Questions and Answers.pdf

Questions and Answers

1. I am writing to inquire about Solicitation W912CL-24-R-0010 for Interpretation and Translation services. Could you please confirm whether this solicitation is designated as a small business set-aside?

Answer: The solicitation is not small business set aside it is full and open competition.

2. We are performing independent research on the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation (W912CL24R0010). We would like to know if this is a brand-new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services.

Answer: To clarify these are brand new Blanket Purchase Agreements. There are not contracts.

If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number?

Appreciate any insight you can provide.

Answer: We cannot provide that information of previous contracts that is confidential.

3. Can we submit proposals by the countries rather than by the region?

Answer: No, prices are only by region. At the time of the BPA call the vendors that we award the BPAs will have the opportunity to compete within the other BPAs that provided prices for the same region. Prices submitted are estimated prices.

4. Will the Government accept partial bids within a region? I.e., can offers select to only bid on Translation services with a single region?

Answer: Vendors are not obligated to provide prices for all regions. Vendors may respond with one price list just for one region or more price lists, one for each of the regions where they can provide the interpretation and translation services.

5. We would like to confirm if our company can participate in the process by solely offering document translation services (i.e., excluding interpreting services).

Answer: No vendors are require to provide both services to have an acceptable quote.

6. Are the services 24/7? or during business hours only?

Answer: Mission are during business hours but in case of any contingency it can change.

7. Will the contract start this year or next year?

Answer: After the evaluation of the prices list submitted by the vendor we will star creating blanket purchase agreements. Government intent is to create blanket purchase agreement for a 5-year period which we are going to compete within them for requirements in the SOUTCOM Area of Responsibilities (AOR).

8. Some regions have both remote and on-site? Is it ok to choose only remote?

Answer: Vendors are not obligated to provide prices for all regions. Vendors may respond with one price list just for one region or one for each of the regions where they can provide the interpretation and translation services.

9.What is the estimated value/budget of the contract?

Answer: The maximum ceiling value for all BPAs will be $1,000,000.00. The maximum value of individual BPA Call Orders will be set at $200,000.00.

10.Could you please share past usage statistics broken down by service and language?

Answer: No, I cannot provide that information it confidential

11.What is the name of the incumbent(s) and their contract number(s)?

Answer: There is not contract at this moment. The goal is to create an ongoing agreements with commercial vendors to provide interpretation and translation from foreign languages to English and English to foreign languages, primarily Spanish, Portuguese-Brazilian, French, and/or languages spoken in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean islands.

12.Did the incumbent cover every single assignment successfully?

Answer: There is not contract at this moment. The goal is to create an ongoing agreements with commercial vendors to provide interpretation and translation from foreign languages.

13. What challenges have you faced with a similar scope of work from vendors you worked with?

Answer: Common challenges:

a. Vendors are not familiarized with the military language.

b. Vendors did not understand operation security

c. Vendors are not registered in SAMs

d. Vendor don’t know how to submit invoices through WAWF.

14. Could you please provide the incumbent rates for each of the services requested in this solicitation?

Answer: US Government cannot provide prices information from another vendor.

15. If there is no incumbent, please describe how you are obtaining these services up to now and what you are paying for the service.

Answer: We have small purchase solicitations posted in SAM in the past for the different countries; however, it had become a repetitive requirement for the last years. The Government decided to create proactive agreements with vendors to have more flexibility and effective process at the time of the requirement. US Government cannot provide prices information from another vendor.

16. Do you have in-house linguists who handle part of the work?

Answer: No, we don’t.

17. Can we ask for a debriefing in case we are not awarded?

Answer: Yes, you can.

18. In what formats are the documents to be translated? Are there InDesign files?

Answer: The Contractor shall provide their own automation hardware and software to receive, translate, and transfer documents. This includes but is not limited to Laptops, flash drives, CD/DVDs, etc. The Contractor shall provide English / Spanish - Spanish / English, English /

Portuguese - Portuguese / English, English / French - French / English, English / Haitian Creole - Haitian Creole / English, English / Guarani - Guarani / English, Spanish / Portuguese - Portuguese / Spanish, Spanish / French – French / Spanish, Spanish / Haitian Creole - Haitian Creole / Spanish, Spanish / Guarani/ - Guarani/Spanish translations of written documents, utilizing Microsoft Office Suites to include Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Adobe, and Microsoft Outlook prior to commencing of event.

19. What is the average length of an interpreting assignment?

Answer: IAW last couple years we have requirements from 1 week to 2 months.

20. What is the average number of words in a document needing translation?

Answer: The average number of words is 20,000.

21. Where would on-site interpreting assignments take place?

Answer: We cannot say specific since each requirement is different in every country. However, example could be hotels, training centers, military bases, field trainings, schools, embassies and convention centers.

22. Will a special security clearance level be required to access the premises?

Answer: No special security clearance level are required besides what is describe in the PWS Paragraphs 1.6.7

23. Will this BPA replace the one competed under number W91QEX-22-Q-0032?

Answer: No, it will not replace any BPA it is just another contracting vehicle available to the USG in the SOUTHCOM AOR.

24. Will this BPA replace the contracts awarded under W912CL-18-Q-0306?

Answer: No, it will not replace any BPA it is just another contracting vehicle available to the USG in the SOUTHCOM AOR.

25. Are all the languages expected to be needed in all the events?

Answer: No that depends on the requirements.

26. Does it matter what kind of IR equipment?

Answer: No, as long are they IAW Provision and Clauses 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment.

52.204-25 Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment.

52.204-26 Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation.

52.204-27 Prohibition on a ByteDance Covered Application.

27. Are there any events where IR is a must?

Answer: It all depends on the requirement type.

28. Will contractor personnel be required to travel OCONUS? If so, to which specific locations?

Answer: IAW PWS Paragraph 1.6.5 Place of Performance: The services provided under this agreement will be performed in the SOUTHCOM AOR. The locations and dates will be specified in each BPA Call.

All this service will take place OCONUS and the vendor should take that in consideration at the time of estimating their prices.

29. Will the government provide any travel arrangements or support?

Answer: The government shall not be responsible for any travel arrangement

30. Is there an incumbent currently providing these services?

Answer: No there is not any agreement in place.