contractor shall provide signed non-disclosure agreements to the Government no later than 14 calendar days prior to commencement of work under the contract. Disclosure of information by Contractor personnel may result in removal of Contractor personnel from performance under this contract.

1.19 Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI): Contractor and subcontractor personnel or their independent contractors performing work under this contract may receive, have access to or participate in the development of proprietary or source selection information (e.g., cost or pricing information, budget information or analyses, specifications or work statements, etc.) or perform evaluation services which may create a current or subsequent OCI as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer immediately whenever it becomes aware that such access or participation may result in any actual or potential OCI and shall promptly submit a plan to the Contracting Officer to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. The Contractor’s OCI Mitigation Plan will be determined to be acceptable solely at the discretion of the Contracting Officer. In the event the Contracting Officer unilaterally determines that any such OCI cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated, the Contracting Officer may affect other remedies as he or she deems necessary, including prohibiting the Contractor from participation in subsequent contracted requirements which may be affected by the OCI.

1.20 Phase In /Phase Out Period: To minimize decreases in productivity and to prevent possible negative impacts on additional services, the Contractor shall have personnel on board, during the sixty (60) day phase in/ phase out periods. During the phase in period, the Contractor shall become familiar with performance requirements in order to commence full performance of services on the contract start date.

1.21 Safety: Not Applicable

1.22 Environmental Compliance: Not Applicable

1.23 Required Training: The following provides information on training requirements.

1.23.1 OPSEC Training: All Contractor employees, including subcontractors, shall complete Level I OPSEC training within thirty (30) calendar days of employment under this contract and annually thereafter. Verification of the training shall be provided to the COR within five (5) working days after completion of the training. OPSEC Level I training is available at Sign Up for OPSEC Awareness for Military Members, DOD Employees and Contractors GS130.16 Contractor personnel must complete refresher training every 12 months. Verification of the training shall be provided to the COR within five (5) working days after completion of the training.

If training cannot be conducted on the website, the Contractor shall coordinate with the COR, who will contact the local OPSEC Officer at their assigned location for classroom training. Contractor personnel completing training in the classroom will receive a certificate or the training attendance roster signed by the OPSEC Officer. Verification of the training shall be provided to the COR within five (5) working days after completion of the training.

1.23.2 Personally Identifiable Information (PII): Contractor employees, including subcontractors, performing services under this contract with access to PII and Government information shall complete “Identifying and Safeguarding PII” within 30 calendar days of employment. Contractor personnel shall complete refresher training every twelve (12) months from initial completion. The Contractor shall provide the COR a copy of the training certificates for its employees no later than five (5) days after completion. Training is available at Sign Up for Identifying and Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information (PII) DS-IF101.06

1.24 Administrative Deliverables

1.24.1 The Contractor shall provide a report on monthly testing events, including number of splits/retests by language within the first week of every month for the previous month.

1.24.2 Contractor-initiated norming sessions shall be documented and a report provided to the Government within 10 calendar days after the completion of the session.

1.24.3 Contractor shall provide the Government with access to all documented rationales for OPI ratings not later than six (6) business days after the testing event.

1.24.4 The Contractor shall provide the Government access to all test audio files within six business day after completion of the testing event.

PART 2

DEFINITIONS & ACRONYMS

2. Definitions and Acronyms

2.1 Definitions: Although not inclusive of every term used within this PWS, the following provides a list of definitions used throughout this PWS and commonly used in the acquisition field.

Contracting Officer (KO) – means a person with the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings on behalf of the Government. Note: The only individual who can legally bind the Government.

Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) – As defined in DFARS 202.101, means an individual designated and authorized in writing by the Contracting Officer to perform specific technical or administrative functions. DoD Instruction (DoDI) 5000.72, Part II Definitions states the following when defining a COR: “Defined in subpart 202.101 of Reference (f). Any individual delegated responsibilities pursuant to subpart 1.602-2 of Reference (e), regardless of local terminology, must be certified in accordance with this instruction. For example, local terminology can be COR, Contracting Officer’s technical representative, technical point of contact, technical representative, alternate COR, administrative COR, assistant COR, line-item manager, task order manager, quality assurance personnel, quality assurance evaluator, or COR management.” In addition, Army Regulation 70-13, Chapter 2, paragraph 2-2g, states, in part, the following when providing other surveillance support personnel to assist the COR when needed, “…These other surveillance support personnel may serve as on-site representatives of the COR in performance of actual contract surveillance if they meet all COR requirements and have been appointed by the Contracting Officer as alternate CORs.”

Contractor – means a supplier or vendor awarded a contract to provide specific supplies or service to the Government. The term used in this contract refers to the prime.

Contractor-acquired Property - means property acquired, fabricated, or otherwise provided by the Contractor for performing a contract and to which the Government has title.

Day – means, unless otherwise specified, a calendar day.

Defective Service – means a service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with the Performance Work Statement.

Deliverable – means anything that can be physically delivered but may include non-manufactured things such as meeting minutes or reports.

Government-furnished Property – As reflected in FAR 52.245-1, Government-furnished Property “means property in the possession of, or directly acquired by, the Government and subsequently furnished to the Contractor for performance of a contract. Government-furnished property includes, but is not limited to, spares and property furnished for repair, maintenance, overhaul, or modification. Government-furnished property also includes contractor-acquired property if the contractor-acquired property is a deliverable under a cost contract when accepted by the Government for continued use under the contract

Government Property - means all property owned or leased by the Government. Government property includes both Government-furnished and Contractor-acquired property. Government property includes material, equipment, special tooling, special test equipment, and real property. Government property does not include intellectual property and software.

Guided OPI: A guided OPI using a DLIFLC or Contractor OPI trainer to guide a qualified Linguist through an oral interview with an examinee.

High Level Objective (HLO) – means a key overarching result-based objective for a project necessary to achieve the project’s vision. HLOs are similar to Level 2 in a Work Breakdown Structure. Each HLO shall contain several statements to flesh out the areas necessary to meet the objective.

Interagency Language Roundtable Skill Level Descriptions (ILRSLDs) - Interagency Language Roundtable language proficiency scale (ILR Scale): provides descriptions of language proficiency levels. Levels range from “0” (Unable to function in the spoken language) to “5” (Speaking proficiency is functionally equivalent to that of a highly articulate well-educated native speaker and reflects the cultural standards of the country where the language is natively spoken. The individual uses the language with complete flexibility and intuition, so that speech on all levels is fully accepted by well-educated native speakers in all of its features, including breadth of vocabulary and idiom, colloquialisms and pertinent cultural references. Pronunciation is typically consistent with that of well-educated native speakers of a non-stigmatized dialect.). The ILR Scale is the guide used by testers to assign a proficiency level.

Key Personnel - Contractor personnel that are evaluated in a source selection process and that shall be required to be used in the performance of a contract by the Key Personnel listed in the PWS. When key personnel are used as an evaluation factor in best value procurement, an offer can be rejected if it does not have a firm commitment from the persons that are listed in the proposal.

Language Learner - Any examinee who is not a native or heritage speaker and is deemed to be below Level 3 in proficiency.

Linguist - A person skilled in foreign languages.

Modifications to Interface - Changes to the OPI Tracking Interface System made by Contractor at the request of DLIFLC in order to better support end-users needs.

Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) - A Government approved method of testing an individual’s speaking proficiency. The telephonic OPI will be scored asynchronously by two raters.

Inferred Listening Score (ILS) - A second score derived from the OPI, one that will match the OPI score assigned.

Physical Security – means that part of security concerned with physical measures designed to safeguard personnel; to prevent unauthorized access to equipment, installations, material, and documents; and to safeguard against espionage, sabotage, damage, and theft.

Property Administrator - means an authorized representative of the Contracting Officer appointed in accordance with agency procedures, responsible for administering the contract requirements and obligations relating to Government property in the possession of a Contractor

Quality Assurance – (or Government contract quality assurance) means the various functions, including, inspection, performed by the Government to determine whether a Contractor has fulfilled the contract obligations pertaining to quality and quantity.

Quality Assurance Review – A documented detailed review of an OPI prepared by the government to ensure the accuracy of the original rating.

Quality Control – means all necessary measures taken by the Contractor to assure that the quality of an end product or service shall meet contract requirements.

Quality Control Review – A documented detailed review of an OPI prepared by a contractor to ensure the accuracy of the original rating.

Reviewer – an individual who conducts a quality control or quality assurance review

Statement – means the specific results-based activities required to satisfy HLOs. A statement contains a result, the context of the statement, and the required action(s). Statements focus on “what” is to be accomplished; however, they are not prescriptive in describing “how” the outcome is to be achieved. Each HLO shall have several statements to flesh out the areas necessary to meet the objective. Statements are similar to Level 3 in a Work Breakdown Structure.

Subcontractor – one that enters into a contract with a prime Contractor. The Government does not have privity of contract with the subcontractor.

OPI Tester – individual who administers a speaking test to assess a person’s language proficiency level and assign a rating based on the ILR scale

Tester Feedback - Official or unofficial response or comments pertaining to an OPI test.

Test Iteration - A specific testing timeframe or window when a series of tests are conducted.

Tester Trainer - Experienced OPI tester of the language, who is able to train, certify, and guide less experienced testers through OPI procedures, and able to act as the second rater in cases where only one native speaker is available to test.

Tester Training Workshops - Contractor workshops designed to train new OPI testers, provide recertification training to certified testers, and to re-establish Norming standards.

Two-Score OPI (TSOPI) – When an Inferred Listening Score (ILS) is paired with an OPI score.

Workday - The number of hours per day the Contractor provides services in accordance with the contract.

Work Week - Monday through Friday, unless otherwise specified.

2.2 Acronyms: Although not inclusive of every term used within this PWS, or that may be included in an acquisition, the following provides a list of acronyms commonly used in the acquisition field.

USAG United States Army Garrison

PART 3

GOVERNMENT PROPERTY (GP) AND SERVICES

3. Government Property and Services

3.1 Services: Not Applicable

3.2 Facilities: Not Applicable

3.3 Utilities: Not Applicable

3.4 Equipment: Not Applicable

3.5 Special Tooling and Test Equipment: Not Applicable

3.6 Materials: Not Applicable

3.7 Training: Not Applicable.

3.8 Common Access Cards (CAC): Not Applicable

PART 4

CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES

4. Contractor Furnished Property and Services

4.1 General: The Contractor shall furnish all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items necessary to perform services as described in the PWS and associated contract documents, except for those items specified in Part 3 Government Property and Services.

4.2 Secret Facility Clearance: Not applicable.

4.3 Materials: The Contractor shall provide all materials, supplies, and equipment necessary to meet the requirements under this PWS.

4.4 Vehicles and Equipment: The Contractor shall provide all necessary equipment to perform the work described in this PWS.

4.5 Background Checks): The Contractor shall provide Background Checks in accordance with this PWS and as determined by the Government.

PART 5

SPECIFIC TASKS

5.1 Basic Services: The Contractor shall provide the following services:

5.1.1 Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPI) Testing Services

5.1.1.1 Contractor shall certify OPI testers based on the OPI tester certification standards as stipulated on 5.2.7.1

5.1.2. Provide OPI testing for 110 languages. Each test shall result in a speaking score based on the ILR scale.

5.1.2.1 Two-Score OPIs (TSOPI) shall require an Inferred Listening Score (ILS) along with the OPI score.

5.1.3 Contractor shall conduct up to 19,150 OPIs over a 12-month period.

5.1.3.1 Tier 1 languages: 17,000 OPIs

5.1.3.2 Tier 2 languages: 2,000 OPIs

5.1.3.3 Tier 3 languages: 150 OPIs

5.1.4. Contractor shall provide up to 9,000 Inferred Listening Scores (ILC) over a 12-month period.

5.1.4.1 Inferred Listening Score shall be included with the OPI score report.

5.1.4.2 Inferred Listening Score shall match the OPI score up to Level 4 in the ILR scale.

5.1.4.3 Inferred Listening Score shall be reported as Not Applicable for OPI scores 4+ and above.

5.1.5 Contractor shall provide remote proctoring for up to 500 OPIs.

5.1.5.1 Contractor proctor shall monitor the examinee for entirety of the test.

5.1.5.2 Contractor proctor shall confirm identity of examinee.

5.1.5.3 Contractor proctor shall ensure that the examinee does have prohibited aids, such as laptops, smart phones, etc., or any device that may be perceived to aid the examine during the test.

5.1.5.4 Contractor shall not record the proctoring of the test.

5.1.5.5 Proctor shall not talk or otherwise interfere with the tester/examinee during testing. After the completion of the test, the proctor shall immediately report any abnormalities or suspicious activity to the Contractor, not to the tester or examinee. Contractor shall immediately provide a written report to the Government.

5.1.6 English Translations of OPIs upon request

5.2 Tasks: Tasks consist of the following:

5.2.1 OPI Testing Services: Contractor shall identify, establish, and maintain cadres of certified OPI testers in all the languages listed in Table A 5.2.1.1.

5.2.1.1 Table A

5.2.2 All languages serviced shall be categorized into 3 Tiers. Each Tier shall be assigned a specific CLIN and unit price; see 5.2.1.1 Table A for languages organized by Tier.

5.2.3 The list of languages in 5.2.1.1 Table A is not inclusive and is subject to change.

5.2.3.1 The COR will submit any language change that affects the positioning in the Tier structure to Contractor when required.

5.2.4 Minimum OPI tester Availability. See 5.2.1.1 Table A for languages organized by Tier.

5.2.4.1 Tier 1 languages:

5.2.4.1.1 A minimum number of testers for languages with no asterisk is fifteen (15) testers.

5.2.4.1.2 A minimum number of testers for languages with one (1) asterisk is six (6) testers.

5.2.4.2 Tier 2 languages:

5.2.4.2.1 A minimum number of testers for languages with no asterisk is six (6) testers.

5.2.4.2.2 A minimum number of testers for languages with two (2) asterisks is three (3) testers.

5.2.4.3 Tier 3 languages:

5.2.4.3.1 A minimum number of available testers for languages under this tier is three (3) testers.

5.2.5 Language Testing availability

5.2.5.1 Tier 1 languages must be available for testing within fourteen (14) days from the start of the contract.

5.2.5.2 Tier 2 languages must be available for testing within fourteen (14) days from the start of the contract.

5.2.5.3 Tier 3 languages. Twenty-five (25) languages shall be available for testing within fourteen (14) days from the start of the contract. The remaining fourteen (14) languages shall be available within ninety (90) calendar days from the start of the contract.

5.2.5.3.1 Contractor shall report on which 25 of the 39 languages are to be supported as of day 14.

5.2.6 Contractor shall have the maximum number of days to regain the minimum number of required testers as follows:

5.2.6.1 Contractor shall have 120 days to provide additional testers if a language(s) shifts from one Tier to another Tier and requires larger tester cadre.

5.2.6.2 Contractor shall have 60 days to regain the minimum number of tester(s) in the event of loss of a tester(s) for Tier 1 languages.

5.2.6.3 Contractor shall have 90 days to regain the minimum number of tester(s) in the event of loss of a tester(s) for Tier 2 languages.

5.2.6.4 Contractor shall have 120 days to regain the minimum number of tester(s) in the event of loss of a tester(s) for Tier 3 languages.

5.2.6.5 Contractor shall have 120 days to provide testers if a new language(s) testing requirement is needed. The contract will be modified to reflect these changes.

5.2.6.6 Contractor shall have 120 days to provide new tester(s) when the Government specifies a particular region/dialect/accent for a language listed on 5.2.1.1 Table A.

5.2.6.7 Contractor shall notify the COR immediately when there is a loss of language testing capability. Contractor shall provide the COR with a written update every month on the status of re-establishing minimum testing capability.

5.2.7 OPI Tester Certification

5.2.7.1 Contractor shall ensure all OPI testers employed under the contract are certified to adhere to the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale and Government approved testing protocols. The ILR scale is the Government authorized standard of rating factors from which OPI proficiency garnered.

5.2.7.2 Contractor’s OPI Tester Trainers shall meet with Government subject matter experts (SMEs) and the COR to receive performance feedback, clarification, and policy updates.

5.2.7.3 Contractor’s OPI Tester Trainer(s) and specified OPI testers shall meet with Government OPI subject matter experts (SME), as needed, with a maximum of twelve (12) norming sessions per year to provide performance feedback and testing issues.

5.2.7.4 Contractor testers shall be at a minimum of 3+ or the equivalent level in the target language when testing Faculty Personnel System (FPS) applicants and current members. The government will identify FPS OPI requests for examination.

5.2.7.5 Contractor shall initiate corrective measures for contractor tester(s) who consistently fail to meet, maintain, or comply with OPI testing protocols based on Government feedback. Contractor testers who continue failing to achieve minimum testing standards will be removed from all testing events.

5.2.7.6 Contractor shall immediately address any violations to the OPI tester code of conduct based on examinee complaint or Government feedback and shall provide the Government with a course of action to mitigate or eliminate such conduct in the future.

5.2.8 Test Scheduling

5.2.8.1 Contractor shall schedule an OPI and notify the requestor a minimum of five (5) business days prior to a stipulated testing date made by the requestor.

5.2.8.2 An OPI request that does not stipulate a particular date, but rather a broader set of dates or test window, Contractor shall schedule an OPI and notify the requestor a minimum of five (5) business days prior to the first available day of the timeframe.

5.2.8.3 Contractor shall schedule an OPI and notify the requestor a minimum of two (2) weeks prior to the start date of any testing iteration.

5.2.8.4 Contractor shall begin the process of scheduling a test as Alternative OPI if a language requested is not on 5.2.1.1. Table A, if feasible.

5.2.8.5 Contractor shall process any request to reschedule an examination if notified outside the twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled test day/time.

5.2.9 OPI Testing

5.2.9.1 Contractor shall provide OPI testing for 110 languages. Each test shall result in a speaking score based on the ILR scale.

5.2.9.2 Contractor shall conduct up to 19,150 OPIs over a 12-month period

5.2.9.2.1 Tier 1 languages : 17,000 OPIs

5.2.9.2.2 Tier 2 languages : 2,000 OPIs

5.2.9.2.3 Tier 3 languages: 150 OPIs

5.2.9.2.4 Contractor shall provide up to 9,000 Inferred Listening Scores (ILC) over a 12-month period.

5.2.9.2.5 Contractor shall provide remote proctoring for up to 500 OPIs.

5.2.9.3 Contractor shall ensure that all examinees are briefed on test rules of engagement prior to the commencement of the examination.

5.2.9.4 Contractor OPI tester shall terminate a test after three (3) verbal warnings to an examinee who fails to speak the requested language. The final score for this test shall be recorded as Not Ratable (NR).

5.2.9.5 Contractor shall record all OPIs conducted. The recordings shall be maintained for the duration of the contract. File format for recordings must be in .wav (pcm) format using 16-bit samples at 16kHz.

5.2.10 Posting Final Scores

5.2.10.1 Contractor shall provide a final score(s) within five (5) business days after test date with the following exceptions:

5.2.10.1.1 DLIFLC resident students, regardless of test location, the final scores shall be provided within forty-eight (48) hours after testing is completed.

5.2.10.1.2 DLIFLC-Washington resident students, the final scores shall be provided within forty-eight (48) hours after testing is completed.

5.2.10.1.3 Special Warfare Center and School (SWCS) at Fort Bragg courses, the final scores shall be provided within seventy-two (72) hours after testing is completed.

5.2.10.1.4 Emergency cases upon Government request.

5.2.10.2 Tests not completed due to technical, or connectivity issues shall be reported as UNABLE TO RATE (UR). Contractor shall expedite the scheduling of a re-submitted test due to UR.

5.2.10.3 Contractor shall retest a previously tested examinee when the original test was deemed to be invalid by the contractor, the Government, or both. Final results shall be reported as RETEST (RT). Contractor shall expedite the scheduling of a re-submitted request.

5.2.10.4 Contractor OPI tester shall terminate a test after three (3) verbal warnings to an examinee who fails to speak the requested language OR when the examinee states inability to speak the requested language. The final score for this test shall be recorded as Not Ratable (NR).

5.2.10.5 Contractor shall retest an examinee when the original test was not recorded or…