Statewide interpretation & translation

The State of Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget is issuing Request for Proposal 26-1165 to procure statewide interpretation and translation services for approximately 30 state agencies across all Michigan counties, including the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, organized across ten prosperity regions. The procurement seeks one or multiple vendors to provide comprehensive language services in a minimum of 47 languages including Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, Somali, and numerous others, covering simultaneous and consecutive interpretation, over-the-phone interpretation (OPI), video remote interpretation (VRI), sign language interpretation, on-site/in-person services, Communication Access Real Time (CART) translation, document translation, machine translation post-editing, multifaceted projects, and multilingual media services including voice-overs, subtitling, dubbing, and transcription. Standard interpretation services must be available Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern Time, with 24/7/365 availability required for the Michigan Department of Corrections, Michigan State Police, and Michigan Department of Health & Human Services; translation turnaround times range from 1-2 hours for expedited documents under 500 words to 6-9 business days for complex multifaceted projects. The contractor must comply with ADA accessibility standards, HIPAA regulations, IRS Publication 1075 safeguarding requirements, achieve 98% or better customer satisfaction, maintain 100% ADA compliance, ensure OPI/VoIP connections within one minute and VRI connections within five minutes, deliver translations on time, provide ATA-certified translators where certification exists, establish unique client ID assignments for state agency divisions, implement quarterly and annual reporting including usage data and quality assurance metrics, maintain backup and disaster recovery plans with 24-hour recovery objectives, support Microsoft Teams integration, and provide a designated Contractor Program Manager. Technical evaluation will score proposals at 45 points for Product Quality, 25 points for Service Capabilities, and 30 points for Vendor Questions Worksheet responses, with a minimum of 80 points required to advance to price evaluation; bidders must submit all materials electronically through the SIGMA VSS system by Friday, April 3, 2026, at 1:55 p.m. Eastern, with a contract effective date of September 13, 2026, and an optional pre-proposal meeting scheduled for March 6, 2026, written questions due by March 12, 2026, and State responses posted by March 19, 2026.

There are no specific set-aside designations identified in this procurement; however, the State will consider qualified disabled veteran-owned business (QDV/SDVOB) status, Michigan economic impact including job creation and employee compensation, and prior performance with the State during evaluation. Bidders must comply with multiple certifications including clean corporate citizen status, non-Iran-linked business status, proper employee classification, labor and antidiscrimination law compliance, and payment of all applicable State of Michigan taxes, and must affirm independent pricing without consultation with competing contractors. Contractors must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate), Automobile Liability ($1,000,000 per accident), Workers' Compensation and Employers Liability ($500,000 per accident/disease), and Privacy and Security/Cyber Liability Insurance ($3,000,000 per occurrence/annual aggregate), with the State named as additional insured on a primary and non-contributory basis. For MDOC services, contractor and subcontractor personnel must complete Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) training, submit to background checks via Michigan State Police Internal Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT), and comply with stringent vendor rules and regulations. The base contract term runs September 13, 2026, through September 12, 2031, with options for up to three additional one-year renewal periods at the State's sole discretion; pricing is firm for the entire base contract term with adjustments permitted only for documented cost changes, and a 1% administrative fee applies to all payments. While specific budget or award values are not provided in the RFP materials, contracts exceeding $250,000 require State Administrative Board approval, indicating potential contract values in that range or higher; incumbent vendor information and current contract rates are available through the Michigan DTMB Contract Connect database.