NIGP 91525: Captioned Services for the Hearing Impaired (see 915-85 for Telecommunication Relay Services)

NIGP 91525 Captioned Services for the Hearing Impaired, an Item code, encompasses real-time and post-production closed captioning, American Sign Language transcription, sign language and oral interpreting services, and related audio-visual accessibility support that state and local governments procure to meet ADA and accessibility compliance requirements across government meetings, educational institutions, emergency services, and public events. Recent solicitations show demand spanning video captioning for live broadcasts and recorded content, interpreting services for students and staff in school districts, ASL transcription for health plan members, emergency notification systems accessible to deaf and hard of hearing populations, and integrated audio-visual support for hybrid government council meetings with remote-participant capabilities.

Issuing bodies soliciting under the code include school districts (Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida), county governments (Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in Texas, Hillsborough County in Florida), city procurement offices (City of Houston, Events DC in Washington D.C.), state agencies (Texas Education Agency on behalf of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities), higher education institutions (Texas Tech University), and health plans (Inland Empire Health Plan in California). Texas and Florida account for the most recent activity, with secondary activity in Washington D.C. and California. Representative recent opportunities include Hillsborough County Public Schools' RFP 26041-DST seeking sign language and oral interpreting services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students across 235 schools with an estimated annual budget of $950,000 and responses due April 15, 2026; the City of Houston's ITB-2026-0018 for real-time stenographic closed captioning services for City departments with bids due September 3, 2026 and a three-year term with two one-year renewal options; Texas Tech University's RFP 2026-1175 for video and audio transcription, captioning, and audio description services with proposals due July 10, 2026; and the Texas Education Agency's RFP 701-27-001 for comprehensive audio-visual and captioning services supporting hybrid Council meetings in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio with proposals due October 21, 2026. Several solicitations include set-asides or preference programs, including Hillsborough County Public Schools' 10-point SBEP utilization weighting and 20 percent small-business reinvestment goal for the Tampa Bay region, and Events DC's designations for DSLBD-certified small and disadvantaged business enterprises with 35 percent subcontracting floors on contracts exceeding $250,000.