Linguist Services - Sources Sought

The purpose of this RFI is to search for qualified vendors capable of meeting the Department of State (DoS) Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) and South Central Asian (SCA) regional requirement for a variety of language related services. The anticipated period of performance will be a base year plus four option years for a potential total of five years. This is set-aside for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned firms under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 541930. The DoS's high level objective for the contract foreign language support services requirement is to get the right skill set, to the right location, at the right time, and at a fair and reasonable cost. To accomplish this objective, it is envisioned that the contracts shall provide language-related services including interpreting, translating, and transcription services to support the missions in Iraq and the region. To ensure that high levels of quality, performance, and cost controls are maintained, it is envisioned that contractor(s) shall provide the necessary management, supervisory, and administrative personnel to direct, administer, and report on these services on a daily basis. Performance, deliverables, and exact location(s) of the work will be conveyed to the Contractor(s) by the Contracting Officer or his/her designated Contracting Officer Representative(s) (COR). The initial contract for Linguist services will be used for supporting Iraq requirements for Arabic, Kurdish, Dari and Pashto to include various dialects within these stated languages. The contract(s) shall require personnel who can perform monitoring, transcribing, translating, and interpreting (listening, writing, speaking, and reading) from the targeted language to English and vice versa, and occasionally, from one targeted language to another targeted language. Language proficiency testing is required in the source language(s) and English for all levels of linguists in the four basic communications skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Evidence of language proficiency testing with acceptable results is required prior to assignment. All companies are required to have a Top Secret facility clearance. Additionally, a number of contractor personnel will require either a Top Secret or a Secret clearance. Linguist will be deployed to targeted area(s) with adequate contractor management staff and will be required to undergo the necessary screening, vetting, clearing, and approval processes prior to, during, and following deployment to the host nation. This is a request for information only. This is not a solicitation announcement. This notice does not constitute a Request for Proposal. No contract will be awarded from this announcement, and requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement. Any information submitted by respondents to this notice is strictly voluntary. Firms responding to this notice are also requested to provide DoS with statements addressing the questions below. Responses to the RFI shall be limited to 15 pages or less. Electronic submissions shall be e-mailed to: richmb@state.gov. Electronic submissions must be received no later than 2:00 PM ET, November 17, 2014. Dependent upon the results of this market survey, DoS may subsequently issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to acquire the support services. General questions 1. If you were the Government, how would you structure this acquisition? 2. What quality assurance standards/methods do you think best for management and surveillance of linguist services during and after the transition period? 3. What do you see as the optimal strategy for meeting a regional linguist service requirement? 4. Do you have experience providing services of a similar size, scope and complexity in the Near Eastern Affairs/South Central Asian Region. Company Information 1. Point of contact (to include phone and e-mail) 2. Website address, if applicable 3. Facility Clearance level and Cage Code 4. State whether or not your company is registered under NAICS code 541930. 5. State the size of your company in terms of average annual revenue.