1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:04,000 We're all ecstatic to have you  as part of our braille production team. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,400 My name is Javier Martinez. I am one  of the three coordinators here at USIMAC.   3 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:15,040 I'm here with a few of my colleagues. We  have Mandy Kay who is the braille production   4 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:20,320 coordinator. We also have Cassidy Mcfarland  with us who is the executive secretary for   5 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:26,640 USIMAC and the financial manager for the  PBN program. We also have Amy Young who's a   6 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:31,760 proofreading production coordinator and she  will also be monitoring the Zoom   7 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:39,440 chat today. If you have any questions during this  webinar please send them directly to Amy Young   8 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:45,680 where she will look at all the  questions and they will be answered at the end of   9 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:53,840 the webinar. So with that let's get started. Oh  we're gonna be at the last slide so that's great. 10 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:58,800 We'll do this backwards this sounds fun right? 11 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:08,320 Well it wouldn't be a webinar without technical  difficulties. Yeah why would I be prepared. 12 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:16,640 Okay so just to give you a brief overview about  USIMAC we are the Utah State Instructional   13 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:23,280 Materials Access Center, otherwise known as  USIMAC. We just celebrated our 12th birthday. So   14 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:30,400 we were founded in January of 2009 with the vision  to help provide school districts and charter   15 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:35,840 schools in the state of Utah with accessible  educational materials to all eligible students.   16 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:41,680 Federal law and equity requires that all eligible  students are provided curriculum materials   17 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:48,080 in braille at the same time as their peers. This is  a goal that you are all part of and we appreciate   18 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:54,080 your professional and timely work to provide  this resources to our students. Normally our   19 00:01:54,080 --> 00:02:01,440 heavy production time starts in March, April until  November and December with a slight bump again   20 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:07,440 in January. This year has been a little bit  different. It's been pretty much consistently   21 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:15,040 busy with regards to the PBNs and as you all  know braille producing is not an easy job.   22 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:20,880 There's a lot of moving parts in the production  timeline and we realize that you all have other   23 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:27,040 projects and are working  projects with other students in other states, 24 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:32,320 so communication is extremely important. As  we will discuss later on in this presentation. 25 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:42,080 So how to become a PBN. Anyone who has completed  the library of congress braille certification   26 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:48,160 course may be eligible to become a part of the  USIMAC's preferred braille network. You will   27 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:54,640 need to email your statement of qualification, your  letter of interest and a copy of your certificate   28 00:02:54,640 --> 00:03:04,320 to pbn@usdb.org. You will need also need  to request and complete our USIMAC internal UEB   29 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:13,760 proficiency test and return it to the same address  pbn@usdb.org within 30 days of receiving the test.   30 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:24,320 For the complete process you can visit our website  at usimac.org/join-us and that is where you'll   31 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:29,280 find some resources and helpful information  on how to join our preferred braille network.   32 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:38,240 We review applications quarterly. The months  will be February, May, August and December. An   33 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:44,080 evaluation team will evaluate your statement  of qualifications and the letter   34 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:50,080 of interest and test results and we will let you  know if you have met the requirements to be on   35 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:56,000 the approved vendor list. We will notify you of  the test results within three weeks of the test   36 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:02,800 submission. Mandy you want to take it over? Yes. At  the beginning of the year active PBN members will   37 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:08,320 receive notification via email and snail mail  requesting your current year's price list form.   38 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:14,720 Please note a misprint on our 2020 price list  form regarding levels one and two. Level one   39 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:19,520 should have read grade K-3 and level  two should have read grade 4-8.  40 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:23,600 If you would like to resubmit a  new form you're always welcome to   41 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:30,880 update your price list. Forms are accepted by active  members year round the state of Utah is required   42 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:37,120 to award contracts to the lowest available PBN  member. We award contracts to available members   43 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:43,280 with the lowest cost in the specified category  first and then continue to the next lowest and so   44 00:04:43,280 --> 00:04:48,880 forth moving through the list. If you choose not to  submit a new signed price list form you will remain   45 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:54,400 inactive in our system for up to one calendar year  after which you will be required to reapply. And   46 00:04:55,840 --> 00:05:02,960 if we have competing members we will offer the  project simultaneously to each PBN member within   47 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:09,040 the same price range and will award the contract  to the first PBN member to respond. If you're   48 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:14,160 currently on a contract and have completed it  early you can become available to accept another   49 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:20,240 contract as soon as you receive a final fact sheet  and we receive a correct final invoice from you.   50 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:26,320 If you're unsure what rates to list  please talk with others in the industry   51 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:31,120 or you can look at last year's rates  on our website. If you would like to receive   52 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:34,720 more work you may want to consider  adjusting your rate or lowering it. 53 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:42,080 As noted in our annual contract letter  our eligibility requirements have changed 54 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:47,680 for UEB technical math. For active PBN members who would like to bid on UEB   55 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:53,040 technical math, levels one through three, you'll  be required to complete our internal math test.   56 00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:59,040 For non-members, as a prerequisite,  you must first meet the qualifications to   57 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:05,680 become a PBN member with USIMAC. I'm pleased to  share this year we'll be offering a 50 dollar bonus   58 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:12,160 for each of these tests. The bonus will apply  during 2021 and only on your first attempt. 59 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:21,360 If you would like to bid in these categories,  please send an email to pbn@usdb.org requesting   60 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:29,040 the test. Testing for technical math level 2 and  3 will begin on February 8th. Level 2 must be   61 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:35,120 taken and passed before requesting level 3. You  will have 45 calendar days to submit your tests   62 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:40,960 from the date of receiving it. You must receive a  score of 80 or higher. You may only take one test   63 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:48,320 at a time and each test is roughly 16 print pages.  In the future when the United States offers a UEB   64 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:54,560 technical certification course, this certification  will be required. Currently our level one test   65 00:06:54,560 --> 00:07:01,840 is not available at this time, but we will  notify you by email as soon as it comes available. 66 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:07,440 Here we have an example email. Carefully  read through the contract before accepting   67 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:13,680 as crucial details, requirements and deadlines are  listed out. These deadlines are set based on the   68 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:18,880 needs of our students. Once the deadlines  are set and a purchase order is approved,   69 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:24,960 the deadline cannot be changed. The purchase order  is a firm contract with the state of Utah and must   70 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:30,640 be adhered to. Failure to complete a contract by  an agreed deadline will result in a violation.   71 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:37,200 Please note during this process you may negotiate  an alternate deadline if you feel our deadline is   72 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:43,840 unreasonable, however once the offer is officially  accepted an approved email sent out, the deadline   73 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:50,720 cannot be adjusted. Arrowed sections are in red and  green are just reminders from last year's changes.   74 00:07:53,520 --> 00:08:00,160 Javier. Okay please be aware that there are three  different levels of approval that must take place   75 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:08,400 once you accept a contract. This can take between  1 to 10 business days but no longer than 10. Once   76 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:13,840 approved you will be emailed a purchase order. You  are not authorized to begin work until you have   77 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:19,200 received the purchase order. Any work completed  prior to receiving the purchase order will not   78 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:26,800 be compensated for in the event that the contract  is cancelled before it completes the approval process.   79 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:33,840 If a contract is cancelled after the approval  process, you'll be compensated for   80 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:40,640 any completed work that you submit within  24 hours of the contract cancellation email.   81 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:48,240 Above in that slide we have an example of  the wording that you will receive in that email.   82 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:54,400 So for the approved purchase order, on the  screen you will find an example of an approved   83 00:08:54,400 --> 00:09:01,760 purchase order email. Please ensure to reply to this email and cc your editor   84 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:10,080 within 24 hours to confirm the receipt of your  P.O. and acknowledgement of your deadline. Please   85 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:18,560 note that all communication must be sent  via email to the email address pbn@usdb.org   86 00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:24,560 and make sure that you cc your assigned  editor on the project you are working on. 87 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:34,800 The project process. Once you are assigned an  editor you will receive their contact information. 88 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:38,880 You may be working with several different  editors over the course of the season.   89 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:46,240 Please pay careful attention  to the assigned editor for each contract and   90 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:53,760 work only with that editor. You must include the C.I. number in the subject line of every communication.   91 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:58,960 The C.I. number is what we will give  you in the purchase order email. 92 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:07,600 We process over 3,000 projects every year so the  contracts established are based on the ci numbers,   93 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:12,000 without them we won't know which  contract you were talking about and this   94 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:18,720 will cause some delays. USIMAC does  not accept partial submissions of work   95 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:24,720 we will only accept submittal of complete  volumes, chapters, units or sections. 96 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:34,560 Project refusal. If you refuse a project or  fail to respond to a project request for two   97 00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:41,760 projects in a row, you will be skipped on the next  project. If you refuse three consecutive projects,   98 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:48,880 you will be put on probation for three months.  Know if you refuse two projects and then accept   99 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:54,400 the next one, the violation count will be reset.   100 00:10:55,280 --> 00:11:01,440 If you are put on probation twice USIMAC will  remove you from our PBN vendor list for two years.   101 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:07,200 If you wish to reapply after that  time you will be required to retest.   102 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:14,800 Penalties will be assessed on a case-by-case  review basis in accordance with this document   103 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:20,800 and with the state of utah purchase order  terms and conditions for services pursuant   104 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:27,200 to this purchase order. If you would like  to temporarily remove yourself from receiving   105 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:33,680 braille contract requests there will be no  penalty as long as you let us know ahead of time. 106 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:41,760 Mandy. Moving forward larger projects will  be transcribed in the following order below. 107 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:46,000 When required it will be noted in special  requirements of the contract email 108 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:52,640 as a reminder, however not all contracts will  follow the same workflow. Your editor will provide   109 00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:59,200 further details once you receive the approved  P.O. Before starting any contract, please read   110 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:03,840 through attachment C agency guidelines for  USIMAC braille projects very carefully.  111 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:09,600 I'm sure everyone will be pleased to hear that  we only made minor language clarifications   112 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:15,520 and some content shifting due to number four  accidentally being omitted in last year's document.  113 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:20,960 We also removed the requirement to  submit print copies of the T pages, 114 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:26,880 title page special symbols and transcribers  notes. The full document is on our website and   115 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:30,800 it is attached to every big contract, so this will just be a quick review. 116 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:38,640 Here we have a screenshot of 12a previously  14a detailing how you would handle a separate   117 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:45,600 tactile graphic volume including picture examples. This process was implemented last year in 2020. 118 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:53,840 Here we have a screenshot of 12b previously  14b detailing how you would handle embedded   119 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:58,960 tactile graphics. Refer to your contract  email regarding which process to follow. 120 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:05,840 It's listed directly under the category level  where the green arrow is pointing on the screen. 121 00:13:06,560 --> 00:13:12,880 We will continue the R1 R2 proofreading  process which only applies to the first submission   122 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:18,640 of the first volume of body matter. Subsequent  volumes will be proofed as before. This means   123 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:23,040 the first submission will go through two sets of  proofreading before sending you the proofreading   124 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:28,960 notes. This process provides a better overview of  potential issues in subsequent volumes, which in   125 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:35,760 turn improves the overall quality of our work. The  error limit will remain the same for the R1 R2 and   126 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:41,280 be no more than 75 total errors. If your volume  reaches max errors it will be returned to you.   127 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:47,760 You will not receive violations during the R1  R2 process. Be cautious when working ahead if   128 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:52,080 there is an agency or editor decision  that will alter subsequent volumes.   129 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:56,800 You will be required to make those changes, even  if the volumes have been previously submitted. 130 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:06,480 Cassidy. Well hello everybody. All right invoicing  and receiving payments. Everybody likes to hear   131 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:12,640 about this. So, customer service will verify with  your editor the number of pages we received from   132 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:18,880 you against the number of pages you submitted.  Once you receive the confirmation email or your   133 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:30,240 final fact sheet, you can email invoice to pbn @usdb.org. You have the option to submit an invoice   134 00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:36,160 for completed braille pages each time you receive  a final fact sheet, or wait until the end of your   135 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:44,320 project until it's complete. So always include  the date, the purchase order number and the C.I.   136 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:50,240 number on every invoice, those are required.  It is also very helpful if you include the   137 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:59,680 volume, the page count and whether or not it  closes out that P.O. So if that is the last invoice   138 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:05,600 in that project if you could throw that on the  it just helps me to know okay close this P.O. out.   139 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:12,880 It's very helpful if it's just does not close out  this P.O. or closes this P.O. Please note that per   140 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:17,600 state of Utah's terms and conditions, the state  will make every effort to complete your payment   141 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:23,520 within 30 days of you sending it in, however  the state does allow up to 60 days to process   142 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:29,920 payments. We ask that you send us a follow-up email  if you have not received payment within 30 days   143 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:35,680 of submitting your invoice. And if you have not  received payment within 60 days, you can resubmit   144 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:41,840 and include interest charges, but give me a  heads up if after 30 days you haven't seen   145 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:47,600 anything from us. Just shoot me a shoot us  an email and uh I will look into it for you. 146 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:54,320 All right, here's an example of the final  fact sheet that you'll be receiving. 147 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:59,760 It's very similar to the ones we've had in  years past. It's just a slightly simplified, a   148 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:05,840 little bit shorter and smaller, it'll have the date,  it has the C.I. number, the book title, everything   149 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:12,480 like that on it so you just make sure get that on  your invoice and all should be good. Thanks guys. 150 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:23,200 Okay, contract violations. What is considered a  violation. Here are some examples,   151 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:30,160 missing a submission deadline by 24 hours, not  responding within 24 hours of receipt of the   152 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:37,360 purchase order email, submitting the wrong  format, not adhering to agency guidelines and   153 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:44,080 or contract requirements, not following through  with corrections within seven calendar days after   154 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:51,520 proofreading notes are sent and submitting a  volume with more than 45 errors for levels 1 and 2,   155 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:59,040 and 75 errors for level 3 and and above  including foreign language level 2. 156 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:08,880 Penalties for violations. The first violation  will be a warning, the second violation will   157 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:16,720 result in a 10% deduction of final payment.  The third violation will result in a contract   158 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:22,880 cancellation for any current projects and  subsequent probation period for three months.   159 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:31,120 You will have 24 hours to submit the work you have  completed. You will be paid for that piece only   160 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:37,840 minus the ten percent deduction from your second  violation and you will begin your probation period.   161 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:44,880 If you are put on probation twice, USIMAC will  remove you from our PBN approved vendor list for   162 00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:50,400 two years. If you wish to reapply after  that time, you will be required to retest. 163 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:59,840 The USIMAC website, you can go to our  website by typing in the web address www.USIMAC.org. 164 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:08,080 This is where you will find information on how to  become a PBN vendor with USIMAC. You will also find   165 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:14,960 resources and trainings, including one example that  we have is tips and tricks for using Braille 2000.   166 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:23,600 So check out our website. And you are also able  to contact us there on the website as well. 167 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:33,440 This slide contains contact information.  This concludes our presentation today. The slide   168 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:40,640 contains all the contact information and will be  posted on the website sometime next week. It's a   169 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:47,120 pleasure to have all of you here, and thank you for  joining us. If you have any questions, we will   170 00:18:47,120 --> 00:18:54,640 get to the questions if there's any. As I said I  will stop recording now, but we will stay on.