Find a TenderPast planning noticePreliminary market engagement notice
Published 20 Aug 2025, 09:55 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Translation and Interpretation Services

Official notice

Authority: NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership-Procurement Services (hosted by Velindre University NHS Trust) (Central government)

ServicesAbove thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable
Planned pipeline value£850,000pipeline notice, not a live tender
Tender notice expected 1 Oct 2025from the planned procurement notice
Contract term 1 yrends 31 Dec 2026 · starts 1 Jan 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (CAVUHB) is seeking to engage with suppliers ahead of a planned procurement exercise for the provision of multi-language translation and interpretation services, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Health Board currently utilises the Wales Interpretation and Translation Service (WITS) under a collaborative public sector contract. However, due to increased demand and evolving service needs, the Health Board intends to explore alternative and innovative service delivery models that ensure value for money, flexibility, and high-quality patient-centred care.

We are particularly interested in engaging with suppliers who can offer:

  • 24/7 availability across all modalities (face-to-face, telephone, video, BSL, and written translation)
  • Digital delivery platforms with real-time scheduling and feedback
  • Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) and Machine Translation (MT) capabilities
  • AI-powered translation tools for non-clinical communications
  • Flexible pricing structures, including tiered or prorated billing for short-duration appointments
  • Transparent subcontracting arrangements and robust quality assurance mechanisms

This Notice is issued to invite expressions of interest and facilitate pre-market engagement sessions to assess supplier readiness, innovation, and alignment with NHS standards and GDPR compliance.

Interested suppliers are encouraged to register their interest and provide a brief overview of their capabilities, including:

  • Service coverage and operational hours
  • Technology integration and innovation
  • Experience in public sector or healthcare settings
  • Quality assurance and performance monitoring frameworks

Deadline for expressions of interest: 5th September 2025

Contact for submissions and queries:

  • Lowri Crossman, Procurement Business Officer
  • Lily Prance, Procurement Business Manager

This notice does not constitute a call for competition but aims to inform the market of a potential future procurement and gather insights to shape the specification and approach.

CPV: Translation services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1Planned 1 yrSMEVCSE
Contract period: 1 Jan 2026 – 31 Dec 2026 (1 yr)
Delivery: WalesEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Past planning notice
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
20 Aug 2025, 09:55 BST
Last source update
20 Aug 2025, 09:55 BST
FTS notice number
2025/S 000-050031
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Translation services
Delivery area
Wales (UKL22)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-058af5 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
—

Timeline

20 Aug 2025 → 1 Jan 2026 · 4 dates
  1. Planning notice published
    20 Aug 2025, 09:55 BST
  2. Market engagement
    5 Sept 2025, 23:59 BST

    Interested suppliers are encouraged to register their interest and provide a brief overview of their capabilities, including:

    • Service coverage and operational hours
    • Technology integration and innovation
    • Experience in public sector or healthcare settings
    • Quality assurance and performance monitoring frameworks

    Contact for submissions and queries:

    • Lowri Crossman, Procurement Business Officer
    • Lily Prance, Procurement Business Manager
  3. Tender notice expected390 days ago
    1 Oct 2025, 23:59 BST
  4. Contract starts299 days ago
    1 Jan 2026

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    20 Aug 2025, 09:55 BST
    UK2

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Pipeline notice
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership-Procurement Services (hosted by Velindre University NHS Trust)

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central governmentWelsh devolved regulations apply GB-NHS: RQF Woodland House, Maes-y-Coed Road, Cardiff, Wales, CF14 3UZContact name, email, phone

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure