DHS Document Translation RFQ.pdf

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF HOUSING

AND LIVABLE COMMUNITIES

100 CAMBRIDGE STREET

BOSTON, MA 02108

RE Q U E S T F O R Q U O T E S (RFQ)

DATE: 8/20/2026

DOCUMENT TITLE: Division of Housing Stabilization Document

Translations

COMMBUYS BID #: BD-27-1076-OCDDE-HS003-132548

AGENCY #: HLC0000128

DIVISION: Housing Stabilization

THIS RFQ AND ALL RESPONSES HERETO INCLUDING THE WINNING BID SHALL BECOME PUBLIC

RECORD AS OF THE DATE THE CONTRACT REFERENCED HEREIN IS AWARDED, AND CAN BE

OBTAINED FROM THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF HOUSING AND LIVABLE COMMUNITIES

PROCUREMENT UNIT BY SENDING AN EMAIL TO EOHLCPUBLICRECORDSREQUEST@MASS.GOV. ANY

PORTIONS OF A RESPONSE THAT ARE LABELED AS CONFIDENTIAL WILL STILL BE CONSIDERED

PUBLIC RECORD.

Please Note: This is a single document associated with a complete Bid (also referred to as solicitation or procurement) that can be found on COMMBUYS (www.COMMBUYS.com). All Bidders (also referred to as

Applicants, Vendors, or Contractors) are responsible for reviewing and adhering to all information, forms and requirements for the entire Bid, which are all incorporated into the Bid. Bidders may also contact the OSD Help

Desk Helpdesk at OSDHelpDesk@mass.gov or the OSD Helpline at 1-888-MA-STATE. The Helpline is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal, state and Suffolk County holidays.

http://www.commbuys.com/ mailto:OSDHelpDesk@mass.gov

GENERAL PROCUREMENT INFORMATION

General Information

PURCHASING AGENCY: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (“EOHLC,”

“HLC,” the Executive Office,” or the “Agency”)

ADDRESS: 100 Cambridge St., Suite 400, Boston, MA 02114

PROCUREMENT CONTACT: Christopher Piotrowski

TELEPHONE: 857-260-1352

E-MAIL ADDRESS: Christopher.Piotrowski@mass.gov

This Request for Quotes (“RFQ”) does not commit the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (“Commonwealth”) or

EOHLC to approve a Statement of Work (“SOW”), pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a Bidder’s response to this RFQ or to procure or contract for products or services. EOHLC may (i) accept or reject any and all proposals received as a result of this RFQ; (ii) contract for some, all or none of the products and services offered by Bidders in response to this RFQ; (iii) negotiate with one or more of the qualified Bidders; or (iv) cancel, in part or in its entirety, this RFQ if it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to do so.

EOHLC may amend this RFQ at any time prior to the date the responses are due. Any such amendment will be posted to the Commonwealth’s procurement website, COMMBUYS (www.commbuys.com).

Bidders must submit their bids through the Commonwealth’s online procurement system, COMMBUYS. Bidders are advised to check this site regularly, as this will be the sole method used for notification of changes.

ORDER OF PRECEDENCE

The formal agreement (“Agreement”) resulting from this RFQ shall consist of the following documents in the following order of precedence:

1. the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, as maintained by the Operational Services Division (“OSD”) for the vendors on this Statewide Contract,

2. the Commonwealth Standard Contract Form, as maintained by OSD for the vendors on this Statewide

Contract,

3. the applicable Statewide Contract,

4. the Bidder’s response thereto,

5. this RFQ (including all amendments, Agency answers to related Bidder questions and clarifications hereto),

6. any SOW or agreement negotiated between and executed by Agency and Bidder, and

7. the Bidder’s response to this RFQ (including all amendments, clarifications, and best and final offers).

EOHLC shall have no obligations toward a Bidder until the Agreement has been executed.

Contract Negotiation and Amendments

EOHLC may negotiate changes to the original performance measures, quantities, SOW term length, and requirements identified in this RFQ at any time, to ensure compliance with state and federal laws, regulations, policies, and program goals. EOHLC may negotiate and execute contract amendments with the awarded Bidder(s) which EOHLC reasonably determines are within the scope of this RFQ and necessary to result in best value to the Commonwealth, and which may include additional related services.

https://massgov.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/sites/ocd-intranet/Shared%20Documents/procurement/CommonwealthTermsAndConditions.pdf https://www.macomptroller.org/wp-content/uploads/form_standard-contract.pdf

Eligible Bidders

This RFQ is restricted to Bidders on the following Statewide Contracts:

• PRF88 Category 3: Translation Service Vendors

Event Calendar

All times in this RFQ are prevailing Eastern Time. Responses must be received no later than the response due date and time indicated below, or they will not be evaluated. Bidders must have their responses fully loaded and accepted in COMMBUYS prior to the RFQ response due date and time listed below. Bidders are urged to allow sufficient time to upload their entire response.

Table 1. Estimated event calendar

PROCUREMENT STEP DATES TIME

COMMBUYS posting 8/20/26

Bidder questions due 8/26/26 4 pm EST

Department response 8/28/26

Bidder RFQ response due 9/3/26 5 pm EST

Notice of apparent successful bidder(s) posted 9/9/26

Contract award (Est.) 9/11/26

The dates in Table 1 may change and are not binding on EOHLC. Any change in the date and time of the submission deadline indicated in Table 1 will be posted on COMMBUYS. Bidders are responsible for actively monitoring COMMBUYS for any and all updates to this RFQ. If there is a conflict between the dates in this calendar and dates on COMMBUYS, the dates on COMMBUYS shall prevail. Any changes in this calendar that are made after the RFQ has been published will not result in amendments to the RFQ. Such changes will appear only on COMMBUYS. Bidders are solely responsible for checking COMMBUYS for calendar updates.

Purchasing Agency

EOHLC oversees funding and resources to help people in Massachusetts live affordably and safely. Through its community and business partners, EOHLC provides affordable housing options, financial assistance, and other support to Massachusetts communities.

The Division of Housing Stabilization (“DHS”), which is within EOHLC, oversees $500+ million in funding to prevent and respond to homelessness and eviction in Massachusetts.

Purpose of Procurement

This procurement seeks translation services for written and recorded dictations services for at least the following languages: Spanish, Portuguese. Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean Creole, Portuguese Creole, Russian, Chinese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Arabic, Turkish, Cambodian and French. Translations services in other languages may be requested by DHS in writing depending on the needs of the program.

This procurement will cover translations services for various DHS programs including, but not limited to:

• Emergency Assistance (EA) Family Shelter program, including the Division of Hearings and shelter providers;

• Residential Assistance for Families in Transition/HomeBASE, including HomeBASE hearing desk reviews;

• Individual shelter programming; and

• Other programs under the purview of DHS, and any successor divisions/agencies.

All documents shall be provided by the Contractor/Bidder in electronic machine-readable format, capable of being completely and accurately reproduced by computer software on a laser printer. Translated responses will be transmitted back to DHS by electronic means, unless otherwise requested, and be capable of accurately reproduced by computer software on a laser printer.

EOHLC may secure additional services or undertake new initiatives from the Bidder(s) to provide additional or related services under this RFQ. During this engagement, EOHLC may amend any SOWs resulting from this procurement to address, among other things, related items or issues not previously identified.

Estimated Start Date & Contract Term

It is anticipated that the selected Bidder would be required to begin performance on or about approximately

September 11, 2026. EOHLC may elect to establish an alternative start date as needed.

The estimated term of the SOW entered into under this RFQ shall consist of an initial term of approximately 10 months and may be renewed or extended as permitted by Statewide Contract PRF 88 or any OSD extensions thereto, upon written agreement by the awarded Bidder and EOHLC, and subject to satisfactory contractor performance, appropriation, and the availability of funding.

Acquisition Method

EOHLC will only accept bids for the maximum price per word for each language. Maximum rates must include price charged for an individual’s work, materials including copying and printing, communications costs, overhead rates, weekends, holidays, any expedited turn-round requests rates, and any other ancillary charges.

Competitive proposals will include volume discounts, as this procurement is seeking a single respondent for all

DHS program translations.

Eligible Entities

Any SOW resulting from this RFQ will be open for use by EOHLC. The issuing entity reserves the right to add additional user entities during the Term, limited to agencies of the Commonwealth.

Single or Multiple Contractors

EOHLC is seeking a single or multiple contractor(s) to perform the services listed herein. EOHLC reserves the right to re-open this procurement to add additional contractors at any time during the contract. If, over the life of the contract, EOHLC determines that additional contractors should be added, these may be drawn from the qualified Bidders who responded to this RFQ and were not awarded contracts.

Subcontractors

In accordance with Commonwealth procurement rules, Bidders can propose subcontracting arrangements for specialized services. The names of subcontractors and each subcontractor’s role on the project must be clearly identified as part of the Bidder’s Response. Prior approval is required for any subcontracted service of the contract pursuant to the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions. Contractors are responsible for the acts and omissions, satisfactory performance, and adequate oversight of its subcontractors.

Additional Requirements

The selected Bidder must provide all contracted services in a non-discriminatory manner, and in conformance with applicable state and federal regulations, and with any administrative guidance, policies, and other requirements provided by EOHLC.

EOHLC shall maintain sole and exclusive ownership rights to all of its program participant files and data that may be assembled, created, or used by the selected Bidder in the performance of its work under contract with

EOHLC. For the avoidance of doubt, the selected Bidder shall have no rights in or to EOHLC program participant files and data other than the limited, non-exclusive, and non-transferrable right to use such files and data solely as required for the selected Bidder to meet its obligations under contract with EOHLC

All products and services provided to the Commonwealth must comply with all applicable policies adopted by

EOHLC, which shall be made available to Bidder prior to contract execution. At a minimum, all goods and services provided to the Commonwealth must comply with M.G.L. c. 66A

(https://malegislature.gov/laws/generallaws/parti/titlex/chapter66a), M.G.L. c. 93H

(https://malegislature.gov/laws/generallaws/parti/titlexv/chapter93h), and the Enterprise Information Security

Standards and Policies (https://www.mass.gov/handbook/enterprise-information-security-policies-and-standards). Bidders shall provide information that demonstrates that their security practices meet the requirements detailed in these policies.

Promotional Materials

The Bidder must not reference EOHLC or the Commonwealth in any promotional or marketing materials, including but not limited to use of EOHLC’s or the Commonwealth’s name or logo, without first obtaining

EOHLC’s prior written approval for such use. The Bidder must not use the Commonwealth’s seal in any promotional or marketing materials. Bidders are discouraged from including extraneous promotional or marketing materials in their responses and excessive promotional or marketing materials may detract from the Bidders’ overall score.

Reasonable Accommodations

Bidders with disabilities or hardships that seek reasonable accommodation, which may include but is not limited to the receipt of procurement information in an alternative format, should communicate such requests in writing or any other reasonable format to EOHLC. Requests for accommodation will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Appropriate Content

Content submitted or entered in response to this Bid must be suitable for public viewing. Bidders must not include inappropriate content, and EOHLC reserves the right to edit or delete any inappropriate content.

No Alterations

Bidders may not alter (manually or electronically) the RFQ language, or any RFQ component files, except as may be directed in the RFQ. Modifications are prohibited and will be disregarded. By submitting their response, the

Bidder agrees to the terms of the RFQ.

Debarment; Litigation

By submitting their response, the Bidder affirms that there are no pending debarment restrictions or litigation issues involving the Bidder or the services provided in the response that may impair or interfere with EOHLC’s right to use the services.

Public Records

All materials submitted to EOHLC during this RFQ process become the property of EOHLC upon their receipt and will not be returned. Except as provided in the Massachusetts Public Records Law, all materials submitted to EOHLC may be subject to release as public records. In no event shall EOHLC, or any of their agents, representatives, consultants, directors, officers, or employees, be liable to a Bidder for the disclosure of all or a portion of a response or related information submitted during this RFQ.

Bidder Responses

All Bidder responses must be submitted via COMMBUYS and must include the following

1. A cover letter not to exceed 3 pages including Bidder’s relevant contact information, Bidder’s history in delivering translation services and confirmation of a Bidder’s ability to translate expected languages;

2. The Bidder’s estimated turnaround time for routine and expediated translations; and

3. The Bidder’s proposed budget/cost for the services or PRF88 Price Sheet;

The DHS frequently used languages are: Spanish, Portuguese. Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean Creole, Portuguese

Creole, Russian, Chinese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Arabic, Turkish, Cambodian and French.

By submitting their response, the Bidder agrees to the terms of the RFQ. In addition, by submitting their response, the Bidder affirms that there is no pending litigation involving the Bidder or the services provided in the response that may impair or interfere with EOHLC’s right to use the services.

All materials submitted to EOHLC during this RFQ process become the property of EOHLC upon their receipt and will not be returned. Except as provided in the Massachusetts Public Records Law, all materials submitted to EOHLC may be subject to release as public records. In no event shall EOHLC, or any of their agents, representatives, consultants, directors, officers, or employees, be liable to a Bidder for the disclosure of all or a portion of a response or related information submitted during this RFQ.

Evaluation Criteria

Bids should provide a comprehensive outline of the services that will be provided, including a timeline for preparation and implementation and the timeframes for an expediated request.

Bids will be evaluated on:

1. Cost; and

2. Bidder’s history in delivering similar services; and

3. Bidder’s ability to translate for frequently used languages.

The DHS frequently used languages are: Spanish, Portuguese. Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean Creole, Portuguese

Creole, Russian, Chinese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Arabic, Turkish, Cambodian and French.

EOHLC reserves the right to consider any previous experience the Bidder has had with any State agency, including, but not limited to, performance problems and compliance with applicable laws and contract provisions.

Small Business Purchasing Program (“SBPP”) Award Preference

In accordance with the requirements of PRF 88, EOHLC will award a contract(s) to a SBPP-participating small business Bidder(s) if both of the following conditions are met:

• The response is received from an eligible small business Bidder; and

• The response meets EOHLC’s best value criteria as defined in the RFQ.

Bidders may visit the Supplier Diversity Office (“SDO”) webpage at www.mass.gov/sdp, or contact the Help

Desk at sdp@mass.gov for more information.

Review Rights

Responses to this RFQ may be reviewed and evaluated by any person(s) at the discretion of EOHLC including non-allied and independent consultants retained by EOHLC for the sole purpose of evaluating and analyzing responses.

Debrief and Appeal Procedures

After EOHLC has selected the winning Bidder(s), any non-successful Bidders not selected for contracts with

EOHLC under this RFQ may contact EOHLC to request a debriefing pursuant to 801 CMR 21.06(14). Debriefing requests must be submitted to EOHLC within 14 days of the contract award notice being posted on COMMBUYS.

EOHLC will schedule debriefing meetings within 14 days of receipt of the request. These timeframes may be modified at the discretion of EOHLC. Non-successful Bidders must request and participate in a debriefing prior to submitting an appeal with EOHLC pursuant to 801 CMR 21.06. Pending appeals with EOHLC shall not prohibit EOHLC from proceeding with procurement activities and executing contracts.

http://www.mass.gov/sdp mailto:sdp@mass.gov