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Interpretation and Translation Services

Lancashire County Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

24 Sep 2025 at 14:02

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

31 Jul 2025 at 15:27

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

23 Apr 2025 at 14:25

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Lancashire County Council has completed the procurement process for providing Interpretation and Translation Services, with the contract awarded on 24 September 2025. The contract, supplied through an open procedure, involves two distinct lots: spoken language services and non-spoken communication services primarily for social care. Key services will span face-to-face interpreting for social service needs, telephone interpretation, and document translation. The procurements were awarded to D A Languages Limited and Sign Solutions (Sign Language Interpreting Agency) Ltd, covering a wide range of locales within the UKD4 region. The contract will commence on 13 October 2025, running until 12 October 2028, with potential extensions up to October 2029.

This procurement provides valuable opportunities for SMEs, especially in the language services sector, to engage with a substantial public authority. With a diverse demand incorporating 68 languages, businesses equipped with multilingual capabilities and expertise in both spoken and non-spoken formats, including British Sign Language, are positioned to benefit. This contract facilitates long-term engagement and growth within the public sector, fostering relationships with Lancashire County Council as it seeks comprehensive, accessible communication services for its varied requirements. The opportunities are particularly promising for businesses with the capacity to provide video interpretation as a supplementary service, aligning with evolving public service needs.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Interpretation and Translation Services

Notice Description

IMPORTANT: This Contract Award Notice is a replacement for the Contract Notice that was published on the 31st July 2025 @ 3:27pm - Publication Reference 2025/S 000-044841 This is under the same Procurement Identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-050668 Contract 3 stated in this notice replaces Contract 1 from the original notice and Contract 2 replaces Contract 4 from the original notice. PROCUREMENT DESCRIPTION: The contract is to provide language services including spoken and non-spoken Interpretation and Translation services to the Authority. The contract will be tendered in two (2) Lots; Lot 1 - Face to Face interpreting for Social Service requirements, interviews, meetings, consultation, for spoken languages, telephone interpretation and document translation services. Video interpretation will only be accepted as a substitute in instances when Face to Face fulfilment cannot be fulfilled; this must be agreed in advance with a relevant representative from the Authority. Of the language services provided in the financial year 2024-25, Polish, Urdu, Arabic and Bengali have been the most requested. However, the Authority provided services to 68 different languages during this period, including reasonably high numbers for Punjabi, Romanian and Kurdish / Kurdish Sorani. Lot 2 - Face to Face interpreting for Social Service requirements, interviews, meetings, consultation, for non-spoken communication including British Sign Language, lipspeaking and Palantypist. Video interpretation will only be accepted as a substitute in instances where Face to Face fulfilment cannot be fulfilled; this must be agreed in advance with a relevant representative from the Authority. The Authority provides a wide range of services across the county; therefore, the interpretation and translation requirements will cover a wide range of services. Currently, the service is predominately provided for Social Care; however, it is expected that any service within the Authority should be able to access the agreement as and when required.

Lot Information

Spoken Interpretation and Translation

Face to Face interpreting for Social Service requirements, interviews, meetings, consultation, for spoken languages, telephone interpretation and document translation services. Video interpretation will only be accepted as a substitute in instances when Face to Face fulfilment cannot be fulfilled; this must be agreed in advance with a relevant representative from the Authority. The Authority provided services to 68 different languages during 2024-25. The 2023-24 cost of procuring the required language interpretation services was circa PS260,000. Of this spend, most requests for spoken interpretation were related to Children's Services, with the remainder related to Adult Services. Circa PS82,000 of this cost was for document translation.

Options: The Authority has the option to extend this agreement beyond the Initial Term by a further period up to a maximum of 12 months in addition to the Initial Term.

Renewal: The Authority may extend this agreement beyond the Initial Term by a further period up to a maximum of 12 months in addition to the Initial Term.

Non Spoken Services

Face to Face interpreting for Social Service requirements, interviews, meetings, consultation, for non-spoken communication including British Sign Language, lipspeaking and Palantypist. Video interpretation will only be accepted as a substitute in instances where Face to Face fulfilment cannot be fulfilled; this must be agreed in advance with a relevant representative from the Authority. The 2023-24 annual cost of procuring non spoken services was circa PS29,000. The Authority provides a wide range of services across the county; therefore, the interpretation and translation requirements will cover a wide range of services. Currently, the service is predominately provided for Social Care; however, it is expected that any service within the Authority should be able to access the agreement as and when required. There are approximately 270 requests made per year with the majority being for British Sign Language services; however, other services may be requested throughout the duration of the contract as required. The service is also inclusive of document translation services, translating into an appropriate format, such as video.

Options: The Authority has the option to extend this agreement beyond the Initial Term by a further period up to a maximum of 12 months in addition to the Initial Term.

Renewal: The Authority may extend this agreement beyond the Initial Term by a further period up to a maximum of 12 months in addition to the Initial Term.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-050668
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059270-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79530000 - Translation services

79540000 - Interpretation services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,156,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,156,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£1,156,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
24 Sep 202511 months ago
Submission Deadline
23 May 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
30 Jul 20251 years ago
Contract Period
13 Oct 2025 - 12 Oct 2028 3-4 years
Recurrence
2029-04-22

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Lancashire County Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
PRESTON
Postcode
PR1 0LD
Postcode Area
Preston
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD4 Lancashire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD45 Mid Lancashire
Delivery Location
TLD4 Lancashire
Local Authority
Preston
Electoral Ward
City Centre
Westminster Constituency
Preston

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

D A LANGUAGES LIMITED

SIGN SOLUTIONS (SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETING AGENCY) LTD

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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