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SOURCES SOUGHT/MARKET RESEARCH Service: Translation and Interpretation This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE for market research purposes only to determine the availability of potential businesses with capa... SOURCES SOUGHT/MARKET RESEARCH Service: Translation and Interpretation This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE for market research purposes only to determine the availability of potential businesses with capabilities to provide Translation Interpreter 24/7 Virtual Care Services and on-site and video American Sign Language Interpreter to the VISN 8 Equal Employment Office (EEO) and VA Sunshine Healthcare Network. Potential quoters are invited to provide feedback via e-mail to John Hamilton at john.hamilton2@va.gov. Responses will be used to determine the appropriate acquisition strategy for a potential future acquisition. The intended contract period of performance is One Base Year and 4 Option Years. Period of Performance to be determined. Potential quoters shall provide the following information to John Hamilton at john.hamilton2@va.gov. Company name, address, and point of contact name, phone number, e-mail address, and Unique Entity Identification UEI Number. Is your firm eligible for participation in one of the following small business programs? If so, please indicate the program. The anticipated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541930 Translation and Interpretation Services. The largest a firm can be and still qualify as a small business for Federal Government programs is no larger than $22.5 Million. [ ] yes [ ] no Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) [ ] yes [ ] no Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) [ ] yes [ ] no Small Business (SB) [ ] yes [ ] no Other ( please specify) Does your firm have relevant experience in providing the services outlined in this notification and the Scope of Work? [ ] yes [ ] no Is your firm currently registered in System for Award Management (SAM)? [ ] yes [ ] no If your firm is a SDVOSB or VOSB, is your firm registered in the Veteran Small Business Certification, VetCert)? [ ] yes [ ] no (applicable for SDVOSB and VOSB only) This requirement will be offered under NAICS Code 541930 Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance. Is your firm affiliated with this NAICS code is SAM? [ ] yes [ ] no Please indicate any General Services Administration (GSA) / Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contract numbers) your firm has been awarded in association with the aforementioned services and their respective expiration date(s). _______________GSA/FSS Number(s); _________________ Expiration date(s) Comment on any current any current or potential technical, cost, schedule, or performance risks that you would like the Government aware of that concern the draft scope of work below. (i.e., problems or any other issues experienced with similar contracts). Include comments on the draft scope of work. Is there any information that the Government could provide in addition to the information in the scope of work and associated documents that would assist you in building your price quote? What requirements in the scope of work and/or associated documents do you believe are unrealistic or may prevent your company from participating in an official solicitation? Do you have any recommended revisions to the scope of work and/ or associated documents? What requirements in the scope of work are your company s major cost drivers? Do you have any recommendations to reduce cost to your company and the Government? Provide a brief capability statement (Max 2 pages), it should include supporting evidence in sufficient detail to demonstrate your firm is capable of providing the service to do an evaluation on the backflow devices. The Capabilities Statement for this sources sought is not expected to be Request for Quotations, Request for Proposals, or Invitation for Bids, nor does it restrict the Government to an ultimate acquisition approach, but rather the Government is requesting a short statement regarding the company s ability to provide the services outlined in the draft Scope of Work below. Any commercial brochures or currently existing marketing material may also be submitted with the capabilities statement. Submission of capabilities statement will assist our office in tailoring the requirement to be consistent with industry standards. The capabilities will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining the acquisition strategy. Other than small businesses may respond to this notice in the event the market does not indicate small business interest. This Synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The Government will not pay for the requested information. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform all of the services within the scope of work are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on August 28, 2024. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to john.hamilton2@va.gov, size limit is 5 MB. STATEMENT OF WORK VISN 8 Translation Interpreter Service and American Sign Language (ASL) Contract General: This is a non-personnel service contract. The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to provide the VISN 8 Sunshine Network EEO Office with Translation Interpreter Service, on-site and video American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting services. The VISN 8 EEO Office is a service of the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8). The VISN 8 EEO will provide 24/7, virtual care and support to Veterans enrolled for VA Health Care in Florida, South Georgia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This service contract will facilitate communication at events and meetings such as work-related meetings, training sessions, safety talks, discussions on work related procedures, policies and assignments, human resources actions, conferences, team building events and any other event attended by deaf or hard of hearing persons. Additionally, ASL interpreting services shall be provided to patients, their families, and visitors for the offices and agencies associated with the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8) for public events. The assignments are primarily performed at the various Medical Facilities under the catchment area of VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8) locations outlined below in this Performance Work Statement (PWS). Description of Services: This is a non-personal service to provide Translation Interpreters services and ASL Interpreters services for our deaf and hard of hearing employees, along with visitors for the offices and agencies associated with the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8). The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract assignment providers performing the assignments described herein. As employees of the Contractor, such contract assignment providers shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn shall be responsible to the Government. These services shall be available upon request 365 days a year, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week for the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8) medical facilities listed on sectionTo validate 1.2 . ObjectivesObjectives to be validated : The contractor shall provide on-site coverage for Deaf and Hard of To include language for after hours and holidays Hearing employees and visitors at various locations on an as needed basis during normal working hours, which shall be defined as between 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM EST Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays as well as occasional after-hours work. The Contractor shall have an established communication system that supports 24-hour emergency services. This will be a requirements type contract. Contractor will also provide consultative services to managers and employees on effective communication and engagement to ensure an inclusive environment for Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees. To remove, to the maximum extent possible, Limited English Proficiency (LEP) as an artificial barrier to full and meaningful participation by beneficiaries in all federally conducted and federally assisted programs and activities. VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8) seeks to provide persons with LEP meaningful access to services. LocationsList all sites : VA Sunshine Healthcare Network Bay Pines VA Healthcare System (Bay Pines, FL) North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System (Gainesville, FL) VA Caribbean Healthcare System (San Juan, PR) James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital (Tampa, FL) Miami VA Healthcare System (Miami, FL) Orlando VA Medical Center (Orlando, FL) West Palm Beach VAMC (West Palm Beach, FL) Period of PerformanceStarting on fy 25 : Base Period: through Option 1: through Option 2: through Option 3: through Option 4: through Hours of Operation: Normal hours of operation is 24/7, to include all observed federal holidays. The Contractor shall have an established communication Include language to add 800 number or other method to request services system that supports 24-hour emergency services. Communication includes but not limited to 800- number, website or other method negotiated. Recognized Holidays: The following are federal holidays. New Year s Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Jr. s Birthday Columbus Day President s Day Veteran s Day Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day Independence Day Christmas Day Juneteenth Place of Performance: The services provided under this contract To include face to face and arrive within 2 hours will be performed via telephonic (audio) communication or video conference that is originated from various locations across the nation with most occurring within the geographic location of VISN 8. The geographical location of VISN 8 includes the state of Florida, southern Georgia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The services provided under this contract shall be provided within 2 hours of request. Confidentiality: In the performance of the services the VA may allow access to pertinent patient medical information, within the existing privacy rules and regulations, for the purpose of providing translation and interpreter services. The contractor shall ensure the confidentiality of all patient information. Patient information is Protected Health Information (PHI). The term Protected Health Information or the abbreviation PHI shall include the term Electronic Protected Health Information and the abbreviation EPHI . The contract shall be subject to the regulations issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, as mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 Business Associates Agreement (BAA) in accordance with IL 049-03-7 and the Privacy Act of 1974. Federal Acquisition Regulations 52.224-1 Privacy Act Notification and 52.224-2 Privacy Act are provided in full text in the Addendum to FAR clause 52.212-4. The Contractor shall not release any medical record information. The VA is the sole entity authorized to release this information upon written request from the patient. Business Associate Agreement: Contractor shall submit a Business Associate agreement (BAA) (See Attachment A) to the Contracting Officer (CO) for approval by VISN 8 Contracting Office. Format will be provided to the contractor to complete and sign prior to contract award. Any questions regarding this matter should be directed to the CO. Uninterrupted Performance: The Contractor must at all times maintain an adequate workforce and resources for the uninterrupted performance as outlined in this PWS. When hiring personnel, the Contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the workforce are essential. The contractor shall be responsible for all means, methods, techniques, sequences and procedures, and for coordinating all portions of the work under the contract except where otherwise specified in the contract documents. The contractor shall, at all times, enforce strict discipline and good order among the contractor employees, and shall not employ any unfit person or unskilled in the work assigned to him/her. Termination of any contractor employee does not reduce the contractor s obligation to perform services. Identification of Contractor Employees: All contract personnel attending meetings, and working in other situations where their contractor status is not obvious to third parties are required to identify themselves as such to avoid creating an impression in the minds of members of the public that they are Government officials. They must also ensure that all documents or reports produced by contractors are suitably marked as contractor products or that contractor participation is appropriately disclosed. All contractor personnel shall have a contractor issued personal identification and shall be displayed while at government facility and while performing work under this contract. Key Personnel: The contractor will identify one full-time manager/supervisor, who shall be available during the business operation period(s) of the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8) to ensure compliance with the contract specifications. The Contractor shall furnish the COR contact information (phone number, e-mail, etc.) for key personnel. Any personnel the contractor offers as substitutes shall have the ability and qualifications equal to or better than personnel being replaced. Substitution of key personnel shall be submitted to the COR and CO within 14 calendar days prior to making any change in key personnel. The request shall be written and provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitution. Post Award Conference/Progress Meetings: The Contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office. The contracting officer, Contracting Officers Representative (COR), and other Government personnel, as appropriate, may 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 will apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings may occur at any VISN 8 office or medical facility location and shall be at no additional cost to the government. Unless otherwise directed by Contracting Officer teleconference is an acceptable method of conducting meetings. Contracting Officer Representative (COR): Clarify COR certification roles later on The COR will be identified by separate letter. The COR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration 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 furnished property, and provide site entry of Contractor personnel. A letter of designation issued to the COR, a copy of which is sent to the Contractor, 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. Contractor will maintain open communication. Contractor will respond to government query prior to the close of business day in which the inquiry is made. Contract Discrepancy report (CDR). In cases where the Contractor does not satisfactorily perform services the COR shall issue a CDR to the contractor. The Contractor shall sign the form and state what corrective actions he/she will take to resolve the deficiency. A copy of the signed form will be maintained by the COR and a copy will be forwarded the contracting officer. If the same deficiency continues, there may be cause for an official meeting to be conducted among the Contractor, Contracting Officer and the COR to address the issue. A mutual effort will be made to resolve all problems identified. The COR will prepare written minutes of the meeting within 72 hours after each meeting. The minutes will be signed by the Contractor, Contracting Officer, and COR. If the Contractor does not achieve satisfactory performance by the agreed suspense date, a second CDR will be issued and payment may be withheld until satisfactory performance is achieved. A third CDR may result in a Cure Notice being issued. However, the Contracting Officer may issue a Cure Notice at any time he/she deems appropriate. Licenses and permits: The Contractor shall, without additional expense to the Government, be responsible for obtaining any necessary licenses and permits, and for complying with any applicable Federal, State, and Municipal laws, codes, and regulations, in connection with the execution of the work. McNamara-O Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) of 1974 as amended: Contractor shall review and comply with the SCA. The Act requires contractors and subcontractors performing services under this contract to pay service employees in various classes no less than the wage rates and fringe benefits found prevailing in the locality, or the rates contained in a predecessor contractor s collective bargaining agreement. There is no current collective bargaining agreement for this requirement. Contractor shall identify by occupational code and title all labor categories that subject to the SCA as amended. Billing: The monthly invoices submitted by the Contractor shall be submitted in a format that is a Microsoft Office compatible format and agreed to by the COR. The invoice shall contain the following: 1. Invoice Number 2. Date of assignment 3. Assignment start/stop time 4. Interpreter s name 5. Name of Deaf or Hard of Hearing client (NA for patients) 6. Location (Building and Room number when applicable) 7. If the assignment was canceled within 24 hours 8. Interpreter Fee 9. Total charge The monthly invoices submitted by the Contractor shall follow the calendar and shall include the time from the first day of the month through the last day of the month, with each monthly invoice being due by the end of the first week of the following month. Definitions & Acronyms. Definitions: Refer to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and/or the Department of Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) Supplement for additional definitions, acronyms or definition clarification. http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html or http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar. Acceptance: Means the act of an authorized representative of the Government by which the Government, for itself or as agent of another, assumes ownership of existing identified supplies tendered or approves specific services rendered as partial or complete performance of the contract. Blanket Purchase Agreement: A Blanket Purchase Agreement, or BPA is an agreement between the government and a contractor which sets the stage for us to buy something quickly. BPA is a simplified method of filling anticipated repetitive needs for supplies or services by establishing "charge accounts" with qualified sources of supply. BPA's are designed to reduce administrative costs in accomplishing small purchases by eliminating the need for issuing individual purchase documents. Conditional acceptance: Means acceptance of supplies or services that do not conform to contract quality requirements, or are otherwise incomplete, that the contractor is required to correct or otherwise complete by a specified date. Contracting Officer: Contracting officer is the person with the expressed authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings. The term includes certain authorized representatives of the contracting officer acting within the limits of their authority as delegated by the contracting officer. Contracting Officer Representative: Contracting Officer s Representative (COR) is the individual designated and authorized in writing by the contracting officer to perform specific technical or administrative functions. Contract quality requirements: Contract quality requirements means the technical requirements in the contract relating to the quality of the product or service and those contract clauses prescribing inspection, and other quality controls incumbent on the contractor, to assure that the product or service conforms to the contractual requirements. Defective Service: A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with the Statement of Work. Deliverable: Anything that can be physically delivered, but may include non-manufactured things such as meeting minutes or reports. 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. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA): HIPAA provides for the protection of individually identifiable health information that is transmitted or maintained in any form or medium. Internal Business Information: VA information that is not public knowledge and enables VA to meet its mission, such as pricing information submitted to VA by vendors, facility or computer room diagrams, and documentation of IT systems, operational business and information reports. Key Personnel: Contractor personnel that are evaluated in a source selection process and that may 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. Protected Health Information (PHI): Protected health information (PHI) is any information about health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to a specific individual. Sub-Contractor: CO approved individual or business firm contracting to perform part or all of another s contract. One that enters into a contract with a prime contractor Unbalanced: Unbalanced pricing may increase performance risk and could result in payment of unreasonably high prices. Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable total evaluated price, the price of one or more contract line items is significantly over or understated as indicated by the application of cost or price analysis techniques. Specific TasksSection to be reviewed by the program office : Interpreter Assignment Scheduling The appointed Contracting Officer Representative (COR) is the main point of contact and deciding authority for all sign language assignments. If the COR, or appointed Alternate COR is out of the office or otherwise not available, then an official representative of the EEO Program office shall be contacted. Additionally, the assigned Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer will be the succession of personnel that the Contractor may contact for actions concerning the scheduled assignments for the contract. For all non-urgent business: If the COR and Alternate COR are unavailable, the Contractor shall contact and inform the EEO Program staff of anything pertaining to sign language interpreting assignments. For urgent business, the Contractor may contact the other personnel designated. All points of contact will be provided at time of award. Primary means for assignment arrangements is an email generated by the Facility s SharePoint support request system; however, telephone coordination is also acceptable. All telephone arrangements will be followed up by an email within 2 hours. When possible, all interpreter assignments will be coordinated a minimum of two (2) business days in advance of assignment request date and time. In order to allow the Contractor maximum opportunity to fill the assignments, all requested assignments known well in advance will be submitted to the Contractor as soon as the COR has determined that contract support will be required. Prior to the end of the business day (7:00 PM EST) the Contractor will provide at least one email acknowledging the receipt of all proposed assignment(s) from the COR that were issued prior to 4:00 PM EST of that same day. Any proposed assignment(s) that were issued after 4:00 PM shall be acknowledged via an e-mail from the Contractor to the COR no later than 10:00 AM the following business day. For clarity, a Contractor may roll up multiple requests in one confirmation e-mail at the end of the day. This roll up shall include the number of requests received by the Contractor. It is not necessary to reply to each individual request separately. If the Contractor does not respond with acknowledgement of receipt of the proposed assignment within allotted time expressed in para 3.1.5, the Government reserves the right to direct the proposed assignment to another Contractor. Note that the Contractor shall provide 50% or more of the services, but shall use fully qualified/pre-approved subcontractors when needed to ensure all assignments are filled. COR shall approve sub-contractors prior to performance of services. If the Government should submit a request for interpreters with less than two (2) business days advanced notice, the Contractor shall attempt to provide an interpreter from their staff, but the Government understands that the Contractor may not always be able to comply with such requests. The Contractor must notify the Government of its inability to provide a staff interpreter via email as soon as possible, but shall offer fully qualified/pre-approved subcontractors when needed to ensure all assignments are filled. If acceptance of these types of assignments is not made by mutual agreement, the Government reserves the right to pursue alternate means to fulfill the assignment. If an interpreter assignment is for one and a half hour (1.5) assignment or less in duration, one (1) interpreter for such assignments shall be provided. Interpreters shall receive a 15-minute break after every 45 minutes of continuous interpreting. Unless it is specifically requested by the COR, all assignments scheduled for longer than three hours (3), shall have two (2) interpreters assigned to ensure quality and effective communication over the entire duration of the assignment. If the Contractor believes due to the circumstances surrounding the assignment that more than the number of interpreters authorized above are required to provide adequate interpreter assignment, additional interpreters may be assigned, but only after the Contractor has consulted with and obtained prior approval by email from the COR. The number of additional interpreters provided for any assignment or event shall be kept to the minimum necessary to provide quality and effective assignment. Confirmation of the number of interpreters that rendered services shall be reported to the COR. Contractor shall have a working knowledge of and daily access to email and telephones, and shall be staffed sufficiently during business hours identified in paragraphTo include paragraph number (1.1) below to assign interpreters, and handle scheduling issues as they arise by telephone or email during the day. Contractor shall be staffed adequately enough between the hours of 8:00 AM thru 5:00 PM of each business working day to receive and answer calls and e-mails for future and short notice interpreter assignments. To facilitate short notice assignment requests within two business days, the Contractor shall provide the COR with one or more of the following: a 24-hour on-call pager(s), cell number(s), e-mail(s), and/or phone number(s) that the Contractor shall either answer immediately or respond to within two hours. Because it is for short notice request(s), if the Contractor chooses to not respond within the two-hour requirement, then the COR may contact another Contractor to attempt to fill the assignment. Each Wednesday, by 3:00 PM EST, the Contractor shall provide to the COR, via email, verification of assigned interpreters for the upcoming week s scheduled assignments (The following Monday thru Friday). All requests that were submitted within the last two business days (current week s Monday and Tuesday) would not have to be included if Contractor is still working those open assignments. However, the Contractor must notify the COR immediately upon knowledge of inability to fill an assignment request; the Contractor shall not wait until 3:00 PM on Wednesdays to inform the COR of such instances so as to allow the COR to attempt to fill the assignment via other options. If any additional assignment requests are added for the following week after the initial report on Wednesday, the Contractor shall provide an updated schedule not later than 1:00 PM) on Friday of the current week. If Contractor scheduling of assignments is not confirmed within the listed time constraints, the Government reserves the right to pursue alternate means to fulfill the assignment. If more than two weeks advanced notice provided to the Contractor for request for assignments, the Contractor shall include the confirmation of all scheduled interpreters for future assignments in the weekly Wednesday report, not just the following week s assignments. Example: If the Contractor is given a request six (6) weeks in advance, the Contractor shall include the assigned interpreter for that future assignment in every Wednesday report as a confirmed scheduled interpreter. As stated above, the COR will make a determination for required contract support and provide as much advanced notice to the Contractor as possible but is limited to the date the COR is made aware of the requirement. . The Contractor shall provide the necessary level of professional certified Language phone translation services in all available languages, but at least the thirteen different languages as listed herein. Service provider must have the capability to facilitate communication with VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8) EEO Program personnel via telephonic (audio) communication. The Contractor must have the resources and capability to provide immediate (on the spot) phone Language Translation for any language within 90 seconds of the call. This requirement includes prompt and accurate certified translation of documentation to include medical documentation when needed by either email or fax upon request. Language Translation Services Requested: - Methodology: Phone Language Translators (Available within 90 seconds of the call and without delay. Phone Language Translation Languages (Minimum) Spanish (critical) Tagalog Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) Haitian Creole Korean Farsi Japanese Thai Vietnamese Polish Russian French German Portuguese Swahili Contractor shall provide online/automated account management system that will allow designated government representative to review and track payment history, invoicing, orders, and alike. All Contractor Language Translators and personnel working in support of this requirement shall be HIPAA Trained and Certified. Sing Language Interpreter The Contractor shall provide their professional portfolio of their services to the COR. The portfolio shall include the names of interpreters that meet the Government s requirements, a copy of their Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) card. Before any interpreter works at Medical Facilities under the ca...