IFB 25-E0021 - Certified Legal Transcription Services

The California Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), is issuing Invitation for Bid (IFB) 25-E0021 to procure Certified Legal Transcription Services for the transcription of public hearings, meetings, workshops, and other events involving highly technical scientific proceedings. The contractor must provide word-by-word, speaker-by-speaker transcriptions performed by a Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR) with a minimum of five years of experience in providing high-quality CSR services for government entities or similar clients, including at least three years of experience with highly technical scientific proceedings. Services will be performed primarily in Northern California but may extend to Central or Southern California, with operations Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., excluding State holidays. Bidders must submit comprehensive cost rate worksheets detailing pricing for various transcript delivery options (original plus copy, e-copy only, and CD delivery), turnaround times (ranging from same-day through 8-10 working days), appearance fees (full-day, half-day, evening, and weekend rates), and regional delivery and handling fees across the three-year contract period. The contractor must also provide three professional references demonstrating similar service experience within the past seven years and three highly technical scientific sample transcriptions demonstrating competency with complex terminology. Bid submissions are due Friday, February 13, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. PST, with a public bid opening scheduled for Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. PST via Microsoft Teams, a Notice of Intent to Award expected Wednesday, February 18, 2026, and a proposed contract start date of Monday, March 2, 2026.

The contract includes Small Business (SB) and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) preference programs, though no mandatory DVBE participation requirement exists. The contractor must maintain Commercial General Liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, Motor Vehicle Liability insurance of $1,000,000 per accident, and Professional Liability insurance of $1,000,000 per claim and $2,000,000 aggregate. The contract term is three years with the possibility of a one-year extension at the same rates. The current maximum budget for this agreement is approximately $40,500.00 for the three-year term, with no guarantee of minimum service usage; however, OEHHA reserves the right to amend the budget up to 30 percent of the original amount if needed for unanticipated service increases. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the procurement documents.