Translation services (French, Spanish, Arabic)

1 Q: Which variations of French and Spanish will be required: French – France; Spanish for Spain? — A; UNICEF uses Modern Standard Arabic, British English, Standard French and Standard Spanish in its documentation and publications produced at HQ. 2. Q: What is the anticipated volume per language pair? This will help arranging responses regarding personnel, volumes and best pricing. — A: An estimated 100,000 to 500,000 words annually in each language. 3. Q: I would like to ask a clarification regarding the Financial Proposal form. Please advise how to mention typesetting activities for the required languages in the pricing template. May we include this as a separate line comment or does the translation price need to include it? — A: Typesetting is only required for Arabic texts. We are not looking for typesetting services in other languages. Typesetting in Arabic is included in the bid sheet. 4. Q: Many freelance translators who work for us also own small agencies and operate it with the help of a few linguists. Can they be included in this bid? — A: No. UNICEF will establish contracts with reputable translation companies and is not interested in companies offering purely or primarily subcontracting modalities. 5. Q: In the document titled RFPS-USA-2017-502483 in point no 17, it mentions that ‘’In the event the contractor requires the services of subcontractors, the contractor shall obtain the prior written approval and clearance of UNICEF for all sub-contractors. The approval of UNICEF of a sub-contractor shall not relieve the contractor of any of its obligation under this contract. The terms of any sub-contract shall be subject to and in conformity with the provisions of this contract.’’ In your earlier reply for questions answered by different suppliers you said the below: “Is subcontracting (another company) allowed in this tender exercise? — A: No. UNICEF will establish contracts with reputable translation companies and is not interested in companies offering purely subcontracting modalities”. UNICEF will establish contract with reputable translation companies and is not interested in companies offering purely or primarily subcontracting modalities. Once a contract is in place, the occasion may arise where a contractor may request the right to use a subcontractor for a particular project. In such a situation, the contractor shall obtain the prior written approval and clearance of UNICEF. Clearance is not guaranteed, and such requests will be treated on an individual basis. 6. Q: Could you please confirm that to take part in this call for tender, it is enough to be registered on UNGM at BASIC level? — A: Yes 7. Q: Please clarify if we can participate alone or in a grouping. In case of a participation in a grouping please detail the necessary documents. — A: Proposals will be considered from registered corporations, limited liability companies or proprietary companies only. 8. Q: Relating to the qualifications of translators (chapter V of the Term of Reference) what do you mean with “Professional accreditation as translator in the designated language”. Precisely, what kind of certificate do you require? — A: For lead translators and translation managers, "professional accreditation as translator in the designated language is desirable". This is not a prerequisite. Please note any appropriate certification or accreditation held by your company's lead translators or translation managers. 9. Q: In the chapter VI STRUCTURE OF THE PROPOSAL, Paragraph 1.2 it is said: the description should include case study showcasing their expertise in the areas outlined in This RFPS. We should demonstrate our experience in the fields mentioned in chapter IV (health and nutrition, education, human rights, gender equality etc.)? — A: Yes, the case studies should showcase experience with translation projects in these areas. 11. Q: The bidder is required to send the CV of the proposed personnel. It should be in house personnel or also freelance personnel is allowed? — A: We request CVs of your key staff translators.

Clarifications April 27, 2017: 1. Q: Can you please indicate, if possible, the proportion of plain text expected in the source material for English into Arabic and vice versa translation? We aim to have an estimate of how many graphics, tables, charts, editable images, etc. the files would have. — A: Each translation is different. Some translation jobs will be purely text, while others are publications for which we would also require layout in Arabic (we do not require any layout or image work for other languages). You can browse our recent publications at https://www.unicef.org/publications/ to get an idea of the tables, charts and graphics included. 2. Q: With regards to the answer of question 6. included in the Clarifications posted on April 24, 2017, this does not match with the mentioned in the section VI STRUCTURE OF PROPOSAL, 1. Company profile and methodology of the TOR (..."The description should include case studies showcasing their expertise in the areas outlined in this RFPS (technical translations in the fields of health and nutrition, education, human rights, gender equality, and other development areas -section IV-)). Could you please confirm that we should take into account what you answered in the clarification of question 6. posted on April 24, 2017 instead of what the TOR mentions? — A: Item 1.2 asks for case studies of relevant projects your company has undertaken. Our response simply clarified that a case study is not the same as a list of clients and notable projects, but provides qualitative information on project methodology and approach. We do not feel that the clarification and the initial TOR are in any way incompatible. 3. Q: Please indicate if there is any language variant from each language combination to bear in mind when selecting the translators. — A: UNICEF uses Modern Standard Arabic, British English, Standard French and Standard Spanish in its documentation and publications produced at HQ. 4. Q: Can you please indicate if source documents will be provided in Ms. Word Format? Otherwise, please indicate the format of these. — A: Most text will be provided in MS Word format. In certain cases we may include tables in Excel format as well. 6. Q: Can you please indicate if target (translated) documents will need to be returned to UNICEF in Ms. Word Format or PDF? — A: Translations are generally to be returned in MS Word format. The exception is in the case of Arabic, where we may in some cases require typesetting in InDesign. For typeset Arabic translations UNICEF will require the complete INDD package, including links and fonts, an IDML file for each documents, as well as Web and print PDFs. 6. Q: In case that files requiring translation include complex infographics, can you please clarify if they will be provided in editable format (InDesign file), or if additional activities (i.e. text extraction and recreation of charts, tables) may also be required at our end? — A: Most text will be provided in MS Word format. In certain cases we may include tables in Excel format as well. Text from infographics will be provided in Word format. We will not require text extraction or the creation of graphics or tables. 7. Q: Would UNICEF provide reference links of previous versions of the required material for translation to be able to calculate a better distribution of tables and graphics along with plain text? — A; In some cases, such as annual series, we can provide links to previous editions. However translation contractors are not expected to make decisions regarding the distribution of text, graphics and tables. The distribution of all elements as given in the source document should be replicated in the returned translation. 8. Q: Is it expected that UNICEF establishes LTAs with different vendors for each language combinations or it is desirable that one supplier can render the required services for all the combinations? — A: UNICEF will establish LTAs with vendors selected for their skills and experience in particular language pairs. A supplier may bid on a single language pair or multiple language pairs. If we find that a supplier has the requisite skills and experience, we may include more than one language pair in the LTA, however this is not obligatory. 9. Q: When it is scheduled that the evaluation test would take place? — A: Following the closure of the bidding period, UNICEF will review all bids carefully before inviting shortlisted candidates to participate in one or more evaluation exercises. The scheduling of these will be determined in communication with each shortlisted candidate. 11. Q: Is subcontracting (another company) allowed in this tender exercise? — A: No. UNICEF will establish contracts with reputable translation companies and is not interested in companies offering purely subcontracting modalities. 12. Q: Is it required to provide the CV of the entire translation team per language combination or it would be enough with only the LEAD translator from each combination? — A: We suggest that candidates include CVs from lead translators and key translators specialized in any of our main areas of work. 13. Q: Regarding the translation tests, would they be requested per each language combination? (i.e. English into French test, French into English test, English into Arabic test, Arabic into English test, English into Spanish test, Spanish into English test). — A: The tests will be offered from English into the target languages. 14. Q: Do you expect tentative timelines for projects with certain amount of words? I.e. A particular project of 25,000 words to be delivered (translated) in one week. — A: Timelines for all projects will be discussed individually with the contracted vendor as the need arises. We generally expect a rate of 2000 (source) words per day. In cases where we have a large project with a very short deadline, we would discuss the use of more than one translator for the job. 15. Q: Could you please confirm if the letter to request UNICEF´s approval to include a subcontractor (partner) must be sent prior to the proposal or it can be submitted at once along with the technical bid? — A: UNICEF will establish contracts with reputable translation companies and is not interested in companies offering purely subcontracting modalities. The LTA will be awarded to companies satisfying the criteria noted in the RFQ. In the eventuality that the holder of a UNICEF LTA requires the service of subcontractors for a particular assignment, the contractor would be required to inform UNICEF of this need and to request the prior written approval and clearance of UNICEF for the selected subcontractor/s. UNICEF will not accept a request to include a subcontractor during the present bidding process. 16. Q: The PDF for Bid Submission keeps mentioning a ‘Bid Form’ that ‘has to be completed and signed’. Are you referring to the Request for Proposal for Services Form on page 3, or is it another form? If so, where is it? In this same document? I have been studying it over and over and cannot find any ‘Bid Form’ to be filled. – A: Bid Form is the Request for Proposal for Services (Bid) Form on page 3 of the Bid document. 17. Q: I have the same question regarding the ‘template provided in Annex B’ mentioned on page 22 of the Bid document. The template and the Annex B are nowhere to be found in the document.— A: Annex B was provided together with the Bid document. 18. Q: We would have one more question as we just realized that May 7 is a Sunday. I imagine you will need the documentation by Friday 5 May, then. Could you kindly confirm? – A: The deadline for submissions remain the same – 7 May 2017 23:59 EST. 19. Q: Can you please clarify which variants of French ( EU or Canadian) and Spanish (EU or LA) would be required for Translating the UNICEF texts from English? — A: UNICEF uses Modern Standard Arabic, British English, Standard French and Standard Spanish in its documentation and publications produced at HQ. 20. Q: The TOR Important section says that vendors may submit proposals for any or all three language combination. Our intent is to submit for all, should we prepare 3 separate proposals for each language combination or one for all? — A: A single proposal noting which language pairs you are bidding on. 21. Q: Technical Evaluation 2.2. Phase 2. Translation test: How will UNICEF handle it? Will the vendors be given a specific date and time or will the vendors be able to pick date and time depending on availabilities? If the proposal is submitted for all 3 languages, will the test be for all three languages? — A: Following the closure of the bidding period, UNICEF will review all bids carefully before inviting shortlisted candidates to participate in one or more evaluation exercises. The scheduling of these will be determined in communication with each shortlisted candidate. —The tests will be offered from English into the target languages.

Clarifications April 25, 2017: 1. Q: Regarding the Request for Services RFPS-USA-2017-502483 we feel there is a duplicated request for information regarding the technical proposal. On page 22, point 3.1 states that bidders should outline experience in providing translations of an international nature in the fields of health and nutrition, education, human right, gender equality, and other development areas, including a list of clients and notable projects- these are under section 3. Experience and customer references. Nevertheless, on page 23, in the technical evaluation table, under point 2.2. it is required to provide experience with similar texts, experience in translating for UNIVEF or similar UN agencies/IGOs. This is not referenced on page 21 point 2.1. We feel that the information provided under both section might be the same.— A: The three items in Section VI, "Structure of the Proposal”, each with two sub-items, are all reflected in the table, with the same numbering used. Item 2.2 in the table refers directly to Item 2.2 in Section VI” - “Provide curricula vitae of the proposed personnel that will be involved, either full time or part time. Highlight relevant academic qualifications, work experience, and specialized knowledge areas of translators and translation managers." The evaluation table refers to your translators’ qualifications, specialized knowledge, and experience. Relevant experience would include experience with similar texts, experience translating for UNICEF or similar organizations. Item 3.1on page 22 requests an overview of your company's experience in specific content areas, and asks for a list of your company’s clients and notable projects to illustrate this breadth of experience. 2. Q: If there is a previous or current contract, would you please provide the following information? — A: Question not applicable. 3. Q: Is there an incumbent? If so, what is the current rate paid to incumbent per word, per language? — A: Question not applicable. 4. Q: Will all questions prepared by vendors and responses made by Department of Industrial Relations be published to all vendors? — A: Question not applicable. 5. Q: What is the expected annual spend/budget under this RFP? — A: Question not applicable. 6. Q; Will there be primary/secondary vendor status? — A: No. 7. Q: What is the historical volume for translation? — A: Please refer to the answer to question 8. 8. Q: What is the approximate average word count and maximum word count for the documents? — A: An estimated 100,000 to 500,000 words annually in each language. 9. Q: Please clarify your rush and non-rush timeframes. — A: Timeframes are calculated on the basis of 2000 finished words per day for longer pieces and slightly less for individual shorter pieces. Rush timeframes would include weekend work and working outside normal business hours. 10. Q: Are there any graphs or charts that will need to be translated? — A: Some jobs will include graphs, maps and/or tables. The text within these only needs to be translated, including titles and notes, and returned within the Word document. We do not require any entry of text into graphic items. 11. Q: What percentage of translation requirements come after standard business hours/weekends? — A: Most requests will come during standard office hours in New York. Due to time differences, these requests may, however, arrive after standard business hours in the translator’s country. This does not imply that we expect the translator to work outside their normal business hours. In some situations we might propose a rush job or a weekend job. Such situations would be each treated on an individual basis and discussed with the translation company before any commitment is made. 12. Q: Does UNICEF have a current glossary or translation memory? If so, for which languages, and will it be available to the awarded contractor? — A: UNICEF has some individual glossaries in French and Spanish on certain topics. We are working to create larger translation memories however, and have made progress for this in En/Fr. We also have a large volume of multilingual content that can be used to generate translation memories. 13. Q: Are proposers permitted to add attachments other than those already included in the RFP? — A: Yes. 14. Q: Are services provided by translators and/or subcontractors (under the supervision/employment of the awarded contractor) permitted to be completed outside of the United States? — A; Yes. 15. Q: Are proposers permitted to submit the list of key staff and all details as a separate attachment, rather than in the body of the text? — A: Yes. 16. Q: Would UNICEF like a resume for the professional linguists we intend to use on the project? Or you would prefer resumes for the project staff in our main office who manage the administrative aspects? — A: Item 2.2 asks for CVs of translators and translation managers. This would include anyone involved in ensuring the quality of translations. Administrative staff are unlikely to fall into that category, although translators, proof readers or translation supervisors would. 17. Q: Are all certification documents for personnel assigned (including but not limited to ATA certificates, evidence of degrees, certificate of attendance/completion of refresher training) required to be provided at the time of bid submission? — A; No. Such items may be included in the bid submission. If they are not included, we may request to see these documents at a later stage of the process. 18. Q: What has been the biggest challenge for fulfilling services under this contract, or if this is a new contract, are there any challenges that you anticipate? — A: Question not applicable. 19. Q: What version of Microsoft Word does DIR use? Is there any concern about possible word count differences between versions (i.e. 2007, 2010, Office 365)? — A: UNICEF uses various versions of MS Word, on PC and Mac platforms. Word count differences are generally minimal across such versions and platforms, especially in the absence of text boxes. However for each project we will provide our word count initially and will expect the vendor to let us know if they feel this count is inexact.

Clarifications April 24, 2017: 1. Q: All our proposed translators for this RFP in all language combinations are professional translators with degrees in translation, journalism or other relevant fields, they are native speakers in the target language and have deep knowledge of English, they have excellent writing skills, more than 5 years of experience in translation, they are able to produce a high volume of quality content, but not all of them have professional accreditations as translators. Would you accept their profiles any way or would this disqualify our candidature? - A: Yes, we would accept evidence of translators’ professional experience and specialized knowledge - this would not disqualify the candidature. 2. Q: We do identify only the request for submission of offers, it is impossible to get access to TOR document online. – A: TOR of this tender can be found at end of the tender document named RFPS-USA-2017-502483.pdf. 3. Q: For the purpose of submission of an offer, should the company be registered as vendor in the UNGM market? – A: Referring to Clause 10.1 of the tender document, the Proposer must be registered on UNGM before becoming the UNICEF supplier. The registration is not required at the time of submission; however, Proposers are encouraged to apply for registration as soon as possible. 4. Q: Can UNICEF please provide us with details and login access to submit our application. – A: Please refer to INSTRUCTION TO BIDDERS of the tender document to learn details on how to submit bids. 5. Q: In the original email to us on the 12th of April, the deadline for submission of this proposal was the 1st of May. However, the RFP states the 7th of May. Could you confirm which of the two dates is the correct submission date? – A: The deadline for submissions remain the same, i.e. 7 May, 2017 at 23:59 EST. The deadline for request for clarifications remains as 1 May, 2017. 6. Q: Within section VI of the RFP, Structure of the Proposal, point 1.2. states that ‘The description should include case studies showcasing their expertise in the areas outlined in this RPFS’. Point 3.1 states ‘Please outline experience in providing translations of an international nature in the fields of health and nutrition, education, human rights, gender equality, and other development areas’. Could you advise what case studies are being referred to in point 1.2.? Our current understanding is that this relates to our expertise in translating material for clients but would this not overlap with the information requested in point 3.1.? – A: Item 1.2 in the section “Company profile and methodology” asks applicants to provide case studies to illustrate their project methodology and approach. The focus here is on how they carry out their service provision. Item 3.1 in the section "Experience and customer references” requests an overview of the applicant's experience in specific content areas, and asks for “a list of clients and notable projects” to illustrate this breadth of experience. 7. Q: We are interested in responding to your Request for Proposal for translation services. In order to determine if we might be a good fit for UNICEF’s needs, can you give me an idea of the volume of translation you foresee? We scope translation by the word, so if you have an estimate of words per month, or similar, it could be very helpful. – A: An estimated 100,000 to 500,000 words annually in each language.

Clarifications April 18, 2017: 1. Q: Can we participate in this RFP even if we are settled in Europe? – A: Yes. 2. Q: As we noticed that the translations are going to be mainly from English into the other languages, would you need translator CVs also for reverse language combinations, i.e. from the other languages into English? – A: Yes. 3. Q: Do you foresee a minimum number of translators per language combination? – A: No. 4. Q: Our firm is interested in proposing an offer for your request RFPS-USA-2017-502483. We identify online just two documents — reference list and price offer. Should we use a free format to present methodology of translation approach? – A: Yes, the agency shall choose its own format to present its approach to provision of the services. 5. Q: Could you advise whether we could obtain the ToR online or it can be emailed? – A: TOR for this tender can be found in the document named “RFPS-USA-2017-502483” which can be found in the same places as the Annexes. 6. Q: Kindly give us an indication of estimated volumes (in pages or words) to be outsourced annually for translation from (1) English into French, (2) English into Spanish, and (3) English into Arabic. – A: An estimated 100,000 to 500,000 words annually in each language.