NIGP 96167: Sign Language Services for the Hearing Impaired

NIGP 96167 Sign Language Services For The Hearing Impaired, an Item code, encompasses American Sign Language interpreting, oral interpreting, transliteration, tactile interpreting, Computer-Aided Realtime Translation (CART), and TypeWell speech-to-text services that state and local governments procure to ensure communication access for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deafblind individuals in educational, administrative, and health care settings. School districts represent the dominant buyer category under this code, with secondary demand from county health systems, colleges, and municipal government. Educational interpreting dominates the recent solicitation stream: most opportunities seek certified or pre-certified ASL interpreters to serve students with hearing impairments across classroom instruction, extracurricular activities, and educational environments, with interpreters required to hold Board of Educational Interpreters (BEI) or Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) certification or equivalent credentials. School districts typically solicit on an as-needed basis with 24/7 availability and rapid-response requirements (30-minute to 2-hour fulfillment timelines). Health care interpreting and higher-education interpreting represent secondary but growing segments, with interpreters in clinical settings required to hold Oregon Certified or Qualified Healthcare Interpreter credentials and higher-education providers increasingly seeking both onsite and Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) delivery options.

Recent solicitations cluster in Florida, Texas, Colorado, Oregon, and New Jersey, with Hillsborough County Public Schools appearing as a repeat buyer posting multiple RFPs for interpreting and speech-language pathology services. Hillsborough's RFP 26041-DST (proposals due April 15, 2026) seeks sign language interpreters, oral interpreters, transliteration, and tactile interpreting services across 235 schools and facilities with an estimated annual budget of $950,000 and SBEP (Small Business Encouragement Program) reinvestment goals of 20 percent locally. Katy Independent School District (Texas) issued two RFPs in summer 2026: RFP 2518YT for sign language interpreting services (proposals due July 8, 2026) serving six cooperative districts and RFP 2519YT for educational interpreting services (proposals due August 3, 2026). CareOregon (Oregon) posted RFP 2026-05 (due August 11, 2026) for health care interpreter services supporting Medicaid and Medicare members across multiple modalities—in-person, telephonic, and video remote—with tier-based language and geographic rate structures. North Eastern Junior College (Colorado) solicited ASL interpreting for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 semesters with preference for onsite providers and equine-agriculture vocabulary expertise (due July 20, 2026). Bergen County, New Jersey issued RPPR109 (due November 5, 2026) for remote ASL interpreting, CART, and TypeWell services with limited scope detail in the posting.