RFI Court Reporting.pdf

Request for Information (RFI)

Court Reporting Services (Nationwide) for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)

NAICS Code: 561492 – Court Reporting and Stenotype Services

Response Due Dated: 08/26/2026

This is a Request for Information (RFI). This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The information gained will assist in developing the acquisition strategy for NLRB’s requirement for Court Reporting Services. The NLRB is issuing this RFI to request feedback from industry to address recurring performance challenges experienced under prior contracts, as well as to better understand emerging innovations, technologies, and best practices within the court reporting industry.

Areas of particular interest include, but are not limited to:

• Ability to fulfill expedited transcript requests.

• How do you address court reporter no-shows or late arrivals?

• Ability to provide in-person court reporting services when requested. Are there any obstacles to providing in-person services.

• Ability to properly and timely notify the Government when coverage cannot be met.

• What technological failures have you encountered during proceedings and how have you addressed them?

• How do you address incomplete or inaccurate transcripts?

In addition, the Government is seeking insight into:

• Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation in transcription, editing, and quality assurance processes

• Data rights and ownership of transcripts, recordings, and exhibits generated during proceedings

• Data storage, retention, and security practices, including how sensitive hearing information is protected

• Privacy safeguards to ensure confidentiality of records and compliance with applicable Federal standards

Vendors are encouraged to clearly demonstrate how their capabilities, technologies, and operational approaches mitigate these risks, improve reliability and accuracy, and align with evolving industry standards.

The NLRB anticipates a requirement for nationwide court reporting and transcription services in support of administrative hearings, representation proceedings, unfair labor practice cases, and other official agency proceedings. Services may include in-person, remote, and hybrid court reporting; real-time reporting; expedited and daily transcript delivery; digital recording support; audio recording and synchronization; transcript production and distribution; exhibit handling and management; and secure electronic transcript distribution. The anticipated requirement will emphasize contractor capability to provide qualified and reliable court reporters across multiple geographic locations, maintain continuity of service, ensure timely and accurate transcript production, support evolving technology and remote hearing platforms, and comply with applicable privacy, security, records retention, and confidentiality requirements. The Government is also seeking industry feedback regarding innovations within the court reporting industry, including the use of artificial intelligence, transcript storage solutions, data rights, cybersecurity protections, and approaches for addressing recurring performance challenges.

Vendors are requested to provide:

1. Organization Capabilities Vendors are requested to provide a detailed description of their organizational structure and operational capabilities, including company size, ownership structure, and small business status (if applicable).

Responses should include examples of the vendor’s experience providing court reporting and related services in support of Federal agencies, administrative tribunals, or quasi-judicial proceedings. Vendors should describe their geographic coverage and staffing model, including national reach, regional office presence, subcontractor networks, and the ability to support rural or difficult-to-staff locations. Vendors should also explain their workforce model, including the use of employees versus independent contractors, and provide descriptions of the processes, policies, and contingency plans used to ensure reporter reliability and attendance. This should include examples of backup staffing plans and procedures for addressing reporter no-shows, late arrivals, or last-minute scheduling changes.

2. Technical Capabilities Vendors are requested to describe their technical capabilities and approach for providing court reporting services in both in-person and virtual environments. Responses should include descriptions and examples of real-time transcription capabilities, including latency expectations, accuracy standards, and supporting technologies. Vendors should describe their experience supporting remote and hybrid proceedings and identify compatible platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WebEx, or similar systems. Vendors should also explain the availability and scope of live technical support during proceedings. Responses should further address audio and recording capabilities, including the use of time-synced audio/text tools and redundancy measures designed to prevent loss of the official record due to technology failures. Vendors should describe transcript and exhibit management systems, including cloud-based portals, user access controls, and methods for securely sharing records.

Additionally, vendors should describe any scheduling and visibility tools available to the Government, including real-time dashboards, confirmation of assigned reporters prior to proceedings, and visibility into readiness status for scheduled services.

3. Security, Data Rights, and Information Management Vendors are requested to describe their cybersecurity posture and information management practices applicable to court reporting services. Responses should include descriptions of compliance or alignment with Federal cybersecurity standards and frameworks, such as FedRAMP or NIST guidance, as well as encryption practices used to protect data in transit and at rest. Vendors should describe data handling procedures, including retention policies, chain of custody controls, and role-based access management. Responses should also address data rights considerations, including ownership of transcripts, recordings, exhibits, and related materials, as well as the Government’s rights to access, retain, reuse, and store such data. Vendors should further describe data storage practices, including storage locations, backup procedures, disaster recovery capabilities, and incident response processes for addressing data breaches or other security events.

4. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Vendors are requested to describe any current or anticipated use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in the performance of court reporting services. Responses should explain whether AI is used for draft transcript generation, real-time support, editing assistance, or any other related functions. Vendors should describe the role of human review and quality assurance for AI-assisted outputs and explain the safeguards implemented to ensure transcript accuracy, completeness, and reliability. Vendors should also identify controls designed to mitigate AI-related risks, including omission of testimony, misinterpretation of speech, or inaccuracies resulting from automated processing. Responses should include descriptions of data protection measures applicable to AI tools and any limitations or restrictions placed on the use of Government data within AI-enabled systems.

5. Quality Assurance and Transcript Integrity Vendors are requested to provide a detailed description of their quality assurance processes and transcript integrity controls. Responses should include accuracy standards, quality benchmarks, and descriptions of editing and multi-level review procedures used to ensure transcript completeness and correctness. Vendors should explain the controls in place to prevent incomplete transcripts, including procedures to verify that all portions of proceedings are captured and reconciled against audio recordings or other records when applicable. Responses should also describe processes and timelines for correcting transcript errors, as well as escalation procedures used to address transcript disputes, deficiencies, or customer complaints.

6. Operational Performance and Risk Mitigation Vendors are requested to describe their operational performance capabilities and risk mitigation strategies. Responses should include examples and metrics related to transcript turnaround times for standard, expedited, and daily delivery services, as well as fill rates for scheduled assignments. Vendors should explain their approach to meeting expedited transcript requirements and describe policies or procedures intended to prevent the cancellation of expedited orders. Vendors should further describe procedures used to ensure reporter attendance, including backup staffing and on-call coverage plans. Responses should address contingency measures for mitigating technology failures, including redundant systems, real-time troubleshooting support, and continuity procedures. Vendors should also describe their surge capacity and ability to support high-volume or concurrent proceedings nationwide.

7. Administrative and Billing Capabilities Vendors are requested to describe their administrative, reporting, and billing capabilities.

Responses should include descriptions of electronic invoicing capabilities, including the ability to provide structured invoice data and supporting documentation. Vendors should describe available reporting tools and dashboards related to usage tracking, timeliness metrics, cancellations, rescheduling activity, and invoice status tracking. Responses should also explain the vendor’s process for handling transcript orders placed by outside parties, including payment coordination, processing procedures, and customer support functions.

8. Pricing Structure (Market Research Only) For market research purposes only, vendors are requested to describe their typical pricing structures and commercial pricing practices for court reporting services. Responses should include descriptions and examples of pricing models such as per-page transcript rates, real-time service surcharges, appearance fees, travel costs, and virtual hearing support charges. Vendors should also identify key cost drivers that may impact pricing, service delivery, or overall contract performance.

9. Additional Insights Vendors are encouraged to provide additional information, recommendations, or observations relevant to the court reporting industry and the Government’s requirements. Responses may include discussion of market trends, emerging technologies, operational innovations, or barriers associated with providing nationwide coverage. Vendors are also encouraged to provide recommendations regarding performance standards, accountability measures, service level agreements, remedies for non-performance, or other best practices that may improve contract administration and service quality.

10. Any applicable GSA Schedule contracts or other GWACs shall be listed in the response.

INFORMATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

NLRB is requesting the response to this RFI be limited to no greater than 12 pages and should include the eligible business concern’s name, point of contact, address, SAM UIE and CAGE code.

All questions and responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically (via e-mail) to Kurtina Edwards, Contracting Officer, at Kurtina.Edwards@nlrb.gov in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) or MS Word.

CUT-OFF TIME/DATE: Capability statements with respect to the information above are due no later than 9:00 a.m. (EST) on August 26, 2026. Capability statements received after this date and time may not be considered.

DISCLAIMER AND IMPORTANT NOTES:

This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Government. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided by the vendor in this response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any concern responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the concern’s qualifications to perform the work.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation MAY be issued. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

As a result of this notice, the Government MAY issue a Request for Quote (RFQ). There is no solicitation available at this time. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this RFI or the Government’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement.

The Government will NOT accept requests for meetings or briefings. No phone solicitations or email with regards to the status of a RFP will be accepted prior to its release.

CONFIDENTIALITY: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).

mailto:Kurtina.Edwards@nlrb.gov