Official UK procurement notice
Translation and Interpretation Services
Authority: NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership-Procurement Services (hosted by Velindre University NHS Trust) (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionCardiff 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 publishedLot #1Planned
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)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-058af5Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
20 Aug 2025 → 1 Jan 2026 · 4 dates- Planning notice published20 Aug 2025, 09:55 BST
- Market engagement5 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
- Tender notice expected390 days ago1 Oct 2025, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts299 days ago1 Jan 2026
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published20 Aug 2025, 09:55 BSTUK2
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
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender