3-Scope of Work Language Access Assessment.pdf

Language Access Assessment

– Request for Proposals

Purpose

Boulder County’s Office of the County Administrator is seeking a consultant to assess and strengthen our Language Access Program. We’re looking for a thoughtful partner who can help us understand how our current systems are performing, identify opportunities for growth, and support us in building sustainable, equitable practices that ensure meaningful access for residents.

We’re especially interested in how well our internal systems support staff, maintain quality and consistency across translation and interpretation services, and prepare us for evolving compliance expectations. The assessment will serve as both a progress check and a strategic planning tool to guide the County’s Language Access work over the next five years.

Background

Boulder County commissioned its first comprehensive Language Access Assessment in 2022.

That work established a strong foundation and introduced a visual maturity model adapted from CSA Research and Carnegie Mellon’s Capability Maturity Models.

Since then, the County has taken major steps forward:

• Updated the bilingual pay policy to better support inclusive service delivery

• Improved data collection on linguistically diverse populations and language service usage

• More than doubled interpretation service use

• Established a dedicated Language Access Coordinator position

• Implemented a countywide strategic framework for Language Access

• Expanded staff awareness and engagement around Language Access

• Observed a cultural shift in how departments engage with multilingual communities

With this progress in place, we are now looking inward focusing on operational readiness, vendor relationships, and long-term sustainability. This next phase is about ensuring that our internal processes, staffing, and vendor partnerships can reliably deliver the level of service our communities deserve.

Scope of Work

The selected consultant will be expected to provide a balanced, actionable assessment grounded in existing information, stakeholder insight, and practical recommendations.

Compliance Reporting Readiness o Assess the County’s preparedness for compliance reporting, including vendor quality, consistency, and documentation.

o Explore how language service vendors view their relationship with Boulder County and identify any barriers to effective collaboration.

o Determine whether vendors are keeping records of their work and what documentation they maintain for audits or reviews.

o Evaluate how the County currently tracks vendor work and provide recommendations to strengthen internal tracking and accountability.

Internal Stakeholder Engagement o Conduct structured interviews with internal staff who coordinate, deliver, or oversee Language Access efforts.

o Explore key themes such as bilingual staff use, centralized translation and vendor services (including vendor quality, consistency, and record-keeping), compliance readiness, and leadership engagement.

o Reflect staff perspectives in a way that captures both strengths and opportunities for improvement.

Departmental Self-Evaluation Guidance o Develop a framework that helps departments assess their own Language Access practices, capacity, and compliance readiness.

o Focus on providing practical tools and guiding questions, rather than prescriptive recommendations, that empower departments to evaluate and strengthen their own work.

o Coordinate with Legal and other internal partners to ensure alignment and clarity in expectations.

Vital Documents o Evaluate whether the County has sufficient translated and accessible materials to meet both community needs and compliance requirements.

o Review how vital documents are prioritized, translated, updated, and distributed.

o Identify opportunities to improve the consistency, quality, and accessibility of translations across departments.

Review and Synthesize Existing County Data o Use existing materials such as the Four-Factor Analysis, demographic reports, service usage data, and bilingual staffing information.

o Avoid duplication by integrating and interpreting what already exists rather than collecting new community-facing data.

Bilingual Staffing Assessment (Public-Facing Roles) o Analyze how bilingual capacity is currently staffed across public-facing departments.

o Assess the distribution of bilingual staff, identify departments with gaps, and evaluate how language skills are embedded in job roles.

o Provide department-specific insights and recommendations to support executive leadership in sustaining bilingual capacity.

o Suggest strategies for embedding bilingual skills into job classifications, recruitment and retention planning, and internal systems that ensure consistent, equitable service delivery.

Five-Year Strategic Recommendations o Provide actionable, prioritized recommendations that account for Boulder County’s staffing and budget realities.

o Identify short-, mid-, and long-term goals that guide our Language Access work toward measurable and sustainable growth.

o Highlight key milestones and decision points to help leadership plan for future implementation.

Timing and Resourcing

• Estimated timeline: approximately three months to complete the assessment and provide deliverables.

Deliverables

The consultant will provide:

Summary Report (10–15 pages) that includes:

o A revised Localization Maturity Model assessment, including a visual graphic and rationale o Themes and insights from internal stakeholder interviews o A synthesis of existing county data and its relationship to the County’s current maturity stage o A five-year strategic roadmap with prioritized actions, milestones, and implementation considerations

Bilingual Staffing Assessment Brief (2–3 pages) that includes:

o Department-level insights on current bilingual staffing levels o Recommendations for embedding bilingual skills into workforce planning

Submission Requirements

Interested consultants should submit a proposal that includes:

Cover Letter o Introduce your team or firm, relevant experience, and why you are well-suited to conduct this assessment.

Approach and Methodology o Describe your approach to assessing Language Access programs, including stakeholder engagement, data review, and analysis.

o Include how you would address compliance readiness, vendor evaluation, bilingual staffing, and department self-assessment guidance.

Work Plan and Timeline o Provide a proposed timeline for completing the assessment, including key milestones and deliverables.

Qualifications and Experience o Include relevant experience in language access assessments, organizational capacity evaluations, or similar projects.

o Highlight experience working with government or public sector clients, if applicable.

Deliverables o Confirm your ability to provide the Summary Report and Bilingual Staffing

Assessment Brief as outlined in the RFP.

References o Provide 2–3 references from prior clients who can speak to your experience conducting similar assessments.