R608--RFQ-CS American Sign Language Interpreting Services

DESCRIPTION: THIS is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 12.202, Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Products and Commercial Services, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested, and a written solicitation document will not be issued. Solicitation Number 36C25026Q0331 is being issued as a Request for Quote (RFQ) and the intent is to award a firm fixed price for American Sign Language Interpreting services. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-06.  This requirement is under a Total Service-Disabled Veterans Owned Small Business for commercial items under the North Atlantic Industrial Classification System (NAICS) 541930. REQUIREMENTS: The VANEOHS is seeking contractors that can provide: American Sign Language Interpreting services at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VAMC, located at 10701 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106. PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES: This combined synopsis lists one or more clauses by reference with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text (RFO 52.252-2). The provisions at RFO 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items, apply to this acquisition with the following addendum to the provisions of the standard provisions. In accordance with RFO 52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items all offers will be considered under Comparative Analysis. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers. Best Value Technical and past performance, when combined, is more important than price. NOTE: The Government reserves the right to award without discussions, vendors shall submit the most favorable terms. Small Businesses are encouraged to contract their nearest Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) if assistance is needed in preparing their quote. ELECTRONIC INVOICE SUBMISSION: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA Financial Service Center (FSC) is the designated agency office for invoice receipt in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act (5 CFR part 1315). FSC or its designated representative may contact the vendor to provide specific instructions for electronic submission of invoices. The vendor will be responsible for any associated expenses. FSC may utilize third-party contractors to facilitate invoice processing. Prior to contact by FSC or its designated representative for electronic invoicing submissions, the vendor shall continue to submit all invoices to FSC at the following mailing address: Department of Veterans Affairs, Financial Services Center, and PO Box 149971, Austin, TX 78714-8971. Offerors shall complete FAR 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items available for online registration at https://sam.gov/entity-registration or include a written copy with the quote submitted. The clauses that apply to this solicitation are: 52.203-16 PREVENTING PERSONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST 52.204-7 (SAM registration) the successful offeror must be registered with the System Award Management (SAM) to be awarded a contract, you may register easily and quickly on-line at http://www.sam.gov 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition, to include the following addendum to the clause: ADDENDUM to FAR 52.212-4 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS COMMERCIAL ITEMS: Clauses that are incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date), have the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The following clauses are incorporated into 52.212-4 as an addendum to this contract: 52.217-8 OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES 52.217-9 OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT 52.232-18 AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS 52.237-3 CONTINUITY OF SERVICES 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE FAR Number Title Date 52.204-13 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT MAINTENANCE OCT 2018 52.204-18 COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENT ENTITY CODE MAINTENANCE AUG 2020 852.242-71 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICER OCT 2020 VAAR 852.212-70 PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES APPLICABLE TO VA ACQUISITION OF COMMERCIAL ITEMS VAAR 852.237-70 (Contractor Responsibility) 852.2370-4 (Commercial Advertising). of Addendum to 52.212-4) (End 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statues or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition which shall include the following clauses by reference. Clauses: 52.203-6, 52.217-8, 52.217-9, 52.219-4, 52.219-8, 52.219-23 alt1, 52.222-21, 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222 36, 52.222-37, 52.222-42 Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (MAY 2014) (29 U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67): This Statement is for Information Only: It is not a Wage Determination. This is for Instruction Only. The Contractor is responsible for the correct title classification of workers and compliance with all DOL applicable wage and hour laws and assume all related risks. The VA is not responsible for wage determinations and classifications. WAGE DETERMINATION LIST: 2015-4727 REVISION NUMBER 28 52.225-3 Alternate I. The preceding Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) clauses and provisions may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.arnet.gov/far. The preceding Veterans Administration (VAAR) clauses and provisions may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.va.gov/oa&mmlvarr/. To receive credit as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, an offeror must be registered and verified in Vendor Information Pages (VIP) database. (http://www.VetBiz.gov) prior to submitting a quote. All questions must be submitted to April Fawley, Contracting Specialist, by e-mail only by March 6, 2026, by 12:00 p.m., EST. All responses to questions that may affect offers will be incorporated into a written amendment to the solicitation. Quotes and accompanying information are due no later than by email by 12:00 p.m. EST Wednesday, March 25, 2026. Technical questions and Quotes must be sent by email to [email protected]. PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT The contractor shall provide on-site and emergency interpreting services within a clinical atmosphere/setting. Deaf/Sign language Interpreters will provide translation support for clinical encounters and staff meetings related to clinical work and training at VANEOHS. The interpreter will convert spoken language into sign language by making the interpretation as close to the hearer s language as possible and interpreting the sign language back into the spoken language. Specific Tasks Task #1: On-site Interpretation Service 35 hours a week Seven (7) hours/day Monday through Friday. The schedule for these hours is subject to change, approximately per quarter (for planning purposes). The schedule could change more frequently than quarterly based on the Clinic s demand. Example Schedule: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.  10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Projected schedule starting 06/11/2026: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Contractor shall provide interpretation services for clinical encounters (approx. 30-45 minutes each) and related team meetings Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.to 3:30 p.m. This requirement is not for continuous interpretation for seven (7) hours. This service supports an employee of the Cleveland VA Medical Center for clinical patient appointments and team meetings. When there are no patient appointments or cancelled appointments, interpretation will not be required, therefore, significant breaks in interpretation service will likely occur. Task #2: Unscheduled On-Site / Emergency Interpretation Services Interpretation services may be needed on an emergency basis. For this reason, the contractor shall ensure that interpreting services are available on-site and in-person within two (2) hours if an immediate need occurs. The unscheduled/emergency interpretation services will be paid by the hour for actual hours worked. Qualifications and Quality of Performance The contractor shall provide on-site interpreting services within a clinical atmosphere/setting. These services are not limited to pre-scheduled events and may be needed on an emergency basis. For this reason, the contractor should ensure that interpreting services are available onsite within two (2) hours if an immediate need occurs. The Contractor shall provide designated interpreters that will be vetted for use within VA Medical Centers. VANEOHS is requesting a contractor capable of providing these services for a minimum of 35 hours per week.  For this reason, the contractor must display the ability to provide back-up services and have more than one available interpreter if the designated interpreter is unavailable. The interpreters must have a certificate or associate degree for entry basic sign language interpretation. The contractor requested will be available at the time of the award to ensure a seamless transition from the current services provided. Time of award is projected to be 5/15/26, to ensure enough time to vet the Interpreters before the services begin on 6/11/2026. The interpreter(s) shall provide a high degree of quality in the following areas: Range of Vocabulary (to include vocabulary specific to the medical/hospital setting, and spinal cord injury) Grammar Syntax Array of sentence types Structure of information (opening, supporting details, closing) Clear comparison and contrast of the two topics Overall cohesion Hours of Operation The contractor will provide in-person interpreting services as pre-scheduled, typically Monday through Friday during normal business hours and emergency interpreting services as requested during normal business hours Monday through Friday. The unscheduled/emergency interpretation services will be paid by the hour for actual hours worked. Conduct of Personnel The Contracting Officer may require the contractor to remove from this contract any employee for reasons of misconduct, security breaches, or found to be or suspected to be under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or other incapacitating agent. The contractor shall remove the employees from performing under this contract upon notification by the Contracting Officer. Work Conditions and Requirements Outpatient clinic and office setting. Must show on time for each day of service. Any delays in service, notification to be made to the point of contact as soon as delay is known. Personal Appearance Personnel working under this contract shall present a professional appearance commensurate with standards delineated for government civilian personnel acting in similar capacities. Clothing shall be kept clean and neat (i.e., no debris, dirt, mud, stains, rips, tears, or holes) as practicable considering work conditions. General Security Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security. Check-In Requirements The Contractor must report to their Company s Supervisor before work begins. Additionally, one must submit any mobile media devices that would be used on the system for a virus scan, if applicable. Upon completion of work, the Contractor must brief the GPOC concerning completion of service and sign out of work with their Company s Supervisor. Place of Performance Louis Stokes Cleveland VAMC, 10701 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44106 Period of Performance BASE: 6/11/2026 6/10/2027 OPTION 1: 6/11/2027 6/10/2028 Performance Monitoring The Government Point of Contact will work with the awarded contractor and the clinical staff to ensure that the requested services are provided in accordance with the terms and conditions within the agreement. Standards / Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) Inspections Interpreter is available 7 hours each day, Monday through Friday, for the schedule requested by the VA. AQL: Schedule met 98% of the time 1,820 hours a year 151.66 hours a month 3 hours a month is 2% What: Arrival and Departure on-site How: Observe and document arrival and departure of interpreter Who: Customer utilizing the ASL services Incentive: CPAR or other performance reviews conducted for consideration for future acquisition of services. If availability falls below 98%, contract may be terminated for cause in accordance with FAR 52.212-4(m) Interpreter shall be available onsite within 2 hours on an emergency/unscheduled basis. Estimated once a month required. AQL: 100% What: Arrival and Departure on-site How: Observe and document arrival and departure of interpreter Who: Customer utilizing the ASL services Incentive: CPAR or other performance reviews conducted for consideration for future acquisition of services. If availability falls below 100%, contract may be terminated for cause in accordance with FAR 52.212-4(m) Interpreter shall have an ASL certificate or associate degree in ASL. AQL: 100% What: Credentials / Qualifications How: Certificate or diploma Who: COR Incentive: CPAR or other performance reviews conducted for consideration for future acquisition of services. If an interpreter is provided without the qualifications, contract may be terminated for cause in accordance with FAR 52.212-4(m) Interpreter shall convert spoken language into sign language by making the interpretation as close to the hearer s language as possible and interpreting the sign language back into the spoken language. AQL: 100% What: Quality of Interpretation How: Observation of interpretation services Who: VA employee utilizing the ASL interpretation services Incentive: CPAR or other performance reviews conducted for consideration for future acquisition of services. If an interpreter does not 100% meet the quality expectations, the Contractor shall provide an interpreter that meets quality expectations within one calendar week, otherwise the contract may be terminated for cause in accordance with FAR 52.212-4(m) EVALUATION CRITERIA The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the offer responsible, whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors should be used to evaluate offers: Best Value: Technical and past performance, when combined, is more important than price. Work Required by Others All work required by others shall be identified under this section by the Bidder. 52.212-2 EVALUATION COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (NOV 2021) The Government intends to award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible quoter whose quote, conforming to the solicitation, offers the lowest price and whose quote is evaluated to be acceptable under the technical acceptability standard described below. Quotes will be evaluated and ranked by total price, ranging from lowest to highest. The lowest-priced quote will be evaluated as acceptable or unacceptable based on the technical acceptability standard established in the solicitation. In the event the Government determines the lowest price quote to be technically unacceptable, the next lowest-price quote will be evaluated. This process will continue until an award ceremony can be held. To be determined technically acceptable: The quote provided for an evaluation is based on the contractor s ability to meet all requirements of the solicitation and will be considered technically acceptable if they are able to meet all requirements of the solicitation. TECHNICAL CAPABILITY EVALUATION APPROACH (no more than 10 pages). The contractors shall meet the following requirements: Contractors must have at least five years of experience as an ASL interpreter. Contractors must provide the degrees and resumes of their interpreters. Contractors must provide remediation processes to ensure quality interpretation. Past Performance: The Past Performance Approach will be evaluated based on the offeror providing information regarding a minimum of two past performance references, previous experience providing American Sign Language Interpretation Services. The past performance must be within the last 5 years. Offeror s examples of previous efforts should be of similar size and scope as described in the SOW. Information should include agency name, location, description, and point of contact with phone number, contract or delivery order number, a brief scope of contract, and contract value, so that the government can evaluate past performance. The Government will make determination of relevance. If no past performance information is readily available. the Offeror s past performance will not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably. The government will evaluate information in CPARS, FAPIIS, and personal knowledge of offerors. Include the Point of Contact name, phone number, and email for this contract or project. The VA will call this Point of Contact to ask about the performance. PRICE EVALUATION APPROACH The Government will evaluate quotes by adding the total of all line-item prices, including all years. The Government will evaluate price reasonableness and in an overall best value determination. (b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not oblige the Government to exercise the option(s). (c) A written notice of the award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award. ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATIONS --------------------------------------- This is a follow-on requirement to Contract #36C25024P0346. Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) are applicable to this requirement. Please refer to WAGE DETERMINATION 2015-4727 list, revision 28 on SAM.gov (visible on the Home page). The Contractor is responsible for the correct title classification of workers and compliance with DOL applicable wage and hour laws and assume all related risks. The VA is not responsible for wage determinations and classifications. There is NO REQUIREMENT to supply any internet access to users, or your own at the location. There is NO REQUIREMENT for equipment installation or maintenance. Minimum billings are not permitted, nor will there be compensation for interpreter travel time. If an interpreter is not available onsite within two hours, VRI is acceptable as an alternative. Less than 10% of requests were for unscheduled/emergency interpretation services in the prior 24 months. Assignment is dedicated solely to one deaf employee who is ASL-fluent. There is a private workstation for the interpreter station. Veteran Affairs will provide free parking access for interpreters at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. Interpreters are not required to use any government equipment or systems (e.g., scheduling tools). The Veteran Affairs vetting/security process can take up to three weeks to complete. Interpreters are not required to have specific medical interpreting certifications beyond ASL.  Contractor will be required to provide interpreter attendance logs. Performance is evaluated annually. The government will exercise the one-year option (notice period, evaluation criteria) with 60 days notice and based upon Annual Performance Evaluation. There are HIPAA or VA-specific privacy training requirements. A NBI background check is required, and for a Personal Identification Verification badge.