Procurement Information~55.docx

This procurement document pertains to a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by the State of Oregon's Employment Department, specifically the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), for telephonic interpretation services. The agency seeks to award contracts to up to three vendors to provide pre-scheduled telephonic interpretation services for administrative hearings. Interested parties must offer certified spoken language interpreters for a minimum of ten languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian, Amharic, Arabic, Farsi, Ukrainian, Cantonese, Oromo, and Mandarin. Services must be available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time, with flexibility for occasional hours outside this timeframe. Interpreters will participate in hearings ranging from one to eight continuous hours, potentially spanning multiple days, through conference bridge systems. The procurement process includes a deadline for questions and clarifications on November 24, 2025, with final proposals due December 15, 2025, at 9:00 AM PST. The initial contract term is three years, with potential renewals not to exceed five years total.

The State will employ a Best Value Analysis (BVA) to evaluate proposals, scoring up to 800 points across criteria including language availability, offeror qualifications, service delivery processes, interpreter expertise, references, and cost. Vendors must demonstrate a minimum of three years of legal interpretation experience and maintain Professional Liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per claim. Pricing will be submitted on an hourly basis by language, with a one-hour minimum billing for hearings of one hour or less, and additional time billed in 15-minute increments. Payment terms are net 45 days from invoice receipt. The RFP includes a Certified Disadvantaged Business Outreach Plan to encourage participation from Oregon Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID) certified businesses, including minority-owned (MBE), woman-owned (WBE), service-disabled veteran-owned (SDV), and emerging small businesses (ESB). Historical data indicates approximately 587 interpreter requests totaling 1,084 billed hours between August 2024 and August 2025. No minimum or maximum work volumes are guaranteed.