--- title: "Interpreting Services and Digital Language Services - Market Engagement" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0557e0" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0557e0" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0557e0.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0557e0.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "MILTON KEYNES CITY COUNCIL" published: "2025-07-02" --- # Interpreting Services and Digital Language Services - Market Engagement Buyer: MILTON KEYNES CITY COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0557e0 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0557e0) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0557e0.json) ## Summary Milton Keynes City Council is engaging in a planning stage for procuring interpreting services and digital language services. The initiative aims to enhance language access through traditional and digital methods under a new contract model, starting from 1 May 2026. It focuses on areas such as face-to-face, telephone, and video interpreting, along with AI-supported language tools like translation and transcription technologies. Suppliers are invited to participate in the market engagement, with responses due by 5pm on 16 July 2025. An engagement event is set for the week commencing 28 July 2025. The procurement addresses the services category and is targeted to improve service delivery within the UKJ12 region, particularly in the locality of Milton Keynes. This procurement opportunity is ideal for businesses specialising in translation services, foreign language software, and digital communication technologies. It provides an avenue for growth, especially for SMEs and VCSEs looking to expand their operations in the public sector. The endeavour allows companies to leverage innovative digital solutions alongside traditional methods, ensuring a comprehensive approach to language service delivery. Businesses with expertise in developing multilingual technology solutions or providing efficient interpreting services stand to benefit significantly from contributing to this project’s development. The procurement process is structured to encourage collaborative partnerships and innovative approaches to meet the council's evolving needs. ## Notice Milton Keynes City Council ('the Council') would like to engage in discussions with providers of Interpreter Service to develop collaborative approaches to increasing local sufficiency. Milton Keynes City Council is seeking early engagement with the market to inform the development of a new contract model that reflects both traditional and digital approaches to language access. This will ensure continued support and improved service delivery; it is proposed that the Interpreter Service be recommissioned from 1 May 2026 under a new contract structure. The contract will be looking to cover both traditional and digital approaches to language access. The recommissioned service will be: 1. Traditional Interpreting Services: (Face-to-Face, Telephone, and Video Interpreting - Spoken and Non-Spoken) 2. Digital and AI-Supported Language Tools: (Translation, Transcription, and Communication Support Technologies) We are keen to hear from providers on the questions given in the market engagement document. The responses to the questions will help the Council in developing the specification and the tender. Please respond to the questions within the attached document by latest 5pm on 16th July 2025 via In-Tend Correspondence section/market engagement stage. A provider engagement event will be held w/c 28th July 2025, please indicate in the attached document if you would like to receive an invitation. The Market Engagement document can be accessed on our e-tendering portal: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/milton-keynes/aspx/Home ### Planning Information Milton Keynes City Council ('the Council') would like to engage in discussions with providers of Interpreter Service to develop collaborative approaches to increasing local sufficiency. Milton Keynes City Council is seeking early engagement with the market to inform the development of a new contract model that reflects both traditional and digital approaches to language access. This will ensure continued support and improved service delivery; it is proposed that the Interpreter Service be recommissioned from 1 May 2026 under a new contract structure. The contract will be looking to cover both traditional and digital approaches to language access. The recommissioned service will be: 1. Traditional Interpreting Services: (Face-to-Face, Telephone, and Video Interpreting - Spoken and Non-Spoken) 2. Digital and AI-Supported Language Tools: (Translation, Transcription, and Communication Support Technologies) We are keen to hear from providers on the questions given in the market engagement document. The responses to the questions will help the Council in developing the specification and the tender. Please respond to the questions within the attached document by latest 5pm on 16th July 2025 via In-Tend Correspondence section/market engagement stage. A provider engagement event will be held w/c 28th July 2025, please indicate in the attached document if you would like to receive an invitation. The Market Engagement document can be accessed on our e-tendering portal: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/milton-keynes/aspx/Home ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036934-2025 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 2 Jul 2025 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 6 Oct 2025 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 30 Apr 2026 - 30 Apr 2029 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £260,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | MILTON KEYNES CITY COUNCIL | | Locality | MILTON KEYNES | | Post town | Milton Keynes | | Postcode | MK9 3EJ | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | | ITL 3 | TLJ12 Milton Keynes | | Local authority | Milton Keynes | | Electoral ward | Central Milton Keynes | | Westminster constituency | Milton Keynes Central | | Delivery location | TLJ12 Milton Keynes | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 48 - Software package and information systems - 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 48740000 - Foreign language translation software package - 72212740 - Foreign language translation software development services - 79530000 - Translation services ## Release History - 2 Jul 2025 at 15:36 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036934-2025 - 2 Jul 2025 at 15:32 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036930-2025 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036934-2025 2nd July 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036930-2025 2nd July 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://in-tendhost.co.uk/milton-keynes/aspx/Home - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents - https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk ## 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-0557e0. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0557e0.json.