Provide culturally and linguistically support for Readability and Usability

The Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority is issuing a Request for Responses (RFR) for a single qualified vendor to provide comprehensive culturally and linguistically appropriate support services for readability and usability assessment and written translation services. The procurement encompasses document translation, social media content translation, graphic design, website content localization, and marketing material translation across multiple languages including Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, Cape Verdean Creole, Traditional Chinese, European Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, French, Cambodian/Khmer, Nepalese, Korean, Hindi, Gujarati, Greek, Somali, Italian, Polish, and Laotian. Required services include delivering accessible materials compliant with ACA standards, conducting readability reviews considering diverse audience education levels, performing usability and field testing for cultural relevance, maintaining translated material libraries with version control and change tracking, providing remediation services for previously translated materials, and supporting the annual Open Enrollment period (November 1 through December 31) with increased staffing and service capacity. The contractor must employ professional translators with demonstrated proficiency in English and foreign languages, cultural knowledge of the United States, language proficiency screening and testing capabilities, and the ability to write at appropriate reading levels for target audiences; all personnel must comply with ACA, HIPAA, and personally identifiable information privacy guidelines. Deliverables will be evaluated on timeliness, completeness, and technical accuracy, with the Health Connector conducting independent accessibility audits and reserving the right to assess SLA credits for non-compliance with established Service Level Agreements covering translation turnaround times (ranging from one-half day to eight business days depending on language tier and document length), quality assurance (requiring monthly QA scores exceeding 90%), and privacy violation protocols. A bidders' conference is scheduled for April 22, 2026, with responses due electronically by May 1, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. EST; oral presentations and staff interviews are anticipated for May 11-13, 2026, with award notification expected May 15, 2026.

Bidders must have been in business for a minimum of five years with at least three years performing similar translation and readability services, and must certify that staff meet onshore requirements with no conflicting interests in the Health Connector's external auditors or the Commonwealth's Office of the State Auditor. Five percent of the bidder's evaluation score will be based on minority/women business enterprise (M/WBE) certification status and Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) plan responses; all bidders must develop creative initiatives to foster relationships with certified M/WBEs, M/WNPOs, VBEs, and SDVOBEs and submit documented SDP plan commitments. The Health Connector currently contracts with Automated Health Systems (AHS) for customer service and document processing functions, and the selected vendor must coordinate transition activities during a transition period from June 1-30, 2026, assuming responsibilities from the existing vendor with all transition costs included in the all-inclusive, fixed pricing proposal. The cost response must cover all expenses including salaries, fringe benefits, overhead, profit, technology, support staff, and other costs with no pass-through costs permitted unless expressly referenced, and pricing structures may utilize per-subscriber-per-month (PSPM), per-member-per-month (PMPM), transaction-based pricing, or fixed annual fees models with maximum three percent annual rate increases for optional years indexed to the Consumer Price Index. The initial contract term extends from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2030 (approximately 48 months), with optional extension opportunities through June 30, 2034, subject to satisfactory contractor performance and necessary Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services approvals; specific award values or budget ranges are not disclosed in the procurement documentation.