Remote Language Services

The agency is seeking a vendor to provide remote language services utilizing technology and software platforms to deliver on-demand access to culturally competent, professional interpreting and translation services. The project aims to solve immediate communication needs in situations requiring real-time assistance through video remote interpreting, telephone interpreting, and automated translation. The contract period will span three years, and the selected vendor will perform all work offsite. The scope of work covers telephone interpreting with minimal wait times and conference-calling capabilities, as well as video remote interpreting with minimal connection delays. For automated translation, the agency requires web-integrated, AI-assisted tools that preserve the natural flow of conversation, understand formal, informal, police, and legal settings, and maintain high-quality live translations for more than sixty languages. The vendor must provide interpreters for the agency's most frequently used languages, which include Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Lao, Oromo, Vietnamese, Amharic, and American Sign Language. Performance measures require the delivery of accurate, clear, and culturally appropriate interpretation on a twenty-four-hour, seven-day-a-week, year-round basis. Interpreters must maintain an appropriate pace, actively and accurately interpret on the spot, avoid word-for-word literal translations, and convey the intended message and context to non-subject matter audiences. Bidders must submit a list and rates of available languages for both the telephone and video interpreting services. Eligibility is restricted to onshore organizations based in the United States. Bidders must submit their proposals digitally via email or online, and the agency is currently looking for proposals to establish the budget. The agency will host a virtual pre-bid meeting on June 2, 2026, and bidders must submit all questions no later than June 8, 2026.