American Sign Language Interpreters for SSA sites

The contract requires the provision of American Sign Language interpreters, Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART), and Video Relay Interpreting (VRI/VRS) services for the Social Security Administration across multiple locations including SSA headquarters in Woodlawn, MD, other sites in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area, virtual environments, and up to six Payment Centers and ten Regional Offices nationwide. All interpreters must be certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf or the National Association of the Deaf, possess at least four years of paid professional experience within the last six years, and comply with applicable state and local licensure laws. CART providers must adhere to National Court Reporters Association standards and ethics. The procurement is structured as an 8(a) set-aside exclusively for small businesses certified in the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program, with a NAICS code of 541930 and a size standard of $7.5 million in average annual receipts. The acquisition is conducted under FAR Part 12 for commercial items and FAR Part 15 for negotiated procurement, with a base period of twelve months and four remaining option periods of twelve months each, allowing for a potential performance duration of up to five years. Proposals must be submitted electronically through the Unison Marketplace portal by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on May 28, 2026, following amendments that extended the deadline and updated the Statement of Work, pricing tables, CLINs, and solicitation documents. No specific proposal format, page limits, or volume requirements are defined, but offerors must maintain an active SAM.gov registration with a valid Unique Entity ID and affirm their 8(a) status to be eligible. Contract administration is handled by the SSA Office of Acquisition and Grants in Baltimore, Maryland, though specific contracting officer, COR, or COTR contacts are not identified. Payment procedures, invoicing methods, and accounting data such as TAS or AAC codes are not specified in the materials provided. The contract does not require packaging, labeling, or physical delivery, as all deliverables are service-based. Evaluation is based on mandatory eligibility criteria rather than scored factors, and award is anticipated to follow trade-off or LPTA methodology under FAR Part 15, though the precise basis is not stated. There are no security clearance requirements or identified organizational conflict of interest provisions.