Attachment 6 - Questions and Answers for RFP W91CRB-25-R-A002 03-11-25.pdf

Questions – RFP # W91CRB-25-R-A002 Responses:

Cart Services: There is not a line item for CART Services in the pricing table. These services differ in nature and cost. If CART is a potential service requirement, will the Army please add a line item for CART Services to the pricing tables? The Army may wish to consider adding 2-line items, to obtain separate pricing for In-Person and Remote CART Services.

A line item will be added to the pricing tables for CART services. This line item is for in-person and remote CART services.

The Government will provide the updated pricing template no later than Tuesday, March 11, 2025.

Updated Response March 11, 2025: Communication Access Real Time Translation (CART) by nature of its service would primarily be remote. Our pricing tables are structured to have the services:

CART, In-person SLI, etc., billed at a “Standard Rate” and this should be taken into consideration when building your proposal. It is our expectation that the offeror(s) would take into consideration the maximum amount for each of these services as well as the minimum amount for each of the services and propose a reasonable rate somewhere in the middle. This is a method of risk-sharing between the government and the vendor.

Training for iWatch and OPSEC: Can the Army please clarify the training requirement per PWS’ 1.6.9 iWatch Training and

1.6.10 OPSEC Training, Are these completed remotely or in person, and how long does each training last?

Since this is an on demand SLI service, same interpreters may not be available at all times. Does Army expect that all interpreters assigned to this requirement should have gone through the iWatch and OPSEC training before starting the assignment? If yes then the pool of interpreters available will be reduced considerably and consequently will have an effect on price, as we may have to pay the interpreters more to forgo other assignments for this assignment.

Training will be completed online. It is estimated that the training will last about 1 hour. Training is required before all assignments.

3 Past Performance: Please confirm that State and Local government contracts are acceptable for Past Performance.

State and Local Government contracts are recognized as valid sources for Past Performance.

Volume of Services: Can you provide an estimated range of the number of SLI and CART service hours or events the Government expects to request annually under each BPA?

Historical data in regards to In-Person Sign Language Interpreting requests by location, for the past 3 years?

Prior to COVID, SLI services ranged from 7 to 10 per year. Please refer to the Price template for the range of estimates, as SLI support has increased significantly.

In the last 3 years, we have had 1 CART request in total.

Historical data in regards to In-Person CART requests by location, for the past 3 years?

Last-Minute Requests: The RFP highlights the need for a plan to address last-minute SLI services for unanticipated White House and Pentagon events. Are there specific examples of past events or expected frequency that could help us tailor our management approach to meet these urgent needs?

Some examples include the Medal of Honor ceremonies at the White House on January 3rd and July 4th, and Town Hall events for the Army.

Service Locations: The solicitation mentions services will primarily be within the National Capital Region (NCR) with "limited exceptions." Could you clarify what might constitute an exception requiring services outside the NCR, and how frequently such instances are anticipated?

Historically, there has not been a need for SLI services outside the

NCR.

Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT): Orders will not exceed the SAT. Given that the SAT is currently $250,000 (as of recent FAR updates), does this cap apply per Order or across multiple Orders issued within a short timeframe?

No individual order will exceed $250,000. Please refer to the Price Template for estimated hours.

Response Time for Orders: What is the expected turnaround time for BPA holders to respond to Order requests once issued by the Contracting Officer or COR?

The expected turnaround time will be provided at the order level.

Please refer to "Part 5: Specific Tasks" in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) for additional details.

Security Clearances: PWS 1.6.1 states Security Clearance are not required.

The Management Approach factor asks Offerors to identify personnel with Secret or higher clearances. Is having personnel with a clearance considered an advantage?

Per PWS 1.7.3 Contract interpreters routinely performing work in the Pentagon shall meet security requirements Can the Army please clarify the security requirements for routine Pentagon access?

Having a clearance is not an advantage. A clearance is not required;

however, possessing a clearance will expedite the process for accessing secured areas if it is part of the order requirements.

A unit sponsor will be assigned, and the contractor will be provided with the instructions at the order level.

Cancelled, Delayed or Postponed Assignments per PWS 5.6.1: Can the Army please clarify that an assignment may be invoiced for the full scheduled timeframe if the assignment is cancelled, delayed or postponed with less than 2 business days’ notice.

Yes. Please refer to section 5.2 Assignments in the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

Number of interpreters: Per PWS 5.2.1 The Contractor(s) shall provide two (2) interpreters for each platform or televised interpreting assignment which exceeds three (3) hours…; It is industry standard that all platform and televised assignments require 2 Interpreters, who will alternate at set intervals. Many assignments lasting longer than 1 hour will require 2 Interpreters, unless there will be breaks available, as there are in the routine office setting.

Would the Army consider changing this requirement to state, “The number of Interpreters will be determined by the COR and Contractor together, dependent on the assignment criteria, with the understanding that the Contractor will never insist upon more Interpreters than necessary for the assignment?”

The Government will provide a response to this question no later than Tuesday, March 11, 2025.

Updated Response March 11, 2025: The Government does not concur with the recommendation. The Performance Work Statement (PWS) requirement remains unchanged.

12 Will your team be sending a drop-off request to agencies intending to submit proposals? Alternatively, is submission via email an option?

For proposal submission, please contact the POCs below, providing the name and email of the individual submitting the proposal. The recipient provided will receive an automated "Request a Drop-off" email containing instructions for submitting their proposal. Proposals shall be submitted electronically through the Department of Defense (DoD) Secure Access File Exchange (SAFE).

The Points of Contact (POCs) for this request are:

1. Anielli Hipley, Contract Specialist, anielli.e.hipley.civ@army.mil

2. Mallory Harris, Contract Specialist, mallory.j.harris.civ@army.mil

13 Platform and live streaming interpreting differ significantly from regular interpreting in terms of scope, expertise, and visibility.

These services require specialized skills, additional preparation, and often involve interpreters being in the public spotlight, which comes at a higher cost. Given these distinctions, we request that the government acknowledge this difference and permit separate pricing for standard interpreting and platform/live streaming services.

Please confirm whether we can provide two distinct pricing structures to reflect these differences accurately.

A new line item has been added to the pricing tables for live-streaming or televised interpretation services.

mailto:mallory.j.harris.civ@army.mil