---
title: "CivTech 7 - Challenge 7.5 - How might technology help match British Sign Language (BSL) users and their required interpreters more easily and equitably?"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-03f9f6"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-03f9f6"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-03f9f6.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-03f9f6.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT"
published: "2023-09-05"
---

# CivTech 7 - Challenge 7.5 - How might technology help match British Sign Language (BSL) users and their required interpreters more easily and equitably?

Buyer: SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-03f9f6

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## Summary

The Scottish Government has completed a procurement process titled "CivTech 7 - Challenge 7.5 - How might technology help match British Sign Language (BSL) users and their required interpreters more easily and equitably?" in the services category. The challenge aims to address the issue of low availability of BSL interpreters and improve the booking systems to enhance the participation of BSL users in various settings. The procurement stage involved an open procedure with an Accelerator model, with key dates including an Exploration Stage from August 15th to September 2nd, 2022, and an Accelerator Stage from October 3rd, 2022, to January 28th, 2023. The buying organization is the Scottish Government based in Glasgow, United Kingdom. The awarded contract, currently active, has been granted to Deaf Action with a value of £277,742 signed on March 31st, 2023.

This tender provides opportunities for businesses, especially SMEs focused on IT services, consulting, software development, interpretation services, and related consultancy services. The procurement method involves an open procedure with an Accelerator model, offering a chance for businesses to participate in solving challenges and potentially win contracts with a blue-chip public sector organization. Businesses involved in technology innovation, public sector engagement, and product development are well-suited to compete in this procurement process. Additionally, businesses that can provide solutions for addressing the needs of BSL users and improving interpreter services stand to benefit from this tender, which aims to create sustainable, high-growth ventures in partnership with the public sector.

## Notice

Booking British Sign Language interpreters is of vital importance for BSL users, enabling them to be included and effectively participate in the workplace, social events and more. However, BSL users commonly cite an issue around low availability of interpreters. A review commissioned by the Scottish Government in 2019 uncovered evidence that this is often not based on interpreters being unavailable, but instead that current booking systems do not facilitate efficient or effective use of interpreter time. There is currently a fragmented community of BSL users, freelance interpreters and agencies with no market solution in place to support collaboration to address the issues faced by BSL users. Please visit our website for information on CivTech and how to get involved: https://www.civtech.scot/how-to-apply https://www.civtech.scot/selection-process

### Lot Information

Lot 1

CivTech's mission is to drive daring and innovation in the public sector by collaboratively solving Challenges that make people's lives better - and in doing so create generations of sustainable, high growth businesses. CivTech brings together public sector expertise and private sector innovation to solve real problems, develop new products, and deliver better, faster and easier services for everyone. Central to the approach is co-production with the citizen. Part of the Scottish Government's Digital Directorate, CivTech's approach is helping transform public sector engagement with tech and innovation, delivering significant benefits to public services, producing genuine uplifts for the Scottish economy - and along the way, making lives better. Across the country there are problems public sector organisations would like to solve and in the current environment the need for smart, efficient and effective products has never been greater. The Scottish Government is aware innovation is a good way to create them and is committed to ensuring a large part of its tech spend goes to smaller, innovative businesses. This is where CivTech comes in. The CivTech Innovation Flow is designed to create products as quickly and effectively as possible, and uses a true Accelerator model at the heart of its Innovation Flow model. For you - whether you're an individual, team or company - it's an opportunity to take on a Challenge , solve it, and win contracts with a blue-chip public sector organisation. You'll build a product, and a business to take it as far as possible. Because here's the kicker: the Challenges we issue aren't 'single organisation' problems - most exist worldwide. In short: Open Challenges are set. Any organisation, team or individual can respond. Applications are assessed, and shortlisted proposals go into an Exploration Stage which runs from the 15th of August to the 2nd of September 2022, where they are then developed further [and for which participating applicants are paid]. The best go through to the Accelerator - a period of intensive work to create the solution, and through CivTech's unique business workshop system, a business capable of taking the product to the world. The Accelerator Stage will run from the 3rd of October 2022 to the 28th of January 2023. Please visit our website for information on CivTech and how to get involved: https://www.civtech.scot/how-to-apply https://www.civtech.scot/selection-process

Options: Additional purchases may be required in order to complete the contract.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026142-2023 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 5 Sep 2023 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 30 Mar 2023 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £277,742 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT |
| Locality | GLASGOW |
| Post town | Glasgow |
| Postcode | G2 8EA |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM3 West Central Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM32 Glasgow City |
| Local authority | Glasgow City |
| Electoral ward | Anderston/City/Yorkhill |
| Westminster constituency | Glasgow North |
| Delivery location | TLM Scotland |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | DEAF ACTION |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
- 79540000 - Interpretation services

## Release History

- 5 Sep 2023 at 07:44 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026142-2023

## Notice URLs

- http://www.scotland.gov.uk
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000695084
- https://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:190617-2022:TEXT:EN:HTML
- https://www.civtech.scot/how-to-apply
- https://www.civtech.scot/selection-process
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA10482

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-03f9f6. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-03f9f6.json.