Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Executive
Subject: Resolution Authorizing a Second Amendment to the Agreement with On Point Language Solutions, LLC
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing a second amendment to the agreement with On Point Language Solutions, LLC for virtual and in-person interpretation services and translation services to San Mateo County departments, extending the term through December 31, 2027, and increasing the amount of the agreement by $450,000 to an amount not to exceed $555,000.
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BACKGROUND:
In August of 2017, this Board formed an ad-hoc committee to study the County’s need for a Language Access Policy. This committee researched existing national and state law, conducted a countywide assessment of existing language services, and identified existing gaps in language access services.
Since 2021, the County has contracted to provide language interpretation services, such as in-person or via remote video to County departments. Interpretation services are available in 25 unique languages.
On November 14, 2023, this Board approved a resolution acknowledging the importance of language access in the County of San Mateo and directed the creation of a language access ordinance and implementation plan.
In late 2024, the County solicited language access services through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process. In January 2025, the County entered into an Agreement with On Point Language Solutions, LLC (On Point) to provide virtual and in-person interpretation and document translation to County departments as a result of this competitive RFP process, in an amount not to exceed $80,000, with a term of January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025, and an option to extend for two more years. In September 2025, the agreement was amended, increasing the not-to-exceed amount by $25,000, to an amount not to exceed $105,000, with no change to the term. This agreement with On Point furthers the Board’s language access efforts.
DISCUSSION:
Through this amendment, On Point will continue to provide access services for Board of Supervisor meetings, County Commissions and Councils, community meetings, webinars and trainings. The first amended agreement’s maximum amount did not account for the increased demand and utilization of interpreter and translation services, leading to an expenditure beyond the original estimates. The unanticipated high volume of translation services provided under this agreement is primarily due to the County’s commitment that County press releases be translated into Spanish and Simplified Chinese, as well as owing to the additional Commissions/Councils utilizing interpretation services. Therefore, the requested not to exceed amount in this second amendment reflects the unexpected volume of translation and interpretation services provided under the current agreement, as well as the expected continued high volume of translation and interpretation services to be provided through the new agreement term.
The Office of Community Affairs thus now wishes to amend the agreement to extend the term for an additional two years, through December 31, 2027, and to increase the maximum amount payable by $450,000, in an amount not to exceed $555,000
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2024-25 Actual |
FY 2025-26 Estimated |
|
Percentage of interpretation requests that are fulfilled for available languages |
99.5% |
99.5% |
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
According to the 2019-2023 U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, nearly half of San Mateo County residents (45.3 percent) speak a language other than English at home. Additionally, 16.9 percent of County residents identify as Limited English Proficient (LEP) speakers. Collectively, the County’s residents speak more than 100 different languages from across the world with the most prevalent being English, Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog.
Five years of managing and tracking the utilization of both interpretation and translation services by the Office of Community Affairs reveals that more than 17 County Departments and five County Commissions/Councils have utilized interpretation and/or translation services. In addition to the County’s top languages, Spanish and Simplified Chinese, the County receives requests for others including Tagalog, Arabic, Portuguese, Russian, Samoan, Tongan, Turkish, and Vietnamese.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The maximum amount payable under this agreement is $555,000, through December 31, 2027. Funding for this agreement has been included in Non-Departmental Services FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget and will be included in the subsequent years.