NIGP 71095: Speech Training Equipment (for the Hearing Impaired)

NIGP 71095 Speech Training Equipment (For The Hearing Impaired), an Item code, encompasses interpreting services for deaf and hard-of-hearing populations in educational settings, though recent state and local solicitations show the code is being used to procure sign language interpreting, oral interpreting, transliteration, and tactile interpreting services on an as-needed basis rather than equipment per se. School districts are the primary issuing body under this code, with interpreters required to maintain minimum EIPA level 3.5 or equivalent RID National Certification or BEI Certification and respond to service requests within 30 minutes to two-hour fulfillment windows. Contractors must provide all necessary labor, materials, supervision, and related items, with services delivered across multiple school sites and educational environments as determined by district coordinators and school personnel requests.

Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida issued the most recent solicitation—RFP 26041-DST, posted April 6, 2026, with proposals due April 15, 2026—to procure interpreting services across 235 schools and facilities serving approximately 750 deaf and hard-of-hearing students, with an estimated annual budget of $950,000. The district intends to award one primary contractor and multiple alternate awardees and is actively addressing a doubling of interpreter vacancies since 2021-2022. HCPS applies its Small Business Encouragement Program with a minimum 20 percent reinvestment goal for certified small businesses in the Tampa Bay area and weights evaluation criteria at 30 points for specifications and scope, 25 points for qualifications and experience, 25 points for cost/value, 10 points for business references, and 10 points for SBEP utilization. The contract runs through the first anniversary month with automatic renewal for up to four additional one-year periods contingent on appropriations and performance.