RFP 9290 PreApplicationConf - 5.8.26.pptx

OREGON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

OHCS Language and Accessibility Services

May 8, 2026 Andrea Gentry (OHCS Procurement) & Magda Bejarano (OHCS Language Services) Request for Proposals # 9290

Welcome Mute microphones if not speaking Questions in the chat, if possible save them for the end

Solicitation Purpose OHCS is soliciting proposals for qualified language and communication services to assist Oregonians with Limited English Proficiency or who use American Sign Language.

We are seeking the following services:

Translation of electronic and printed materials Interpretation of spoken languages Interpretation of American Sign Language (ASL) Transcription of audio content to text Subtitling and Captioning Braille & Large Print Transcription, and Communication Access Real Time Translation (CART) Services

Presentation Title, Date

Oregon Housing and Community Services (Agency) is Oregon's housing finance agency. It provides financial and program support to create and preserve opportunities for quality, affordable housing for Oregonians with lower and moderate incomes.

The core functions and services of OHCS include:

Housing Finance: Financing the building and preservation of affordable multifamily rental housing and encouraging homeownership.

Housing Stability: Administering programs to prevent and end homelessness, including providing resources for emergency shelters and rapid rehousing.

Community Services: Assisting with utility bills and weatherization to help maintain housing stability for low-income residents.

Policy and Advocacy: Developing and implementing integrated statewide policies and the Statewide Housing Plan to address the housing continuum.

Program Delivery: Delivering services primarily through grants, contracts, and loan agreements with local partners and community-based vendors.

OHCS is committed to advancing housing equity by addressing the institutional and systemic barriers that maintain disparity in housing and economic prosperity. Accessibility and language services play a significant role in the agency’s work for equity. Breaks in communication with Oregon’s communities represent breaks in OHCS’s ability to serve all Oregonians equitably and provide meaningful and accessible opportunities to all. Additionally, lacking these services hinders access to housing opportunities by Oregonians with limited English proficiency and disabilities and their right to non-discrimination under the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Awards

Vendors can apply to offer one or more of the services that OHCS is seeking.

OHCS anticipates awarding more than one Contract from this RFP.

The initial term of the Contracts is anticipated to be two years with options to renew up to a cumulative maximum of 10 years in five (5), two (2) year increments, with similar terms and conditions.

Scope of Services Providers will assist OHCS staff to:

Assist OHCS in communicating with Oregonians with Limited English Proficiency or who use American Sign Language through qualified language services, and Offer technical assistance to designated OHCS staff to deliver language services that are timely, effective, ADA-compliant, to plan and prepare for emergency response actions, and to evaluate the provision of services.

Details in RFP’s Section 2.4

RFP Section 2.4 Languages – Section 2.5

RFP Schedule

Application & Submission Requirements RFP Section 3.5

The service proposal is limited to 10 pages. Any additional pages will not be considered in the evaluation.

1. Responsiveness Determination Proposals must contain each of the following elements to be considered for an award:

Cover Sheet Service Proposal (subject to page limit) Price Proposal Work Samples References Disclosure Exemption Affidavit (Attachment B) Proposer Information and Certification Sheet (Attachment C – Signed by Auth. Rep.)

Reference Check Form (Attachment D) COBID Certification / Outreach Plan (Attachment E) Responsibility Inquiry (Attachment F)

To be considered for evaluation, Proposal must contain each of the following elements (further detailed in Proposal Requirements section below):

Vendor Qualifications To be considered, vendors must have verifiable credentials that endorse their status as qualified professional providers.

Section 3.1 of the RFP provides details of the credentials acceptable for each service.

Experience providing inclusive language and communication services in the context of public services such as housing, welfare, healthcare, courts, education, etc.

Inclusive, accurate, culturally affirming, trauma and poverty-informed communications are an essential part of public service, and essential to serve Oregonians who interact with OHCS.

Needs to meet the min. Qualifications.

Not looking for a particular size, type of organization, etc.

2. Service Proposal:

Organizational Profile and Capacity (Section 3.7.2.1):

Overview of your organization and the services offered.

2. Service Process and Approach (Section 3.7.2.2):

Overview of your organization’s project management and delivery processes.

Submit in your own format, but no more than 10 pages!

Organizational Profile and Capacity (Section 3.7.2.1):

Includes the number of interpreters or translators on staff; availability of staff to facilitate relationships with OHCS; qualifications and professional skills of professional service providers; languages not supported; experience working with local governments or social service vendors; and ability to provide services in Oregon.

Service Process and Approach (Section 3.7.2.2):

Considers billing process, tools typically used to deliver the services (e.g. types of software, glossaries, interpretation equipment, etc.); typical turnaround times; ability to prioritize short projects (e.g. email correspondence with clients or Transcription of voicemails), or projects that require a faster than usual turn around (e.g. critical public information or emergency related); quality assurance process; type of reports that can be delivered to OHCS.

3. Work Samples & References Work Samples:

Please include two samples of work as part of the proposal. The files should be submitted electronically through OregonBuys according to the following type and size specifications in Section 3.7.4.

References:

Please provide 3 references using the Reference Check Form Attachment D).

Proposal Submission Proposals must be submitted electronically through OregonBuys at https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/. Detailed instructions on how to submit a proposal can be found at: https://www.oregon.gov/das/ORBuys/Pages/Index.aspx.

Look under “Vendors and Suppliers” for a link to a document entitled “How to Submit an Electronic Response to an Opportunity”.

Application Elements

Responsiveness Determination

Meets Minimum Submission Requirements – Section 3.5

Service Proposal

Organizational Capacity

Price Proposal

Work Samples

References

3.7.5

Meets Minimum Qualifications – Section 3 Section 3.7.3 Service Process and Approach Section 3.7.4 Application Evaluation & Scoring RFP Section 4.9

2. Point and Score Calculations (first round )

A committee of OHCS staff will evaluate all service proposals, assigning points to each element according to this table.

The Service Proposal is subject to a page limit of max. 10 pages.

Sample scoring matrix

Price Proposal:

The evaluation committee will award a price score to each Price Proposal based on the percentage of the proposed price as compared to the lowest Proposer’s price using the following formula:

Work Samples (pass/fail):

Proposer submits two (2) work samples that meet all specifications outlined in Section 3.7.4. Fail: Proposer submits fewer or more than two (2) work samples, or any submitted work sample does not meet the specifications in Section 3.7.4.

References (pass/fail):

Proposer submits three (3) references, and in all three (3), Attachment D -Reference Check Form- is prepared by the respective reference. All three (3) references are included with the Proposal.

Fail: Proposer submits more or fewer than three (3) references, or any required Attachment D Reference Check Form is missing, incomplete, or not included with the Proposal.

Detailed, and transparent description of the costs of the services offered to OHCS through this solicitation.

Must address the items noted in Section 3.7.3 for each service being offered to OHCS.

You can submit this in your own format. No page limit.

Next Step Determination After round 1 of competition, OHCS may choose to conduct an additional round of competition if in the best interest of the State.

Additional rounds may consist of:

Interviews Evaluation of references via questionnaires Technical evaluation of work samples Presentations/Demonstrations/Additional Submittal Items Discussions and submittal of revised Proposals Serial or simultaneous negotiations Best and Final Offers

Award Notice, Protest & Negotiation OHCS will issue Award Notices on or around Friday June 6, 2026.

An Affected Proposer shall have 7 calendar days from the date of the Intent to Award notice to file a Written protest. See Section 5.2.1.1 for the requirements of an acceptable protest.

After selection of a successful Proposer, OHCS will enter into Contract negotiations with the successful Proposers (yay!) (Section 5.4.1)

Questions?

Please submit any additional questions to us via Oregon Buys and reference.

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