R -- HUMAN ASSISTED MACHINE TRANSLATIONS

Notice Date

March 30, 2001

Contracting Office

Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), Office of Procurement, Box 6, Washington, DC, 20231

ZIP Code

20231

Solicitation Number

52PAPT101014

Response Due

April 16, 2001

Point of Contact

Dora Sanders, Contract Specialist, Phone (703) 305-8465, Fax (703) 305-8294, Email dora.sanders@uspto.gov

E-Mail Address

Dora Sanders (dora.sanders@uspto.gov)

Description

(i)This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format of FAR Subpart 12.6, as well as the supplemental information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. (ii) This solicitation number 52PAPT101014 is issued as a request for proposal (RFP).(iii) The solicitation document and incorporated applicable provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 97-23.(iv) This acquisition is being conducted as a full and open competition. The associated code under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is 541930.(v) The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) anticipates entering into a five-year (base year with four option years)contract. The anticipated award date is on or about May 1, 2001.The Government contemplates award of firm fixed price, indefinite-quantity contracts. The Government reserves the right to make multiple awards contracts from this solicitation. The Contract Pricing Schedules are specified herein. Human Assisted Machine Translation Language:CLIN 0001,Japanese(text and images),Rush Price and Standard Price; CLIN 0002, Other Languages(text and images),Rush Price and Standard Price (Base Year).CLIN 1001, Japanese (text and images), Rush Price and Standard Price; CLIN 1002, Other Languages (text and images), Rush Price and Standard Price (Option 1).CLIN 2001, Japanese (text and images), Rush Price and Standard Price; CLIN 2002, Other Languages (text and images), Rush Price and Standard Price (Option 2).CLIN 3001, Japanese (text and images), Rush Price and Standard Price; CLIN 3002, Other Languages (text and images), Rush Price and Standard Price (Option 3). CLIN 4001, Japanese (text and images), Rush Price and Standard Price; CLIN 4002, Other Languages (text and images), Rush Price and Standard Price (Option 4).The Offerors shall provide a Rush and Standard Price for the base year and each option year quoted in whole dollars rounded off to two decimal points. The unit price must include all costs for the production and delivery of a human assisted machine translation document accompanied by the original foreign language text. The USPTO will not provide the foreign language text. The language mix and the flow rates fluctuate in the workload of the Translations Branch. QUANTITY:The estimated workload is 50/documents/week (Base Year); 56/document week (Option 1); 63/document/week (Option 2); 71/document/week (Option 3); and 80/document/week (Option 4).The number of weeks for base year and option periods is about 52 weeks. The Quantity that the Government anticipates ordering is:MIMIMUM quantity to be ordered shall be 10% of the estimated total volume of work annually. MAXIMUM quantity to be order may be 120% of the estimated total volume of work annually.This is just an estimate and the actual workload will be dependent on requests received in the branch. Overall, the bulk of the work which will be requested for human assisted machine translation into English is Japanese, followed by German, French, Russian and Chinese. It is anticipated that there will be a 10-15% increase per year in the number of documents requested.This is just an estimate and the USPTO reserves the right to adjust flow rate as needed. Under this contract orders shall be initiated only by USPTO.The service must be within the scope of the contract.The Government is only liable for services expended under the terms and conditions of the contract to the extent that a fully executed orders has been issued and covers the required items. (vi) DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT: The Government has a requirement to provide human assisted machine translations of patent literature from various foreign languages into English. These human assisted machine translations are used by patent examiners in their examination of patent applications and by other staff of the USPTO for various purposes, including legal support. As these documents frequently serve as documentation in USPTO actions, clarity and accuracy are essential.The translated documents must be supplied in a timely fashion to accommodate the prosecution schedules of the users. The scope of this contract is to provide the Government with accurate, high-quality human assisted machine translations of patent literature (patents, utility models, published patent application, abstracts, etc.). The material to be translated is primarily scientific and technical, can relate to any field, and is frequently difficult linguistically and in content. The USPTO reserves the right to issue orders as needed, including submitting multiple document requests in a single order.The Contractor shall provide the items specified: High-quality human assisted machine translations of patent documents from any foreign language into standard American English. Item deliverable are:One(1) copy each of each translation in electronic format sent to a USPTO designated e-mail address.The translation shall be accompanied by the original foreign language text.Quality Standards:The human assisted machine translations shall accurately reflect the contents of the foreign language original, with minimal or no distortions or omissions. The technical vocabulary used in the translation shall be appropriate within the parameters of usage for the given field and shall be consistent within the given document. The English of the translation shall be comprehensible to the user-specialist. Translator Qualifications:The Contractor will provide evidence that the individuals used as translators are linguistically and technically competent, either through education or experience, or a combination of the two.The Contractor is required to name key personnel for this contract, to give evidence of their qualifications.Statement of intent from the translators must also be provided, showing each translator's consent to accept employment from the Contractor.The USPTO shall be notified of the qualifications of new translators the Contractor hires to perform USPTO work. The Contractor shall also inform the USPTO when translators who have been translating USPTO documents cease working for the Contractor. Editing:The Contractor will exercise editorial control of the translations with regard to both technical accuracy and stylistic acceptability.Work that has clearly not been edited and/or is judged by the USPTO to be deficient will be rejected and the USPTO will not pay for such translations.Patent to be translated:The Contractor must have access to the foreign patents to be translated.USPTO will not be responsible for providing the foreign patents to the Contractor. E-mail and Telefacsimile(FAX) Transmissions:The Contractor must have e-mail access and own telefacsimile transmission equipment. When fax is used, a cover sheet will precede each document to be transmitted via FAX.The USPTO reserves the right to request that any translations be faxed to the USPTO.Delivery Services:The USPTO reserves the right to send requests via e-mail, fax, or paper. The USPTO reserves the rights to request documents be delivered via fax or paper or email, although the primary method of submitting requests and receiving completed translations will be via email unless otherwise stated in the order.The Contractor shall ensure that documents reach the Translations Branch of the USPTO in accordance with the delivery schedules which are 5 business working days for STANDARD and 3 business working days for RUSH.If and when paper delivery is requested by the Translations Branch, the delivery service employed by the Contractor will be instructed to return deliveries to the following address and only to this address; should the Translations Branch move, the Contractor will be informed of the new address immediately:Chief, Translations Branch, Scientific and Technical Information Center, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Crystal Plaza 3 / 4 Rm. 2C15, 2021 South Clark Place, Arlington, VA 22202.Reduction of Parallel Translation Effort:The Contractor shall immediately notify the COTR if a newly assigned item has already been assigned to or translated by the Contractor.Document Control:The Contractor will maintain a tracking system for all orders issued under this contract by the USPTO.Upon inquiry from the COTR, the Contractor must be prepared to give the status in the translation process of any document requested of the Contractor for translation.Packing of Paper and Floppy Disk Copies:Both paper and floppy disk copies of human assisted machine translations if and when requested, shall be packed in such a manner as to ensure that the materials are shipped without damage in transit and arrive at their destination in a condition suitable for use. Addressing:The materials of the requirements shall be marked and labeled to arrive at the Translations Branch of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and not at any other department or division of that Office. The following address is to be used on labels: Chief, Translations Branch, Scientific and Technical Information Center, US Patent and Trademark Office, Crystal Plaza 3/4, Rm.2C15, 2021 South Clark Place, Arlington, VA 22202. Inspection:The COTR or his/her duly authorized representative will inspect the translations supplied under this Contract. The translations will be checked for acceptability in the following areas: Quality of Content:The translation should be an accurate rendering of the original. The translation should be expressed in comprehensible, idiomatic American English. The proper technical terms for the subject area should be used. Quality of Presentation: The format should be consistent. No words, numbers, figures, tables, drawings, portions of text, sections of the patent, or pages should be missing. The text should be free of typographical errors. Unacceptable Translations: Translations with incorrectly translated words or sentences, typographical errors, missing portions, or incorrect format will be returned to the contractor, and the Government will not pay for the translation. Continued evidence that the Contractor is not performing editorial quality control will lead to default and will reflect in their performance. Computation of Delivery Dates:The Contractor shall complete and deliver all work in accordance with the schedule set forth herein unless alternative delivery procedures are proposed by the Contractor and accepted by the USPTO. The first working day the Contractor's receipt of an order shall be counted as the first of the total number of working days. The required delivery date for all work shall be the final working day of the total number of working days. Saturdays, Sundays, and official Federal government holidays shall not be counted as working days. If it appears that the Contractor cannot complete the work by the due date, the Contractor shall notify the COTR within two hours of receipt. The COTR shall have the option of withdrawing the order or granting additional time to complete the work. When work is being returned, the Contractor shall be held accountable for loss in transit and delay in delivery. Delivery Schedules: RUSH:One to three business working days. STANDARD:No more than five (5) business working days. Ordering Procedures:The human assisted machine translation products required by the USPTO will be requested by order sent generally via e-mail from the COTR or designated alternates. Work Order/Delivery Advice Sheet and the Delivery Order: Order. The Order will include the patent number, the publication type and publication date for each document requested. The order will not include the full text of the patent to be translated; it is the Contractor's responsibility to have access to the document. Task Orders. The USPTO reserves the right to issue orders which may include multiple document requests. Delay Notification: If, upon receipt of an Order, the Contractor has any reason to believe that he/she may not be able to furnish the products of the type required within the delivery time specified in the Order,he/she shall immediately notify the COTR of his/her reasons and propose an alternate delivery date. The Contractor is obligated to continue performance according to the contractual requirement while the proposal for a revised delivery date is being considered. The Contractor will be informed by telephone, e-mail or FAX within 24 hours of the COTR's decision. The COTR may grant additional time or may withdraw the order.(Note:If additional time is granted, payment will be made according to the actual delivery category.See Liquidated Damages for Late Delivery). Liquidated Damages For Late Delivery:In cases in which the Contractor does not comply with "RUSH", "STANDARD" delivery services the Government may choose to reject the late translations and not pay for them, and in the case of repeated noncompliance with the delivery schedule, may hold the contractor in default of the contract. If the Government chooses to accept a late translation, the Government will reduce the rate of payment for the document to reflect the rate for the actual delivery time as agreed upon below in reimbursing the Contractor. In the event that the Contractor has failed to return a translation within the time specified under "STANDARD" and the Government nevertheless chooses to accept the late delivery, the Government will, in reimbursing the Contractor, reduce payment by ten percent (10%) below the rate for "STANDARD" when the translation is up to 2 working days late and by twenty percent (20%) when it is more than 3 working days late. Invoices: The Contractor shall submit an invoice to USPTO twice a month. The invoice must contain the following: A cover sheet containing the following information on the top half of the sheet (the bottom half is to be left blank for USPTO use): Name and address of the Contractor, Contract number, Invoice date, Invoice number, Total cost of all Work Orders invoiced. Subsequent sheets shall list the following: Work Order (USPTO) number of each item invoiced, Cost of each item. Invoicing Procedure:Orders placed by the Translations Branch in different fiscal years shall be billed on separate invoices. Should an invoice contain errors(typographical or other), it shall be returned to the Contractor to be corrected and resubmitted.The Contractor is advised that this may cause a delay in payment, since the receipt date in the USPTO shall be that of the corrected invoice. The original invoice and one copy shall be submitted to the following address:Box 17, Patent and Trademark Office, Office of Finance RM 802B, Washington, DC 20231. One copy of the invoice shall be submitted to the following address: US Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office of Procurement, Washington, DC 202231. An informational copy of the invoice shall be faxed or e-mailed to:Chief, Translations Branch, Scientific and Technical Information Center, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Invoice Processing: The items charged in the invoice will be verified and the charges for any late items accepted by the USPTO will be adjusted according to the guidelines. When processing is complete, after receipt and acceptance by the COTR, the Government will make payment according to the Prompt Payment Act for each invoice submitted making any adjustments if needed. Specifications:The standard formats for translation documents set out below may be subject to modification or adjustment at the discretion of the COTR. The USPTO reserves the right to modify the format of any or all of the elements cited, as required for special circumstances. The USPTO requires submission of electronic translation copies in Word format or as agreed upon with USPTO. Translation copies on Magnetic Media General:One copy of each finished translation will be supplied to the Translations Branch via e-mail in standard file format. If requested, one copy will be provided on standard 3 1/2-inch floppy disks usable on IBM or IBM PC's with a Windows operating system. The finished translation files are to be submitted as Wordfiles or as agreed upon with USPTO. Internal Form and Formatting: The texts sent electronically shall be supplied to the USPTO, with a consistent format. Captions and labels for drawings and/or illustrations are to be translated and included at the point where they occur in the original text. File Names: The file naming convention for patents is as follows: Foreign patent number + period + country code. Foreign patent number: The number should include no commas or punctuation of any kind. In the case of Japanese and World Patent Organization patents, where the first two digits of the number are the publication year, usually followed by a hyphen, the hyphen is to be omitted. For Japanese, leading zeros are to be placed before one digit publication years and the actual document number is to be zero-filled to six digits, for example, 6-123 becomes 06000123.JP. Likewise, the actual document number for WIPO documents is zero filled to five digits. The standard WIPO country codes are to be used. Examples:West German patent no. 2,236,782 = 2236782.DE Japanese patent no. 67-245453 = 67245453.JA. Any other naming conventions will be arranged by the USPTO with the contractor, as needed.FLOPPY DISKS: The e-mail delivery of completed documents may hold multiple files from a single order or as agreed upon with USPTOFloppy disks, when requested, will preferably hold multiple files from a single delivery order. Each disk shall have an external label listing the names of the files contained on that disk and the Delivery Order to which they belong. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The proposed effective date of the contract is May 1, 2001 through April 30, 2002 (base year), with provisions to exercise four one-year options. The clause at 52.217-9 is applicable to this acquisition and is incorporated herein. 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract. (a) The Government shall have the unilateral option to extend the terms of this contract for four (4) consecutive additional periods of 12 months each. The same terms and conditions contained in this contract shall apply to each option exercised. The option(s) shall be exercised upon written notification (mailed or otherwise furnished) to the Contractor at least thirty (30) calendar days prior to expiration of the contract. The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any option(s) shall not exceed five (5) years. (b) The exercise of options is a Government prerogative, not a contractual right on the part of the Contractor. If the Government exercises the option(s) within the prescribed time frames, the Contractor shall be bound to perform the services for the option period(s) or be subject to the default provisions of the contract.(viii) The Provision at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items and 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options apply to this acquisition. (ix) The following provision 52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items is applicable to this acquisition. EVALUATIONS-COMMERCIAL ITEMS:(a) The government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose proposal represents the combination of technical merit and price most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The Government reserves the right to determine which proposals offer the greatest value. The Government reserves the right to award multiple contracts. Careful, full and impartial consideration will be given to all offers received in response to this solicitation, and evaluation will be applied in a consistent manner. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: past performance, technical capability, and price. When combining the results of the technical evaluation with those of cost/price the technical evaluation and past performance combi

Web Link

Visit this URL for the latest information about this (http://www.eps.gov/cgi-bin/WebObjects/EPS.woa/wa/SPF?A=P&P=52PAPT101014&L=251)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010403/RSOL007.HTM (D-089 SN50H8R2)