RFI: The Language Assistance Services (LAS) Project

Details

Tender Closed
RFx ID :	20280779
Tender Name :	RFI: The Language Assistance Services (LAS) Project
Reference # :
Open Date :	Thursday, 11 October 2018 4:30 PM (Pacific/Auckland UTC+13:00)
Close Date  :	Thursday, 8 November 2018 5:00 PM (Pacific/Auckland UTC+13:00)
Tender Type :	Request for Information (Market research) (RFI)
Tender Coverage :	Sole Agency  [?]
Categories :	39120000 - Electrical equipment and components and supplies 42000000 - Medical Equipment and Accessories and Supplies 43000000 - Information Technology Broadcasting and Telecommunications 85000000 - Healthcare Services
Regions:	Auckland Bay of Plenty Canterbury Chatham Islands Gisborne Hawke's Bay Manawatu-Wanganui Marlborough Nelson Northland Otago Southland Taranaki Tasman Waikato Wellington West Coast
Required Pre-qualifications :	None
Contact :	Ashley Angus 049018722
Alternate Physical Delivery Address  :	https://www.research.net/r/LAS_RFI
Alternate Physical Fax Number  :
Agency Address :	NEW ZEALAND

Central Government agencies are working together under the leadership of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) on a multi-year work programme to:
• Improve the quality, consistency and coordination of language assistance services provided across the New Zealand public sector;
• Provide equitable access to public services for those with limited English language proficiency; and
• Future-proof New Zealand’s public services to serve an increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse population; an
The Language Assistance Services (LAS) Project implements the recommendations of two reviews conducted by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and the Department of Internal Affairs respectively. The project will improve the quality, consistency and coordination of language assistance services provision across government.
A component of the LAS project includes a potential cross-government procurement model to make the purchasing if LAS by central government agencies and their contracted providers simpler, more efficient and more cost effective.
Government agencies involved in this project include the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Department of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Education, New Zealand Police, Office of Ethnic Communities, Housing New Zealand Corporation, Treasury, State Services Commission and Oranga Tamariki.

The project scope includes interpreting and translation services, which both involve adapting from one language to another. Both are necessary for full communication with non-English proficient public service users. We consider language assistance services to include:
• Interpreting facilitates for live in-person communication, requiring the interpreter to be physically (face-to-face) or virtually “present” (using technology) at the time the public service is being delivered. This means availability and scheduling are key issues for the provision of interpreting services, particularly after hours.
o Face-to-face interpreting is preferred for stressful or emotional situations, and most particularly where the consequences are serious if communication is not clear (e.g. many legal or health-related situations). Video remote interpreting (VRI) is becoming more widespread as a means to enable body language and unspoken communication to be captured in remote interpreting

This tender has been completed.

Further information:
There is no contract award as this was a Request for Information (RFI) and not a tender process. Thank you to all who have responded to and participated in this RFI.

Date RFx was completed/updated: Friday, 9 November 2018 12:37 PM (Pacific/Auckland UTC+13:00)