Telephonic Translation and Video Remote Interpretation Services RFQ

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) issued a Request for Quote (RFQ) on April 21, 2026, for telephonic translation and video remote interpretation services under Statewide Contract PRF75. The Department seeks a single qualified vendor to provide both scheduled and on-demand translation services across more than 40 languages, with particular demand for Spanish, Creole, and Portuguese, supporting an estimated monthly call volume of approximately 12,182 calls. Required deliverables include a dedicated toll-free phone number, pre-qualified and tested interpreters meeting American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards, real-time reporting capabilities, and a dedicated account team for client support, with services available seven days per week between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Eligible bidders must already be approved on the PRF75 statewide contract and must demonstrate prior experience providing interpretation services of similar scope and scale to government entities. Pricing must be submitted on a per-minute, per-language basis with no allowance for setup or equipment costs. The evaluation criteria weighted across 100 points include organizational experience (10 points), staffing qualifications (5 points), approach to service delivery (25 points), business references (10 points), cost proposal (25 points), and supplier diversity commitment (25 points). Questions must be submitted through COMMBUYS by May 1, 2026, at 3:00 PM, with bid responses due by May 12, 2026, at 3:00 PM; the successful bidder is expected to be notified on June 1, 2026, with contract commencement on July 1, 2026.

The contract term is one year with three optional one-year renewal periods, with all contracts terminating no later than June 30, 2027. Performance standards require 15-second average response times for live agents, 30-second average connection times to interpreters, a 99% minimum fulfillment rate across all languages, and 99.9% system uptime, with penalties of 1-2% of monthly invoice amounts assessed for non-compliance. The RFQ does not specify set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises; however, supplier diversity commitment is weighted as a significant evaluation criterion at 25 points, indicating the Department's emphasis on diversity in vendor selection. No incumbent vendor or current contractor information is provided in the available documentation. The specific award value or budget range is not disclosed in the RFQ materials, and funding is subject to appropriation by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.