JFS EBS FY26 American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation Services

This Request for Quotes (RFQ) re-release is issued by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), Office of Contracts and Acquisitions (OCA), on behalf of the Office of Employee and Business Services (EBS). The purpose of this RFQ is to solicit quotes from qualified vendors to provide mandatory in-person American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation services all 88 counties in the state of Ohio on a regional as-need basis. The goal is to ensure ASL service access for individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing through timely, high-quality, in-person interpretation services across the state of Ohio. The State seeks a one or more qualified Contractors to assist ODJFS in delivering on an as-need basis in-person interpretation services across four (4) designated regions in the state of Ohio. This initiative will encompass the entire state, and responses from multiple qualified Offerors will be considered for the Work. ODJFS may establish a contract (the “Contract”) with the selected Offeror(s) (the “Contractor”) to carry out all or part of the Work related to ASL interpretation services.The contractor will deliver mandatory ASL interpretation and optional services (i.e., In-person, Video Remote Interpreting, Remote Captioning Services, Tactile Interpreting, etc.) for events hosted by ODJFS, Office of Employee and Business Services, across various counties in the state. These services are designed for individuals who may be ODJFS customers, whether internal or external, or partners, and who are deaf or hearing-impaired, potentially qualifying for ODJFS programs and activities (such as claimant hearings, legal proceedings, public meetings organized by the State, and other due processes, etc.). There may be instances when services are required for multiple events occurring simultaneously in different locations throughout the state. The Contractor is responsible for providing all necessary staff, tools, and materials to successfully execute each ASL interpretation event as authorized. All interpreters must be knowledgeable about, comprehend, and consistently adhere to ODJFS’ interpretation standards (Attachment E). Qualified Contractor(s) will deliver American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting services using the following methods: In-person; Video Remote Interpreting (VRI); Remote Captioning Services (Communication access Realtime Translation (CART) or TypeWell); Tactile Interpreting; C-print, etc.ODJFS may award to multiple Contractors in the effort to provide better coverage throughout the state of Ohio. A map of the state has been divided into (4) four defined regions (Attachment D), inclusive of multiply counties, to assist with service delivery. An offeror may submit a proposal for one or more of the following four (4) Ohio regions and must cover all counties in the proposed region(s). There may be times when Services may be needed for multiple events in multiple locations simultaneously throughout the state. The four (4) regions have been identified as follows: Northwestern Region: Allen, Auglaize, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hardin, Hancock, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Marion, Mercer, Marrow, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, Sandusky, Seneca, Wyandot, Wood, Williams Northeastern Region: Ashland, Ashtabula, Carroll, Columbiana, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Holmes, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Wayne Southeastern Region: Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Coshocton, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Lawrence, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Tuscarawas, Washington Central/Southwestern Region: Adams, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Darke, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Knox, Licking, Logan, Madison, Marion, Miami, Montgomery, Morrow, Pickaway, Pike, Preble, Ross, Scioto, Shelby, Union, Vinton, Warren