7-AFI-2026124 Translation Services RFP 3.19.26 (1).docx

AFI-2026-124 | AI-Driven Translation & Language Access Services | Alliance for Innovation

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

AFI-2026-124

AI-Driven Translation & Language Access Services Written, Voice, and Real-Time Multilingual Communication Solutions for Municipalities & Public Agencies

Proposal Due Date: May 11, 2026, 5:00 p.m. CT Key Contact: AFI — Nicole Kenney, bids@transformgov.org All questions must be submitted via the Indigo Procurement Portal. Direct email or phone contact will not be accepted.

Lead Contracting Agency:

Alliance for Innovation (AFI) Cooperative Partner:

Edge Public

CALENDAR OF PROCESS

Please note that all dates are subject to change.

Register Here for Meeting Link

TO OFFERORS

1. Key Definitions Master Agreement: The legal agreement executed between AFI and the awarded Offeror(s).

Supplier(s): Any provider of AI-driven translation or language access services who, as a result of the competitive solicitation process, is awarded a Contract by AFI.

Days: Calendar days.

Offeror: A company submitting a proposal in response to this solicitation.

AI-Driven Translation: Automated machine translation and/or interpretation services powered by artificial intelligence, machine learning, or neural network technologies, capable of processing written text and/or spoken audio in real time or near real time.

Live/Real-Time Interpretation: The simultaneous or near-simultaneous rendering of spoken language into another language during live events, meetings, or phone calls using AI-powered technology.

Written Document Translation: The translation of static written documents, forms, notices, websites, or digital content from one language to another.

Language Access: The provision of meaningful access to public services and information for individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), as required under federal and state law.

Limited English Proficient (LEP) Individual: A person who does not speak English as their primary language and who has a limited ability to read, speak, write, or understand English.

Participating Public Agency (PPA): Any government entity, educational institution, or nonprofit organization eligible to purchase under the resulting Master Agreement.

Language Service Provider (LSP): A company or organization that provides translation, interpretation, or localization services.

2. Questions Questions regarding this solicitation must be submitted in writing via the Indigo Procurement Portal (https://indigo.bonfirehub.com) no later than the date and time specified in the Calendar of Process. All questions and answers will be posted publicly in the Files section of the RFP project. Offerors are responsible for reviewing the online portal for all questions and answers before submitting proposals. Oral communications concerning this RFP shall not be binding.

3. Communications with AFI From the issuance of this RFP until the selection of Supplier, Offerors shall restrict all contact with AFI to the individual identified as Key Contact in the Calendar of Process. All communications, including questions, must be submitted via the Indigo Procurement Portal; direct email/phone contact with AFI personnel regarding this RFP is prohibited.

Offerors must not contact members of the Board of Directors, employees of AFI, or its agents or administrators. Contact with these individuals during the selection period may result in disqualification.

The communication prohibition terminates when the Contract is recommended, considered at a public meeting, and awarded.

Prohibited communications include:

1. Contact between an Offeror, lobbyist, or consultant and any Board member

1. Contact between a Board member and any selection/evaluation committee member

1. Contact between a Board member and any administrator or employee

Exceptions include:

1. Communications with designated purchasing staff or legal counsel

1. Current Supplier in normal course of business

1. Presentations at duly noticed public meetings

4. Proposal Format Sealed responses are required to be submitted electronically via the Indigo Procurement Portal(https://indigo.bonfirehub.com) for each requested item in the format specified. The proposal format should be organized clearly and aligned with the evaluation criteria as described in this RFP document. Physical paper, faxed, or emailed responses will not be accepted.

5. Disclosures By signing the Offer and Contract Signature Form, Offeror affirms:

1. No economic opportunity, gift, loan, gratuity, or favor has been or will be given to a public servant regarding this proposal.

1. The proposal was developed independently, without collusion, favoritism, or unfair advantage.

1. Offeror is not delinquent in applicable tax payments.

1. The signer is authorized to bind the Offeror to the Contract.

1. All AI translation systems and data handling practices described are accurate and verifiable.

1. Offeror has disclosed all known limitations of its AI translation systems, including language pairs where accuracy may be reduced.

6. Waiver By submitting a proposal, Offeror waives claims against AFI, its directors, officers, trustees, or agents arising from evaluation, recommendation, or administration of any proposal; solicitation or proposal requirements; rejection of any proposal or part thereof; or award of a Contract. AFI is not liable for any costs incurred in responding to the RFP.

7. Conditions of Submitting Proposal Submission confers no award or Contract rights. AFI reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, accept partial proposals, or select the most advantageous option. This RFP does not obligate AFI to award, negotiate, or execute a Contract.

8. Withdrawal of Proposals Withdrawal prior to opening is permitted the Indigo Procurement Portal. After opening, Offerors may withdraw proposals due to clerical errors if they provide written notice and supporting documents within three business days of acceptance notification.

SCOPE OF WORK

Overview The Alliance for Innovation (AFI), as Lead Contracting Agency, is soliciting proposals from qualified Offerors to provide AI-Driven Translation and Language Access Services to Participating Public Agencies (PPAs) nationwide. AFI issues this solicitation in collaboration with Edge Public, serving as the Cooperative Marketing Partner.

The resulting Master Agreement will establish a comprehensive, competitively awarded cooperative contract enabling state and local governments, educational institutions, and nonprofit entities to efficiently procure AI-powered translation and language access solutions. The cooperative contract eliminates the need for agencies to conduct repetitive, time-consuming solicitations for individual language access needs.

A core objective of this contract is to support Participating Public Agencies in meeting their legal obligations under Executive Order 13166, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and applicable state language access laws — ensuring meaningful communication with all community members regardless of language.

This solicitation seeks solutions that address the full spectrum of municipal translation and language access needs, including:

1. Live/real-time AI voice interpretation at public meetings, town halls, council chambers, and civic events

1. Written document translation for municipal notices, permits, forms, legal documents, and public communications

1. Website and digital content localization for government web portals

1. Emergency communications translation for public safety notifications

1. 311 and call center multilingual support

1. On-demand over-the-phone and video remote interpretation (OPI/VRI) Service Categories / Workstreams AFI has organized the requested services into the following Workstreams. Offerors may propose on one or multiple Workstreams and should clearly identify which they are proposing. Multiple awards are anticipated.

Workstream 1 — Real-Time AI Voice Interpretation (Live Events & Meetings) This Workstream covers AI-powered live voice interpretation for public meetings, community events, council sessions, and civic engagement activities, including but not limited to:

1. Real-time simultaneous AI interpretation for public meetings, city council sessions, town halls, and community forums

1. Participant-facing mobile app or web browser access for attendees to select their preferred language and receive real-time audio/text interpretation

1. Support for in-person, hybrid, and fully virtual meeting formats

1. Live AI captions and multilingual subtitles displayed on screens or personal devices

1. Minimum language support of 20 languages including Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Haitian Creole, Somali, Korean, Tagalog, Polish, French, Amharic, Hindi, Khmer, Hmong, Japanese, Gujarati, and Tigrinya

1. Integration with common video conferencing platforms (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Google Meet)

1. Integration with government-specific meeting platforms (Granicus, iLegislate, Legistar, Swagit)

1. Post-meeting multilingual transcript generation

1. Accessibility compliance: ADA-compliant captions and hearing-assist compatibility

1. Usage analytics and participation reporting dashboards for agency administrators Workstream 2 — Written Document & Content Translation This Workstream covers AI-powered translation of static and dynamic written content for municipal use, including but not limited to:

1. Translation of official government documents: ordinances, resolutions, public notices, permits, applications, and legal communications

1. Translation of public-facing forms: benefit applications, utility enrollments, permits, voter information, housing assistance

1. Website and web portal content localization with CMS integration capabilities

1. Emergency alert and public safety notification translation (Code Red, Nixle, Everbridge, and similar platforms)

1. Translation of municipal newsletters, social media posts, press releases, and public information materials

1. Batch document translation for large-volume processing needs

1. Glossary and terminology management specific to municipal/government vocabulary

1. Human-in-the-loop review workflows for high-stakes legal or regulatory documents

1. Translation memory to ensure consistency across repeated agency terminology

1. Output in original format preservation (PDF, Word, web-native) wherever practicable

1. Quality assurance scoring and confidence indicators for each translation Workstream 3 — On-Demand Voice Interpretation (OPI / VRI) This Workstream covers on-demand AI-assisted and human-backed over-the-phone (OPI) and video remote interpretation (VRI) for municipal service delivery, including but not limited to:

1. On-demand over-the-phone interpretation available 24/7/365 in 200+ languages

1. Video remote interpretation (VRI) with visual context support for complex interactions

1. AI-first triage with qualified human interpreter escalation for complex or sensitive cases

1. Integration with existing 311 platforms, call center software (Five9, Genesys, Avaya), and CRM systems

1. Average speed-to-connect under 30 seconds for high-demand languages

1. Support for ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation via VRI

1. Specialized interpreter access for public safety, public health, housing, and court contexts

1. Per-minute and flat-rate subscription pricing models available

1. Monthly usage reporting and LEP incident documentation for compliance purposes

Workstream 4 — AI Translation Platform / Software License This Workstream covers standalone AI translation software platforms that municipalities can deploy directly within their technology environments, including but not limited to:

1. Cloud-based SaaS AI translation platform with municipal-specific configuration

1. On-premise or private cloud deployment options for agencies with data sovereignty requirements

1. REST API and SDK access for integration with existing municipal software systems

1. Role-based access controls and multi-department user management

1. Custom domain terminology training and glossary building tools

1. Audit logging, translation history, and accountability trails

1. Single Sign-On (SSO) support (SAML 2.0, Azure AD, Okta)

1. ADA Section 508-compliant interface design

1. White-label or agency-branded interface options

1. Data residency controls (U.S.-based data hosting strongly preferred) Workstream 5 — Emergency & Public Safety Translation This Workstream covers mission-critical, time-sensitive translation for emergency management and public safety communications, including but not limited to:

1. Rapid-deployment multilingual mass notification translation for emergency alerts, evacuation orders, and public safety warnings

1. Integration with existing emergency notification systems (Everbridge, Omnilert, Rave Mobile Safety, CodeRED)

1. Pre-approved translation templates for FEMA standard emergency message types

1. 24/7 emergency support with guaranteed sub-5-minute turnaround for critical alerts

1. Translation of emergency shelter intake forms, health intake documents, and disaster assistance applications

1. Multilingual support for Emergency Operations Centers (EOC)

1. Training for emergency management staff on translation platform deployment

LANGUAGE ACCESS & REGULATORY COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS

Federal and State Compliance Framework Municipalities procuring language access services under this contract must be able to demonstrate compliance with applicable legal requirements. Offerors must certify that their solutions support agency compliance with:

1. Executive Order 13166 — Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency

1. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — prohibiting discrimination based on national origin

1. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — including captioning and accessible communication requirements

1. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act — accessibility standards for electronic information

1. Applicable state language access statutes (e.g., California, New York, Illinois, Texas, Florida)

1. HIPAA Privacy Rule — for any translation services touching protected health information

1. FERPA — for any translation services touching student educational records Data Security and Privacy Requirements Given the sensitive nature of public agency communications — including personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), and law enforcement data — data security is a non-negotiable requirement of this contract.

Offerors must demonstrate compliance with or certification under one or more of the following:

1. SOC 2 Type II — required minimum for all cloud-hosted solutions

1. ISO 27001 — Information Security Management System certification

1. FedRAMP Authorization (Moderate or High) — preferred for solutions used by federally-funded agencies

1. CJIS Security Policy compliance — required for any solution used in law enforcement or criminal justice contexts

1. StateRAMP — for agencies in participating states

1. HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) availability — for health-related translations

All Offerors must also address:

1. Data at rest and in transit encryption standards (AES-256, TLS 1.2+)

1. Data retention and deletion policies — including right-to-purge municipal data

1. Prohibition on using agency data to train AI models without explicit written consent

1. Sub-processor disclosure and third-party data sharing policies

1. U.S.-based data residency (or disclosure of any offshore data processing)

1. Incident response plan and breach notification procedures

1. Penetration testing and vulnerability management program

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONS

About AFI (Lead Contracting Agency) AFI is a nonprofit association of governments dedicated to fostering innovation and excellence in local government. AFI is acting as a procurement cooperative to assist large and small communities in their purchasing efforts to enhance efficiencies and reduce costs, In addition it is AFI’s goal to ensure that wherever possible local companies have the opportunity to participate in the solicitation process.

AFI assists local governments in implementing innovative solutions to enhance efficiency, service delivery, and community impact. The organization emphasizes strategic thinking emerging technologies, and best practices to equip public agencies with the knowledge and support to address evolving challenges.

AFI offers various programs, including innovation academies, workshops, and a comprehensive knowledge network that allows local governments to share success stories and lessons learned. It hosts annual conferences and webinars that unite municipal leaders, industry experts, and academic researchers to explore trends in governance, sustainability, civic engagement, and operational improvements. By promoting a culture of innovation, AFI empowers local governments to be more adaptive, resilient, and responsive to the needs of their communities, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for citizens nationwide.

About Edge Public (Cooperative Partner) Edge Public is the group purchasing organization dedicated to enhancing value and resources for state and local governments, higher education institutions, K-12 educational organizations, and non-profit entities, Edge Public delivers shared services and supply chain optimization solutions. This support aids procurement operations across public and private sectors. Through corporate pricing structures and supplier sales commitments, Edge Public extends marketing, sales and administrative support to promote supplier products and services to non-profit entities on a national scale.

This targeted engagement allows Public Agencies to access competitive pricing driven by collective spending power and the convenience of pre-competed, publicly advertised contracts Suppliers benefit from this arrangement by entering into a contract that permits entities to procure goods and services directly without the need for additional competitive solicitations. Participating suppliers must comply with all obligations as specified in Edge Public's contractual documents.

Edge Public is a wholly owned subsidiary of Buyers Edge Platform (BEP) portfolio of companies. BEP is the largest and most experienced procurement and data organization in the private sector globally. Leveraging BEP's expansive economies of scale, Edge Public provides participants with access to competitively solicited and publicly awarded cooperative agreements. This program is grounded in the lead agency contracting model, ensuring a transparent, efficient, and publicly vetted procurement process that meets most all regulatory requirements nationally.

About Civic Marketplace Civic Marketplace is a next-generation digital procurement platform built in collaboration with local governments to simplify and modernize public purchasing. It offers a centralized, AI-powered hub where agencies can discover, compare, and procure from cooperative contract, dramatically reducing time-to-implementation while ensuring full compliance with state and local bid laws.

The Master Agreement resulting from this solicitation will be made available through the Civic Marketplace platform, enabling Participating Public Agencies to efficiently identify, access, and utilize the cooperative contract in full compliance with applicable procurement laws.

National Contract AFI, serving as the Lead Contracting Agency, has partnered with Edge Public to offer the resulting contract to municipal agencies and nonprofits nationwide through Edge Public's group purchasing organization program. AFI projects the value of the contract to be in excess of $10-25 million annually, after ramp-up. While no minimum purchase volume is guaranteed, the estimated annual procurement volume for AI translation and language access services is expected to exceed that volume based on the growing language access needs of AFI member locations combined with a targeted marketing strategy focused on local government entities operating across states nationwide.

CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Contract Objectives AFI's objective is to establish a comprehensive, competitively awarded cooperative contract for AI-driven translation and language access services that enables Participating Agencies to efficiently serve their multilingual communities. The contract is intended to:

1. Reduce barriers to language access by providing a pre-competed, ready-to-use cooperative agreement

1. Provide access to leading AI translation technology and qualified language service providers

1. Deliver cost-effective, transparent, and scalable pricing for agencies of all sizes

1. Support compliance with federal and state language access laws and regulations

1. Enable municipalities to meet the communication needs of Limited English Proficient (LEP) residents

1. Support agencies of all sizes — from small municipalities to large counties and educational institutions Contract Term Awarded contract(s) will be for five (5) years with the option to renew for two (2) additional years. The initial contract term will commence upon execution of the contract. Contract renewal will occur with mutual agreement of the successful Supplier.

Contract Parameters

Exclusivity AFI anticipates considerable activity resulting from this RFP award; however, no commitment of any kind is made concerning actual quantities to be acquired. Any contract resulting from this solicitation shall be awarded with the understanding that it is for the sole convenience of the purchaser. The agencies reserve the right to obtain similar services from another source.

Anticipated Award To cover the diverse service categories required by municipalities and public agencies, AFI may make multiple awards to different Suppliers by Workstream. Awards may be made to suppliers specializing in specific capabilities (e.g., a live interpretation platform and a separate document translation solution) to achieve the most competitive pricing and broadest service availability for Participating Public Agencies.

MARKETING, SALES, AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

Dedicated Support Edge Public will assign a marketing professional as the Supplier's main point of contact, responsible for managing the relationship and developing a strategy to promote the Master Agreement. This director will facilitate connections with key Edge Public teams, including Sales, Marketing, Contracting, Training, and Operations & Support.

Marketing Initiatives Edge Public's marketing team will collaborate with the Supplier to promote the Master Agreement through (not all inclusive):

1. Marketing materials (print, electronic, email, presentations)

1. Online ordering portal promotions and digital presence

1. Trade shows, conferences, and public sector meetings (ICMA, NLC, NACo, NAGW)

1. Advertising campaigns targeting public procurement professionals

1. Social media outreach to local government networks

1. Webinars and educational content around language access compliance Administrative Fee The "Administrative Fee" is a payment owed by the Supplier to Edge Public, calculated as a percentage of the total purchase amount paid to the Supplier, excluding taxes, refunds, and credits.

Contract Sales Reporting The Supplier must submit an electronic accounting report each month, summarizing all Contract Sales. Reports must be formatted as prescribed by Edge Public. Reports for each calendar month are due by the 10th day of the following month. Failure to submit a report on time is considered a material breach of this agreement.

RFP PROCESS

Questions Questions regarding this RFP shall be submitted IN WRITING via https://indigo.bonfirehub.com no later than the date and time specified in the RFP. Only answers issued in writing by AFI will be considered official and valid.

Addenda All addenda issued by AFI shall become a part of the specifications. Addenda will be posted in the RFP Files section on https://indigo.bonfirehub.com. No addenda will be issued later than five (5) days prior to the date and time for receipt of RFPs, except an addendum withdrawing the request or one that includes postponement of the receipt date.

Product Demonstrations AFI reserves the right to require live platform demonstrations from shortlisted Offerors. Demonstrations shall be conducted virtually via video conference and may include:

1. Live demonstration of real-time voice interpretation in a simulated public meeting scenario

1. Live demonstration of document translation workflow including quality scoring

1. Demonstration of the administrative portal and reporting capabilities

1. Accuracy testing in multiple languages identified by the evaluation panel

1. Security and data handling walkthrough Review and Award Process AFI requires that any response to this solicitation be valid and irrevocable for sixty (60) days after the official opening date. AFI may choose to use any available resource to review and evaluate proposals, including reference checks, review of industry data, platform demonstrations, and accuracy testing.

AFI reserves the right to:

1. Ask for demonstrations or pilot access from any Supplier regarding its proposal

1. Discuss, clarify, or update any proposal with any Supplier reasonably susceptible of award

1. Shortlist proposals under consideration at any time

1. Award this contract without discussion with any responding Supplier

1. Accept any or all proposals in whole or in part, and waive irregularities

1. Reject the proposal of any respondent who has previously failed to perform similar contracts satisfactorily

PROPOSAL EVALUATION

AFI will review and evaluate all proposals and make a recommendation to the Board of Directors for award of contracts. Proposals will be evaluated by the following selection criteria:

EVALUATION SECTION 1: COMPANY QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Company Overview Provide a brief description of your company, including years in business, ownership structure, primary service lines relevant to AI translation and language access, number of public sector clients, and any government-specific certifications or cooperative contract experience.

AI Technology and Platform Describe the AI technology underlying your translation and interpretation services. Address the following:

1. Underlying AI/ML architecture (e.g., neural machine translation, large language models, speech-to-text ASR models)

1. Whether your AI models are proprietary, open-source, or built on third-party foundations (e.g., GPT, Whisper, DeepL, Google Translate API)

1. How your system handles domain-specific government and municipal terminology

1. Quality assurance and accuracy measurement methodology (e.g., BLEU scores, human evaluation, post-editing analysis)

1. How the platform is updated and improved over time

1. Known limitations in specific language pairs or content types and how they are addressed Language Coverage Provide a complete list of languages supported for each service type (live voice, document translation, OPI/VRI). For each language, indicate:

1. Availability for live voice interpretation

1. Availability for document translation

1. Availability for on-demand OPI/VRI

1. Quality tier or confidence level (e.g., human-reviewed vs. AI-only)

1. Any languages where AI-only output is not recommended and human review is required Government and Municipal Experience Describe your experience providing translation and language access services to government entities. Provide a minimum of five (5) government contracts performed within the past seven (7) years. For each, describe:

1. Agency name, contact, and phone number

1. Contract value and duration

1. Types of services provided (live meetings, document translation, OPI, platform license)

1. Volume of translations and interpretations performed

1. Any cooperative purchasing contract experience (GSA Schedule, state contracts, GPOs) Geographic Coverage and Scalability Describe your company's ability to provide services nationally. Identify any limitations on service delivery by geography, time zone, or language availability. Describe your capacity to scale services during high-demand periods such as election cycles, emergency events, or major municipal initiatives.

References and Past Performance Provide a minimum of three (3) public agency references for translation and/or language access service contracts completed within the past five (5) years. References must be from government clients. For each reference, provide:

1. Agency name

1. Contact name, title, phone number, and email address

1. Contract value and duration

1. Types of services provided

1. Volume of translations/interpretations performed

1. Languages supported

AFI reserves the right to contact references at any time during the evaluation process. References with unresolved disputes, negative feedback, or inability to confirm satisfactory performance may result in disqualification.

In addition to your references, AFI will also research your performance ratings on Procurated (https://home.procurated.com/). Your score will be considered in addition to the qualitative feedback provided by your references. If you are not yet listed on Procurated, we strongly encourage you to register and ask your past public sector customers to write reviews.

EVALUATION SECTION 2: AI TECHNOLOGY CAPABILITY, LANGUAGE COVERAGE & ACCURACY

Accuracy and Quality Standards Offerors must demonstrate measurable translation and interpretation accuracy. Address the following:

1. Published or internally measured accuracy rates by language pair and content type

1. Methodology used to measure translation quality (automated metrics, human evaluation, customer feedback)

1. How quality assurance is performed prior to delivery for document translations

1. Real-time quality monitoring for live interpretation services

1. Human review and post-editing capabilities and workflows

1. Escalation paths when AI confidence is low or content is flagged as high-stakes Real-Time Interpretation Performance For Workstream 1 (Live Voice Interpretation), provide the following performance benchmarks:

EVALUATION SECTION 3: SECURITY, COMPLIANCE & DATA PRIVACY

Security Certifications Provide documentation of all current security certifications and audits. At minimum, Offerors must provide:

1. Current SOC 2 Type II audit report (or equivalent)

1. ISO 27001 certification (if applicable)

1. FedRAMP authorization documentation (if applicable)

1. CJIS compliance documentation (if services are proposed for law enforcement use)

1. HIPAA BAA template (required if services may process PHI) Data Handling Practices Describe your organization's data handling practices for municipal client data, including:

1. What data is collected, stored, and processed during translation/interpretation sessions

1. Data retention schedule and deletion processes

1. Whether customer data is used to train or fine-tune AI models (must disclose and allow opt-out)

1. Geographic location of all data processing and storage (U.S.-based preferred)

1. Sub-processor list and data sharing agreements

1. Breach notification process and timeline (must be within 72 hours of discovery)

EVALUATION SECTION 4: IMPLEMENTATION, ONBOARDING & SUPPORT

Implementation Plan Describe your standard implementation process for a new municipal client. Address the following:

1. Typical time from contract execution to full deployment (target: under 30 days for cloud deployments)

1. Technical requirements on the agency side (hardware, software, network)

1. Integration support for common government platforms (Granicus, Civic Plus, Tyler Technologies, Accela, NeoGov, etc.)

1. Data migration and historical translation import capabilities

1. Customization and configuration process (terminology glossaries, branding, user roles)

Training and Support Describe the training and ongoing support provided to agency staff:

1. Initial administrator and end-user training (virtual and/or on-site options)

1. Training materials: documentation, video tutorials, knowledge base

1. Ongoing training for new staff and platform updates

1. Technical support tiers (Tier 1/2/3) and escalation procedures

1. Dedicated account management and customer success support

1. Support hours and response time SLAs by ticket priority Service Level Agreements (SLAs) Provide proposed SLAs for all service categories. At minimum, address:

1. System uptime guarantee (minimum 99.9% required for Workstreams 1 and 3)

1. Document translation turnaround times by priority tier (standard, urgent, emergency)

1. OPI/VRI average speed-to-connect targets by language

1. Customer support response time commitments by ticket severity

1. Planned maintenance windows and advance notification requirements

EVALUATION SECTION 5: PRICING — SERVICE TIER & VOLUME DISCOUNT STRUCTURE

Pricing Explanation Under this cooperative contract, pricing will be established through a combination of per-unit, subscription, and volume-tiered pricing structures. Offerors must submit clear, transparent pricing for each service category. Pricing must represent the Offeror's best commercial pricing and must be equal to or better than pricing offered to any other cooperative program with equal or lower estimated volume.

Required Pricing Submissions — Live Voice Interpretation (Workstream 1)

Required Pricing Submissions — Document Translation (Workstream 2)

Required Pricing Submissions — OPI / VRI (Workstream 3)

Platform Licensing (Workstream 4)

Price Guarantee Will your proposed pricing be guaranteed for the initial term of the contract? If not, describe any escalation controls or adjustment mechanisms proposed. Price adjustments, if any, shall require a minimum of 90 days written notice to AFI and shall not exceed the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the applicable service category.

Most Favored Public Pricing Confirm that your proposed pricing represents pricing equal to or better than what your firm offers to individual entities or other cooperative programs with equal or lower anticipated volume. Provide any volume discount tiers available to PPAs under the cooperative agreement.

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Offerors must maintain the following minimum insurance coverage throughout the term of the contract. Certificates of insurance must be provided prior to contract execution and must name AFI and the participating agency as additional insureds.

Note: Cyber Liability insurance is a required coverage given the sensitive nature of government communications processed through translation services. Offerors must provide evidence of coverage with limits sufficient to cover a data breach notification event affecting all PPA users.

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Compliance with Laws The Supplier shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and ordinances, including but not limited to: Executive Order 13166, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, ADA accessibility requirements, Section 508 standards, HIPAA (where applicable), FERPA (where applicable), applicable state language access statutes, and all data privacy and cybersecurity laws including applicable state breach notification laws.

AI Accuracy Disclosure Supplier acknowledges that AI translation technologies, while highly capable, may produce errors, particularly in complex legal, medical, or public safety contexts. Supplier shall:

1. Maintain published accuracy benchmarks and make them available to participating agencies upon request

1. Provide appropriate disclosures to end users of AI-generated translation output

1. Offer human review and post-editing services as an available option for high-stakes content

1. Notify AFI promptly of any known model degradation, accuracy issues, or significant system changes Non-Discrimination Supplier shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic. Supplier shall ensure that subcontractors comply with this requirement.

Small and Diverse Business Participation AFI encourages and values the participation of small businesses, minority-owned businesses, woman-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses, and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses in this program. Offerors should describe their firm's small and diverse business status (if applicable) and their approach to subcontracting with small and diverse businesses.

Public Records All proposals and the basis for the selection of a successful respondent will be made available as part of the public record upon award. Proposals become property of AFI and will be made part of the permanent, public record. Requests for confidentiality that do not comply with applicable public information act requirements will not be considered.

Termination AFI reserves the right to terminate the Master Agreement for convenience upon thirty (30) days written notice. AFI may terminate the agreement immediately for cause, including but not limited to: material breach, failure to maintain required insurance or certifications, significant and unremedied accuracy degradation, or failure to comply with data security requirements.

Governing Law This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the state of the participating agency issuing each individual purchase order, without regard to conflicts of law provisions. Disputes shall be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures set forth in the Master Agreement.

Order of Precedence In the event of a conflict between documents, the following order of precedence shall apply: (1) Purchase Order; (2) Master Agreement; (3) RFP and Addenda; (4) Offeror's Proposal.

APPENDICES

Appendix A — Offer and Contract Signature Form Pass/Fail Proposal Form – required to be signed and uploaded.

Appendix B — Terms and Conditions Acceptance Form Pass/Fail Proposal Form – required to be signed and uploaded.

Appendix C —Disclosures Ferderal/NJ Pass/Fail Proposal Form – required to be signed and uploaded.

Appendix D — Sample Supplier Agreement (Edge Public Cooperative Program) Only required to upload if proposed changes to terms. Submit proposed redlines as part of proposal. If no proposed redlines submitted with proposal, standard terms as written are agreed upon (no file uploaded).

Appendix E — Language Coverage Matrix Offeror to complete and submit a matrix identifying all supported languages by service type (Live Voice, Document, OPI/VRI) and quality tier.

Appendix F — Security & Data Privacy Certification Form Certifying compliance with applicable data security standards, data residency, and prohibition on use of agency data for AI model training without consent.

Appendix G — AFI Master Agreement Only required to upload if proposed changes to terms. Submit proposed redlines as part of proposal. If no proposed redlines submitted with proposal, standard terms as written are agreed upon (no file uploaded).

Appendix H — Contract Sales Report Template Example attached.

Appendix I — Insurance Certificate Requirements Pass/Fail Proposal Form - Upload certificate of insurance confirming policy meets or exceeds requirements as stated in RFP.

Appendix J — Platform Integration Reference Sheet Listing compatible government platforms, video conferencing integrations, API documentation reference, and SSO compatibility matrix.

Appendix K — Service Level Agreement (SLA) Template Standard SLA terms including uptime guarantees, response time commitments, and remedies for service failures.

Appendix L — AI Accuracy Disclosure and Limitation of Liability Form Standardized disclosure acknowledging AI translation limitations and establishing protocols for human review in high-stakes contexts.

CONFIDENTIAL — FOR PROCUREMENT USE ONLY Page 1