Additional Opportunities

Human Services Director’s Office

(On behalf of the Office of the Dauphin County Commissioners)

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR

Human Service Systems Interpreter Services

 May 10, 2022

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS:

Mike Pries, Chairman

Chad Saylor, Vice Chairman

George P. Hartwick III, Secretary

Randie Yeager, Director, Human Services

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. RESPONSE CALENDAR......................................................................................... 3
2. PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION................................................... 3

• RFI CONTACT INFORMATION FOR QUESTIONS, REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION.................................................................................................................................... 5

1. ABOUT DAUPHIN COUNTY, THE DAUPHIN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, AND THE HUMAN SERVICES DIRECTORS OFFICE........................................................... 6
2. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES/REQUIREMENTS................................................... 6
3. USE OF RESPONSES............................................................................................... 7

• HOW TO SUBMIT RESPONSES............................................................................. 7
• CONFIDENTIALITY AND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE............................................. 7

1. RIGHTS AND OPTIONS RESERVED.................................................................... 7
2. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE............................................................................................ 9

Human Services Interpretation REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

1.  RESPONSE CALENDAR

1.  PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Dauphin County, through the Human Services Director’s Office is seeking information regarding interpretation services to be available across all categorical departments which includes the Human Services Director’s Office, Area Agency on Aging, Children and Youth Services, Drug and Alcohol Services and Mental Health, Autism and Developmental Programs. These departments oversee numerous grants and community-based supports to serve Dauphin County residents from birth through our older adult population.

We are seeking interpretation services including but not limited to the following languages:

1. Nepali
2. Hindi
3. Spanish
4. French
5. Vietnamese
6. Arabic
7. Amharic
8. Urdu
9. Mandarin Chinese
10. Bengali
11. Dari
12. Russian
13. Bosnian
14. American Sign Language
15. Nepali Sign Language

Respondents are asked to provide Dauphin County with information regarding their available interpretation services, subject to the following questions:

General:

1. Identify the method of interpretation services provided such as in person, video, telephone options.
2. How many languages does your interpretation services support?
3. Identify the language(s) provided within each method of delivery (in person, video, phone)?
4. Does the provider currently have interpretation contracts with Dauphin County entities?
5. What components of the interpretation services would be new to the provider?
6. Provide details of in person interpretation services provided in various locations across Dauphin County.
7. How far in advance would in person interpretation services need to be scheduled?
8. Would immediate interpretation services be available?
9. Please describe the Day-Of or Emergency Interpretation Service availability.
10. If your entity would be selected, what is the timeline you recommend for final contract approval?
11. Please describe all fees subject to the serve needs described.

Confidentiality:

1. Please describe your entity’s confidentiality practices and the application of those practices in daily operations of interpretation services.

Software:

1. Identify any specific operating system software needed to connect with the entity’s interpretation services.

Conclusion:

1. Please describe the training and certification process for your interpreters.

2. What do you believe distinguishes your services from the other certified interpreters?

3. Why do you believe your interpreter services are a good fit for Dauphin County, Pennsylvania?

Responses should include a description of the referral process, access and availably of each specific interpretation service offered

Respondents may, at the County’s discretion, be invited to engage in discussions with the County’s Cross System Human Services Departments and/or demonstrate their services and solutions.

No contract will be awarded pursuant to this RFI. Anyone who does not respond to this RFI is not precluded from responding to any future solicitation issued by the County. The County intends to seek interpreter services across all human services departments by July 1, 2022 or  as soon as reasonably possible, in accordance with the County’s procurement laws and practices, which may include, but are not limited to, the use of existing County contracts or certified cooperative purchase agreements. Respondents will not be bound by the ROM cost estimates provided in their responses to this RFI in a future procurement. The County also reserves the right to not procure any software or hardware.

III.       RFI CONTACT INFORMATION FOR QUESTIONS, REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION

All questions and requests for clarification concerning this RFI must be in writing and submitted via email no later than 4:30 pm, Eastern Standard Time, on May 31, 2022 to:

Randie Yeager, Director
ryeager@dauphinc.org

Heather Quick, Fiscal Officer
hquick@dauphinc.org

Responses to questions and requests for additional information shall be at the sole discretion of the County. Any additional information and/or responses to questions will be posted on the County’s website at https://www.dauphincounty.org/government/departments/human_services/index.php.  No information and/or responses to questions will be sent by email. Nothing in this RFI shall create an obligation on the County to respond to a Respondent submitting a response.

The County may, in its sole discretion, issue addenda to this RFI containing responses to questions, clarifications of the RFI, revisions to the RFI or any other matters that the County deems appropriate. Addenda, if any, will be posted on the County’s website at https://www.dauphincounty.org/government/departments/human_services/index.php.  It is the Respondent’s responsibility to monitor the Additional Opportunities site for Addenda and to comply with any new information.

Oral responses made by any County employee or agent of the County in response to questions or requests for information or clarification related to this RFI are not binding and shall not in any way be considered as a commitment by the County.

If a Respondent finds any inconsistency or ambiguity in the RFI or an addendum to the RFI issued by the County, the Respondent is requested to notify the County in writing by the above deadline for questions and requests for information or clarification.

IV.        ABOUT DAUPHIN COUNTY, THE DAUPHIN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, AND HUMAN SERVICES

Dauphin County, located in the south-central region of Pennsylvania, spans 525 square miles and includes 40 municipalities. Additionally, due to its rich historic and cultural heritage, the region is visited by thousands of tourists each year. The County boasts the mile-wide Susquehanna River, a newly renovated highway system, along with high-quality schools, museums, libraries, golf courses, hunting and fishing grounds and other assets. The County is also located within short driving distance of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and New York City. Dauphin County is bordered by Northumberland, Schuylkill, Lebanon, Lancaster, York, Cumberland, Perry, and Juniata Counties.

The Office of the Dauphin County Commissioners is a three-member bipartisan board of elected officials in charge of elections and voter registration for Dauphin County. The Commissioners set and enforce department policies to administer human services in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations.

As an operating department of the County, the Human Services Director’s Office assists Dauphin County residents in connecting individuals and families to services and supports across its 4 departments including the Area Agency on Aging, Children and Youth services, Drug and Alcohol Services and Mental Health, Autism and Developmental Programs. More information about this department can be found on Dauphin County’s website. https://www.dauphincounty.org/government/departments/human_services/index.php

1.  SUBMISSION GUIDELINES/REQUIREMENTS

 The County expects each Respondent to include in their response to this RFI the following items in the order listed:

Company Overview:

Include company name, physical address, phone number, fax number, and web address, a brief description of the company, its services, business size (total revenue and number of employees), and point(s) of contact, including name, address, phone and email address. Note the company’s operations including the number of years the company has been supporting this solution; location of company’s headquarters and all other office locations; and three years of financial data to ensure company stability.

Clients:

Identify your experience with clients of similar size and scope to Dauphin County, including client name, engagement title, description of engagement, cost, and start dates as well as the name, address and telephone number of a contact person. Discuss the interpretation services implemented.

VI.        USE OF RESPONSES

Responses to this RFI may be used by Dauphin County to select human services interpretation services. Responses may also be used to assist Dauphin County in gathering information for planning purposes, and for purposes of identifying sufficient resources for a cross-system interpretation implementation initiative.

VII.         HOW TO SUBMIT RESPONSES

Responses should be submitted in writing to the Dauphin County Human Services Director’s Office via US Mail, hand-delivery, or overnighted to HSDO, Dauphin County Administration Building, 5^th Floor, 2 South Second Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101.

Respondents may also submit their responses electronically in MS Word or Adobe PDF format, as a single document (see note below), to:

All responses are due May 31, 2022 before 4:30pm, Eastern Standard Time.

Note: Response document(s) are limited to 15 MB; if necessary, please submit multiple files or zip/compress the file(s).

VIII.     CONFIDENTIALITY AND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE

Respondents shall treat all information obtained from the County which is not generally available to the public as confidential and/or proprietary to the County. Respondents shall exercise all reasonable precautions to prevent any information derived from such sources from being disclosed to any other person. No other party, including any Respondent, is intended to be granted any rights hereunder.

IX.     RIGHTS AND OPTIONS RESERVED

In addition to the rights reserved elsewhere in this RFI, the County reserves and may, in its sole discretion, exercise any or more of the following rights and options with respect to this RFI if the County determines that doing so is in the best interest of the County:

Decline to consider any response to this RFI (“response”); cancel the RFI at any time; elect to proceed or not to proceed with discussions or presentations regarding its subject matter with any Respondent and with firms that do not respond to the RFI; to reissue the RFI or to issue a new RFI (with the same, similar or different terms:)

Select a solution from a vendor that does not respond to this RFI, or elect not to proceed with any procurement:

1. Waive, for any response, any defect, deficiency or failure to comply with the RFI if, in the County’s sole judgment, such defect is not material to the response;

2. Extend the Submission Date/Time and/or to supplement, amend, substitute or otherwise modify the RFI at any time prior to the Submission Date/Time, by posting notice thereof on the County web page(s) where the RFI is posted;

3. Require, permit or reject amendments (including, without limitation, submitting information omitted), modifications, clarifying information, and/or corrections to responses by some or all Respondents at any time before or after the Submission Date/Time;

4. Require, request or permit, in discussion with any Respondent, any information relating to the subject matter of this RFI that the County deems appropriate, whether it was described in the response to this RFI;

5. Discontinue, at any time determined by the County, discussions with any Respondent or all Respondents regarding the subject matter of this RFI, and/or initiate discussions with any other Respondent or with vendors that did not respond to the RFI;

6. To conduct such investigations with respect to the financial, technical, and other qualifications of the Respondent as the County, in its sole discretion, deems necessary or appropriate;

7. Do any of the foregoing without notice to Respondents or others, except such notice as the City, in its sole discretion, may elect to post on the County web page(s) where this RFI is posted.

This RFI and the process described are proprietary to the County and are for exclusive benefit of the County. Upon submission, responses to this RFI shall become the property of the County, which shall have unrestricted use thereof.

X.            PUBLIC DISCLOSURE

By submitting a response to this RFI, Respondent acknowledges and agrees i) that the County is a “local agency” under and subject to the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (the “Act”), 65 P.S. §§ 67.101-67.3104, as the Act may be amended from time to time; and ii) responses may be subject to public disclosure under the Act. In the event the County receives a request under the Act for information that a Respondent has marked as confidential, the County will use reasonable efforts to consult with Respondent regarding the response and, to the extent reasonably practicable, will give Respondent the opportunity to identify information that Respondent believes to be confidential proprietary information, a trade secret, or otherwise exempt from access under Section 708 of the Act.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this RFI, nothing in this RFI shall supersede, modify, or diminish in any respect whatsoever any of the County’s rights, obligations, and defenses under the Act, nor will the County be held liable for any disclosure of records, including information that the County determines in its sole discretion is a public record and/or information required to be disclosed under the Act.