Optional Pre-Proposal Meeting

An Optional Pre-Proposal Video Conference Meeting through Microsoft Teams will be held on October 6, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. Please click on the link on the cover page, or call +1 720-400-7859, Phone Conference ID: 473 604 869#.

Purpose / Background

Boulder County is seeking proposals for the development of a Language Access Assessment Plan (LAP): to increase multilingual communications throughout the County, promoting inclusivity, equity, and access to County amenities and resources for all Boulder County residents. A LAP is required to establish effective guidelines, consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Executive Order 13166, for County staff to follow when providing services to, or interacting with, Limited English Proficiencies (LEP) residents. Adherence to these guidelines is essential to the success of the County’s commitment to provide equitable access to County services, programs, activities, and decision-making processes for all members of the community.

The preferred contactor will have experience with Language Access Assessment Plan development that will diagnose and review current practices in Boulder County, compliance with federal, state language requirements, provide recommendations on coordination of language access programs and services, assess internal structure and support for community members whose primary language is not English and develop a phased implementation plan.

The County’s Covid-19 pandemic response has elevated the need for language access in the services and programs the County provides. During the pandemic response the County saw an increase demand for language access and interpretation services at the Call Center which provided general information about Boulder County services for residents in housing support, food assistance, legal help, childcare, unemployment, workforce assistance along with Covid testing sites, workers’ rights information, quarantine guidance and vaccination sites. The Community Task Force created to provide community feedback on the impact of the pandemic on communities provided Spanish simultaneous translation for community members to participate and heard the need for services for the deaf and hearing-impaired. The Economic Vitality Team used translation services to reach small businesses impacted by the pandemic and needed to partner with the Latino Chamber of Commerce to promote small business grant opportunities and other support services to small businesses with limited English proficiencies.

Another emergent trend for language access was at the Office of Emergency Management and the need for translation services for evacuation along with immediate information on health and safety resources during the wildfire disasters of 2020.

The county has qualified a vendor to provide written translation services for departments at an annual value of $20,000 with each department pays for their translations. Many departments provide their own translation services without countywide guidelines and some may lack relevant bi-cultural competencies. The County has several employees providing services in Spanish for the public they serve. The Bilingual Pay program was created to recognize this service and compensation varies based on the frequency of use of interpretation services. Language access has been a challenge for community members with Limited English Proficiencies (LEP) to participate in the County’s community meetings and public hearings process.

Optional Pre-Proposal Meeting

An Optional Pre-Proposal Video Conference Meeting through Microsoft Teams will be held on October 6, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. Please click on the link on the cover page, or call +1 720-400-7859, Phone Conference ID: 473 604 869#.

Written Inquiries

All inquiries regarding this RFP will be submitted via email to the Boulder County Purchasing Office at purchasing@bouldercounty.org on or before 2:00 p.m. October 13, 2021. A response from the county to all inquiries will be posted and sent via email no later than October 18, 2021.

Do not contact any other county department or personnel with questions or for information regarding this solicitation.

Submittal Instructions

Submittals are due at the email box only, listed below, for time and date recording on or before 2:00 p.m. Mountain Time on October 22, 2021.

Please note that email responses to this solicitation are limited to a maximum of 50MB capacity.

NO ZIP FILES OR LINKS TO EXTERNAL SITES WILL BE ACCEPTED. THIS INCLUDES GOOGLE DOCS AND SIMILAR SITES. ALL SUBMITTALS MUST BE RECEIVED AS AN ATTACHMENT (E.G. PDF, WORD, EXCEL).

RFP #7267-21

The attached addendum supersedes the original Information and Specifications regarding RFP # 7267-21 where it adds to, deletes from, clarifies or otherwise modifies. All other conditions and any previous addendums shall remain unchanged.

Please note: Due to COVID-19, BIDS will only be accepted electronically by emailing purchasing@bouldercounty.org.

RFP #7267-21 Addendum 1