DoD's $13.8M Translation Services Contract Awarded to Mission Essential Group, LLC Under Full and Open Competition

Contract Overview

Contract Amount: $13,839,389 ($13.8M)

Contractor: THE Mission Essential Group, LLC

Awarding Agency: Department of Defense

Start Date: 2008-01-30

End Date: 2009-06-05

Contract Duration: 492 days

Daily Burn Rate: $28.1K/day

Competition Type: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Number of Offers Received: 6

Pricing Type: COST PLUS AWARD FEE

Sector: Other

Official Description: TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION SERVICES

Place of Performance

Location: FORT BELVOIR, FAIRFAX County, VIRGINIA, 22060

State: Virginia Government Spending

Plain-Language Summary

Department of Defense obligated $13.8 million to THE MISSION ESSENTIAL GROUP, LLC for work described as: TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION SERVICES Key points: 1. The contract focused on translation and interpretation services, a critical need for military operations. 2. Awarded under full and open competition, suggesting a broad market search and potential for competitive pricing. 3. The contract type (Cost Plus Award Fee) can incentivize performance but requires careful oversight to manage costs. 4. The duration of the contract (492 days) indicates a medium-term need for these specialized services. 5. The small business set-aside flag is false, meaning large businesses were eligible and likely participated. 6. The contract was awarded to a single entity, The Mission Essential Group, LLC, after a competitive process.

Value Assessment

Rating: good

The contract value of approximately $13.8 million over its period of performance (roughly 16 months) suggests a significant investment in translation and interpretation services. Benchmarking this against similar contracts is challenging without more specific service details (e.g., languages, volume, security clearances). However, the Cost Plus Award Fee (CPAF) structure implies that the government aims to achieve good value by incentivizing contractor performance beyond basic requirements, though it also necessitates robust monitoring to control costs and ensure fair pricing.

Cost Per Unit: N/A

Competition Analysis

Competition Level: full-and-open

This contract was awarded under 'full and open competition,' indicating that all responsible sources were permitted to submit offers. The presence of 6 bidders suggests a healthy level of competition for this requirement. A competitive environment like this generally leads to better price discovery and potentially more favorable terms for the government, as contractors vie to win the award.

Taxpayer Impact: Taxpayers benefit from full and open competition as it drives down prices and encourages innovation among contractors seeking to provide the best value.

Public Impact

The primary beneficiaries are the Department of Defense and its personnel, who receive essential language support for missions. Services delivered include translation and interpretation, crucial for communication in diverse operational environments. The geographic impact is likely global, supporting military deployments and operations worldwide. Workforce implications include the potential employment of linguists, translators, and interpreters, both directly by the contractor and potentially through subcontractors.

Waste & Efficiency Indicators

Waste Risk Score: 50 / 10

Warning Flags

Cost Plus Award Fee contracts require diligent oversight to ensure costs remain reasonable and award fees are justified.
Reliance on a single contractor, even after competition, can pose risks if performance falters or needs change rapidly.
The specific nature of translation services can be sensitive; quality control and accuracy are paramount.

Positive Signals

Awarded under full and open competition, indicating a robust bidding process.
The contract structure incentivizes performance through award fees, potentially leading to higher quality service.
The contractor, The Mission Essential Group, LLC, has experience in providing these critical services to the government.

Sector Analysis

The market for translation and interpretation services is substantial, driven by government needs in defense, intelligence, and diplomacy, as well as commercial globalization. This contract falls within the professional, scientific, and technical services sector. Comparable spending benchmarks would depend on the specific languages, volume, and security requirements, but government spending on language services is consistently high due to the nature of global operations and diverse populations.

Small Business Impact

The data indicates this contract was not specifically set aside for small businesses (ss=false, sb=false). This means that large businesses were eligible to compete and likely did, as evidenced by the number of bidders. While there's no direct indication of small business subcontracting goals, large prime contractors often utilize small businesses for specialized services like translation, potentially creating opportunities within the small business ecosystem.

Oversight & Accountability

Oversight for this Cost Plus Award Fee contract would primarily fall to the contracting officer and their representatives within the Department of the Army. Accountability measures are built into the CPAF structure, where the contractor earns fees based on performance against defined criteria. Transparency is generally maintained through contract awards databases, though specific performance details and fee allocations may not be publicly disclosed.

Related Government Programs

Defense Language Interpretation and Translation Enterprise (DLITE)
Intelligence Community Language Services
General Services Administration (GSA) Professional Services Schedule (PSS) - Language Services

Risk Flags

Cost Plus Award Fee contract type requires robust oversight.
Potential for performance-related risks inherent in language services.
Dependence on a single awardee for a critical service.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this federal contract paying for?

Department of Defense awarded $13.8 million to THE MISSION ESSENTIAL GROUP, LLC. TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION SERVICES

Who is the contractor on this award?

The obligated recipient is THE MISSION ESSENTIAL GROUP, LLC.

Which agency awarded this contract?

Awarding agency: Department of Defense (Department of the Army).

What is the total obligated amount?

The obligated amount is $13.8 million.

What is the period of performance?

Start: 2008-01-30. End: 2009-06-05.

What specific languages and types of interpretation (e.g., simultaneous, consecutive) were covered under this contract?

The provided data does not specify the exact languages or types of interpretation services required for this contract. Typically, such contracts cover a wide range of languages critical to DoD operations, potentially including major world languages as well as regionally specific dialects. The scope would likely encompass spoken interpretation for meetings, briefings, and field operations, as well as written translation of documents. Detailed specifications would have been outlined in the original solicitation and subsequent task orders issued under this contract.

How did The Mission Essential Group, LLC's pricing compare to other bidders during the competition?

The provided data indicates that six bids were received, suggesting a competitive process. However, specific pricing details and comparisons between bidders are not publicly available in this summary. For a Cost Plus Award Fee (CPAF) contract, the 'cost' component is reimbursed, while the 'award fee' is performance-based. The government would have evaluated both the proposed costs and the potential for award fees based on the technical approach and past performance of each bidder to determine the best value.

What were the key performance metrics used to determine the award fees for The Mission Essential Group, LLC?

While the specific performance metrics are not detailed in the summary, Cost Plus Award Fee (CPAF) contracts typically define objective and subjective criteria for earning award fees. These often include factors such as timeliness of service delivery, quality and accuracy of translations/interpretations, responsiveness to task orders, adherence to security protocols, and overall customer satisfaction. The contracting officer's representative (COR) would monitor performance against these metrics throughout the contract period.

What is the typical annual spending for the Department of the Army on translation and interpretation services?

The Department of the Army, like other branches of the DoD, has significant and consistent spending on translation and interpretation services due to global operational requirements. While the $13.8 million for this specific contract represents a substantial amount over its duration, the Army's total annual expenditure could range from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, depending on current geopolitical activities, deployment levels, and the number of concurrent contracts supporting various theaters and functions. This contract represents one component of that larger spending picture.

Does The Mission Essential Group, LLC have a history of performance issues on similar government contracts?

The provided data does not include information on The Mission Essential Group, LLC's performance history or any potential issues on prior contracts. A thorough review for such information would typically involve consulting contract performance reports (e.g., Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System - CPARS), past performance questionnaires submitted during the solicitation, and potentially news archives or legal databases. Without this specific data, assessing their track record is not possible from the given summary.

Industry Classification

NAICS: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services › Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services › Translation and Interpretation Services

Product/Service Code: SUPPORT SVCS (PROF, ADMIN, MGMT) › PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Competition & Pricing

Extent Competed: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Solicitation Procedures: NEGOTIATED PROPOSAL/QUOTE

Solicitation ID: W911W405R0006

Offers Received: 6

Pricing Type: COST PLUS AWARD FEE (R)

Evaluated Preference: NONE

Contractor Details

Address: 4249 EASTON WAY, COLUMBUS, OH, 43219

Business Categories: Category Business, Limited Liability Corporation, Not Designated a Small Business, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business, Veteran Owned Business

Financial Breakdown

Contract Ceiling: $15,642,220

Exercised Options: $15,642,220

Current Obligation: $13,839,389

Contract Characteristics

Commercial Item: COMMERCIAL ITEM PROCEDURES NOT USED

Cost or Pricing Data: NOT OBTAINED - WAIVED

Parent Contract

Parent Award PIID: W911W407D0010

IDV Type: IDC

Timeline