Solicitation for Region 1 VHR Services   2

Background
This solicitation is for Verbatim Hearing Recorder (VHR) services required for SSA's Region 1. The Contractor shall provide qualified and trained personnel identified as VHRs to assist the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) with administrative aspects of conducting a hearing, including digitally recording the hearing.
Hearings under this contract will be conducted by SSA’s OHO at HOs, PRSs, and COV Sites in Region 1, which encompasses Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Work Details
The Contractor shall provide VHR services for hearings that start between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm in the hearing office’s local time, Monday through Friday excluding federal holidays. The Contractor shall maintain an adequate workforce to perform all the required tasks. The VHR shall arrive at the office with sufficient lead time to open the hearing room; boot up Government-furnished hearing recording equipment; complete a test recording to ensure the recording equipment is functioning correctly; arrive on site at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the first hearing; and initiate contact with the ALJ via Skype at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the first hearing. The VHR shall access the E5H – Itinerary of Scheduled Hearings for VHRs Contractors report from within their @ssa.gov email account. The VHR shall utilize the information in this report to connect all participants to each hearing in the docket. For phone and OVH hearings, the VHR shall also utilize the MS Teams meeting link sent to their @SSA.gov email account. The E5H is typically sent to the Contractor two business days before 2:00pm according to the HO’s local time. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to send the E5H to the VHR.

Period of Performance
Period of Performance: Phase-In Period from 09/01/2023 to 12/31/2023; Base Period from 01/01/2024 to 12/31/2024; Option Year 1 from 01/01/2025 to 12/31/2025; Option Year 2 from 01/01/2026 to 12/31/2026; Option to Extend Services from 01/01/2027 to 06/30/2027

Place of Performance
Hearings under this contract will be conducted by SSA’s OHO at HOs, PRSs, and COV Sites in Region 1, which encompasses Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.