210000001 On Demand Interpretation and Translation Services

   STATE OF ALASKA
   INVITATION TO BID
  
Division of Senior and disabilities service on demand interpretation and translatlation serviceITB 210000001July 10th, 2020The
State of Alaska,
Department Of Health & Social Services,
Division of Senior and Disabilities Service,is seeking to establish a contract for interpretation and translation services.
Division of Senior and disabilities service on demand interpretation and translation serviceITB 210000001July 10th, 2020The
State of Alaska,
Department Of Health & Social Services,
Division of Senior and Disabilities Service,is seeking to establish a contract for interpretation and translation services.
MANDATORY REQUIREMENT:Senior and Disabilities Services, requires an on Demand Interpretation and Translation Service that can meet the following contract criteria for their; Anchorage, Delta Junction, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Girdwood, Juneau, Kodiak, and Wasilla, Alaska locations.  The

Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Senior and Disabilities Services provides home and community state plan and waiver services to disabled, aging and medically complex Alaskans statewide. The five Medicaid waivers that provide services in communities and in lieu of care in an institution are: The Adults with Physical Disabilities waiver; Child with Complex Medical Conditions waiver; Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities waiver; Individualized Supports Waiver; and the Older Alaskans waiver. There are currently more than 4,300 enrolled participants on these waiver programs. Additionally, SDS receives approximately 1,500 new applications per year.Eligibility for waiver and personal care programs requires the applicant have an assessment and meet a required level of care. The assessment is scheduled and conducted by the division.  During the assessment, the division provides a translator and translation services for non-English speaking applicants.Interpreter services may also be necessary for Adult Protective Services and Quality Assurance staff interviews with recipients and providers. Statewide services are requested, on demand, and may include:
On-site/in person language interpretation;
Telephonic/phone language interpretation;
American Sign Language interpretation;
On-site/in person court testimony;
Emergency on-site/in person interpretation/translation services and;
Translation of written text. SDS will provide the contractor 24 hour notice for on-site interpretation. The contractor shall provide emergency interpreter service within one (1) hour notice.  If 24-hour prior notice is given, the contractor will not charge for cancellation or re-scheduling events. EXAMPLE:
Interpreter services scheduled for 6/6 at 2:30 PM. SDS scheduler receives a call on 6/3 from the client asking to change the appointment to 6/8. Appointment is changed and the Interpreter service notified, SDS will not pay a cancellation and re-schedule fee.A fee cannot be charged to SDS when the interpreter does not attend the assessment due to conflict of interest EXAMPLE:
Going to an assessment only to find out that they are an acquaintance, distant relative, etc.; getting lost on the way to an assessment; late by more than 15 minutes to an assessment.A two (2) hour minimum charge may be assessed per on-site/in person interpretation service. A two (2) hour cancellation charge may be assessed for cancellations made by the division if 48 hours or less advance notice is not provided. SDS will not be assessed a cancellation charge if 48 hours or more advance notice is provided. Transportation for on-site/in person services required outside the Anchorage area will be provided by the State.Translation of written text will be provided on a per word basis. Rates are based according to language pairs and word count is taken on target language only.Interpreter services required are: Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Samoan, Filipino, Laotian, Russian, various Alaskan Native languages/dialects, additional languages as required and American Sign Language. Other language/dialects may also be required. PRIOR EXPERIENCE:The bidder must show in writing they have a minimum of three (3) years' experience, providing interpreter/translation services.Bidders must show in writing that they have a minimum of three (3) years' experience transporting confidential documents by encrypted electronic mail through the internet.A contractor's failure to meet these minimum prior experience requirements will cause their bid to be considered non-responsive and their bids rejected.LICENSING OR PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS: Contractor must hold a Certification of Interpretation (CI) for the Registry of interpreters and provide this certification with the bid. Vendor must hold a CI or bid will be considered non-responsive.SUBMITTING BIDS: Proposals may be submitted one of two ways:

  Mail: Envelopes containing bids must be sealed, marked, and addressed as shown in the example below. Do not put the ITB number and opening date on the envelope of a request for bid information. Department of Health & Social ServicesDivision of Finance and Management ServicesAttention: Kristie ElyITB 210000001 Title: SDS – On Demand Interpretation and Translation ServiceP.O. Box 110650Juneau, AK 99801 Email: The preferred method of response submission to this solicitation is via email, sent to the following address:
hss.procurement.proposal@alaska.gov Emails must be submitted to the Procurement Officer (NLT) No Later Than 2:00PM on
July, 21
st, 2020 AKST.
If any questions, please contact the Procurement Specialist listed below:
Kristie Ely
Kristie.ely@alaska.gov
907-465-8209