NIGP 83886: Telecommunicators for the Hearing and Speech Impaired

NIGP 83886 Telecommunicators For The Hearing And Speech Impaired is an Item code that encompasses sign language interpreting, oral interpreting, transliteration, and relay services for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-impaired populations across educational, emergency response, and state disability services contexts. Recent solicitations show state and local governments procuring both on-demand interpreting labor at scale and backend relay-service infrastructure; interpreters must maintain professional certifications (EIPA level 3.5 or equivalent RID National Certification or BEI Certification) and respond rapidly (within 30 minutes to two hours depending on context), while relay-service vendors supply FCC-compliant telecommunications platforms, call analytics, and multilingual contact-center support. Issuing bodies include county school districts, county sheriff's offices, and state disability and aging services divisions. Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida, representing one of the larger recent opportunities, seeks interpreting services across 235 schools serving approximately 750 deaf and hard-of-hearing students, with an estimated annual budget of $950,000 and a requirement that interpreters maintain 24/7 availability and comply with Small Business Encouragement Program reinvestment goals. The Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division (under the state Department of Human Services) issued an RFI on April 1, 2026, due May 6, 2026, seeking vendor information on statewide Telecommunication Relay Services, Speech to Speech Services, and Captioned Telephone Service to establish a contracting cycle beginning July 1, 2027.

Activity concentrates in California, Florida, and Nevada. Beyond the Hillsborough County Schools RFP (26041RFQDST, due April 15, 2026) and Nevada ADSD RFI (40DHHSS3809, due May 6, 2026), the most recent opportunity is the California Public Utilities Commission's RFP 23NS0710 (due August 1, 2026) for comprehensive equipment processing services for the California Connect program, which delivers assistive technology to Californians with disabilities and requires 24/7/365 multilingual contact-center support in a minimum of five languages including American Sign Language, with a maximum base contract value of $9,600,000 and optional extensions reaching $25,000,000. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office also posted a brief RFQ on June 9, 2026 (due June 17, 2026) for Motorola Radios and Accessories, which overlaps with law-enforcement communications infrastructure but does not directly address telecommunications services for hearing and speech-impaired populations. Sourcing activity appears episodic rather than recurring; the largest institutional buyers are school districts and state-level disability and health agencies managing both direct service provision and platform infrastructure.