FOI reference: FOI-2024-1825
You asked
1. Please confirm your overall spend on interpreting, translation and transcription services for the following financial years:
2021-22
2022-23
2. Who is your incumbent supplier(s) for language services? If you have more than one supplier, which services does each one provide to you?
3. If you have a separate British Sign Language/non-spoken supplier, who is this?
4. If you have a separate transcription supplier, who is this?
5. Do you have any in-house interpreters/translators?
6. When is your current language services contract(s) due to expire, a) without extensions and b) with all possible extensions?
7. Could you please provide the name, phone number and email address of the contract manager responsible for language services?
8. Could you please provide the name, phone number and email address of the person responsible for your language services budget?
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
10. What were your top 20 highest-volume languages for interpreting/translation requests in 2023?
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
12. What languages has your provider been unable to source in the last 12 months?
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?
14. What social value has been delivered as part of this contract in the last 12 months?
15. If your contract was awarded through a tender process, can you please provide a copy of the winning bidder's tender?
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
17. Has your provider of language services increased their charge rate to you in the last 12 months?
18. What is the Authority's typical route to market?
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.
20. Could you please provide the name, phone number and email address of the person responsible for the language services budget?
21. Could you please provide the name, phone number and email address of the person in charge of procurement for the Authority?
We said
Thank you for your request.
Please see the following responses to your questions:
Q1. Spend excluding VAT on dedicated contracts for Interpreting, Translations and Transcription services are as follows.
2021-2022: £74,503.93
2022-2023: £40,405.87
This does not include any spend with third party providers that may come under other contracts.
Q2. Our suppliers for language services are:
Language Empire Ltd: Provision of Transcription and Translation Services
Prysg Cyf: Provision of Welsh Translation Services
Qs 3, 4, 12, 13, and 14 are not applicable.
Q5. We do not have any dedicated in-house interpreters/translators.
Q6. Our current language services contract(s) due to expire:
21 January 2026 -- without extension
21 January 2028 -- with all possible extensions
Qs 7, 8, 20 and 21. This information constitutes personal data and is therefore exempt under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
Q9. Your questions on face-to-face interpreting assignments (spoken language), telephone interpreting calls, and video interpreting calls (spoken language) are not applicable.
- Language Empire document translations: 17 document translations.
- Please note, we do not hold information on total number of words translated.
- Language empire audio transcriptions: 359 audio transcriptions.
- Please note, we do not hold information on audio duration.
Unfortunately, we do not hold the equivalent information for Prysg Cyf.
Q10. Our top 20 highest-volume languages for interpreting/translation requests in 2023 were:
Welsh
Ukrainian
Urdu
Farsi
Spanish
Russian
Bengali (Dhaka)
Punjabi (Indian)
These are the only languages that have been required for translations in 2023.
Q11. We do not hold the information requested, as we do not know the term 'fill rate' in the context of these contracts.
Q15 and 16.
Information showing the winning bidder's tender, per word rate for document translation, and per minute rate for audio transcription is exempt under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). This exemption applies if the disclosed information would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of ONS or a third party.
The release of a tender would reveal how they arrived at the prices they charge for their services, as well as business plans and other core components of their bid. Similarly, the per word and minute rates reveal exactly how much they are charging us for the services we require. The disclosure of this information would prejudice their chances of success at any future procurement, as competitors could repeat the same business model and reduce the price of the service to secure a win.
Additionally, disclosure would cause commercial prejudice for our organisation. We would likely face disadvantage at future tendering exercises with the existing supplier and other companies, as putting them at risk of commercial prejudice would render them unwilling to work with us in the future. For similar reasons, our existing commercial relationships would also likely be prejudiced.
This exemption is subject to a public interest test. Whilst we recognise the desirability of information being freely available, we must acknowledge the importance of maintaining the trust and customer confidence of the companies with whom we work. Damage to this trust would impact our own capability to compete and negotiate in a commercial environment. This would lead to a reduction in the choice of quality services offered and also a reduction in competitive incentive amongst suppliers to offer us a good price. This would be detrimental to the preservation of public funds and the quality of service received by members of the public. Therefore, this hinderance to our capability to compete effectively in a commercial environment would directly and negatively impact the public interest. On balance, the public interest falls in favour of withholding this information.
Your questions on spoken and non-spoken face-to-face and video rates are not applicable. Similarly, telephone rates are not applicable.
Q17. Yes, our language services provider have increased their charge rate in the last 12 months.
Q18. Our Authority's typical route to market is the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Framework.
Q19. We do not hold the information requested, as we do not know the term 'wheel devices' in the context of these contracts.