R608--VISN 04 - Language and ASL Translation

The purpose for this modification is to change the solicitation closing date and time to 09/27/202 at 9:00am EST., update the Statement of Work, CLINs, and answer questions 2 through 4. Highlighted Areas in the attached Solicitation Amendment: 36C24422Q00615_9-22-2022 must be completed, as a minimum. VENDOR QUESTIONS and VA Responses: Q2) For CLIN 0003 (Written Interpretation). We are assuming this is written translation (translation is written & interpretation is spoken), there are no languages or quantities listed. Generally, languages are priced separately, or in a group of languages. We can price all languages as one rate, but we need to have a quantity in order to accurately price. Please let me know if you need any clarification. Q2 - RESPONSE: Section 2 of the Statement of Work has been updated regarding verbiage and languages. Languages edited to show the most common used by the VA. Please review for updates. All languages shall be priced the same. See Price Schedule for updated quantity. Q3) Per industry standard, the phone interpretation is usually quoted in minutes (Min). I see that your estimated unit is month (Mo) - For the sake of price transparency, would you change/estimate the CLIN unit into Min.? It would look like this for the Period of Performance. Quantity Unit  Unit Price Language Translation - Off Site       Estimated 3,408 minutes per month x 12 months x 5 Years x 9          1,840,320 Min   for Total of 9 Stations for 5 years       To be utilized by all sites:       Altoona, Butler, Coatesville, Erie, Lebanon, Philadelphia,       Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre, Wilmington       Q3 - RESPONSE: See Price Schedule for updated quantity. Q4 Is this a new contract or is there an incumbent contractor? If there is an incumbent, could you please provide the previous contract information? This is a new contract that combines services for nine facilities. Are estimates provided in the CLINs based on past usage? If yes, could you please provide a breakdown of percentages per language? Since cost per language vary greatly, it would be helpful to know which languages are used most often. The estimates were provided by subject matter experts from each facility. Will a per minute rate for interpretation be considered vs a monthly rate? See Price Schedule for updated quantity. If the number of minutes used per month is less than what is estimated, will payment occur for only those minutes used? Likewise, if the number of minutes is greater that what is estimated, will those additional minutes be paid? See Price Schedule for updated quantity. The first sentence of this paragraph states there is a recurring need for 100% off-site virtual, telephonic, written and verbal language translation and ASL services. Can the client update the actual percentage of off-site work since there is an on-site? Statement of Work 1.1.2, 100% was removed. 30 minutes to arrive onsite is going to be difficult given the locations of some of these establishments. Statement of Work 2.10.1 has been revised. Item Number 0001 - Language Translation Off Site - is the 3,408 estimate for all 9 locations combined per month or is it 3,408 for each of the 9 locations for each month? See Price Schedule for updated quantity. Item Number 0002 - how many off site (virtual) ASL hours per location per month is anticipated for pricing? See Price Schedule for updated quantity. Item Number 0003 - how many off site Written Interpretation hours per location per month is anticipated for pricing? See Price Schedule for updated quantity. TMS training for all interpreters/translators may be difficult, especially when using a telephonic translation line. How do we get everyone on our roster trained and will those taking the training be paid for their time? Training is computer-based training. COR is requiring copy of training certificates for all interpreters/translators working on this contract. Reference Statement of Work Section 3. VA does not compensate training time.