Open Procedure Guidance Document

SCHEDULE 1 TO:

OPEN PROCEDURE GUIDANCE DOCUMENT

INVITATION TO TENDER (ITT)

FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT FOR THE PROVISION OF:

INTERPRETATION AND TRANSLATION SERVICES

SPECIFICATION

Copyright – Cheshire East Council - All rights reserved

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Version 10

Definitions

Bidder(s)-Any company who has expressed an interest in this requirement on the Chest whether or not they intend to submit a response by the deadline.

Client(s)-An Individual within or a Service Area / Department / Wholly Owned Company of Cheshire East Council or a School / Educational Establishment within the Boundary of Cheshire East.

End User(s)-A citizen of Cheshire East Council (or another Council) / Pupil or parents of a pupil from a Cheshire East Educational Establishment etc. benefitting from the services of this framework agreement.

Successful Bidder(s)-Any Bidder which succeeds in being appointed to the Framework Agreement.

Supplier(s)-Successful Bidder(s)

Framework Agreement-Framework Agreements are used on a call off basis so that it is possible to select providers who can meet the needs of the purchaser when required. Their main purpose is for repetitive high volume spend. Guarantees cannot be made on the actual spend through a framework agreement nor commitments to use. Framework agreements can be used together with any other arrangements and are not exclusive. They stipulate the terms and conditions which shall apply to all call-off orders made under them.

Introduction

Cheshire East Borough Council (“the Council”) is a geographically and demographically diverse area. Our residents live and work in small to medium-sized market towns and rural communities. While many of our residents enjoy a good quality of life, there are inequalities in health, education and household income across the borough. We are working to meet the demands of an increasingly ageing population and to ensure a sustainable and robust economy. The area is well connected, with good regional, national and international transport links. Our visitor economy is strong and Cheshire East has a wealth of heritage, history and countryside.

The Council is the third largest unitary authority in the North West next to Manchester and Liverpool Councils.

As is the case with all local authorities and public services, we are currently under unprecedented pressure to deliver more for less – we seek bidders who understand the financial context in which we are working and can innovate and contribute to our delivery of excellent value to the citizens and businesses of the borough.

As a unitary authority we deliver a wide range of local public services to Cheshire East’s 360,000 residents including education, waste and recycling, highways, social care for adults and children, environmental health, economic development, leisure and green spaces and planning. We collect Council Tax and Business Rates and administer Housing and Council Tax Benefits.

The audience, demand, specific requirements and budget for translation and interpretation services vary according to each service, project or initiative the work supports. While services will vary as described, we are seeking to secure, strengthen and develop the corporate presence of the authority and this agreement and the work commissioned under it will be crucial in delivering this.

The Council is committed to playing a major role in the delivery of the priorities identified in Cheshire East’s Sustainable Community Strategy “Ambition for All” available at

The services required under this agreement will support many aspects of this plan in communicating and engaging with citizens, residents and customers.

The Council is committed to achieving the objectives in our three year plan (2013 – 2016). The services required under this agreement will help in the achievement of some of these ambitions.

The Council is committed to delivering value for money whilst still maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction and service performance. In order to maintain and increase customer satisfaction it is critical that customers are well informed and feel involved in the decisions affecting the services they use and care about. Effective communication is essential in our efforts to drive up levels of customer satisfaction. The services subject to this agreement will be critical in communicating effectively with our citizens.

Scope of the Framework Agreement

The Council is reviewing its language support to customers and clients and requires translation and interpretation providers to provide language support to non-English speakers in the provision of:

(i)Face to Face interpreting for interviews, meetings, consultation and social service requirements (both spoken and non spoken);

(ii)Telephone interpreting to facilitate ease of communications (spoken);

(iii)Document translation services, including Braille, Large Print, Easy Read and Audio Transcription,

(iv)Video Sign Language and

(v)Video interpreting (i.e. video conference).

The intention is to achieve a consistent approach and make sure the Council receives excellent quality and value for money services.

The required languages are detailed below.

Users of the Framework Agreement

This framework agreement will be open for use by all services within the Cheshire East Borough Council and all Cheshire East Borough Council’s subsidiary and associated companies, including, but not limited to:Tatton Park Enterprises Ltd; East Cheshire Engine of the North;Ansa Environmental Services Ltd;Orbitas, Bereavement Services Ltd; Co-Socius Ltd and Everybody Sports Recreational Trust Ltd (Trading as Everybody Ltd) and any other wholly or partly owned companies created by Cheshire East Borough Council after publication of the Contract Notice.

This framework agreement will also be open for use by all educational establishments, including early years settings within the borough boundary, regardless if they are maintained or academies.

The value provided in the OJEU notice includes all potential spend under the framework agreement by the above, bidders should bear in mind that the Council can not guarantee any level of spend. Should the level of spend look to significantly exceed this advertised amount at any time during its life, the Council may need to terminate the framework agreement and re-tender. This is in order to avoid legal challenges against the Council under the UK Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (and as amended).

Background to the Requirement and Historic Language Use

The Council has a varied demographic. Of the languages covered, Polish is the most commonly requested. However, there is growing demand for a wider range of languages, particularly those common to Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.

For information, recent Census figures for Cheshire East give the breakdown of the main languages spoken within the Borough, and this is shown at Appendix 1. It is worth noting that 321 residents of Cheshire East declared that they were unable to speak English at all. In addition, information is available from the 2012 Annual Schools Census which shows that 4% of Cheshire East pupils, i.e. 1,968 children speak a language other than English as their first language at home.

Included at Appendix 2 is a representation of the volumes of services during 2012, as well as the period January 2013 to November 2013.

The historic annual cost of procuring the required language interpretation services is circa £50,000, however, this figure is based on Cheshire East Only Spend and not our educational establishments. We cannot guarantee this or any level of spend under the framework agreement.

Requirements – Descriptionof the Services Required

Cheshire East provides a full range of servicesvia different delivery vehicles to its stakeholders and so the interpretation requirements will cover a wide spectrum – from resolving simple enquiries through to school appeals, asylum interviews, benefit fraud interviews, care support at hospital as well as court appearances.

The majority of face to face interpretations will be approximately one and a half hours however there may be occasions where these may be extended to two hours and beyond.

The framework agreement will aim to provide language support to non-English speakers in the provision of the requirements outlined in 2. Scope of the Framework Agreement.

iv and v will not be a day to day requirement from the beginning of the life of this agreement, the Council shall consider the implementation of this requirement and shall work with successful bidders as to how this can be implemented successfully within their business models and how technological barriers can be removed.

Requirements – Languages

The service provider should have an ability to provide a range of language services, the current top two languages that Cheshire East has requirements for are:

Polish
Slovak

These top two languages may be updated at any time throughout the framework agreement by request from the Council, in accordance with MI received from successful bidders. The languages to which these rates are apply shall be updated by all successful bidders within 24 hours of the request being made.

The transitional controls imposed by the UK (and seven other Member States) in 2007 when Bulgaria and Romania became Member States of the EU will end this year. From 1st January 2014 peoples from these two countries will be allowed the same freedomsenjoyed by all other EU Member States (i.e. Free Movement of People). Therefore, at framework signature the current most requested languages may be subject to change.

A wide range of languages may be required including those listed in Appendix 1 and those below. This list of required languages is non exhaustive.

Amharic, Burmese, Congalese, Dari, Karen S’gaw, Libyan, Lingala, Memon, Oromo, Pahari,Somali, Sorani, Sosso and Tigrinya.

Requirements for face-to-face and telephone interpretation

The services provided must meet the highest standards of quality based on both the needs of the customer and the Council. The Council is also keen that providers maximise the use of local skills, however, this is not able to be evaluated for award purposes.

It is envisaged that the successful bidders will work closely and in conjunction with the Council’s individual departments on a regular basis.

Interpreters must be qualified and/or experienced (see 9.1. Qualifications and Registers), fluent (able to convey the message from English to the target language accurately and vice versa), have good listening skills, and a good knowledge of vocabulary. The successful bidders should also be sensitive to ethnic cultures and gender of the end user and provide an appropriate interpreter.

The interpreter should be available within a reasonable time from booking (see 10. Bookings and timescales) and be able to attend any location within Cheshire East.On some occasions, the Council may need to provide further constraints on who should provide the interpretation. Examples may include:

Where for cultural, religious and gender reasons we need a male or female interpreter.
Where for reasons of confidentiality and the small size of some of the communities in Cheshire East we require a language provider who has no links with the local area.
Where someone with skills in a particular dialect is required.

Wherever possible, we will expect the same interpreter to be provided on an on-going basis when requested, this direct award mechanism is part of the operation of the framework agreement.

In Contract Savings and Efficiencies

The Council will be giving consideration to the DCLG report titled “50 ways to save”, Number 34:

“Stop translating documents into foreign languages: Only publish documents in English[1]. Translation undermines community cohesion by encourag[ing] segregation. Similarly, do not give community grants to organisations which promote segregation or division in society.”

Our web pages are translated using Google translate and we offer to provide consultation and survey documents in alternative languages. The Council’s position is that we do not translate documents routinely, but only do so on request and where there is a need. We would continue to arrange for translation/interpretation as required to ensure that we meet our obligations under the Equalities Act i.e.:

Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protectedcharacteristics.
Taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these aredifferent from the needs of other people.
Encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in otheractivities where their participation is disproportionately low.

In view of this, in the future, Cheshire East Council may not require the current levels of document translation.

It will be expected that successful bidders placed on the framework agreement disclose any identified savings and/or efficiency measures and discuss how these may be implemented with the Council through the life of their placement on the framework agreement, regardless of rank.

Constraints

9.1Qualifications and Registers

The Council shall classify interpreters into 4 categories, these categories are detailed below. Where an interpreter is required to attend court, for benefits investigations, tribunals etc or other high risk areas an interpreter shall be provided who complies with either of the Category A’s below.

Unless otherwise detailed within this specification or requested by a Client during the commissioning process, what category of interpreter that attends appointments shall be left to the discretion of the successful bidders.

The appropriateness of the attending interpreter shall be monitored and reflected in the performance review, therefore care should be taken to ensure that neither under qualified / experienced nor overly qualified / experienced interpreters are allocated specific requirements. This is to ensure both quality provision and value for money are obtained.

Spoken Languages

The following categories and the associated minimum qualifications and criteria that shall apply, this should enable a sufficient degree of flexibility for Clients and deliver best value for each requirement:

Category A – Spoken
Interpreters are required to have the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI) or equivalent qualification when working in the public sector legal environment e.g. for court cases, benefits investigation.
Interpreters to be registered as a Member with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI) or equivalent registration.
If it is not possible to source an interpreter from the NRPSI (for example where the language is rare), the interpreter may be sourced from some other list, for example the Association of Police and Court Interpreters (APCI), the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI), the British Deaf Association (BDA), the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) or the Association of Sign Language Interpreters (ASLI). It is, however, essential that any interpreter sourced from another list should meet standards at least equal to those required for registration with NRPSI or NRCPD in terms of academic qualifications or proven experience and professional accountability.
Category B – Spoken
Interpreters to hold the Diploma in Public Sector Interpreting or an equivalent qualification deemed acceptable by the Chartered Institute of Linguists and / or the Interpreters and Translators Institute and / or by any other appropriate professional body.
Documented evidence of a minimum of 400 hours experience of public sector interpreting in the United Kingdom, or equivalent experience
Documented evidence of language specific training and/or continuing professional development within the last 12 months.
Category C – Spoken
Interpreters to hold the Diploma in Public Sector Interpreting or an equivalent qualification deemed acceptable by the Chartered Institute of Linguists and / or the Interpreters and Translators Institute and / or by any other appropriate professional body.
Documented evidence of on going and developing experience of public sector interpreting in the United Kingdom, but not yet having attained the 400 hours threshold, or equivalent experience.
Documented evidence of language specific training and/or continuing professional development within the last 12 months.
Category D – Spoken
Interpreters to hold the Cambridge Proficiency in English or an equivalent qualification deemed acceptable by the Chartered Institute of Linguists and / or the Interpreters and Translators Institute and / or by any other appropriate professional body.
Documented evidence of a minimum of 100 hours experience of public sector interpreting in the United Kingdom, or equivalent experience.
Documented evidence of language specific training and/or continuing professional development within the last 12 months
Category E – Spoken
Interpreters are native in a foreign language with a demonstrable command of spoken and written English, or native in English with a demonstrable command of spoken and written skills in a foreign tongue AND holder of a Diploma in Community Interpreting (or other appropriate qualification).
Documented evidence of some experience of public and/or private sector interpreting in the United Kingdom.

NRPSI

An interpreter needs to hold the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting or an equivalent qualification of at least that standard before being accepted onto the NRPSI. 'Full' and 'Interim' categories on the NRPSI reflect an interpreter's professional skill, qualifications and experience. For this reason, the successful bidder will need to satisfy themselves of the interpreters' suitability to interpret as required.

The NRPSI is available electronically via the following link:

The contact address is:

NRPSI Ltd, Longcroft House Business Centre, 2/8 Victoria Avenue, London EC2M 4NS, telephone 020 3206 1400.

Non Spoken Languages

Category A – Non Spoken
Interpreters to be registered as a Member with the National Register of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deaflblind people (NRCPD) or equivalent registration, equivalent qualification levels (and / or speeds where appropriate) and / or equivalent experience in the discipline required.
If it is not possible to source an interpreter from the NRCPD, the interpreter may be sourced from some other list, for example the Association of Police and Court Interpreters (APCI), the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI), the British Deaf Association (BDA), the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) or the Association of Sign Language Interpreters (ASLI). It is, however, essential that any interpreter sourced from another list should meet standards at least equal to those required for registration with NRPSI or NRCPD in terms of academic qualifications or proven experience and professional accountability.
Category B – Non Spoken
Interpreters to be registered as a Trainee Interpreter with the National Register of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deaflblind people (NRCPD), or equivalent registration, equivalent qualification levels (and / or speeds where appropriate) and / or equivalent experience in the discipline required.
Category C – Non Spoken
Interpreter to be registered as a Junior Trainee Interpreter with the National Register of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deaflblind people (NRCPD), or equivalent registration, equivalent qualification levels (including speeds where appropriate), and / or equivalent experience in the discipline required, which is acceptable to the commissioning customer organisation

NRCPD