Across the United States, more than 27 million individuals have limited English proficiency (LEP) and rely on language services to access public services. This means that state and local governments are under pressure to provide language support for LEP individuals to engage meaningfully with public programs.
Procurement professionals are at the center of this mission. They are tasked with not only sourcing compliant and cost-effective solutions but also with navigating the different language service vendors. Our webinar, “The Procurement Perspective: What to Know When Evaluating Language Access Technology,” featured industry experts and their insights on overcoming these challenges.
This guide breaks down what public procurement teams should consider when choosing language services for government agencies.
The Strain on Public Procurement Teams
Government procurement professionals often face set timelines when seeking out new service contracts for govt agencies and schools. The primary challenge lies in exploring all available vendors to find the best, most reliable, and most cost-effective option.
What Are Public Procurement Leaders’ Priorities?
According to our recent survey, procurement leaders prioritize compliance, stakeholder satisfaction, and cost savings when seeking solutions. Yet, they face growing challenges, including shrinking budgets, staff shortages, and increasingly complex regulations.
In other words, procurement leaders know what needs to be done – but often lack the time, staff, and resources to execute it efficiently.
Language Access Solutions
Procurement teams today have choices that can be pre-qualified through cooperative contracts or competitive bidding. These solutions not only make service delivery faster and more reliable but also meet language access compliance obligations:
- Title VI. A landmark civil rights and labor law that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A federal civil rights law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities.
- Other Legal Requirements. Local and state governments set other regulations.
Interpretation
Interpreting supports real-time spoken translation between two parties in any setting where an agency needs to communicate with its citizens. For this particular type of solution, public procurement teams can source the following:
- On-Site Interpreting for in-person needs with high risk and complexity.
- Over-the-Phone Interpreting (OPI) for fast, on-demand support.
- Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) for face-to-face communication and sign language access.
- AI-Supported Interpreting to support quick, low-risk moments and fill language gaps.
- On-Demand Interpreting for 24/7 coverage during high-volume hours, providing support for after-hours interpreting needs.
Translation
Translation services help government organizations make documents – from public notices to enrollment forms – accessible for community members who speak different languages. This is essential not only for complying with legal requirements but also for ensuring that every person has access to the information about their government’s federally funded programs, regardless of their level of English proficiency.
Multilingual Events
Multilingual event services support an inclusive and ADA-compliant environment for Deaf or Hard of hearing, and LEP individuals. Public meetings, emergency briefings, town halls, board of education meetings, and training sessions can be equipped with:
- AI Live Translation that converts spoken language into translated captions.
- Remote Simultaneous Interpreting and captioning solutions to allow access to every attendee.
Top Challenges to Sourcing Language Services
-
Budget Approval (31.9%) – The top barrier for procurement teams, often delaying or derailing technology adoption. Cooperative contracts can simplify this step through pre-approved pricing and transparent terms.
-
Security & Compliance (19.1%) – Ensuring vendors meet strict government and data-protection standards adds complexity and time to the selection process.
-
Competing Priorities (19.1%) – With limited staff and expanding workloads, procurement leaders struggle to balance day-to-day demands with long-term strategic initiatives.
-
Lack of Internal Expertise (19.1%) – Many teams lack specialized knowledge to assess language service vendors, slowing decision-making.
-
Vendor Confusion (6.4%) – The abundance of similar providers makes it hard to identify trusted, cost-effective solutions.
The “Shrinking Staff Problem” in Procurement
According to Stephanie Brown, Procurement Director at Chesterfield County and Chesterfield County Public Schools, procurement departments often encounter “stakeholders that have immediate needs, and with no way to meet those needs because of resource and staff shortages.” When employees retire or resign, and their positions remain unfilled, remaining team members are forced to balance compliance, competition, and service delivery simultaneously.
Simplified Sourcing with Cooperative Contracts
Cooperative contracts can help alleviate this problem by making budget justification easier and simpler through pre-negotiated rates and transparent pricing, as well as eliminating repetitive RFPs and legal reviews.
Cooperative contracts are pre-established agreements between public sector organizations and vetted suppliers, enabling other agencies to purchase goods and services without initiating their own procurement process. These contracts, like the one between GovMVMT and Boostlingo, have been proven to be effective solutions for public agencies that need compliant access to the best vendors without repeating the full request for proposal (RFP) cycle.
With the help of cooperative contracts, public procurement professionals can also leverage an already-competed, compliant solicitation done by a lead public agency and access transparent documentation, including original bids, pricing, and compliance paperwork. “If you can find a compliant contract that meets your needs, you save four to six months of work,” as David Kidd, Program Manager at GoVMVMT, mentioned.
Quick Checklist for Vetting Language Vendors
Before adopting any remote or AI-supported language access solution, ensure it meets your compliance, language, and integration needs.
Languages
Confirm language coverage and ASL interpreting for both community members and staff.
Integrations
Verify compatibility with existing tools, such as video conferencing platforms.
Data Security
Verify compliance with key standards:
-
HIPAA – Protects patient health data.
-
SOC 2 – Ensures organizational controls for data privacy, security, and availability.
Reporting
Look for analytics capabilities to track usage, connection times, and rates. Strong audit trails support compliance and transparency in funding.
Bringing it All Together
Public procurement teams are at the heart of equitable access. When they choose the right language service partners, they do more than meet compliance; they open doors for millions of people to engage fully with their communities.
Boostlingo, in partnership with GovMVMT, helps public agencies build reliable, compliant, and scalable language access programs.
Request a demo to discover what we can offer.
