DoD OIG Oral Transliteration Interpreting Services

SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT HF1026-22-RFI-0002 The Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is seeking sources to acquire Classified Oral Transliteration Interpreting Services. INTRODUCTION: This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT to determine the availability and technical capability of small businesses and large business (including the following subsets, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, Certified 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, HUBZone Small Businesses and Woman Owned Small Businesses) to provide the required products and/or services. The DoD OIG is seeking information for potential sources to provide Classified Oral Transliteration Interpreting Services The projected timeframe for this effort is a 1 year base period with potential for 4 option years. The anticipated date of award for this effort is August of 2022. The primary place of performance will be Alexandria, Virginia. DISCLAIMER: THIS SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. CONTRACT/PROGRAM BACKGROUND: New Requirement Anticipated period of performance: 1 Base year and 4 Option years upon award. REQUIRED CAPABILITIES: 1.The contractor shall provide 300 hours of Classified Oral Transliteration Interpreting Services. These services will classified, onsite as needed. (Classified meetings must be onsite). 2. The government shall notify the contractor 48 hours in advance of any postponed or cancelled proceeding/meeting. 3. Payments: a) The government shall be responsible for any cancellation fee accessed for processing cancelled less than 48 hours in advance. b) The government/contractor shall account for late arrivals, cancellations and adjust any invoices to accurately reflect the change. 4. Qualifications: The Contractor shall provide interpreter employees or designees who certified through a national certifying body such as the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf or the National Association of the Deaf (RID: MCSC, CSC, CI/CT,NIC-M, NIC-A, NIC or NAD: NAD-V; or Certified CART Providers [CCP] through the National Court Reporters Association) to provide American Sign Language (ASL) to English interpreting and transliteration services for deaf Government employees posted to the United States of America domestic and/or international locations or to domestic or international locations temporarily duty (TDY); SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Facilities Security Clearance Minimum - Secret SOURCES SOUGHT: The North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) for this requirement is 541930, with the corresponding size standard of $30 million. To assist DoD OIG in making a determination regarding the level of participation by small business in any subsequent procurement that may result from this Sources Sought, you are also encouraged to provide information regarding your plans to use joint venturing (JV) or partnering. Please outline how you would envision your company's areas of expertise and those of any proposed JV/partner would be combined to meet the specific requirements contained in this announcement. In order to make a determination for a small business set-aside, two or more qualified and capable small businesses must submit responses that demonstrate their qualifications. Responses must demonstrate the company's ability to perform in accordance with the Limitations on Subcontracting clause (FAR 52.219-14). SUBMISSION DETAILS: Responses should include: Business name and address; Name of company representative and their business title; Socioeconomic Classification; CAGE Code; Your Federal Supply Schedule (FSS)/Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) that would be available to the Government for the procurement of the product and/or service, or any other Government Agency contract vehicle that allows for decentralized ordering. (This information is for market research only and does not preclude your company from responding to this notice.) Vendors who wish to respond to this should send responses via email NLT April 15, 2022, 4:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) to nicholas.wiggins@dodig.mil. Interested businesses should submit a brief capabilities statement package addressing the specific questions (no more than seven pages) and demonstrating ability to perform the services listed under Required Capabilities. To determine if your firm is capable of performing, please answer the following questions: Questions relate to American Sign Language (ASL)/English Interpreters who are credentialed through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. 1) Do you currently have a facility clearance up to Secret? 2) Does your company have a minimum of 2 years in scheduling and providing sign language interpreting services for the Federal Government in both classified and unclassified settings? 3) Do you have interpreters with a minimum of 2 years of government experience, a bachelor's degree, and the required credentials to provide Interpreting Services? a. Do you have the capacity to schedule and guarantee at least 300 hours of interpreting using interpreters who possess a security clearance up to Secret CONUS and OCONUS? 4) Do you have the capacity to provide hybrid interpreting services where some of the assignments are virtual and other are in person while keeping the same core interpreters to meet the needs of the customer? a. Do you have the flexibility to change an interpreter from a remote setting to an onsite setting with less than 24 hours notice? 5) Do you have interpreters on staff who possess a security clearance up to Secret? 6) Do you have the capacity to backfill request with a certified replacement when a contracted designee is unable to fill a request because of an emergency? (Guarantee of service) a. What percentage of the time can you guarantee a certified replacement? _____ % 7) Do you have the infrastructure that enables you to recruit and sponsor interpreters CONUS for security clearances and for unclassified assignments? Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received that is marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. All government and contractor personnel reviewing submitted responses will have signed non-disclosure agreements and understand their responsibility for proper use and protection from unauthorized disclosure of proprietary information as described 41 USC 423. The Government shall not be held liable for any damages incurred if proprietary information is not properly identified.