In-person and written interpretative services

Erie County Medical Center Corporation (ECMCC) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking qualified vendors to provide comprehensive interpretation and translation services in Buffalo, New York. The procurement seeks vendors capable of delivering three distinct service types: in-person interpretation for non-English speakers, in-person American Sign Language (ASL) services for deaf and hearing-impaired individuals, and written translation services. ECMCC plans to establish one primary and one secondary contract for each service category, with a five-year contract duration. The RFP requires vendors to submit proposals not exceeding 20 pages, including company background, a detailed proposal plan, and a comprehensive fee schedule. Proposals will be evaluated on a 100-point scale, with points allocated as follows: fee schedule (35 points), vendors' experience (10 points), proposal plan (40 points), quality of proposal (10 points), and a quantitative factor questionnaire (5 points). Key dates include a pre-proposal conference call on January 8, 2026, a deadline for written questions on January 12, 2026, and proposal submissions due on January 30, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. EST through ECMCC's Procurement Portal.

For this procurement, ECMCC has established zero percent goals for Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (SDVOB), though vendors are encouraged to propose utilization. All interpreters must be certified or meet competency standards, with specific requirements including medical interpreting and HIPAA training. Vendors must provide rapid response times, with 10-minute response for emergent situations and 20-minute response for non-urgent needs, and must offer 24/7, 365-day service availability. Vendor employees will be subject to background checks, immunization requirements, and Symplr credentialing at the vendor's expense. Insurance requirements are comprehensive, including Professional Liability ($1.3M per occurrence), Commercial General Liability ($1M each occurrence), Automobile Liability ($1M combined single limit), Workers' Compensation, and Umbrella coverage ($5M). While specific budget ranges were not explicitly stated, the RFP indicates that pricing must be all-inclusive and remain firm for the entire contract term, with no charges higher than those offered to other governmental or commercial consumers.