Bidders to provide comprehensive language access services to support MSDH across public Health programs.

INVITATION FOR BIDS
IFB RFx Number: 3160008084
Translation and Transcription Services
Issue Date: June 10, 2026
CLOSING TIME AND DATE
Bids must be received before:
10:00 am CST, July 13, 2026
BID COORDINATOR
Tricia Slack
Telephone: (601) 576-7954
E-mail: procurement@msdh.ms.gov

1. Introduction and Overview
1.1. Purpose and Goals
The Mississippi State Department of Health (hereinafter "MSDH" or "Agency") has issued this solicitation for
the purpose of soliciting sealed bids from qualified Bidders to provide Translation and Transcription Services.
The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is seeking to procure comprehensive language access
services to support across its public health programs. This initiative involves soliciting itemized quotes from
qualified vendors for services including onsite and remote interpretation (via phone and video), American Sign
Language (ASL), and multilingual document translation. The project emphasizes the importance of real-time
interpretation platforms, data analytics capabilities, and flexible service availability, including after-hours and
emergency coverage. The ultimate goal is to ensure that all residents, including individuals with Limited
English Proficiency (LEP) and the deaf or hard of hearing community, have meaningful access to health
services and information.
A copy of this IFB, including all appendices and attachments, and any subsequent amendments, including the
Question-and-Answer amendment, if issued, will be posted to the MSDH OpenGov Procurement portal at
https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/msdh under the "Active " projects list. It is the responsibility of all
interested Bidders to monitor the website for updates regarding this procurement.
Before the award of any contract, the Bidder will be required to document to MSDH that it has the necessary
capabilities to provide the core services specified in this IFB. The Bidder may also be required to provide
additional client references, as well as related project experience detail in order to satisfy MSDH that the Bidder
is qualified. MSDH may make reasonable investigations, as it deems necessary and proper, to determine the
ability of the Bidder to perform the work, and the Bidder shall be required to furnish to MSDH all information
that may be requested for this purpose. MSDH reserves the right to reject any bid if the Bidder fails to provide
the requested information and/or fails to satisfy MSDH that the Bidder is properly qualified to carry out the
obligations of the contract and to complete the work described in this IFB.
1.2. Bid Submission Period
Bids must be submitted electronically through the MSDH OpenGov Procurement portal no later than 10:00
am Central Standard Time (CST), Monday, July 13, 2026. Timely submission of the bid package is the
responsibility of the Bidder. Any bid received after the deadline will be considered late and will be rejected and
will not be considered for award. The Bidder shall be notified as soon as practicable if their bid was rejected and
the reason for such rejection.
Failure to submit a bid on the bid form provided will be considered cause for rejection of the bid. Modifications
or additions to any portion of the bid document may be cause for rejection of the bid. The MSDH reserves the
right to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether to reject a bid with modifications or additions as non-
responsive. MSDH may request the Bidder to withdraw or modify non-responsive portions that do not affect
the service's quality, quantity, price or delivery.
1.3. Important Dates
Invitation for Bid Issue Date: June 10, 2026
Request for Reconsideration of the Terms of June 16, 2026
the Solicitation:
Questions Submission Deadline: June 23, 2026, 10:00am
2

Anticipated Posting of Written Answers to June 24, 2026, 12:00pm
Questions:
Bid Package Submission Deadline: July 13, 2026, 10:00am
Anticipated Bid Opening: 07/13/2026 at 11:00 am
Anticipated Date of Notice of Intent to July 14, 2026
Award:
Request for Reconsideration of the Intent to July 16, 2026
Award:
NOTE: Adjustments to the schedule may be made as deemed necessary by MSDH.
1.4. Questions and Answers
Questions must be submitted electronically through the MSDH OpenGov Procurement portal through the
"Question & Answer" tab of this project, (RFX3160008084) - Translation and Transcription Services. Questions
must be submitted before 10:00 am, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, to ensure a response by MSDH. Responses to
questions will be posted to the project page on the MSDH OpenGov Procurement portal at
https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/msdh. Questions received after the due date and time of questions
may be considered for response, although there is no guarantee as to if or when a response will be provided. It
is the Bidder's sole responsibility to regularly monitor the website for amendments and/or announcements
concerning this IFB.
1.5. Acknowledgment of Amendments
Should an amendment to the IFB be issued, it will be posted on the Procurement Portal and the MSDH OpenGov
Procurement Portal in a manner that all bidders will be able to view. Bidders shall acknowledge receipt of any
amendment to the IFB by electronically signing the amendment in the MSDH OpenGov Procurement Portal, or
by email.
Should any bidder fail to submit all necessary acknowledgement(s) with its bid, the Agency shall have the sole
discretion as to whether to request a bidder to submit the required acknowledgement(s) after the bid
submission deadline but prior to issuance of the Notice of Intent to Award. The Agency shall exercise that
discretion in a manner that is fair to all bidders. Any bidder who does not provide the Agency
acknowledgement(s) of every amendment issued may be deemed non-responsive and not eligible for award.
Bidders are responsible for monitoring both websites for any updates or amendments to the IFB. Each Bidder
shall submit a written acknowledgment of every amendment to the MSDH on or before the submission deadline.
1.6. Expenses Incurred in the Procurement Process
All parties participating in the procurement process in regard to this IFB shall bear their own costs of
participation, pursuant to Section 1.4.4 of the OPSCR Rules and Regulations. All costs incurred by the Bidder in
preparing and delivering its bid, making presentations, and any subsequent time and travel to meet with MSDH
regarding its bid shall be borne exclusively at the Bidder's expense.
1.7. Cancellation of Solicitation or Rejection of Individual Bids
At MSDH's sole discretion, an IFB may be canceled or any or all responses to the solicitation may be rejected, in
whole or in part, when MSDH determines that it is in the Agency's best interest to do so.
3

1.8. Registration with Mississippi Secretary of State
By submitting a bid, the Bidder certifies that it is registered to do business in the State of Mississippi as
prescribed by Mississippi law and the Mississippi Secretary of State or, if not already registered, that it will do
so within five (5) business days of being offered an award. Sole proprietors are not required to register with the
Secretary of State.
1.9. Debarment
By submitting a bid, the Bidder certifies that it is not currently debarred from submitting bids for contracts issued
by any political subdivision or agency of the State of Mississippi or Federal government and that it is not an
agent of a person or entity that is currently debarred from submitting bids for contracts issued by any political
subdivision or agency of the State of Mississippi.
1.10. Right to Consider Historical Information
MSDH reserves the right to consider historical information regarding the Bidder, whether gained from the
Bidder's bid, conferences with the Bidder, references, or any other source during the evaluation process. This
may include, but is not limited to, information from any state or federal regulatory entity.
1.11. State Approval
It is understood that this contract may require approval by the PPRB. If required and if this contract is not
approved by PPRB and/or OPSCR, it is void and no payment shall be made hereunder.
1.12. Property Rights
Property rights do not inure to any Bidder until such time as services have been provided under a legally
executed contract. No party responding to this IFB has a legitimate claim of entitlement to be awarded a
contract or to the provision of work thereunder. MSDH is under no obligation to award a contract and may
terminate a legally executed contract at any time.
1.13. Contract Rights
Contract rights do not vest in any party until a contract is legally executed. MSDH is under no obligation to award
a contract following issuance of this IFB.
1.14. Bids as Public Record
If a redacted copy is not submitted, MSDH shall consider the entire Bid to be public record. The redacted copy
should identify which section or information has been redacted and the Bidder should provide the specific
statutory authority for the exemption. Per Mississippi Code Annotated 25-61-9(7), the type of service to be
provided, the price to be paid and the term of the contract cannot be deemed confidential.
The redacted copy shall be considered public record and immediately released, without notification of the
Bidder, pursuant to any request under the Mississippi Public Records Act, Miss. Code Ann. 25-61-1 et seq. and
Miss. Code Ann. 79-23-1. Redacted copies shall also be used/released for any reason deemed necessary by
MSDH, including, but not limited to, submission to the PPRB, posting to the Transparency Mississippi website,
etc.
All documentation submitted in response to this IFB and any subsequent requests for information pertaining to
this IFB shall become the property of MSDH and will not be returned to the Bidder.
4

All information requested is considered important. Failure to provide all requested information and in the
required format may result in disqualification of the Bid. MSDH has no obligation to locate or acknowledge any
information in the bid that is not presented under the appropriate outline and in the proper location according
to the instructions herein.
1.15. Certification of Independent Price Determination
By submitting a bid, the Bidder certifies that the prices submitted in response to the solicitation have been
arrived at independently and without any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other Bidder or
competitor for the purpose of restricting competition.
1.16. Applicable Law
The contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Mississippi,
excluding its conflicts of laws provisions, and any litigation with respect thereto shall be brought in the courts
of Mississippi.
1.17. Approval
It is understood that if this contract requires approval by the Public Procurement Review Board ("PPRB") and/or
the Department of Finance and Administration Office of Personal Service Contract Review ("OPSCR"), and this
contract is not approved by PPRB and/or OPSCR, it is void and no payment shall be made hereunder.
1.18. Availability of Funds
It is expressly understood and agreed that the obligation of MSDH to proceed under this agreement is
conditioned upon the appropriation of funds by the Mississippi State Legislature and the receipt of the
appropriated funds. If the funds anticipated for the continuing time fulfillment of the agreement are, at any
time, not forthcoming or insufficient, regardless of the source of funding, MSDH shall have the right upon ten
(10) business days written notice to Contractor, to terminate this agreement without damage, penalty, cost or
expense to the MSDH of any kind whatsoever. The effective date of termination shall be as specified in the
notice of termination.
1.19. Compliance with Equal Opportunity in Employment Policy
Contractor understands that the MSDH is an equal opportunity employer and therefore, maintains a policy
which prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, age, national origin, physical handicap,
disability, genetic information, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. All such
discrimination is unlawful, and Contractor agrees during the term of the agreement that Contractor will strictly
adhere to this policy in its employment practices and provision of services.
1.20. Compliance with Laws
Contractor shall comply with, and all activities under this agreement shall be subject to, all applicable federal,
state, and local laws and regulations, as now existing and as may be amended or modified.
1.21. E-Payment
Contractor agrees to accept all payments in United States currency via the State of Mississippi's electronic
payment and remittance vehicle. The Agency agrees to make payment in accordance with Mississippi "Timely
Payments for Purchases by Public Bodies" laws, which generally provide for payment of undisputed amounts by
5

the Agency within forty-five (45) calendar days of receipt of invoice. Mississippi Code Annotated 31-7-301, et
seq.
1.22. E-Verification
If applicable, Contractor represents and warrants that it will ensure its compliance with the Mississippi
Employment Protection Act and will register and participate in the status verification system for all newly hired
employees. Mississippi Code Annotated 71-11-1 and 71-11-3. Contractor agrees to provide a copy of each
verification upon request of the MSDH subject to approval by any agencies of the United States Government.
Contractor further represents and warrants that any person assigned to perform services hereafter meets the
employment eligibility requirements of all immigration laws. The breach of this clause may subject Contractor
to the following: (1) termination of this contract and exclusion pursuant to Chapter 15 of the Public Procurement
Review Board Office of Personal Service Contract Review Rules and Regulations; (2) the loss of any license,
permit, certification or other document granted to Contractor by an agency, department, or governmental
entity for the right to do business in Mississippi; or (3) both. In the event of such termination, Contractor would
also be liable for any additional costs incurred by the Agency due to Contract cancellation or loss of license or
permit to do business in the state.
1.23. Offeror's Representation Regarding Contingent Fees
By responding to the solicitation, the Bidder represents that it has not retained any person or agency on a
percentage, commission, or other contingent arrangement to secure this contract. If the Bidder cannot make
such a representation, a full and complete explanation shall be submitted in writing with the Bidder's response.
1.24. Procurement Regulations
This solicitation shall be governed by the applicable provisions of the Public Procurement Review Board Office
of Personal Service Contract Review Rules and Regulations, a copy of which is available on the Mississippi
Department of Finance and Administration's website (www.dfa.ms.gov). Any bidder or offeror responding to a
solicitation for personal and professional services and any contractor doing business with a state Agency is
deemed to be on notice of all requirements therein.
1.25. Representation Regarding Gratuties
Bidder represents that it has not, is not, and will not offer, give, or agree to give any employee or former
employee of MSDH a gratuity or offer of employment in connection with any approval, disapproval,
recommendation, development, or any other action or decision related to the solicitation and resulting contract.
Bidder further represents that no employee or former employee of MSDH has or is soliciting, demanding,
accepting, or agreeing to accept a gratuity or offer of employment for the reasons previously stated; any such
action by an employee or former employee in the future, if any, will be rejected by bidder. Bidder further
represents that it is in compliance with the Mississippi Ethics in Government laws, codified at Mississippi Code
Annotated 25-4-101 through 25-4-121, and has not solicited any employee or former employee to act in
violation of said law.
1.26. Required Public Records and Transparency
Upon execution of a contract, the provisions of the contract which contain the personal or professional services
provided, the unit prices, the overall price to be paid, and the term of the contract shall not be deemed to be a
trade secret or confidential commercial or financial information pursuant to Mississippi Code Annotated 25-
6

61-9(7). The contract shall be posted publicly on www.transparency.ms.gov and shall be available for at the
Agency for examination, inspection, or reproduction by the public. The Bidder acknowledges and agrees that
the MSDH and this contract are subject to the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983 codified at Mississippi Code
Annotated 25-61-1, et seq. and its exceptions, Mississippi Code Annotated 79-23-1, and the Mississippi
Accountability and Transparency Act of 2008, codified at Mississippi Code Annotated 27-104-151, et seq.
1.27. Stop Work Order
The MSDH may, by written order to Contractor at any time, require Contractor to stop all or any part of the
work called for by this contract. This order shall be for a period of time specified by the MSDH. Upon receipt of
such an order, Contractor shall forthwith comply with its terms and take all reasonable steps to minimize any
further cost to the MSDH. Upon expiration of the stop work order, Contractor shall resume providing the
services which were subject to the stop work order, unless the MSDH has terminated that part of the agreement
or terminated the agreement in its entirety. The MSDH is not liable for payment for services which were not
rendered due to the stop work order.
1.28. Termination
Termination for Convenience. The MSDH may, when the interests of the Agency so require, terminate this
contract in whole or in part, for the convenience of the Agency. The MSDH shall give written notice of the
termination to Contractor specifying the part of the contract terminated and when termination becomes
effective. Contractor shall incur no further obligations in connection with the terminated work and on the date
set in the notice of termination Contractor will stop work to the extent specified. Contractor shall complete the
work not terminated by the notice of termination and may incur obligations as are necessary to do so.
Termination for Default. If the MSDH gives the Contractor a notice that the personal or professional services are
being provided in a manner that is deficient, the Contractor shall have thirty (30) days to cure the deficiency. If
the Contractor fails to cure the deficiency, the MSDH may terminate the contract for default and the Contractor
will be liable for the additional cost to the MSDH to procure the personal and professional services from another
source. Termination under this paragraph could result in Contractor being excluded from future contract awards
pursuant to Chapter 15 of the Public Procurement Review Board Office of Personal Service Contract Review Rules
and Regulations. Any termination wrongly labelled termination for default shall be deemed a termination for
convenience.
7

2. Procurement Methodology
2.1. Restrictions on Communication with MSDH Staff
All Bidder communications regarding this IFB must be directed through the MSDH OpenGov Procurement Portal
or to the designated Bid Coordinator. Unauthorized contact regarding the IFB with other employees of the
agency may result in the Bidder being disqualified.
2.2. Reconsideration of the Solicitation
Any potential Bidder can request that MSDH reconsider the terms of this solicitation. This reconsideration
request can be accomplished by reference to Section 5.2.4. of the Public Procurement Review Board Office of
Personal Service Contract Review Rules and Regulations. The potential Bidder shall file any such request within
three (3) business days following the date of public notice of the solicitation. The potential Bidder must submit
the request by email to the following:
* Bid Coordinator Tricia Slack, procurement@msdh.ms.gov
* Procurement@msdh.ms.gov
* The Director of the Office of Personal Service Contract Review
It shall be the sole responsibility of the requesting Bidder to ensure the request is received in a timely manner
by all required parties. Failure to request reconsideration in compliance with this Section in a timely manner
results in the waiver of any claim regarding the terms of the solicitation.
The request shall contain the requesting Bidder's name, a single contact person, all contact information for the
contact person, the RFx number of the solicitation, and the date the IFB was issued. The request shall identify
which of the Public Procurement Review Board Office of Personal Service Contract Review Rules and Regulations
the requesting Bidder believes to have been violated by the solicitation, as written. The request may not be
based on anything other than the solicitation document and the applicable rules and regulations. The Bidder
shall not include exhibits with the request. Instead, the requesting Bidder shall clearly identify the section(s) of
the solicitation document at issue in its request. The request shall not be supplemented.
2.3. Acceptance of Bids
After receiving the bids, MSDH reserves the right to award the contract based on the terms, conditions, and
premises of the IFB and the bid of the selected company without negotiation.
MSDH reserves the right to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether to reject a bid with modifications or
additions as non-responsive. As a precondition to bid acceptance, MSDH may request the bidder to withdraw
or modify those portions of the bid deemed non-responsive that do not affect quality, quantity, price, or delivery
of the service.
2.4. Minor Informalities and Irregularities
MSDH has the right to waive minor defects or variations of a bid from the exact requirements of the
specifications that do not affect the price, quality, quantity, delivery, or performance of the services being
procured and if doing so does not create an unfair advantage for any Bidder. If insufficient information is
submitted by a Bidder for MSDH to properly evaluate the offer, MSDH has the right to require such additional
information as it may deem necessary after the submission deadline, provided that the information requested
does not change the price, quality, quantity, delivery, or performance time of the services being procured and
8

such a request does not create an unfair advantage for any Bidder. (Information requested may include, for
example, a copy of business or professional licenses, or a work schedule.)
2.5. Disposition of Bid
The bid submitted by the successful Bidder shall be incorporated into and become part of the resulting contract.
All bids received by MSDH shall upon receipt become and remain the property of MSDH. MSDH shall have the
right to use all nonproprietary concepts contained in any bid and this right shall not affect the solicitation or
rejection of the bid.
2.6. Modification or Withdrawal of a Bid
Prior to the bid due date, a submitted bid may be withdrawn by submitting a written request for its withdrawal
to MSDH, signed by the Bidder. If submitted electronically through the MSDH OpenGov Procurement portal,
Bidder may "unsubmit" their bid until the due date and time for bids has passed.
An Bidder may submit an amended bid before the due date for receipt of bids. Such amended bids shall be a
complete replacement for a previously submitted bid and shall be clearly identified as such. MSDH shall not
merge, collate, or assemble bid materials.
Unless requested by MSDH, no other amendments, revisions, or alterations to bids shall be accepted after the
bid due date.
Any submitted bid shall remain a valid bid for one hundred eighty (180) calendar days from the bid due date.
2.7. Rejection of Bids
A bid response that includes terms and conditions that do not conform to the terms and conditions specified
within this IFB document is subject to rejection as non-responsive. Further, submission of a bid that is not
complete and/or unsigned is subject to rejection as non-responsive. MSDH staff reserves the right to permit the
Bidder to withdraw nonconforming terms and conditions from its bid response prior to a determination by
MSDH staff of non-responsiveness based on the submission of nonconforming terms and conditions. Any bid
which is conditioned upon receiving award of both the particular contract being solicited and another Mississippi
contract shall be deemed non-responsive and will be rejected.
2.8. Corrections and Clarifications
MSDH reserves the right to request clarifications or corrections to bids. Any bid received which does not meet
any of the requirements of this IFB, including clarification or correction requests, may be considered non-
responsive and eliminated from further consideration.
2.9. Bid Evaluation
All bids received in response to this IFB by the stated deadline will receive a comprehensive, fair, and impartial
evaluation based on the requirements outlined in this IFB. No criteria other than those outlined in this IFB will
be used in an evaluation. Only Bidders who are found responsive and responsible will have their bids considered.
The Contract shall be awarded to the Bidder who is responsible and responsive and submitted the lowest cost
bid.
All bids will be evaluated based on: (1) whether each bidder was responsive and provided all required
information in the format required by the IFB; (2) whether each bidder is responsible and objectively meets the
minimum qualifications or other criteria listed in the IFB; and (3) which of the responsive and responsible bidders
submitted the lowest overall price.
9

Responsive Bidder
Bidder must submit its bid, including all required attachments and other documents, in a manner that conforms
in all material aspects to this IFB as determined by MSDH.
2.10. Basis for Award
The agency intends to award multiple contracts to provide the services described in this IFB to the lowest
responsible and responsive bidders. Multiple awards may be made if an award to two or more bidders for similar
services is necessary for adequate delivery. Any such awards shall be limited to the least number of contractors
necessary to meet the valid requirements of the agency. The number of awards is at the sole discretion of the
Agency.
2.11. Notice of Intent to Award
The Notice of Intent to Award for this procurement will be made available to the public through posting on the
MSDH OpenGov Procurement Portal. All participating Bidders will be notified of MSDH's intent to award a
contract and identify the selected Bidder.
The successful vendor is instructed not to begin work, purchase materials, or enter into subcontracts relating to
the project or services until execution of the contract.
2.12. Request for Reconsideration of the Intent to Award
A Bidder who responded to an IFB has an opportunity to request that MSDH reconsider its intent to award the
contract to specific Bidder(s). Any such request shall be filed with MSDH within three (3) business days following
issuance of the Notice of Intent to Award in compliance with Sections 5.6.1, 5.6.1.1, 5.6.1.2, and 5.6.3 of the
PPRB OPSCR Rules and Regulations. The request shall be emailed to the Bid Coordinator, Hannah Wright, at
hannah.wright@msdh.ms.gov, Procurement@msdh.ms.gov, and to the Director of the Office of Personal
Service Contract Review. It shall be the sole responsibility of the requesting Bidder to ensure the request is
timely received by all required parties. Failure to timely request reconsideration in compliance with this Section
results in waiver of any claim a Bidder may have as to MSDH's decision to award the contract.
The request shall contain the requesting vendor's name, a single contact person, all contact information for the
contact person, the RFx number of the solicitation, the date the IFB was issued, and the date the Notice of Intent
to Award was issued. The request shall identify which of the PPRB OPSCR Rules and Regulations and/or the
terms of the IFB the requesting Bidder believes were violated by MSDH during the evaluation process, explain
the factual basis for the alleged violation(s), and specify how the alleged violation(s) affected the outcome of
the procurement. The request shall not be based on anything other than the MSDH Procurement File, the PPRB
OPSCR Rules and Regulations, and the terms of the IFB. The request shall not be supplemented.
MSDH shall consider the alleged violation and review the Procurement File to determine if such alleged
allegation is supported. MSDH shall issue a written determination regarding the alleged violation. This decision
shall become part of the Procurement File.
2.13. Notice of Contract Award
Following issuance of the Notice of Intent to Award, successful negotiation of the contract, and approval of the
contract by the PPRB and any other required entities, MSDH will make a Notice of Contract Award available to
the public.
10