DVS – Court Reporting Services

The Virginia Department of Veterans Services is requesting bids on court reporting services for administrative hearings under Unsealed IFB #129870, with bids due October 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST and inquiries due October 20. This procurement is set-aside for award priority to DSBSD-certified micro or small businesses.

The scope encompasses stenographic court reporting and transcript production for in-person hearings in the Greater Richmond Area (approximately 10–15 miles from DVS headquarters) and virtual hearings via agency-approved platforms. Bidders must be certified by the Virginia Court Reporters Association or National Court Reporters Association and must use stenography or stenomask machines. Transcripts must be delivered in searchable PDF format within ten business days of proceedings. For in-person appearances, contractors must arrive 30 minutes early; for virtual appearances, five minutes prior to start. No mileage or travel reimbursement is provided for in-person appearances; appearance fees are stated as fully inclusive. All transcripts become exclusive property of DVS, which retains unlimited internal copying rights at no additional cost.

The contract term is one year with four optional one-year renewals. First-year pricing is firm for the initial term; renewal price increases are limited to the percentage change in the "Other Services" category of the Consumer Price Index for the latest twelve months. Bidders must submit pricing for three line items: in-person appearance fees, virtual hearing appearance fees, and price per transcribed page. DVS conducted approximately 10–15 hearings over the past 12 months, with the majority virtual and averaging 1 hour 20 minutes; scheduling requests are typically provided 2–4 weeks in advance.

Late transcripts incur penalties from 10 percent up to a maximum of 25 percent. Contractors must maintain workers' compensation insurance (statutory), employer's liability ($100,000), commercial general liability ($1 million per occurrence/$2 million aggregate), and automobile liability ($1 million combined single limit if required). All bidders register in eVA and are subject to a 1 percent vendor transaction fee, capped at $500 for certified small businesses or $1,500 for others, per purchase order. Payment is due 30 days after receipt or delivery of services under Virginia's Prompt Payment Act.