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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Sign Language Interpretation

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body · tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 3 Oct 2026, 08:52.

Opportunity overview

The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB) requires a Contractor to provide Sign Language Interpretation Services. The main part of the requirement is from English to/from British Sign Language. The Contractor must provide simultaneous BSL interpreting for parliamentary business as requested. This will be filmed live and broadcasted on the BSL Channel on the Scottish Parliament TV (SPTV), other broadcast channels and will be archived. There will also be a requirement to provide other forms of sign languages or supporting services as required.

Classification

  • CPV79540000 — Interpretation services

Lots

  • The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB) requires a Contractor to provide Sign Language Interpretation Services. The objective of this Contract is to enable people living in Scotland who are Deaf, Deafblind, hard of hearing, or who have other communication support needs to engage with the Scottish Parliament and participate meaningfully in parliamentary business, public engagement activities, and events. The Contractor must work cooperatively with the SPCB to provide solutions for all SPCB sign language requirements. As a minimum, the Contractor must be able to provide the following Services: 1. BSL interpreting of FMQs, which are broadcast live on SPTV, currently on the BBC, and to visitors in the Chamber gallery and Main Hall. 2. BSL interpreting of other parliamentary business, which may also be filmed, and broadcast either live or retrospectively. 3. Interpreting for Scottish Parliament events, including ceremonial events such as the Opening of Parliament, and engagement events such as the Festival of Politics. Some of these events will be filmed, broadcast and archived. 4. Interpreting for witnesses giving evidence to committees. 5. Interpreting for participants in engagement activities, including workshops, focus groups, educational sessions, tours, and meetings. 6. Interpreting for visitors to the Scottish Parliament accessing parliamentary services and facilities. 7. Tactile BSL. Most requirements are expected to involve interpreting between English and BSL. The Contractor may be required to provide other sign languages or additional supporting services as needed. Requirements for live interpreting of parliamentary business that is broadcast will always be in BSL and is expected to form the main element of the Services under this Contract. The Contractor must be able to deliver this at a consistently high standard. In line with the commitments set out in its BSL Plan, the SPCB aims to continually improve the service it provides to Deaf and Deafblind BSL users. The Contractor must therefore not only meet the requirements in this Specification to a consistently high standard.Value not stated

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
SPCB-0512
Status
active
Main Procurement Category
services
Procurement Method
open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Has Recurrence
Yes

Legal basis

Id
32014L0024
Scheme
CELEX

Classification

Scheme
CPV
Id
79540000
Description
Interpretation services

Participation Fees

Entry 1
Id
1

Type

document

Submission Method

electronicSubmission

Selection criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
suitability
Description
For SPD question 4A.1 - Not used For SPD question 4A.2 - Not used

Applies To

supplier
Criterion 2
Type
economic
Description
For SPD questions 4B.1 to 4B.4 - Not used For SPD question 4B.5 - It is a requirement of this contract that bidders hold, or can commit to obtain prior to the commencement of any subsequently awarded contract, the types and levels of insurance indicated below: Employers Liability Insurance 5,000,000 Professional Indemnity 5,000,000 For SPD question 4B.6 - The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) uses Creditsafe, an independent provider of online business credit reports, to assess the financial standing of tenderers. We highly recommend that tenderers review their financial performance on Creditsafe to understand their credit score rating which will be used by the SPCB to evaluate the financial standing of the tenderer and that they read the information about how that data is collected and used prior to submitting a tender. Information and the opportunity to run a free report can be found at http://www.creditsafe.com/products/business-credit-reports/ The SPCB requires tenderers to have a Creditsafe Risk Score of 40 or higher to demonstrate satisfactory financial standing. If a tenderer has a lower credit risk score than 40 on Creditsafe and has the backing of a parent company with a credit risk score of 40 or higher, then the provision of a parent company guarantee will be required prior to the award of any contract. If a tenderer has a lower credit risk score than 40 and cannot provide a parent company guarantee, they must submit evidence to support a stable and improved financial standing with their tender or the tender may be rejected. If no evidence is provided with the tender or the evidence provided is not sufficient to demonstrate a satisfactory financial position to the satisfaction of the SPCB (whose decision in this regard shall be final), then the tender will be rejected and will not be evaluated further. If a tenderer is not listed on Creditsafe, for whatever reason, then it will be asked to submit equivalent accounts to enable the required assessment of financial standing to be carried out. If the information provided does not, in the SPCB’s opinion, demonstrate a satisfactory financial position, the bid may be rejected.
Minimum
The SPCB requires tenderers to have a Creditsafe Risk Score of 40 or higher to demonstrate satisfactory financial standing. If a tenderer has a lower credit risk score than 40 on Creditsafe and has the backing of a parent company with a credit risk score of 40 or higher, then the provision of a parent company guarantee will be required prior to the award of any contract. If a tenderer has a lower credit risk score than 40 and cannot provide a parent company guarantee, they must submit evidence to support a stable and improved financial standing with their tender or the tender may be rejected. If no evidence is provided with the tender or the evidence provided is not sufficient to demonstrate a satisfactory financial position to the satisfaction of the SPCB (whose decision in this regard shall be final), then the tender will be rejected and will not be evaluated further

Applies To

supplier
Criterion 3
Type
technical
Description
For SPD question 4C.1 - Not used For SPD question 4C.1.2 - Please provide 2 examples of your organisation delivering real-time, BSL/English interpreting in a high-pressure, public-facing live environment within the last 3 years. The example must demonstrate experience equivalent to live broadcast interpreting such as: - Live or live-streamed events (e.g. large webinars, hybrid or virtual conferences) - High-stakes public communication (e.g. press conferences, media statements) - Time-critical interpreting environments where speakers do not pause, content may be unscripted and there is a rapid turn-taking (e.g. simultaneous conference interpreting, panel events with live Q&A) Failure to provide examples which demonstrate the relevant experience will result in the bidder’s submission being rejected. For SPD questions 4C2 -4C5 - Not Used For SPD question 4C.6 - Please confirm that the following educational and professional qualifications are held by the service provider or the Contractor itself: All interpreters who will provide BSL interpreting services and all others providing specified services must be registered (where relevant) as either Registered Sign Language Interpreters (RSLIs), or Trainee Sign Language Interpreters (TSLIs), with either: - The Scottish Register of Language Professionals with the Deaf Community (SRLPDC) - The National Register of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People (NRCPD). For SPD question 4C.7 - Bidders will be required to provide evidence that their organisation has taken steps to build their awareness of the climate change emergency and how they will respond, including knowledge of their emissions sources and actions to address these. Accepted evidence includes but is not limited to: - a completed copy of the Bidder's 'relevant contract' Climate Change Plan Template, including planned projects and actions to reduce the bidder's carbon emissions. This does not need to contain calculated carbon emissions. Template plans and guidance on how Bidder Climate Change Plans are evaluated is available on the Sustainable Procurement Tools: Sustainable Procurement (sustainableprocurementtools.scot) For SPD questions 4C.8 to 4C.12 - Not used

Applies To

supplier

Contract terms

Performance Terms
In order to ensure the highest standards of service quality in this contract the SPCB requires the contractor to take a positive approach to fair work practices. Full details of all performance conditions are set out in the procurement documents.
Has Electronic Ordering
Yes
Electronic Invoicing Policy
allowed
Has Electronic Payment
Yes

Covered By

GPA

Tender Period

Ends
18 May 2026, 14:00

Submission terms

Languages

en

Bid Validity Period

Ends
3 Aug 2026, 23:59

Expected award period

Starts
18 May 2026, 14:00

Bid Opening

Date
18 May 2026, 14:00

Recurrence

Description
5 years after award date

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Description
The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB) requires a Contractor to provide Sign Language Interpretation Services. The objective of this Contract is to enable people living in Scotland who are Deaf, Deafblind, hard of hearing, or who have other communication support needs to engage with the Scottish Parliament and participate meaningfully in parliamentary business, public engagement activities, and events. The Contractor must work cooperatively with the SPCB to provide solutions for all SPCB sign language requirements. As a minimum, the Contractor must be able to provide the following Services: 1. BSL interpreting of FMQs, which are broadcast live on SPTV, currently on the BBC, and to visitors in the Chamber gallery and Main Hall. 2. BSL interpreting of other parliamentary business, which may also be filmed, and broadcast either live or retrospectively. 3. Interpreting for Scottish Parliament events, including ceremonial events such as the Opening of Parliament, and engagement events such as the Festival of Politics. Some of these events will be filmed, broadcast and archived. 4. Interpreting for witnesses giving evidence to committees. 5. Interpreting for participants in engagement activities, including workshops, focus groups, educational sessions, tours, and meetings. 6. Interpreting for visitors to the Scottish Parliament accessing parliamentary services and facilities. 7. Tactile BSL. Most requirements are expected to involve interpreting between English and BSL. The Contractor may be required to provide other sign languages or additional supporting services as needed. Requirements for live interpreting of parliamentary business that is broadcast will always be in BSL and is expected to form the main element of the Services under this Contract. The Contractor must be able to deliver this at a consistently high standard. In line with the commitments set out in its BSL Plan, the SPCB aims to continually improve the service it provides to Deaf and Deafblind BSL users. The Contractor must therefore not only meet the requirements in this Specification to a consistently high standard.
Has Renewal
Yes
Has Options
No
Status
active

Award criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Name
Technical
Type
quality
Description
60
Criterion 2
Name
Pricing
Type
cost
Description
40

Contract period

Starts
1 Aug 2026, 00:00
Ends
31 Aug 2029, 23:59

Renewal

Description
May be extended up to 24 months at the sole discretion of the SPCB

Submission terms

Variant Policy
notAllowed

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
79540000
Description
Interpretation services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKM75

Delivery Location

Description
The Scottish Parliament, Holyrood, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body
Id
GB-FTS-5276

Identifier

Legal Name
Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Address

Street Address
The Scottish Parliament, Procurement Services
Locality
Edinburgh
Region
UKM75
Postal Code
EH99 1SP
Country Name
United Kingdom

Contact

Telephone
+44 1313486617

Roles

buyer
centralPurchasingBody

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
TED_CA_TYPE
Description
Devolved Parliament
Entry 2
Scheme
COFOG
Description
Legislative Body
Organisation 2
Name
THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT
Id
GB-FTS-178907

Identifier

Legal Name
THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

Address

Street Address
Holyrood Road
Locality
Edinburgh
Postal Code
EH99 1SP
Country Name
United Kingdom

Contact

Roles

reviewBody

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Edinburgh · UKM75 · EH99 1SP · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKM75

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. 029191-2026tender ·