ADDENDUM 1. This Addendum forms part of and modifies Bid Documents dated, (Date Bid Posted), with amendments and additions noted below.

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1 DATE: July 20, 2016 PROJECT: HCPC Interpretation and Sign Language Services RFP NO: ITB 744-B1629 OWNER: The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston TO: Prospective Bidders This Addendum forms part of and modifies Bid Documents dated, (Date Bid Posted), with amendments and additions noted below. The following questions were submitted before the deadline. The responses are in green. 1. Whether companies from Outside USA can apply for this (like from India or Canada)? Companies should be local to assure reliable services will be provided in a timely manner. 2. Whether we need to come over there for meetings? In-person representation may be required simply due to the nature of some of the services needed and possible onsite training. 3. Can we perform the tasks (related to RFP) outside USA (like from India or Canada)? Again, companies should be local as to assure services will be provided in a timely manner. 4. Can we submit the proposals via ? No. submissions will not be accepted. Please refer to Section 3.2 part C of the bid document for complete details. Reference: Section 5.1, B, 4. Interpreters must have passed a background check and received the necessary immunizations to work in a hospital setting. 5. What are the necessary immunizations for the in-person verbal and Sign Language interpreters who will perform work at UT Health s Harris County Psychiatric Center, or other UT Health facilities? Staff who work at HCPC are highly encouraged to get the annual flu shot but have to have a Tuberculosis test on a yearly basis. We would expect the same from the contractors who come here in person. Reference: Section 5.1, A, 1 Over-the-Phone Interpretation Services 6. Is there any historic data on the monthly or annual minutes of over-the-phone interpretation services and of the Spanish percentage of minutes? Regarding the over-the-phone/telephonic interpretations, apart from Spanish services, we had other interpretations in the following languages: Arabic, Kirundi, Vietnamese, Bengali, Mandarin, Albanian,, Russian, Lingala and Farsi. However, as these additional languages vary, the number of minutes used varies as well. This is the information available from the past 7 months. The usage is in minutes. Page 1 of 6

2 May Apr Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Reference: Section 7, 1, A Pricing for Over-the-Phone Interpretation Services 7. May we submit a per minute price for Spanish and a separate per minute price for all other languages? Yes. That is acceptable and is a decision that the vendor can make. Some vendors apply a flat rate for all languages; others use different rates for the various languages. It is at the vendor s discretion. 8. Who is your incumbent interpretation provider? Telelanguage and MasterWord Services are the incumbents for over the phone and verbal interpretation; Sign Language Accessible Interpreters is the incumbent for Sign Language Services. 9. Are the terms and pricing of the current contract available to the public? If so, where can that be viewed? Since the bid is currently on the market and unfortunately those details are not available. Once a contract is in place, you may obtain the information by submitting an open records request through our Office of Legal Affairs via the link below: Do you have a best estimate for usage volume for on-site interpreters ( # of appointments) and over the phone ( # of calls) and a breakdown of language demand over the past 2 years. If not, could you provide what we might expect? Unfortunately, that information varies as well. Page 2 of 6

3 This is the information from the past seven (7) months for in-person interpretation services. The usage is in hours. Nov-15 Mandarin Spanish Dec-15 Farsi Vietnamese French Spanish Jan-16 Albanian Feb-16 Albanian Mar-16 Albanian Vietnamese Ogoni Bengali Apr-16 Vietnamese Ogoni Kirundi May-16 Arabic 2 hrs 3 hrs 2 hrs 8 hrs 1 hrs 1 hrs 4.5 hrs 2 hrs 34 hrs 37 hrs 45 hrs 4 hrs 8 hrs 6 hrs 7 hrs 4 hrs 20 hrs 10 hrs 24 hrs 18 hrs 3 hrs 11. Would you consider Video Remote interpreting as an adjunct? If you are currently using this modality, what type of equipment do you have on-hand e.g. laptops, computers, tablets etc.. We would consider it in the future; but we are not ready to implement those services currently. The equipment used in the hospital is primarily a desktop computer. 12. Do you currently have any bi-lingual /sign language staff on-site? We have two Spanish bilingual interpreters and a dual-role interpreter on staff working during regular working hours. 13. For over the phone interpretation, are you expecting any equipment to be provided? No. Page 3 of 6

4 14. In what circumstances is over the phone interpretation required as well as that for on-site interpretation? We use on-site interpretation services primarily during regular business hours. The telephonic interpretation services help cover the services after hours and/or for rare languages. 15. Besides the hourly rate paid to the interpreter, do you expect to also reimburse for parking, mileage, and travel time? Only parking will be reimbursed. 16. Time Length of the award and start date of service. We anticipate the award to be for one (1) year with three (3) additional one (1) year renewal options and we anticipate the start date of service to be September 1, The following appears to be an error, basing the submittal deadline on the deadline for questions rather than the bid itself, which appears to be Thursday, July 28, 2016 at 11:00AM CST Respondent must submit two (2) originals of the HSP to the University at the same time it submits its proposal to the University. The two (2) originals of the HSP must be submitted under separate cover and in a separate envelope (the HSP Envelope ). Respondent must ensure that the top outside surface of its HSP Envelope clearly shows and makes visible: the ITB No. 744-B1629 and the Submittal Deadline Wednesday, July 13, 2016 at 11:00AM CST, both located in the lower left hand corner of the top surface of the envelope, The correct submittal deadline for the bid and HSP is Thursday, July 28, 2016 at 11:00AM CST; it is not Wednesday, July 13, 2016 at 11:00AM CST. 18. What is the reason for this ITB (i.e. poor provider performance, contract expiration, etc.)? The services are on the market for the University because there are no more renewal options on the current contract with the vendor. 19. How many onsite hours do you use each year? It varies. The usage below is from November 2015 to May 2016 total 97 hours. Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 0 hrs 0 hrs 0 hrs 45 hrs 20 hrs 18 hrs Page 4 of 6

5 20. How many hours are considered emergency (2 hours notice or less) each year? It varies. When we make an emergency request, we expect the interpreter to arrive at our facility as soon as possible. However, the time frame between when the phone call is made to request the service and the arrival time of the interpreter cannot be longer than two (2) hours. From November 2015 to May 2016, there were eleven (11) emergency requests from various languages. 21. How many spoken-language on-site interpreting hours are considered emergency (2 hours notice or less) each year? Again, it varies. When we make an emergency request, we expect the interpreter to arrive at our facility as soon as possible. However, the time frame between when the phone call is made to request the service and the arrival time of the interpreter cannot be longer than two (2) hours. The emergency requests from November 2015 to May 2016 are below with languages and days needed. ER 3 days Vietnamese ER 1 day Bengali ER 1 day ER 5 days Kirundi ER 1 day 22. How often do you schedule same day interpreting, but with more than 2 hours notice? This is rarely the case. Usually, when we schedule an interpreter on the same day, we need the service less than 2 hours. 23. What equipment do you have onsite for offering blind/deaf-hard of hearing for getting language access? Is there any additional equipment you would like to include in the bid? We have no equipment for blind/deaf-hard of hearing and additional equipment should not be factored into this bid. 24. Regarding 5.a, B.1 - Sign Language Interpreter certification - Due to the volume and fluidity of our interpreter solution, including all potential interpreter certifications and resumes is not possible. Our vetting process ensures all interpreters are properly certified. Will including a copy of the certification/resume of the Interpreter Manager suffice? Yes. Including the certification/resume of the Interpreter Manager would be sufficient, as long as the vendor understands that the resumes, certifications, copies of competency forms, etc. can be audited by the University at any time as stated in the contract. The vendor has to provide the University with a contact person managing the interpreters and their performance. 25. Do you have any target usages by modality (i.e. increase onsite usage, decrease onsite usage, etc.)? No. We will use the service modality that works best with the specific situation needing an interpreter s intervention. Page 5 of 6

6 26. Are written translations going to be included also or is that a separate bid? No. The volume of written translations needed in our facility is very low, so this service is not included in this bid. END OF Page 6 of 6