In Person and VRI Interpretation Services

The Vendor is required to provide consecutive in-person interpretation services, on-site interpretation staffing, video remote interpretation (VRI), on-demand video interpretation technology, language certification exams, simultaneous interpretation for events, and child welfare interpreter training.
- Provide clear, multilingual communications to:
•    Bridge language barriers, including for speakers of languages of lesser diffusion,
•    Improve performance, quality, and efficiency of city programs and services, and
•    Support equitable engagement, inclusive government, and language justice.
- Goals:
•    All agency and provider agency clients have the right to receive services in their preferred language.
•    All agency and provider agency staff must provide equal access to services, regardless of a client's English language proficiency.
•    Interpretation and translation services for clients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) must be accurate, timely, and free for the client.
•    Limited English Proficient clients should not have to wait unreasonably longer to receive assistance.
•    Confidentiality and privacy of agency and provider agency clients shall always be respected and protected when accessing language services.
- Consecutive In-Person Interpretation Services: 
•    Provide professionally qualified spoken language interpreters for scheduled appointments at agency offices, secured facilities, provider agency sites, and client homes across the five boroughs primarily and, on occasion in counties, or other locations as needed.
- On-Site Interpretation Staffing:
•    Contractor would assign regular, schedule-based interpreters—primarily Spanish-speaking—to designated agency locations and secured facilities, providing consistent in-person support for client engagement, conferencing, and casework activities as determined by site-specific needs.
•    Agency currently assigns 20 Spanish-speaking interpreters to 20 agency office locations across the five boroughs of city. 
•    Most interpreters work weekday shifts from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm; however, individual sites may operate on alternative schedules based on their specific needs. 
•    The on-site Spanish-speaking interpreters support agency staff in communicating with clients across a range of child welfare topics. 
•    On any given day, an interpreter may assist a walk-in client at an agency office, provide interpretation during a family team conference, or help family’s complete applications for agency family assessment program. In addition, interpreters are stationed at secured agency facilities provide language support for children up to 10 hours daily, seven days a week, for extended periods based on operational needs.
- Video Remote Interpretation (VRI): 
•    Contractor would offer scheduled real-time VRI services across multiple platforms (e.g., teams, WebEx, zoom), when in-person interpretation is either not preferred, due to meetings in a video-based platform, or for other reasons upon requests, such as for rare/esoteric languages that may not be readily available for in-person interpretation. 
•    Provide scheduled video remote interpretation services for all language pairs involving English and any language spoken by residents of the city, including but not limited to the languages and dialects. 
•    Services may be requested twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week, 365 days a year. The need for the equipment and necessary set up shall be assessed prior to the beginning of the assignment, based on agency or the provider agency requirements.
- On-Demand Video Interpretation Technology: 
•    Provide immediate access to spoken language interpreters via mobile applications, web platforms, or video links—available 24/7 and capable of connecting within 15 minutes—to support agency staff in urgent or field-based interactions with LEP clients, including overnight emergency deployments.
- Language Certification Exams: 
•    Provide secure, proctored, industry-standard language proficiency certification exams for agency staff to support internal capacity building for LEP client communication.
- Provide qualified and experienced language professionals that possess demonstrated proficiency levels. Individuals must also possess the relevant knowledge in the required field of expertise (medical, legal, professional) for interpreting orally for parties conversing in different languages, either in simultaneous and/or consecutive time.
- Responsible for interpreters taking an agency -approved child welfare training and ensure interpreters have the customer service skills necessary to maintain the highest standards of the foreign language interpretation industry.
- Maintain necessary systems and staff to provide effective coordination for a high volume of in-person or video remote interpretation requests across a broad array of languages.

- Contract Period/Term: 3 years
- Pre-Proposal Conference Date: November 13, 2025
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: November 28, 2025