Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Executive
Emma Gonzalez, Manager, Office of Community Affairs
Subject: Agreement with Certified Languages International, LLC to Provide Language Interpretation and Translation Services
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution to authorize an agreement and waiving the request for proposals (RFP) process with Certified Languages International, LLC to provide language interpretation and translation services to San Mateo County Departments for the term of January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2026, in an amount not to exceed $225,000.
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BACKGROUND:
According to the 2021 U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, nearly half of San Mateo County residents (47.6 percent) speak a language other than English at home. 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.
Since 2018, the Office of Community Affairs (OCA) has contracted to provide language access services, such as over-the-phone interpretation and document translation to 22 County departments 24/7/365. Interpretation services include on-demand and pre-scheduled options in approximately 200 unique languages.
The current contract expires December 31, 2023.
DISCUSSION:
In January 2023, San Mateo Medical Center (SMMC) completed a Request for Proposals (RFP) for language interpretation and translation services for SMMC-provided services. Certified Languages International, LLC (CLI) was chosen as the most qualified vendor. In order to continue make these services available to County Departments that do not have direct contracts for such interpretation or translation services, OCA now wishes to leverage SMMC's RFP process to establish a new contract with similar terms with CLI. OCA requests that this Board waive the competit...
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