How To Use The Ds.Org Msa

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1 SCOPE OF WORK 1. AGREEMENT TERM: This Master Service Agreement ( MSA or Agreement ) shall be for a three (3) year term, as specifically noted on the attached Std 213 Standard Agreement (the Effective Date ). The Department of General Services (DGS) reserves the right to extend this Agreement for two additional one (1) year periods at the same rates, terms and conditions. All contracts/orders issued against this MSA must be completed within twelve (12) months following the expiration of this MSA contract term. 2. CONTRACT MANAGEMENT: The Contractor must provide the name, address, telephone number, and e- mail address of the individual directly responsible for managing this Agreement on behalf of the Contractor to the State s designated Contract Administrator. Should the Contractor s Contract Manager change or any of the contact information change, the Contractor must provide to the State s Contract Administrator updated information no later than ten (10) business days after the date the change was implemented. The Contractor is responsible for notifying all contracting agencies in writing of any changes to a contact person, address, phone numbers, or any other information deemed important for the functionality of the contract. As of the Effective Date of this Agreement, the DGS Contract Administrator for the State of California shall be as follows: Julie Matthews Department of General Services Procurement Division 707 Third Street, 2nd Floor West Sacramento, CA Julie.Matthews@dgs.ca.gov (916) OVERVIEW OF SERVICES: The Certified Shorthand Reporter, Transcription and Other Associated Services MSA provides State and local government agencies with an opportunity to acquire the following services quickly and easily. DGS established this leveraged MSA pursuant to Public Contract Code (PCC) and Page 1 of 16

2 CATEGORY 1: CERTIFIED SHORTHAND REPORTER HEARINGS (CSR): Pursuant to Business and Professions Code Section 8017, the practice of certified shorthand reporting is defined as the making, by means of written symbols or abbreviations by machine shorthand writing, of a verbatim record of any oral court proceeding; court ordered hearing or arbitration; or proceeding before any grand jury, referee, or court commissioner, and the accurate transcription thereof. Under Category 1, Hearings will also mean when a Requesting Agency elects to use a CSR to report official meeting proceedings where a verbatim record is required, but a CSR is not mandatory by law to report proceedings. A Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR), using stenographic equipment, reports proceedings held before an arbitrator, administrative law judge (ALJ) and/or other hearing officer (HO). The arbitrator, ALJ or HO presides over these proceedings similar to a judge in the superior court. The CSR reporting any proceeding must have a high level of competence to accurately report multiple voice hearings and official meetings. CATEGORY 2: CERTIFIED SHORTHAND REPORTER DEPOSITIONS (CSR): Pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure Section , et seq., a CSR, licensed by the State of California, reports the examination of a deponent who appears at a specified location for examination pursuant to a Notice of Deposition and/or as stipulated by the parties to a lawsuit. CATEGORY 3: CERTIFIED COMMUNICATION ACCESS REAL-TIME TRANSLATION SERVICES Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART) is the means by which a Certified CART Provider (CPP) or Certified Real-time Reporter (CRR) transcribes the spoken word into readable English text using a stenotype machine, notebook computer, and real-time software so text appears on a computer monitor or other display and serves as an important communication tool for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or learning a second language. The Americans with Disabilities Act specifically recognizes CART as an assistive technology which affords "effective communication access." Communication access more aptly distinguishes CART from real-time reporting in a traditional litigation setting. CART reporting is always provided as a separate service, meaning that the CART reporter is present to interpret the proceedings and provide a real-time Page 2 of 16

3 output for the hearing impaired. If a transcript is required, a separate CSR would be present to record the proceedings for that purpose (and hired under Category 1 or 2). CATEGORY 4: TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES Transcription of audio or video recorded proceedings including, but not limited to: hearings, meetings, interviews, interrogations, witness statements, personal histories, police reports, law enforcement dispatch recordings, surveillance recordings, jailhouse recordings, etc. These proceedings are recorded by the governmental agency and the recording is submitted to the MSA Contractor for transcription. This category has two transcription services sub-categories (sections): Transcription of Audio/Video Recordings Sections: 4.a) All transcription services types (interviews, interrogations, hearings, meetings etc.) except those listed in Section 4.b 4.b) Law Enforcement Dispatch, Surveillance and Jailhouse recordings (see following definitions) Law Enforcement Dispatch Recordings are recordings of actual dispatcher announcements and conversations with law enforcement officers in the field. Surveillance Recordings are made surreptitiously by law enforcement agents and/or informants. Jailhouse Recordings are made surreptitiously of inmate s conversations while in custody and/or recordings made surreptitiously of inmate s phone conversations while in custody. Although providing transcription services does not require exam certification, accurate transcription is mandatory. The Contractor will provide the requesting governmental agency with the transcript and attach the Transcriptionist s Certificate that certifies the accuracy of the transcript. CATEGORY 5: CERTIFIED ELECTRONIC REPORTER AND TRANSCRIBER (CERT) SERVICES Certified Electronic Reporters and Transcribers are certified by the American Association of Electronic Recorders and Transcribers (AAERT). This category has three basic certification designations: 1) Certified Electronic Reporter (CER); 2) Certified Electronic Transcriber (CET); and 3) Certified Electronic Reporter and Transcriber (CERT). A CERT certification is automatically awarded upon earning both the CER and CET certifications. Page 3 of 16

4 The CER/CERT uses individual microphones to record a proceeding electronically with either a digital audio recorder (if they have a digital certification) or an analog recorder (if they have analog certification). The CER/CERT will keep a running log of speaker identifications and key words for instant playback of the audio, when needed. After the proceeding is concluded, the CER/CERT can provide the client with the audio on a CD- Rom. If a transcript is required, a CERT will create a transcript with a certification page, or upload the audio to a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site and send to a CET for immediate transcription, including a certification page. Under Category 5, agencies can request a CER/CERT to record any proceeding that requires a verbatim record and does not require by law a CSR to report the verbatim record (See Category 1). 4. DEFINITIONS: a. APPEARANCE FEE The fee paid to the reporter for the time spent reporting proceedings. This also includes the fee paid to the reporter for appearing at a proceeding that did not go forward and no were services provided. b. ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange is a character-encoding scheme based on the ordering of the English alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communications equipment, and other devices that use text. c. CART Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART) is a process that transcribes the spoken word into readable English text using a stenotype machine, notebook computer, and real-time software, where text appears on a computer monitor or other display and serves as an important communication tool for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or learning a second language. d. CER Certified Electronic Reporter A person who has met the requirements of and passed the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT) Certified Electronic Reporter examination. e. CET Certified Electronic Transcriber A person who has met the requirements of and passed the AAERT Certified Electronic Transcriber examination. f. CERT Certified Electronic Court Reporter and Transcriber A person who has met the requirements of and passed both the AAERT CER and CET examination. g. CCP Certified CART Provider (See Cart definition preceding) A person who has met the requirements of and passed the National Court Reporters Association s CCP examination ( A CCP possesses the knowledge, skill, and ability to produce complete, accurate, Page 4 of 16

5 simultaneous translation and display of live proceedings utilizing computer-aided translation. h. CSR Certified Shorthand Reporter - A person who has met the requirements of and passed the California Shorthand Reporters Board examination and possesses a valid California CSR license. i. CRR Certified Real-Time Reporter - A person who has met the requirements of and passed the National Court Reporters Association s CRR examination. ( j. DEPOSITION A written declaration under oath, made upon notice of an adverse party for the purpose of enabling the adverse party to attend and examine a witness or party to an action. The term sometimes is used in a special sense to denote a statement made orally by a person under oath before an examiner, commissioner, or officer of the court (but not in open court) and transcribed in writing. k. HEARING A proceeding before an arbitrator or other hearing officer, of relative formality, generally public, with definite issues of fact or law in which parties proceeded against have the right to be heard, and is similar to a civil trial, terminating in final order. Hearings will also mean any official meeting proceedings where a verbatim record is required. l. HOLD RATE The hold rate is charged if the Original & 1 transcript is not ordered immediately. It is not charged in addition to the one-half day rate or the full-day rate. If the transcript is ordered within 90 days of the date of the proceeding, the hold rate originally charged will be credited against the total final invoice which will include the appropriate appearance fee rate and transcription costs for that proceeding. The hold rate fee cannot be less than the applicable appearance fee (full or half day rate). m. REAL-TIME Instantaneous computerized translation of the proceedings displayed on a monitor. n. REQUESTING AGENCY The agency (State/local agency, public entity using services resulting from this proposal) who officially requests services to be provided. o. TRANSCRIBER A person who types (verbatim) written copy of audio or video recorded material. p. TURNAROUND TIME The maximum time in which a transcript shall be delivered to the Requesting Agency (also referred to as the delivery timeframe). Page 5 of 16

6 5. CONTRACTOR OBLIGATIONS A. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS A1. Tape-Recorded Hearings Tape-recorded transcripts must adhere to the same terms and conditions applied to court reported transcripts. A2. Real-Time Reporting The Contractor shall provide real time reporting, instantaneous computerized translation of the proceedings displayed on a monitor (upon request) and indicate the type of equipment that will be used. The Requestor shall specify exact needs under this process. The Contractor may be required to provide an equipment demonstration to determine the ability to meet requesting Agency s Requirements. A3. CART Reporting Certified CART Reporting services for the hearing impaired shall follow the same requirements in A2 and requires developing a job dictionary prior to the reporting proceeding to ensure the greatest accuracy of real-time translation. CART format must adhere to the NCRA CART Style & Format Guidelines. A4. Minimum Transcript Preparation Criteria Transcripts shall be prepared in accordance with the following criteria pursuant to Division 24 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations, unless otherwise stated by the Requesting Agency: a. A minimum of 25 text lines per page b. Five (5) space indent, including Exhibit listings c. 1-1/2 inch margins (a minimum of 56 character spaces per line, time- stamping no fewer than 52). d. Exhibits shall be maintained by the Requesting Agency and originals will not be released to the reporter. e. The Title Page shall contain the case caption, case number, type of proceeding or hearing volume number, date, location of proceeding, CSR s name and CSR number. f. The Appearance Page shall list the name of the Administrative Law Judge or Hearing Officer presiding, or the names of hearing panel members, name(s) of party(ies) represented, name(s) and address(es) of representative(s). g. The Witness Index shall identify witness, type of examination (e.g., direct, cross, redirect, re-cross or rebuttal), and page number at which each witness testifies, or identify speakers and page number at which each speaker testifies. Page 6 of 16

7 h. The Exhibit Index shall identify documents with enumeration and description, state the page in the transcript it was introduced and the page on which it was admitted. i. The beginning time of proceeding shall be noted at the top of the first page of text, and concluding time shall be noted on the last page after the last line of text. A5. Critical Errors Contractors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of all transcripts prior to delivery to the Requesting Agency. Contractors shall have a quality assurance process which includes at minimum the running of spell check and editing transcripts for final review to eliminate critical errors that impact the credibility of the transcript, and to ensure that examinations, witness and exhibit entries are thorough and accurate. If in the event the errors are not corrected, the Contractor shall send a letter of correction to all parties concerned within three days of receipt of notification. The DGS Contract Administrator and/or customer shall determine whether a transcript is grossly deficient. Penalties may be assessed to the Contractor in an amount not to exceed the full cost to the Requesting Agency of such transcript. Critical Errors are defined as follows: a. Incorrect witness exams or exhibit entries; b. Incorrect text (including typographical errors); c. Missing text; d. Incorrect use of words, names or titles; e. Incorrect page numbering; and f. Incorrect witness/exhibit indexes, etc., that impact the accuracy and credibility of the transcript. This definition does not include differing styles of punctuation and capitalization that do not impact the credibility of the transcript. If a type of error is found that is not described above, the DGS Contract Administrator and/or customer shall determine whether the error is critical or non-critical. A6. The Contractor must advise reporters of time, location, and title of case, while the reporter must advise the Contractor of the volume and page number of case. A7. The Contractor must be able to supply reporter(s) within 72 hours notice, or less in special circumstances. A8. The Contractor must advise reporters of required transcript format. A9. The Contractor must provide reporters with appropriate word processing templates necessary for transcript completion. Page 7 of 16

8 A10. The Contractor shall review all final transcripts, including those of subcontractors, for identification and correction of critical errors, proper transcript format, volume and page numbers, index, and certificate page before forwarding to the Requesting Agency. A11. The Contractor shall review ASCII of jobs to confirm correct pagination within the ASCII. A12. The Contractor and its agents must adhere to transcript delivery instructions given by the Requesting Agency. Questions regarding delivery requests differing from original instructions should be directed to the Requesting Agency. A13. The Contractor must have access to subcontractors files and the ability to complete the transcription to meet the Requesting Agency s needs in the event the subcontractor is unavailable when transcripts are being ordered. A14. Transcript Production Transcripts shall be delivered to the customer as requested on the order form (i.e. same day, next day, 3 to 5 working days, 6 to 10 working days, or 11 to 15 working days) from date of proceeding. Late transcripts shall be assessed a monetary late processing fee equal to 10 percent of the transcript value per day for each day late, starting the first day after the original due date. The late processing fee shall be reflected on the invoice submitted to the Requesting Agency or the late processing fee may be subtracted from the invoice by the Requesting Agency. If it is not the Requesting Agency shall report invoice error to the DGS Contract Administrator for further action. Transcripts shall be produced in current state of the art software, with latest virus control software, e.g., Word, WordPerfect, e/index and ASCII disks, upon request. The Reporter shall deliver the original and one (1) copy of the transcripts to the customer. A15. The Contractor shall be responsible for all billing. Invoices sent to the Requesting Agency shall include contract number, billing date, date of proceeding, proceeding number, invoice number, total pages billed, other items being billed such as ASCII disks and terms of delivery, e.g., same evening, next day, etc. Each invoice must contain itemized and total billed costs. Late transcripts shall be assessed a monetary late processing fee equal to 10 percent of the transcript value per day for each day late. The late processing fee shall be reflected on the invoice submitted to the State and subtracted from the amount due to the Contractor. Page 8 of 16

9 B. SUPPLIER STAFFING AND ORGANIZATION B1. Staffing The Requesting Agency shall specify level of expertise required for its needs. The Contractor is required to have access to personnel with appropriate skills to perform the duties for each category awarded. Contract terms do not permit personnel substitution without prior approval of the DGS Contract Administrator; Personnel substitutes shall possess equal or greater resume qualifications. The Contractor shall identify certification and performance limitations of substitute personnel prior to the proceeding. The DGS Contract Administrator and/or Requesting Agency reserve the right to reject any proposed personnel at any time. Contractors must provide new resumes of personnel hired after proposal award to the DGS Contract Administrator. Resumes shall include the following information: a. Summary of similar work performed for each proposed service; b. Copy of the individual s Certified Shorthand Reporter Certificate (as applicable); c. Copy of the individual s Certified CART or Real-time Reporter Certificate (as applicable); d. Copy of the individual s Certified Electronic Court Reporter and Transcriber Certificate (as applicable); e. Type of shorthand reporting performed, i.e., hearing, deposition, etc.; and f. Copy of Errors and Omissions Insurance policy. B2. The Contractors must have a FAX machine available to receive and send faxes. Contractors shall also have a pager or cell phone to receive notice of last-minute calendar changes. B3. The Contractor must have personnel available to answer the business phone or pager 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. B4. The Contractor must have and word processing capability (e.g. Word, Word Perfect, Outlook, etc.). C. RECEIVING ORDERS C1. Agency Notice For Request To Work State and/or local agencies shall, when possible, provide four (4) calendar days (96 hours) advance notice to the Contractor when requesting reporter services. There may be occasions when less notification time is provided; however, the Contractor shall make every effort to supply a reporter for services requested. Page 9 of 16

10 C2. CANCELLATIONS - If a service is requested and accepted by a Contractor, then cancelled by the requester, the following rates shall then be paid: a. Cancellation more than 24 hours before the proceeding = no charges. b. Cancellation less than 24 hours before the proceeding = payment of one-half of the original agreed upon appearance fee. c. Failure to cancel before the proceeding = full payment of the original agreed upon appearance fee. C3. The Contractor shall provide the Requesting Agency with the following: a. Names, certifications (when applicable), and resumes of its staff. b. Names of subcontracting firms, certification numbers, staff names, and resumes of candidate reporters in its employ who may provide services. D. REPORTING FOR WORK D1. The Reporters must arrive at the designated work location no later than 30 minutes prior to the job start time and remain until dismissed by the Administrative Law (ALJ) or person presiding over proceeding. The DGS Contract Administrator will report to the Court Reporters Board of California, any licensed reporter scheduled for work who fails to show up. The Reporter(s) shall provide the ALJ or person presiding at the hearing or deposition, a business card, the name of the Contractor they are representing and the estimated number of pages they reported that day on each case. D2. The Reporter(s) must be able to produce final transcript by 7:00 p.m. the same evening upon request. D3. The Reporter(s) shall use a recording device for backup on difficult assignments. D4. The Reporter(s) must be available to work after 5:00 p.m. with one day s notice. D5. The Reporter(s) traveling a distance over 50 miles may claim expenses ONLY with prior approval from the Requesting Agency. The proper paperwork (State Travel Expense Claim [TEC] Form) must be completed, as specified by the requestor, with appropriate receipts affixed for reimbursement. E. ADDITIONAL FEES E1. Appearance Fees are synonymous with "per diem" when referring to the fee paid to the Reporter for the time spent reporting proceedings Page 10 of 16

11 stenographically. This also refers to the fee paid to the Reporter for appearing at proceedings where no services are rendered because the proceeding does not go forward. E2. Travel Expenses - Mileage, parking and hotel related costs MUST HAVE PRIOR APPROVAL by the Requesting Agency pursuant to current State or local agency per diem rules. These expenses must follow the guidelines listed below: a. Mileage up to the current State rate may be paid if over 50 miles one way are traveled, and if it is agreed to by the Requesting Agency prior to travel date and time. b. Parking fees, only if accompanied by a receipt, will be paid if agreed to by the Requesting Agency prior to travel date and time. c. Hotel fees up to the current State rate (only if accompanied by a receipt) will be paid if agreed to by the Requesting Agency prior to travel date and time. d. All of the above noted fees will only be paid on a reimbursement basis. No travel expenses will be paid prior to the actual date and time of travel. The reimbursement of these costs requires that the Contractor fill out a State Travel Expense Claim [TEC] Form with appropriate receipts affixed for reimbursement. E3. Notary Fees The Contractor agrees that there shall be no separate charge for notary fees. E4. Expert Witness Expert witness fees are not applicable to this contract. E5. Postage/Handling Charges for postage and handling are not applicable to this Contract. Standard postage and handling charges shall be included in the Contractor's rates as listed on the Cost Worksheets. F. MAINTENANCE OF RECORDS F1. Record Maintenance and Retrieval The Contractor agrees to maintain the security of all shorthand notes, records, tapes, transcripts and correspondence. The Contractor shall retain all notes, to include, electronic tape and/or disk, for a minimum of eight (8) years. Storage of said records must be maintained in a protected environment. Copies of electronic files must be stored in a separate back-up facility. Page 11 of 16

12 The Contractor shall provide transcripts, upon request, at any time during the eight-year period of note retention, regardless of whether the recording Reporter is available. An order for a transcript can be placed via phone, U.S. mail, fax or electronic mail. The Requesting Agency shall define the delivery time-frame of the certified transcripts (signed original or duplicate original) and one (1) copy. The Contractor shall provide expedited transcript service, upon request, which may include the same or next-day service. F2. Transcript Ownership State and local agencies ordering services under this contract maintain ownership of any transcripts prepared under this contract. Any transfer or sale of transcripts is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of the Requesting Agency. F3. Transcript Confidentiality Contractors and their agents performing under the terms of this contract shall be bound to strict confidentiality pertaining to hearing, or deposition transcripts. Any violation discovered in this area shall be subject to legal action and/or contract termination. G. CONTRACT ACTIVITY AND REPORTS G1. The Contractor shall send (via ) to the DGS Contract Administrator (see Section 2 for Contact information) a quarterly management report using the CSR Quarterly Report Template provided by the DGS Contract Administrator. This report summarizes the Contractor s MSA contract activity for each agency s orders within the reporting quarter. This report should be sent no later than the fifteenth (15 th ) working day of the quarter s end for which an order was placed. A report is required for every quarter, even if the Contractor received no new orders in that quarter. G2. The CSR Quarterly Activity Report separates sales to State and local government agencies. The report is sorted by agency name, then by date within the State and local categories. Each line of the report should represent one STD 213/Contract transaction and must contain the following information: Customer name (department, agency, etc.) DGS agency billing code Customer address, telephone number Customer contact person Corresponding contract agency order number Date of Std. 213/Contract Total dollar value of the Std. 213/Contract Invoice date Page 12 of 16

13 Invoice number issued by the Contractor s firm Amount of the invoice Date of each reporting service Service ordered by category and district Service description and page quantity Name of Court Reporter Used Court Reporter s Certification # or attach copy of certificate G3. The DGS Contract Administrator reserves the right to modify this report and require the Contractor to provide additional order information during the course of this contract. 6. REQUESTING AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES A. CONTRACTOR SELECTION State and local government agencies use of this MSA is optional. Agencies electing to use this MSA to obtain certified shorthand reporters, transcriptionists and other associated services must select a Contractor using one of the two processes below (A.1 Ranking Order or A.2 Request for Offer Process) without modification. A User Guide will be prepared and administered by the DGS Contract Administrator assigned to this MSA. All Requesting Agencies must refer to the User Guide before utilizing the Ranked or RFO Contractor selection process. A.1 RANKING ORDER SELECTION PROCESS 1. The request shall be to the Contractor in rank 1 (lowest cost) for the requested service category and in the district the work is to be performed. 2. If the Contractor in rank 1 does not accept the request within one business day the requester may then contact the next ranked Contractor (2, then 3, then 4, etc.) allowing at least one business day for response before contacting the next. The requestor shall notification to the DGS Contract Administrator of non-responses and untimely responses from Contractors. Important to note: DGS reserves the right to terminate a contractor s contract and/or remove a ranked contractor from a category/district list if the ranked contractor has not timely responded to or denies service requests five or more times over the course of the contract. 2. If the requester requires services from a category in a district where there is no awarded Contractor, only then can the Page 13 of 16

14 requester request services from the first ranked Contractor in the same service category of an adjacent district. Example: Requestor requires services in Category 1 in District 9 and there is no awarded Contractor. Requester would contact the first ranked Contractor in Category 1 in any of the adjacent districts 6, 8, or 10 (see map on page 13). Contractors in adjacent districts are not obligated to perform services in another district. The steps in Section 2 (above) apply when the rank 1 Contractor is not available in any adjacent district. 3. If a requester is not satisfied with the Contractor s performance the requester shall submit an to the DGS Contract Administrator stating the issues. OR A.2 REQUEST FOR OFFER SELECTION PROCESS a. The Requesting Agency completing the RFO should include a (SOW), which includes the following information in addition to information indicated in the RFO template ( doc). 1. Agency contact information 2. Requested date(s) of service (if known) 3. Category of service 4. District in which service will be provided 5. Travel requirements / per diem information 6. Special requirements (example: Contractor s reporter(s) must have 3 years experience reporting hearings with complex medical terminology) b. The Requesting Agency must send an RFO to all Contractors awarded in the requested service category and district. Contractors are not obligated to respond; therefore the Requesting Agency does not need to obtain a minimum amount of responses in order to award a contract. c. Contractors responding to the RFO must submit lower pricing (by line item) than that of the first ranked Contractor in the requested service category/district. Contractor s pricing must be offered in the format consistent with the MSA. Any offer submitted not meeting this criteria will be deemed non responsive. d. The Requesting Agency shall review and score all responsive offers and select the Contractor based on Best Value with Cost being a minimum of fifty percent (50%) of the evaluation score. Page 14 of 16

15 e. The Requesting Agency must document responses using the Best Value Determination Worksheet ( ht.doc) or use their own form to document the results of offers. B. CONTRACT DOCUMENT B.1 Prior to rendering services, a State of California or a local government requesting agency (as applicable) and the Contractor must execute a separate Subscription Agreement that incorporates all of the terms of this MSA by reference and may contain additional agency specific terms and conditions, none of which may alter, rescind, or be in conflict with the terms and conditions of this MSA. The duly executed Std. 213, or the appropriate equivalent contract form for local agencies, is herein referred to as the Subscription Agreement. The Subscription Agreement shall describe the particular requirements of the Requesting Agency, usually reflected in the detailed Scope of Work and payment provisions. State agencies Subscription Agreements shall be processed in accordance with State contracting laws, policy, and procedures. B.2 STANDARD AGREEMENT, STD. 213 A Standard Agreement (Std. 213) must be used by State agencies. A copy is available at the following link: 13-JUNE%2003.doc. B.3 The State Requesting Agency must obtain approval from the DGS Office of Legal Services (OLS) if the Requesting Agency Subscription Agreement amount exceeds $50,000, unless the State Requesting Agency has an OLS Exemption greater than $50,000. Guidelines for Exemptions are in the State Contracting Manual Volume 1, Sections 4.04 through B.4 Once the Subscription Agreement has been executed, agencies must send a copy of each Std. 213 (or local agencies equivalent) to the reporting firm and to: Department of General Services Procurement Division, Key Data Entry 707 Third Street, 2nd Floor West Sacramento, CA B.5 Local agencies should use similar language on any form used in conjunction with this MSA. Page 15 of 16

16 C. ORDER INITIATION C.1 State and/or local agencies shall, when possible, provide four (4) calendar days (96 hours) advance notice to the Contractor when requesting reporter services. There may be occasions when a service cannot be determined within the 96-hour period; however, the Contractor shall make every effort to supply a reporter for the services requested. C.2 The Contractor must be informed that the agency is requesting their services through the use of this MSA. The Requesting Agency must indicate the contract number for the appropriate Contractor s firm when contacting the Contractor. C.3 The following information should be given to the reporting firms upon ordering services: a. Type of services being requested indicate specific service category (1-5) b. Date of the hearing or deposition c. Time d. Location e. A caption - case name f. Name of hearing officer, judge, attorneys, or witnesses/speakers (as applicable) g. Number of participants (if known) h. Public notice, unusual terms, any written material received from speakers (as applicable). i. Anticipated duration of hearing or deposition j. Whether or not a transcript is required (if known) k. Number of Days (after hearing/deposition) to deliver final transcripts C.4 ORDER PLACEMENT Order placement and contract execution shall be on or before the expiration date of the MSA. All contracts, orders, and the delivery of goods/services requested through this MSA must be completed within 12 months following the expiration of the MSA contract term. Page 16 of 16