CPH Document Translation

Columbus Public Health intends to contract for Document Translation Services to provide effective written language assistance to clients. The awarded vendor will provide services over a twelve-month period beginning April 1, 2027, through March 31, 2028, with an option to renew for four additional one-year periods ending March 31, 2032.

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to solicit proposals from qualified agencies that can provide professional document translation services to meet the needs of Columbus Public Health staff and customers, and for Franklin County Women Infants and Children (WIC) staff and customers. The services will be scheduled through designated Columbus Public Health staff and WIC staff. Bidders must provide translation services upon request, including occasional urgent or emergency requests.

The successful bidder must meet, and describe how they will meet, the following requirements:

Bidders must guarantee service for all the requested languages in these specifications and adhere to proper billing and invoicing procedures.

Professional Translator Qualifications

Translators must be competent to communicate effectively in both English and their designated language. The bidder must verify the professional qualification of all employees providing translations services by acceptable standards. [...] Translators under the bidding agency must also be able to effectively translate material related to sensitive health topics including but not limited to sexual health and substance use, etc.

Qualifications of translators must include:

• Certification from third-party agency, or equivalent level of professional experience and/or higher-education degree in the target language(s)
• Certification of proficiency in English and the target language via third-party testing and/or proof of educational or professional experience.
• Training in ethical standards
• Confidentiality of medical information
• Medical terminology

Translation services are needed for health and social services-related issues, vital documents, event and program advertising, and clinical appointments for clients of various age groups and cultures. Thus, translations need to be medically accurate, culturally accurate, culturally sensitive, and utilize plain language to ensure understanding of critical health information.

The successful bidder must be equipped to accommodate multiple projects at once, and support at least 500 translations per year.

Translated documents must be produced electronically or as tactile copies when necessary and/or upon request. Braille translation is one such example of a tactile document translation.

Bidder must be able to perform translations for projects that require basic formatting, complex formatting, and Desktop Publishing (DTP) through platforms including but not limited to Microsoft Office, Canva, Adobe Acrobat and Adobe InDesign.

The awarded vendor must provide electronic invoices to Columbus Public Health on a monthly basis. [...] The awarded vendor must provide a monthly utilization summary in Microsoft Excel. [...] At the end of year, the awarded vendor will provide a yearly summary (contract year: April 1 to March 31).

Proposals must be submitted online by **9:00 a.m., November 9, 2026**. No hard copies or emailed copies will be accepted. Submitted via the City of Columbus, Vendor Services.

Format: Proposal is to be **15 pages maximum**. Theme font is to be Calibri or Times New Roman, 12 point, single spaced.

Bid Scoring for Evaluation

• Competency (30 points)
• Quality and Feasibility (30 points)
• Past Performance (20 points)
• Cost and Price (20 points)

Bidders may choose to bid on one or more contracts.

To register to become a vendor, go to https://columbusvendorservices.powerappsportals.com/. After you register, allow 24 – 48 hours for the City to verify you as a vendor.