Request for Information American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter Services

SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENT FOR ENTIRE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) NOTICE. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) NOTICE ONLY. This is not a solicitation or Request for Quote/Proposal/Bid and no contract or purchase order will be awarded as a result of this notice. The anticipated North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) for this requirement is 541930 Translation and Interpretation Services. The Product Service Code (PSC) for this requirement is R608, Support- Administrative: Translation and Interpreting. Marine Corps Installations National Capital Region- Regional Contracting Office (MCINCR-RCO) has a requirement to provide support to the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity (MCIA) with an American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter for an employee during process reviews, decision briefs, and business meetings. The Contractor will be responsible for providing interpreter(s) who maintain a National Interpreter Certification (NIC) with the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) or National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Level IV or V, to provide the following: (a) on-site sign language interpreting in dedicated support of a deaf supervisor of the Enterprise Operations Center (EOC) for MCIA located on Marine Corps Base in Quantico, VA, (b) meetings or like functions and training activities requiring more than two hours of continuous interpreting, located at MCIA on MCBQ or within the National Capital Region, and (c) may include additional interpreting services for new applicants or for MCIA sponsored activities that may be attended by persons from an outside agency to communicate information, work assignments, training courses, and meetings or like functions. The Contractor shall provide an interpreter to fill-in for the primary interpreter as requested and/or to provide team support to the primary interpreter at meetings, training activities which may exceed two hours. The on-site interpreter will be responsible for all activities related to the sign language interpretation needs of the MCIA employee, such as video teleconferences (VTCs), supervisory meetings, team collaboration, engagement, and business meetings. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Work to be performed under this task will be conducted on-site in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) on both classified and unclassified networks/systems. With the exception of management support personnel, - all proposed personnel assigned to this task MUST possess an in-scope, favorable, Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) adjudicated for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) eligibility without conditions, exceptions, or waivers at the time of award. If a contractor cannot demonstrate their capability to provide qualified personnel to support effort, they shall be deemed not eligible for award. All interpreters must provide clearance information (to include a copy of their most recent SF-86 and a current SF-86C to the MCIA Special Security Office (SSO) at least 72 hours prior to the start date in order to certify clearances. It is the sole responsibility of the interpreter to arrange with MCIA SSO to attend MCIA SSO indoctrination no later than 48 hours prior to start date. The Contractor shall establish appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect any and all nonpublic Government data to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Government data. The Contractor shall comply with HSPD-12 Personal Identity Verification (PIV) issuance requirements, known as the Common Access Card (CAC) for DMDC and be a citizen of the United States. Contractor systems and information networks that receive, transmit, store, or process nonpublic Government data must be accredited according to DoDI 8510.01 "Risk Management Framework for DoD IT (RMF) (formally DIACAP) and comply with annual Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) security control testing. All systems subject to RMF must present evidence of authorization in the security plan, Security Assessment Report (SAR) Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) and authorization decision document or show that the system has successfully gone through the Risk Management Framework Process in order to integrate information security and risk management activities into the system's life cycle. The RMF decision must be current and cannot exceed a 3 year timeframe. Evidence of FISMA compliance must be presented in the form of a POA&M. The Contractor will be responsible for the cost of RMF processes and FISMA testing required for any Contractor owned and operated network, facility and/or application processing DoD information. Physical Security: At the close of each work period, the Contractor is responsible for ensuring Government facilities, equipment, and materials are secured. Contractor employees will be subject to all MCIA security procedures and any other applicable installation access and security regulations. Facility Clearance: The contractor must have an active Top Secret Facility Clearance (access to COMSEC and NATO) without any special limitations that restrict access. There will be no exceptions to this requirement. Subcontracting: A DD254 is required for all subcontractors. REQUIRED CAPABILITIES: When assigning employees to perform services under this contract, the Contractor shall assign staff that is qualified and competent to perform the function of the assignments, in accordance with the specifications and provisions of this contract. Interpreter(s) must be fluent in English and in American Sign Language (ASL), which combines signing, finger spelling, and non-manual expression in order to perform the functions of the assignments given to them by the Marine Corps. All interpreters provided under this contract must be able to interpret all complex subject matter, especially those related to intelligence and intelligence analysis, the United States Marine Corps, the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community, and understand acronyms that correspond to topic areas being interpreted. The Contractor shall: The Contractor shall provide ASL interpretation of spoken language for the supported employee. Provide qualified personnel to adequately accomplish the scope of the contract. Qualified personnel will have, at minimum, the following: A well-written resume which highlights certifications, experience, and knowledge as applicable to this requirement. National Interpreter Certification (NIC) granted by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf and/or National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Level IV or V Certification. Contractor shall adhere to the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) Interpreter Code of Professional Conduct. The Contractor shall follow all applicable secret, sensitive, and confidentiality rules and regulations of MCIA and strictly adhere to the Performance Work statement. The Contractor should be fully capable of interpreting spoken language for the supported employee, and interpreting the supported employee's communications, both signed and written, to non-ASL literate audiences. Audiences may range from small groups of 2 to larger formal settings of 100 or more. The Contractor will provide a monthly status report for all events serviced. The report shall provide hours, personnel who provided services, the type of event for which service was provided, and summary of services/incidents which occurred during the event(s). CONTRACT/PROGRAM BACKGROUND: Contract Number: M00264-20-C-0002 Contract Type: Firm-Fixed Price Incumbent and their size: MT & Associates, LLC (doing business as MT & Associates Sign Language Interpreting) Method of previous acquisition: 100% Small Business Set-Aside, Competition Contract Number: M00264-16-P-0088 Contract Type: Firm-Fixed Price Incumbent and their size: X CORP Solutions Method of previous acquisition: 100% Small Business Set-Aside, Competition VENDOR RESPONSE SUBMISSION: Feedback on this requirement is encouraged. This is a market research tool used to identify market capability and solutions (to include performance work statement revisions), as well as the availability and adequacy of potential small business sources prior to determining the method of acquisition and issuance of award. The Government is not obligated to and will not pay for any information received from potential sources as a result of this notice. Information submitted by respondents to this notice is strictly voluntary. It is requested that firms submit answers to the MCINCR-RCO at the below email address. A vendor's response should address, at a minimum the following: Name of Organization, Unique Entity ID (UEI) or CAGE Code, DUNS Number, Telephone Number, Address, and Email address for primary point of contact. Also provide the organization's size status and socioeconomic status that applies; Appropriate NAICS code and PSC (if other than what is listed above) for the services described in this notice with an explanation as to why this code(s) would be a better supported option; Description of your organization's capabilities / experience with regards to the draft PWS requirements. This description should demonstrate ability to perform the services in the draft PWS. Maximum length: 10 pages. Contract vehicles (GSA Federal Supply Schedule, GSA GWAC, or any other Government Agency contract vehicle), of which your business is a contract holder, for these services. (Lack of does not preclude a business from responding to this notice.) Answers to the below specific questions regarding the requirement: Does your company have the capability to provide personnel with the required security clearances (an in-scope, favorable, Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) adjudicated for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) eligibility without conditions, exceptions)? Does your company have the required Top Secret Facility Clearance (FCL) (access to COMSEC and NATO) without any special limitations that restrict access? What are the training and certification standards of the workforce delivering this service? What additional or historical information do you need to propose FFP for this requirement? What areas of the requirement seem restrictive? Why? What are your suggestions to make areas less restrictive? What areas of the requirement seem vague? Why? Please identify what they are and a recommended remedy. What obstacles would prevent your business from submitting a future quote for this requirement? What is/are the solution(s)? Are the required services considered professional or are they subject to the Service Contract Act? What are some industry norms for procuring ASL interpreter services? For example, changes to work schedules, cancellations, urgent/emergency services, billing increments, etc. Are there separately priced line items for different types of services? Please provide examples, details, and/or explanations. Since this is commercial services, the resulting contract would be fixed price, as cost reimbursement only applies to non-commercial services/supplies and is prohibited for use with commercial services/supplies. Is your firm able to quote fixed prices for the required services? Does your firm have any suggestions on line item structure? (Note: firms are encouraged to share contract numbers of ASL contracts you may have with the Government to support line item structure suggestions). 541 Does your company have any questions or recommendations regarding the required services outlined in this RFI? Please provide them in your response so that we may consider them. Vendors who wish to respond to this notice should send its response via email no later than 03 January 2023, 1 PM Eastern Time to monica.curley@usmc.mil.