Language Interpretation and Translation Services

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce (OIATC) is conducting market research to identify qualified sources for on-demand language interpretation and translation services. The requirement encompasses written translation to and from English in 13 foreign languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Russian, German, and Norwegian), predominantly remote simultaneous interpretation with occasional consecutive interpretation for bilateral meetings and events, proofreading and editing support, desktop publishing, and project management. Key requirements include providing two interpreters per interpretation assignment, maintaining a 95% first-pass acceptance rate on translations with no critical errors, achieving 95% readiness for interpretation sessions, acknowledging routine requests within four business hours and urgent requests within one hour, and handling rare in-person interpretation events in Alaska approximately once every two years with preauthorized travel reimbursed separately. The Government is assessing contractor capabilities across 14 detailed items including company profile, business size and socioeconomic status, language capabilities, interpretation and translation experience, quality assurance processes, past performance, and specific feedback on the draft CLIN and pricing structure. Responses must be submitted electronically to kyle.shaffer@noaa.gov and nicholas.g.brown@noaa.gov by April 13, 2026 at 17:00 MDT.

This is a market research notice only with no set-aside currently applied, though the final acquisition strategy will be determined based on market research results and may include consideration for small business, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, or EDWOSB set-asides. No current incumbent or contractor is identified in the materials provided. The estimated annual spend is approximately $100,000 per 12-month period for planning purposes only, with the contract structure consisting of a 12-month base period beginning June 1, 2026 and extending through May 31, 2027, followed by four 12-month option periods extending through May 31, 2031, for a total potential five-year contract period. Current planning assumptions project approximately 30 to 40 interpretation meetings and events annually, each lasting 1 to 3 hours, and approximately 50 documents annually averaging 10 pages each. The contract will utilize firm-fixed-unit-price CLINs for translation and interpretation services with separate cost-reimbursable pricing for preauthorized travel. The NAICS code is 541930 (Translation and Interpretation Services) with a small business size standard of $22.5 million.