NIGP 83886: Telecommunicators for the Hearing and Speech Impaired

NIGP 83886 Telecommunicators For The Hearing And Speech Impaired, an Item code, encompasses remote and on-site interpreting services for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in state and local government settings — including American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting, Computer-Aided Realtime Translation (CART), TypeWell speech-to-text transcription, oral interpreting, and transliteration. State and local governments procure these services primarily to support accessibility compliance in educational environments, emergency response operations, and general government service delivery where deaf or hard-of-hearing employees, students, or the public require real-time communication access. School districts are the dominant buyers under this code, followed by county governments and special-purpose districts; Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida represents a substantial repeat buyer with an estimated annual budget of $950,000 for interpreter services covering 235 schools and approximately 750 deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Recent activity concentrates in Florida and New Jersey, with secondary activity in California and Texas cooperative procurement channels. Hillsborough County Public Schools issued RFP 26041-DST (due April 15, 2026) seeking sign language interpreting, oral interpreting, transliteration, and tactile interpreting services on a 24/7 as-needed basis across its district, with interpreter qualifications set at EIPA level 3.5 or equivalent RID National Certification, evaluation weighted toward specifications and scope (30 points), qualifications and experience (25 points), and cost (25 points), and an estimated contract value of $950,000. Bergen County, New Jersey posted RFP RPPR109 (due November 5, 2026) for remote ASL interpreting, CART, and TypeWell speech-to-text services, with no contract value or term specified in available documentation. Region 7 Purchasing Cooperative in Texas posted a catalog discount bid on special education and supplies (SPE2628, due October 1, 2026) estimated at $2,713,541 over two years, with multiple vendor awards anticipated; this cooperative vehicle serves member organizations across the cooperative's footprint. The market shows steady demand from school districts and counties implementing accessibility mandates, with preference programs (SBEP, OCLSB, DVBE) active in qualifying jurisdictions.