FIS-DAS Interpreting Services A Joint Venture
FIS-DAS is a Joint Venture certified by the US Small Business Administration as an 8(a), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Small Woman Owned, and Small Minority-Owned Business registered under NAICS code 541930. FIS-DAS is comprised of two companies that each have extensive experience providing sign language interpreting services and are each long-standing organizational members of the professional organization of interpreters, the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). Between them, they have provided well over five hundred thousand hours of interpreting and CART services since 2002, in every type of setting possible. Because of this, FIS-DAS is uniquely qualified to accomplish all phases of the requirement set forth in the Social Security Administration solicitation number SSA-RFP-16-10-1005 for sign language interpreting and CART services. FIS-DAS is a joint venture made of two halves of a whole, combining the Deaf consumer experience with the provision of high quality professional services. Friends Interpreting Services (FIS) is a Deaf-owned sign language interpreting 8(a) company which allows first-hand knowledge of communication facilitation between Deaf/hard-of-hearing consumers and their hearing counterparts. CEO and Owner of FIS, Alice Ann Friends, is a life-long consumer of interpreting and captioning services; she understands the need for high quality in the provision of this reasonable accommodation. Deaf Access Solutions (DAS) is an interpreter-owned entity with a long-time standing reputation in the community as the go-company for high quality and strong customer service. Owned by Karl Kosiorek, a nationally certified interpreter who has been in the field for almost thirty (30) years and managed several businesses in the field of sign language interpreting and captioning. DAS is also managed by an Executive team of six (6), with almost a hundred (100) years of combined experience in the field. DAS also is thoroughly familiar with every requirement of the requirements and consumers of this contract having been involved in the successful execution of the current contract. The unique combination of these two companies would allow for a seamless transition, maintaining continuity of service with very little to no risk to SSA. You will see later in this proposal response that we have the support of all of the main contributors to the success of the current contract, with letters of intent stating they will support FIS-DAS should it be awarded the contract. In addition, having both a consumer and provider perspective allows us to see the provision of sign language interpreting and CART services holistically, making our competitive advantage one that incorporates continuous improvement in the quality services we provide.