FOI release

SIA translation and transcription contracts: 2021 to 2023

Published 15 March 2024

Request

Question 1

Please confirm your overall spend on interpreting, translation and transcription services for the following financial years: 2021-22; 2022-23.

Question 2

Who is your incumbent supplier for language services? If you have more than one supplier, which services does each one provide to you?

Question 3

If you have a separate British Sign Language/non-spoken supplier, who is this?

Question 4

If you have a separate transcription supplier, who is this?

Question 5

Do you have any in-house interpreters/translators?

Question 6

When is your current language services contract due to expire, a) without extensions and b) with all possible extensions?

Question 7

Could you please provide the name, phone number and email address of the contract manager responsible for language services?

Question 8

Could you please provide the name, phone number and email address of the person responsible for your language services budget?

Question 9

Could you please provide the following data for 2023:

• Total number of face-to-face interpreting assignments (spoken language) and hours completed
• Total number of face-to-face interpreting assignments (non-spoken language) and hours completed
• Total number of telephone interpreting calls and minutes completed
• Total number of video interpreting calls (spoken language) and minutes completed
• Total number of video interpreting calls (non-spoken language) and minutes completed
• Total number of document translations and words translated
• Total number of audio transcriptions and total audio duration

Question 10

What were your top 20 highest-volume languages for interpreting/translation requests in 2023?

Question 11

Can you please provide the fill rate % you received for the following services in 2023:

• Face-to-face interpreting
• Telephone interpreting
• Video interpreting
• Document translation
• Audio transcription

Question 12

What languages has your provider been unable to source in the last 12 months?

Question 13

Have service credits been applied on your language services contract in the last 12 months? If so, what performance failure was this linked to?

Question 14

What social value has been delivered as part of this contract in the last 12 months?

Question 15

If your contract was awarded through a tender process, can you please provide a copy of the winning bidder’s tender?

Question 16

What are your contracted rates for each of the following services?

• Spoken face-to-face interpreting: hourly rate
• Non-spoken face-to-face interpreting: hourly rate
• Telephone interpreting: per minute rate
• Spoken video interpreting: per minute rate
• Non-spoken video interpreting:
• Document translation: per word rate
• Audio transcription: per audio minute rate

Question 17

Has your provider of language services increased their charge rate to you in the last 12 months?

Question 18

What is the Authority’s typical route to market?

Question 19

Does the Authority currently have any interpreter on wheel devices as part of their current contract? If yes please advise how many and if these are provided free of charge or paid for by the Authority.

Question 20

Could you please provide the name, phone number and email address of the person responsible for the language services budget?

Question 21

Could you please provide the name, phone number and email address of the person in charge of procurement for the Authority?

Response

I can confirm the SIA holds this information.

Question 1

2021-2022 total spend was £11,560; 2022–2023 total spend was £26,046.

Question 2

Current supplier is The Big Word, for which we have a blanket purchase order of £17,500.

Question 3

The SIA does not have a separate British Sign Language/non-spoken supplier.

Question 4

Not applicable.

Question 5

No.

Question 6

It is due to expire on 22 November 2024 with no option for extension.

Question 7

Inspections and Enforcement Department.

Question 8

Finance Department.

Question 9

• 3
• None
• None
• None
• None
• None
• 86 - this figure is in respect of calendar years, not financial years. The SIA does not hold information in respect of the duration.

Question 10

The SIA does not hold this information.

Question 11

The SIA does not hold this information. But the services we use the most are Audio Transcription.

Question 12

The SIA does not hold this information.

Question 13

The SIA does not hold this information.

Question 14

None.

Question 15

Not applicable.

Question 16

Contracted rates information is exempt from disclosure under to Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Section 43(2) of the FOIA relates to information that would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it). In deciding whether the release of this information would or would likely, prejudice someone’s commercial interests, I have applied the prejudice test:

Applicable interests

Disclosing this information would likely have a negative consequence on the competition of the open procurement tender process between bidders.

Nature of prejudice

The SIA has envisaged that the prejudice would be real as the disclosure of this information would lead to disadvantaging the commercial interests of the SIA which would distort competition. Certain suppliers would be given a commercial advantage over others and potential bidders which does not create an open, fair and transparent process in line with Principles of Procurement.

Conclusion

As a result of these two factors, the SIA is of the view that there is a likelihood of the occurrence of the prejudice happening should the commercially sensitive information be disclosed. It would affect the SIA’s commercial interests in the event of open tender.

The SIA has also considered the public interest test when applying this exemption. We acknowledge there is a public interest in allowing the public access to information in respect of this subject matter because it allows for the SIA as a public body to remain open and transparent, contributing to public confidence in us as a regulator. It would also enable the public to better scrutinise how public money is spent. However, the SIA considers that withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosure in this case. This is because the SIA would not be able to maintain a competitive negotiating position when a tendering process is live for future contracts of this nature, and therefore the disclosure of the information would likely prejudice the commercial interests of the SIA for the reasons stated in the above test.

Question 17

The contract is only for one year there have been no increases.

Question 18

Via the CCS Framework.

Question 19

No.

Question 20

As above.

Question 21

Head of Procurement.

[Reference: FOI 0489]