City of Somerville_RFP 27-26_TMS and CAT platform.pdf

RFP # 27-26

SOLICITATION FOR:

Translation Management System (TMS) and Computer Aided Translation (CAT) Platform

CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS

Jake Wilson, Mayor

RELEASE DATE: 10/28/26

QUESTIONS DUE: 11/11/26 by 2PM EST DUE DATE AND TIME: 11/25/26 by 2PM EST

Anticipated Contract Award 12/30/26 Est. Contract Start Date 01/01/27 Est. Contract Completion Date 12/31/27 Est. Renewal Years 2-year optional renewal

DELIVER TO:

City of Somerville Procurement & Contracting Services

Attn: Joey Hustins Deputy Chief Procurement Officer jhustins@somervillema.gov 93 Highland Avenue

Somerville, MA 02143 mailto:jhustins@somervillema.gov

City of Somerville, Massachusetts RFP # 27-26: Translation Management System (TMS) and Computer Aided Translation (CAT) Platform

SECTION 1.0

GENERAL INFORMATION ON PROPOSAL PROCESS

1.1 General Instructions

Copies of the solicitation may be obtained from the Procurement & Contracting Services Department on and after 10/28/26 per the below-noted City Hall hours of operation.

City Hall Hours of Operation:

Monday – Wednesday 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Friday 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

All Responses Must be Sealed and Delivered To:

Procurement & Contracting Services Department

City of Somerville 93 Highland Avenue

Somerville, MA 02143 It is the sole responsibility of the Offeror to ensure that the proposal arrives on time at the designated place. Late proposals will not be considered and will be rejected and returned.

Proposal Format:

Submit one (1) sealed proposal package (with two sealed envelopes, one for the price and one for the technical proposal); it must be marked with the solicitation title and number and must be original.

In an effort to reduce waste, we discourage the use of 3-ring binders.

Responses must be sealed and marked with the solicitation title and number.

All proposals must include all forms listed in the Proposers Checklist (and all documents included or referenced in Sections 2.0 - 4.0). If all required documents are not present, the proposal may be deemed non-responsive and may result in disqualification of the proposal unless the City determines that such failure(s) constitute(s) a minor informality, as defined in Chapter MGL 30B.

A complete Proposal must also include a cover letter signed by an official authorized to bind the Offeror contractually and contain a statement that the proposal is firm for ninety (90) days. An unsigned letter, or one signed by an individual not authorized to bind the Offeror, may be disqualified.

The Offeror’s authorized official(s) must sign all required proposal forms.

The Price Form in Section 3.0 must be completed. No substitute form will be accepted unless otherwise stated. Pricing must remain firm for the entire contract period.

All information in the Offeror’s response should be clear and concise. The successful response will be incorporated into a contract as an exhibit; therefore, Offerors should not make claims to which they are not prepared to commit themselves contractually.

The successful Offeror must be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The City of Somerville values a diverse workforce and believes it contributes to a work product and customer experience that best reflects the community in our city. Applicants are highly encouraged to include any certifications and documents that recognize the diversity of the Offeror’s work force, including ownership of the offering firm/organization, executive leadership, management, and employees proposed for the work in Somerville, including diversity of sub-consultants. Please use the supplier diversity form (see Section 4.0) with supporting documentation to share your diversity data with the City.

1.2 Proposal Schedule

Key dates for this Request for Proposals:

RFP Issued 10/28/26 Deadline for Submitting Questions to RFP

11/11/26 by 2PM EST

Proposals Due 11/25/26 by 2PM EST

Anticipated Contract Award 12/30/26 Est. Contract Commencement Date

01/01/27

Est. Contract Completion Date 12/31/27

Responses must be delivered by

11/25/2026 by 2PM EST to:

City of Somerville Procurement & Contracting Services Attn: Joey Hustins, Deputy CPO

1.3 Submission Instructions

If you are submitting your proposal online via Bidexpress.com, then you do not need to also submit a sealed proposal package as instructed below. Email is not an acceptable method of submission of bids.

Please submit two sealed envelopes, all within one sealed proposal package, with the following contents and marked in the following manner:

Contents of Sealed Proposal Package Marked As Envelope 1 Non-Price Technical Proposal:

Shall Include (1) original and one (1) electronic copy. [Electronic copies are to be submitted on USB drives and are to be saved in Adobe Acrobat format. (“Read only” files are acceptable.)]

To Be Marked: Non-Price Proposal RFP # 27- 26: Translation Management System (TMS) and Computer Aided Translation (CAT).

Envelope 2 Price Proposal: Shall Include one

(1) original and one (1) electronic copy.

[Electronic copies of Price and Non-Price Technical proposal can be submitted on the same USB drives but as separate files]

To Be Marked: Price Proposal RFP # 27-26:

Translation Management System (TMS) and Computer Aided Translation (CAT).

Please send the complete sealed package to the attention of:

Joey Hustins Deputy Chief Procurement Officer Procurement & Contracting Services Somerville City Hall

Methods of Bid Submission Bidders may submit bids in any of the following ways. All bids will be timestamped and must be received no later than due date and time.

1) Deposit your sealed bid package in the black drop box located by the School Street entrance to City Hall, located near the corner of School Street and 93 Highland Avenue.

2) Sealed bids can be sent to City Hall through the US Postal Service or other delivery service (e.g.

FedEx, UPS).

3) BidExpress.com is an online bidding platform where bidders can submit all required documents.

The fee to use this service is approximately $40.00 unless your company has a subscription with BidExpress. You can access the bid package and forms via the City of Somerville BidExpress page at: https://www.bidexpress.com/businesses/33100/home A user guide is attached for your reference.

4) For any technical assistance while submitting the online bid, please contact the BidExpress Customer support team at www.bidexpress.com. Bidders may submit bids in any of the following ways. All bids will be timestamped and must be received no later than due date and time.

(Note: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 30B requires that price proposals must be separate from technical http://www.somervillema.gov/BidExpress https://www.bidexpress.com/businesses/33100/home http://www.bidexpress.com/ proposals. Therefore, please make no reference to pricing in the non-price technical proposal. Failure to adhere to this requirement will result in disqualification.

Non-Price (Technical) Proposal Format Responses must be submitted in accordance with the requirements set forth in this solicitation. Results of the proposal review process will be utilized to establish a preliminary ranking of the proposers. The City may interview the top ranked candidates as part of the evaluation process. All information in the technical proposal should be organized and presented as directed below. Your Non-Price Proposal response should contain all forms outlined in the Proposers Checklist (Section 4.0). Responses shall be prepared on standard 8.5 x 11 inch paper (charts may be landscaped but must be on 8.5 x 11 inch paper) and shall be in a legible font size (12). All pages of each response shall be appropriately numbered (and with consecutive page numbering across tabs).

Elaborate format and binding are neither necessary nor desirable. Each proposal shall clearly identify the Offeror’s name, solicitation number, formal solicitation title and copy number, (e.g., “Original”, “Copy”). All submissions will allow for easy removal and replacement of pages.

Cover Letter Submit a cover letter that includes the official name of the firm submitting the proposal, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone number, fax number, and contact name. The letter must be signed by an official authorized to bind the proposer contractually and contain a statement that the proposal is firm for ninety (90) days. An unsigned letter, or one signed by an individual not authorized to bind the Offeror, may be disqualified.

Qualifications & Experience The Offeror shall include qualifications and experience of the firm (or sole proprietor). The Offeror shall identify the year the firm was established, the total number of employees currently employed, and the number of employees focused on this engagement. This section should also describe work that is similar in scope and complexity that the Offeror has undertaken in the past. A discussion of the challenges faced and solutions developed are highly recommended. The Offeror may include any additional literature and product brochures.

The Quality Requirements Form (Section 2.0), or set of basic business standards, must be submitted in the sealed proposal.

References The Offeror shall list at least three relevant references, which the City can contact. The City of Somerville reserves the right to use ourselves as a reference. References shall include the following information:

●The name, address, telephone number, and email address of each client listed.

●A description of the work performed under each contract. ●The amount of the contract.

●A description of the nature of the relationship between Offeror and the customer.

●The dates of performance. ●The volume of the work performed.

Price Proposal Format Price Summary Page (see Section 3.0)

Proposal Prices to Remain Firm All proposal prices submitted in response to this solicitation must remain firm for 90 days following the proposal opening.

Price Submission All prices must contain the unit rate as requested on the proposal price form in this solicitation. All prices are to include delivery, the cost of fuel, the cost of labor, and all other charges related to the products or services listed. Prices are to remain fixed for the contract period of performance.

1.4 Questions

Questions are due: 11/11/26 by 2PM EST

Questions concerning this solicitation must be delivered in writing to:

Joey Hustins Deputy Chief Procurement Officer

Somerville City Hall Procurement & Contracting Services Department

93 Highland Avenue Somerville, MA 02143

Or emailed to:

jhustins@somervillema.gov

Or faxed to:

617-625-1344

Answers will be sent via an addendum to all Offerors who have registered as proposal holders. Proposers are encouraged to contact the Procurement & Contracting Services Department to register as a proposal document holder to automatically be alerted as to addenda as they are issued. It is the responsibility of the Offeror to also monitor the proposal portal on the City’s website for any updates, addenda, etc. regarding that specific solicitation. The web address is: https://www.somervillema.gov/procurement

If any proposer contacts City personnel outside of the Procurement & Contracting Services Department regarding this proposal, that proposer may be disqualified.

mailto:jhustins@somervillema.gov https://www.somervillema.gov/procurement

1.5 General Terms

Estimated Quantities The City of Somerville has provided estimated quantities, which will be ordered/purchased over the course of the contract period. These estimates are estimates only and not guaranteed.

Proposal Signature A response must be signed as follows: 1) if the Offeror is an individual, by her/him personally; 2) if the Offeror is a partnership, by the name of the partnership, followed by the signature of each general partner; and 3) if the Offeror is a corporation, by the authorized officer, whose signature must be attested to by the clerk/secretary of the corporation (& with corporate seal).

Time for Proposal Acceptance and City Contract Requirements The contract will be awarded within 90 days after the proposal opening date. The time for award may be extended for up to 45 additional days by mutual agreement between the City of Somerville and the Offeror that is most advantageous and responsible. The Offeror’s submission will remain in effect for a period of 90 days from the response deadline or until it is formally withdrawn, a contract is executed, or this solicitation is canceled, whichever occurs first. The Offeror will be required to sign a standard City contract per the City’s general terms included herein as Appendix A.

Holidays are as follows:

New Year’s Day Martin Luther King. Jr. Day Washington's Birthday Patriots’ Day Memorial Day Juneteenth Independence Day Independence Day Labor Day Indigenous Peoples’ Day Veterans’ Day Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving Friday Christmas Eve (half day) Christmas Day

Please visit http://www.somervillema.gov/ for the City’s most recent calendar. *Under State Law, all holidays falling on Sunday must be observed on Monday.

If the awarded Offeror for their convenience desires to perform work during other than normal working hours or on other than normal work days, or if the Offeror is required to perform work at such times, the Offeror shall reimburse the City for any additional expense occasioned the City, thereby, such as, but not limited to, overtime pay for City employees, utilities service, etc. UNLESS otherwise specified in these provisions, services will be performed during normal work hours. When required services occur on holidays, work will be performed on either the previous or following work day, unless specified otherwise.

Unforeseen Office Closure If, at the time of the scheduled proposal opening, the Procurement & Contracting Services Department is closed due to uncontrolled events such as fire, snow, ice, wind, or building evacuation, the proposal due date will be postponed until 2:00 p.m. on the next normal business day. Proposals will be accepted until that date and time.

In the event of inclement weather, the Offeror is responsible for listening to the media to determine if the City has been closed due to weather.

Changes & Addenda If any changes are made to this solicitation, an addendum will be issued. All proposers on record as having http://www.somervillema.gov/ picked up the solicitation will be alerted via email as to the posting of all addenda. The City will also post addenda on its website (https://www.somervillema.gov/procurement). No changes may be made to the solicitation documents by the Offerors without written authorization and/or an addendum from the Procurement & Contracting Services Department.

Modification or Withdrawal of Proposals, Mistakes, and Minor Informalities An Offeror may correct, modify, or withdraw a proposal by written notice received by the City of Somerville prior to the time and date set for the proposal opening. Proposal modifications must be submitted in a sealed envelope clearly labeled "Modification No.__" to the address listed in Section 1. Each modification must be numbered in sequence and must reference the original solicitation. After the proposal opening, an Offeror may not change any provision of the proposal in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the City or fair competition.

Minor informalities will be waived or the proposer will be allowed to correct them. If a mistake and the intended proposal are clearly evident on the face of the proposal document, the mistake will be corrected to reflect the intended correct proposal, and the proposer will be notified in writing; the proposer may not withdraw the proposal. A proposer may withdraw a proposal if a mistake is clearly evident on the face of the proposal document, but the intended correct proposal is not similarly evident.

Right to Cancel/Reject Proposals The City of Somerville may cancel this solicitation, or reject in whole or in part any and all proposals, if the City determines that cancellation or rejection serves the best interests of the City.

Unbalanced Proposals The City reserves the right to reject unbalanced, front-loaded, and conditional proposals.

Brand Name “or Equal” Any references to any brand name or proprietary product in the specifications shall require the acceptance of an equal or better brand. The City has the right to make the final determination as to whether an alternate brand is equal to the brand specified.

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) For EFT payment, the following shall be included with invoices to the point of contact:

● Contract/Order number; Contractor’s name & address as stated in the contract;

● The signature (manual or electronic, as appropriate) title, and telephone number of the Offeror’s representative authorized to provide sensitive information;

● Name of financial institution; Financial institution nine (9) digit routing transit number;

● Offeror’s account number; Type of account, i.e., checking or saving.

Other Applicable Laws In addition to applicable federal and state laws, the City has several ordinances that apply to the services requested in this contract. Such ordinances include but are not limited to: living wage ordinance, ordinance to protect vulnerable road users,[1] responsible employer ordinance, and ordinance to protect against wage theft. Workplace safety is of paramount importance to all workers who perform services on City contracts and all bidders must certify that they will disclose any citations they may have received for OSHA violations.

https://www.somervillema.gov/procurement about:blank about:blank https://library.municode.com/ma/somerville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH2AD_ARTVIIIFI_DIV3LIWAOR_S2-399LIWA https://library.municode.com/ma/somerville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH2AD_ARTVIIIFI_DIV3LIWAOR_S2-399LIWA https://library.municode.com/ma/somerville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH12STSIOTPUPL_ARTVIIIORSAVUROUS https://gbc-word-edit.officeapps.live.com/we/wordeditorframe.aspx?ui=en%2DUS&rs=en%2DUS&actnavid=eyJjIjoxNDI5MDA4NTM0fQ&wopisrc=https%3A%2F%2Fsomervillema-my.sharepoint.com%2Fpersonal%2Fmwoods_somervillema_gov%2F_vti_bin%2Fwopi.ashx%2Ffiles%2F5e5e65da50f4458fa2ccbebbe6b732e8&wdenableroaming=1&mscc=1&wdodb=1&hid=C74708A0-105F-C000-86CD-F0CFA347888A&wdorigin=Other&jsapi=1&jsapiver=v1&newsession=1&corrid=da8b7526-cb31-d1f0-89fd-5c2dad2ab841&usid=da8b7526-cb31-d1f0-89fd-5c2dad2ab841&sftc=1&mtf=1&sfp=1&instantedit=1&wopicomplete=1&wdredirectionreason=Unified_SingleFlush&preseededsessionkey=54e2960f-955a-eaf7-37fe-8eebf435706b&preseededwacsessionid=da8b7526-cb31-d1f0-89fd-5c2dad2ab841&rct=Medium&ctp=LeastProtected#_ftn1 https://library.municode.com/ma/somerville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH2AD_ARTVIIIFI_DIV1GE_S2-355REEMOR https://library.municode.com/ma/somerville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH9OFMIPR_ARTIIIOFAGPE_DIV2WATH

[1] The ordinance to protect vulnerable road users only applies to contracts where the contractor’s heavy vehicles are entering the City of Somerville to perform the work of the contract.

1.6 Evaluation Methodology

Qualified proposals will be reviewed and rated by an evaluation committee ("the Committee") composed of employees of the City. The City reserves the right to involve an outside consultant in the selection process.

Comparative Evaluation Criteria The Committee shall use the comparative evaluation criteria included in Section 2.0 to evaluate the responsibility and responsiveness of all proposals that already meet the minimum quality requirements. For each proposal, the Committee will assign a rating of Highly Advantageous, Advantageous, Not Advantageous, or Unacceptable to each of the corresponding comparative evaluation criteria.

Final selection will be based upon the evaluators’ analysis of the information and materials required under the RFP and provided by the Offerors in their submissions. The City may request additional information from the Offerors to ensure that the Offeror has the necessary resources to perform the required services. The Committee may choose to interview Offerors. If interviews will be conducted, the City will notify the Offerors, either by e-mail or telephone, of the date, time, and place for their interviews and any other pertinent information related thereto.

Selection Process The City will award the contract to the most responsive and responsible Offeror whose entire proposal (technical and price) is deemed to be the most advantageous. The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals if it determines that the criteria set forth have not been met.

https://gbc-word-edit.officeapps.live.com/we/wordeditorframe.aspx?ui=en%2DUS&rs=en%2DUS&actnavid=eyJjIjoxNDI5MDA4NTM0fQ&wopisrc=https%3A%2F%2Fsomervillema-my.sharepoint.com%2Fpersonal%2Fmwoods_somervillema_gov%2F_vti_bin%2Fwopi.ashx%2Ffiles%2F5e5e65da50f4458fa2ccbebbe6b732e8&wdenableroaming=1&mscc=1&wdodb=1&hid=C74708A0-105F-C000-86CD-F0CFA347888A&wdorigin=Other&jsapi=1&jsapiver=v1&newsession=1&corrid=da8b7526-cb31-d1f0-89fd-5c2dad2ab841&usid=da8b7526-cb31-d1f0-89fd-5c2dad2ab841&sftc=1&mtf=1&sfp=1&instantedit=1&wopicomplete=1&wdredirectionreason=Unified_SingleFlush&preseededsessionkey=54e2960f-955a-eaf7-37fe-8eebf435706b&preseededwacsessionid=da8b7526-cb31-d1f0-89fd-5c2dad2ab841&rct=Medium&ctp=LeastProtected#_ftnref1

SECTION 2.0

RULE FOR AWARD /

SPECIFICATIONS/SCOPE OF SERVICES

Rule for Award The City intends to award a contract to the responsible and responsive proposer submitting the most advantageous proposal response, taking into consideration all evaluation criteria as well as price. The contract will be awarded within ninety (90) days after the proposal opening. The time for award may be extended for up to 45 additional days by mutual agreement between the City and the most highly advantageous and responsible offeror.

2.1 Definitions

Unless specified otherwise, words, phrases, abbreviations and/or acronyms have the following meanings:

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) system: Engineered system that generates outputs such as content, forecasts, recommendations or decisions for a given set of human-defined objectives.

2. Computer Aided Translation (CAT) Tools: Part of translation workflow in which a variety of software applications are used to support the task of human translation.

3. Language Service Provider (LSP): A company that provides language access services.

4. Large Language Model (LLM): Advanced artificial intelligence systems designed to understand and generate human language by leveraging vast amounts of data to predict word sequences.

5. Machine Translation: Automated translation of content from one natural language to another using software.

6. Office of Language and Communications Access (LCA): The office in the City of Somerviille responsible for providing translations for all City departments

7. Small Language Model (SLM): Artificial intelligence systems designed to understand and generate human language using a relatively compact set of parameters.

8. Termbase: Database comprising a collection of data containing information on concepts of specific subject fields their translations into target languages.

9. Translation: the conversion of written text in one language into written text in another language.

10. Translation memory: A digital repository of aligned source language content and target language content.

2.2 Background

The City of Somerville (the City) has a population of more than 80,000 people, 30% of whom speak a language other than English at home and 11% of whom speak English “less than very well”, according to U.S. Census data. There are more than 60 languages spoken in the City including the following languages that the City provides routine translations for: Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Nepali, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. In addition to these languages, the City provides translation services, as needed, in any language requested by constituents. For example, we have translated information into:

Albanian Dari (Afghan Farsi) Moroccan Arabic Thai Amharic French Punjabi Turkish Arabic Greek Russian Urdu Bengali Hindi Somali Vietnamese Cape Verdean Creole Japanese Tamil Persian/Iranian Farsi Korean Tigrinya

The Office of Language and Communications Access (LCA) serves as a central point of contact for multilingual communications in the City of Somerville with Somerville’s linguistically diverse population. LCA is responsible for providing translation services to all City Departments, including translation of program and event announcements, vital documents, direct communications (e-mail, letters), program brochures, presentation slides, web content. and other materials that inform the public about City information, events, programs and opportunities.

LCA currently procures translations from two sources: contracts with Language Service Providers (LSPs), and an in-house multilingual staff. While this model has worked well in the past, demand for translations has increased significantly in recent years as a result of the expansion of City services and programs and increased civic participation of our multilingual public. Requests for translated information has increased more than four-fold over the past four years, from 1,100 translated documents per year to an estimated 4,500 translated documents in the 2026 fiscal year. In FY26 (July 2025-June 2026) we translated an estimated 3 million words of text.

With this growth, the City's current translation workflow has proven inefficient, prone to inaccuracies and inconsistencies, and unable to scale with growing demand. The current process requires internal staff to manually translate materials from scratch, without access to a comprehensive term base, translation memory, or other computer-aided translation (CAT) tools. Translation memory and term base capabilities are not consistently available across all LSPs the City engages with, and these translation memories are not integrated with each other. As a result of fragmented translation workflows, translations produced by different staff or by LSPs often contain inconsistent terms, and do not consistently reflect the register or communication style we prefer and that our communities expect. Additionally, the City is investing in translations without an integrated system to capture those investments in translation memory, term bases, and glossaries. The City seeks to address these challenges by procuring a comprehensive TMS/CAT system (“System”) to improve our translation workflow, efficiency, consistency, and localization process while maintaining the flexibility to work with in-house and contracted translators.

2.3 Scope of Work

The City of Somerville seeks proposals to procure a comprehensive TMS/CAT system for use by City of Somerville employees and external translators. The goals of this system are to:

1. Scale the growing demand for translation services

2. Improve translation quality, accuracy, consistency

3. Enhance efficiency and reduce translation processing time

4. Allow flexible sourcing for translators (in-house, LSPs, contracted etc.)

The City intends to award one contract to an applicant.

We seek a System that includes solutions for the specifications below. Your application should include:

1. Succinct, plain language written responses that include specific details about whether and how you plan to fulfill each of the specifications in this RFP. Detail limitations, workarounds, or alternative solutions for any specifications you cannot fulfill as described. You may include visual aids such as screenshots, examples/samples, or process diagrams. Carefully review all requirements and what to include in your proposal (the blue boxes below).

2. Use case examples of government clients or organizations with a similar size and scope as the City of Somerville that have adopted your System.

3. A video demo showing how your System meets the requirements listed in the System, Workflows, Automations section. The video demo should be maximum 15 minutes.

Proposals that copy/paste the verbatim content of this RFP without any further details explaining how your system works will not be accepted.

Up to three finalists may also be invited to a live demo and Q&A with City staff, lasting no more than 60 minutes long.

1. System, Workflows, Automations

Requirements

• Customizable translation memory and term base specific to the City of Somerville

• Workflow automation, notifications, and customization of workflows that include required human-in-the-loop workflows, machine translation post-editing (MTPE), final review, desktop formatting, and approvals

• Ability to customize how translation memory and artificial intelligence (AI) is leveraged on a project-by-project basis (in addition to human translators)

• Document management including customizable, automated file naming conventions and versioning

• Web integration (Drupal)

• Intuitive, user-friendly translation and project management interface

• Translator tools including dashboard view of assigned projects, bitext view of translation projects, and in-line tools to approve/correct/edit human and machine translations, suggest preferences, approve corrections, and flag potential mistakes

• Automated tracking of workflow stages and deadlines

• Full capability to support the top languages in Somerville (those listed above in section 2.2), with the ability to expand to other languages. This includes languages written right-to-left and other diverse writing systems and scripts.

• Translating source materials in the following file types:

o Microsoft Suite o PDFs o Acrobat In-Design o Acrobat Illustrator o Image files o Canva files/links (please describe any Canva integration and the workflow) o Web content

• Automated desktop publishing (DTP) for multiple file types and various scripts/languages

• Importing existing resources including term bases, translation memories, and bitext

• Style guides for multiple languages, developed by internal staff, that can be integrated into the System and that specify preferred translation approach including transliteration, transference, explication, retention and other translation/localization strategies.

• Quality assurance mechanisms and tests to audit translation accuracy, cultural appropriateness, visual layout

• Transcription and captioning for audio/visual content

What to include in your proposal:

A video demo showing how your System meets the requirements listed in the System, Workflows, Automations section. The video demo should be maximum 15 minutes. We recommend showing how a project is processed in your System start-to-finish to demonstrate how you meet the requirements.

Provide specific details about whether and how your System meets the requirements above. Detail any limitations, workarounds, or alternative solutions for any specifications you cannot fulfill as described.

Provide use case examples of government organizations that have adopted your System. Provide examples of cities of similar size or translation volume if possible.

Provide sample workflows involving a central project manager (City staff), City staff translators, external translations procured from third party LSPs, and (if applicable) translators from System marketplace.

Describe how workflows and automations are optimized for performance and efficiency with repetitive tasks.

Describe how style guides are integrated and applied to projects in the workflow

Explain the process for migrating existing translation resources such as .tmx files, term bases, and glossaries into the System.

Explain the capability of generating bitext from existing translated documents that are not part of a .tmx file. In your price proposal, include whether there is a fee for generating bitext from existing translations.

Describe the user interface for project managers and translators and how it is designed for ease of use.

Describe how the quality and accuracy of machine translation is continually assessed, what metrics are used in this evaluation, and the role that City and assigned translators contribute to this process (if any).

Describe how the quality and accuracy of visual layout/desktop publishing is continually assessed, what metrics are used in this evaluation, and the role that City and assigned translators contribute to this process (if any).

Identify what AI tools/systems/models the System uses and who developed them. Specify whether the AI models are LLMs, SLMs, and whether they are or can be based on search within a closed corpus.

Provide examples of how the System integrates with Drupal web content management systems.

Provide examples how the System ingrates with or is capable of translating content on Canva.com.

Describe the workflow for translating this content, and what file input and output is possible.

Describe the process for transcribing and captioning audio/visual content. Describe the capability of adding voiceover.

2. Training and Technical Support

Requirements:

• Onboarding, training, and technical support throughout contract lifecycle

• Meet with stakeholders and projects managers in the City to train staff, onboard, and customize settings

• Ongoing technical support and modifications to workflows and customizations

• Training and support materials for external LSPs that the City invites to the City account

• Provide a dedicated customer service representative and training/technical personnel to manage the

City account, respond to requests from the City, and provide timely onboarding, training and technical assistance

• Method to report issues, bugs, outages, and concerns; and clear, documented incident resolution process

Identify the skills and/or training required by City staff (including in-house translators) to successfully adopt the System, and propose strategies to bridge City staff skill gaps to ensure smooth operation and maintenance.

Provide a sample onboarding and implementation plan for the City to fully adopt your System, including timeline and estimated number of hours.

Provide examples of common areas for continued training or customer support and how you respond to these needs.

Describe the process to report issues, bugs, outages, concerns. Describe how your company responds to these reports, documents, and resolves them.

Describe how the City is informed if and when there are unexpected or scheduled System outages or malfunctions.

3. Users, Roles, and Permissions

• Customizable roles and permissions for team members collaborating on projects (i.e., administrator, project managers, internal/external translators, reviewers etc.)

• Flexible translator sourcing and collaboration, including internal City staff and external language service providers

• Multiple users who can project manage, access and edit translation projects at the same time from different locations and from different organizations (for example: internal City staff, external LSPs, hired translators through the System’s pool of translators)

• Identify translators and assign projects based on translator qualifications such as subject area expertise, training and certifications, or other City preferences

Provide specific details about whether and how your System meets the requirements above. Detail any

Describe how your System scales to support increasing users and translation volumes. Describe what is required to add new users to the system.

Explain how access privileges are configured and assigned based on roles.

Describe the process for creating and managing roles, including customization and workflow configuration.

Provide an example or use case of typical roles, permissions, and security levels if possible

4. Data Security

• Data security, and ownership at every step including when leveraging machine learning in the translation workflow, third-party auditing of data security protocols, and compliance with HIPAA and the protection of personal identifying information (PII).

• Zero-data-retention agreements with AI providers

• Security measures and least-privilege approach for sensitive projects including those containing PII

• Ability to export all System data to ensure that the City can migrate and externally store a backup of all data

• Full customer control over whether and when to use AI functionality, and ability to opt out of any and all AI tools

• Full disclosure from System representatives about AI tools embedded in the System, and advance notification if and when additional tools are introduced to the System.

• Compliance with information security best practices and ISO standards

• Cloud access to System

Specify which ISO and/or other information security certifications the System has received, and how the System is compliant with HIPAA and protection of PII.

Specify how System data is exported and in what file type.

Describe how the system logs user actions, events, bugs, and maintains an audit log.

Explain how the system audits user access and privilege use.

Describe your encryption methods during transmission and at rest.

Explain how you ensure City data is not used for training LLMs, does not become part of the LLMS corpus

Describe your data sharing agreement(s) with the LLMs you work with, if applicable

5. Invoicing, Reporting, Analytics

Requirements

1. Annual or monthly invoicing for subscription to TMS/CAT system, and monthly invoicing for services provided by translators within system marketplace (if applicable)

2. Cost savings on repeated and similar translations (exact in-context matches, repeated translations, and “fuzzy” matches)

3. Detailed reporting and analytics on project volume (word count, number of requests), languages, department, cost, and performance

Describe reporting capabilities, dashboards, and data analysis capabilities.

Describe what information annual and monthly invoices contain. Provide an example of project quotes and monthly/annual invoices if possible.

2.4 Comparative Evaluation Criteria

The Comparative Evaluation Criteria set forth in this section of the RFP shall be used to evaluate responsible and responsive proposals. The Comparative Evaluation Criteria are:

All proposals will be reviewed by an evaluation committee composed of employees of the City. The evaluation committee may invite up to three finalists to participate in a live demo and Q&A with City staff, lasting no more than 60 minutes long. Final selection will be based upon the evaluators’ analysis of the information and materials required under the RFP and provided by the proposing vendors in their submissions, and the live demo session. The City reserves the right to involve an outside consultant in the selection process. Proposals that meet the minimum quality requirements will be reviewed for responses to the comparative evaluation criteria. The evaluation committee will assign a rating of Highly Advantageous, Advantageous, Not Advantageous, or Unacceptable to the comparative evaluation criteria.

The City will only award a contract to a responsive and responsible Proposer. Before awarding the contract(s), the City may request additional information from the Proposer to ensure that the Proposer has the resources necessary to perform the required services. The awarded Vendor will be subject to a three-month (90-day) trial period. During the trial period, the City reserves the right to terminate the contract if the Vendor is unable to meet the City’s requirements. The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals if it determines that the criteria set forth have not been met.

Factor 1: System, Workflows, Automations

Highly Advantageous

Applicant provides compelling evidence that they meet or exceed all requirements outlined in the System, Workflows, Automations category, including:

1. Video demo of System that shows how the system meets or exceeds requirements

2. Customizable and automated project workflows (including whether and how to include AI and/or translation memory on a project-by-project basis)

3. Customizable translation memory

4. Automated document management including customizable file name conventions

5. Web integration with Drupal

6. User-friendly interface staff project managers, in-house translators, and external

LSPs can navigate with ease

7. Clean user dashboard layout with ability to see assigned projects, bitext, percent matches, in-line editing tools

8. Automated tracking of workflow stages and deadlines

9. Full capability to support top languages in Somerville

10. Ability to generate translations and automate desktop publishing in multiple file types

11. Ability to import existing resources including term bases, translation memories, bitext, and style guides

12. Quality assurance mechanisms and tests to audit translation accuracy, cultural appropriateness, and visual layout

13. Transcription and captioning functionality for audio/visual content

Advantageous

Applicant provides clear evidence that they meet the requirements outlined in the System, Workflows, Automations category. Applicant may describe some limitations or workarounds to meet requirements for certain functions.

These limitations or workarounds do not: Degrade the quality of translation; impact the ability to modify, refine, and store approved translations with translation memory; or result in a cumbersome, overly technical, or inefficient user experience.

Not Advantageous

Applicant provides some evidence that they meet the requirements outlined in the System, Workflows, Automations category. Applicant may not thoroughly address all required elements in their proposal. Applicant may describe some limitations or workarounds for certain functions that may degrade the quality of translation; impact the ability to modify, refine, and store approved translations with translation memory; or result in a cumbersome, overly technical, or inefficient user experience.

Unacceptable Applicant provides little to no evidence that they meet the requirements. Applicant does not provide detail on how they meet requirements.

Factor 2: Training and Technical Support

Highly Advantageous

Applicant provides compelling evidence that they meet or exceed all requirements outlined in the Training and Technical Support category, including support for the duration of the contract with onboarding, training, and technical support for project managers, in-house translators, and external LSPs. Customer service and technical support is accessible and responsive to requests from the City, committed to working with the City to develop an optimal infrastructure and workflow within the System, and provide ongoing support for adjustments or changes as needed. Applicant demonstrates it has the personnel, technical expertise, resource materials, and training content to be an involved, consistent partner with the City.

Advantageous

Applicant provides clear evidence that they meet the requirements outlined in the Training and Technical Assistance category. Applicant may describe some limitations or workarounds for certain functions. These limitations or workarounds do not degrade the quality of customer service, training, and/or support; impact the City’s ability to build out the infrastructure and workflow necessary to leverage the benefits of the System; or result in a cumbersome, ineffective, or inefficient user experience.

Not Advantageous

Applicant provides some evidence that they meet the requirements outlined in the Training and Technical Support category. Applicant does not thoroughly address all required elements in their proposal. Applicant describes some limitations or workarounds for certain functions that may degrade the quality of customer service, training, and/or support; impact the City’s ability to build out the infrastructure and workflow necessary to leverage the benefits of the System; or result in a cumbersome, ineffective, or inefficient user experience.

Unacceptable

Factor 3: Users, Roles, and Permissions

Advantageous

Applicant provides compelling evidence that they meet or exceed all requirements outlined in the Users, Roles, and Permissions category, including customizable roles and permissions, flexible translator sourcing, ability to accommodate multiple users with varying roles (project management, translation, review, desktop publishing etc.), and allow for translators to be sourced and assigned by specified qualifications and expertise.

Advantageous

Applicant provides clear evidence that they meet the requirements outlined in the Users, Roles, and Permissions category. Applicant may describe some limitations or workarounds for certain functions. These limitations or workarounds do not degrade the City’s ability to specify security permissions, invite multiple users (including translators) to the City’s account, assign translators to projects according to the City’s preference, or source translators from in-house translators and/or external LSPs.

Not Advantageous

Applicant provides some evidence that they meet the requirements outlined in the Users, Roles, and Permissions category. Applicant describes some limitations or workarounds for certain functions that may degrade the City’s ability to specify security permissions, invite multiple users (including translators) to the City’s account, assign translators to projects according to the City’s preference, or source translators from in-house translators and/or external LSPs.

Unacceptable

Factor 4: Data Security

Advantageous

Applicant provides compelling evidence that they meet or exceed all requirements outlined in the Data Security category, including achieving the highest standards of ISO/information security certification, HIPPA compliance, and encryption. Applicant demonstrates functions to log user actions, events, bugs. Applicant demonstrates clear way to externally backup data, and affirms all data belongs to the City of Somerville. Applicant provides transparent and advance notice of existing and new AI functions, and provides clear way to opt out of these functions.

Advantageous

Applicant provides clear evidence that they meet the requirements outlined in the Data Security category. Proposal contains details on ISO and information security certifications, protection of personal identifying information, and encryption methods that meet the City’s standards. Applicant provides transparent and advance notice of existing and new AI functions, and provides clear way to opt out of these functions.

Not Advantageous

Applicant provides some evidence that they meet the requirements outlined in the Data Security category. Applicant does not demonstrate capacity or data security infrastructure to meet all City requirements.

Unacceptable

Factor 5: Invoicing, Reporting, Analytics

Advantageous

Applicant provides compelling evidence that they meet or exceed the requirements outlined in the Invoicing, Reporting and Analytics category. Applicant demonstrates highly organized record keeping and annual or monthly invoicing with detailed breakdown of what is being charged, at what rate, in alignment with price sheet. No hidden fees or upcharges.

Applicant provides strong evidence of highly organized, detailed and customizable reporting systems, including project volume (word count, number of requests), languages, department, cost, and performance.

Advantageous

Applicant provides clear evidence that they meet the requirements outlined in the Invoicing, Reporting, Analytics category. Applicant shows they can provide annual or monthly invoicing with detailed breakdown of what is being charged, at what rate, in alignment with price sheet. No hidden fees or upcharges. Applicant shows reporting and analytics capabilities that meet the requirements.

Not Advantageous

Applicant provides some evidence that they meet the requirements outlined in the Invoicing, Reporting, Analytics category. Applicant shows they may only partially meet the requirements to provide annual or monthly invoicing with detailed breakdown of what is being charged, at what rate, in alignment with price sheet. May have limited reporting capabilities.

Unacceptable

Quality Requirements

Quality requirements, or basic business requirements, are the minimum set of standards that an entity must meet and certify to be considered responsible and responsive. Please complete the Quality Requirements form, below, and submit it with your completed proposal. The City of Somerville will disqualify any response that does not meet the minimum quality requirements. A "No” response to items 1 or 2 or a failure to respond to any of the following minimum standards, will result in disqualification of your proposal.

QUALITY REQUIREMENTS YES NO

1.

Relevant Experience and Qualifications:

Does the Proposer have demonstrated experience providing, implementing, and supporting a Translation Management System (TMS) and/or Computer Aided Translation (CAT) platform for organizations with multilingual translation workflows, including experience supporting multiple users, translation memory, terminology management, and project management functions?

2.

System Capabilities and Technical Support:

Is the Proposer able to provide and support a TMS/CAT platform that accommodates both internal and external translators; supports multilingual translation workflows, translation memory, and terminology management; provides customizable user roles and permissions; and includes onboarding, training, and ongoing technical support throughout the contract period?

3.

Optional:

Are you a Mass. Supplier Diversity Office MBE/WBE certified minority or woman owned business? Additional diversity designations may be submitted by attaching supporting documentation.

Period of Performance The period of performance for this contract begins on or about 1/1/2027 and ends on or about 12/31/2027. The contract will begin with a three-month (90-day) trial period. During the trial period, the City reserves the right to terminate the contract if the Vendor is unable to meet the City’s requirements. If applicable, optional renewal years may be exercised by the sole discretion of the City (see cover page for anticipated contract term).

Place of Performance All services, delivery, and other required support shall be conducted in Somerville and other locations designated by the Department point of contact.