PUBLICATIONS
Tenders as a means of acquiring the right language service provider
“How do I find the right language service provider for my company?” Are you the decision-maker for organizing translations in your company, and are you faced with the task of optimizing external resources? Are the translation volumes and the number of required language pairs increasing? Is the requirements profile becoming more and more diverse? In addition to translations, do you need interpreters, video localization, or proofreading of translated texts for quality assurance? Then it really makes sense to rethink and reorganize the language services for your company. There are many ways to find a new service provider, one of which is through a call for tenders. But is a call for tenders worth the effort, and how do I tackle the issue so the right provider is actually found in the end?
Preparations:
1. The internal review (needs assessment):
First, define your company’s overall relevant translation needs for the project in question, or for the year if you are looking for long-term cooperation. Work closely with the departments in the company that have documented translation needs. The more specifically you can define your requirements, the greater the chance of finding exactly the right language service provider to cover them. For a better outline, it is recommended to list the various requirements in a summary table. Possible criteria are subjects, project descriptions/types of text, scope (number of words), frequency (amount per month or per year), required languages, file format, special requirements for the service provider (such as human translation, machine translation, and platform solution).
2. The external review (requirements for the language service provider):
In close consultation with the departments involved in your company, determine which performance features and capabilities your future provider should have. This includes:
- Company size (revenue, number of employees)
- Location
- Experience in the language services market
- Subject-specific list (available specialist translators in finance, legal, marketing, technology, etc.)
- Service portfolio (one-stop shop or niche provider?)
- ISO certifications? (such as ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 17100:2015 for (translation) quality management, ISO 13611:2014 for interpreting services, ISO 20771:2020 for legal translation services)
- Internal translation organization (in-house translator or freelancer?)
- Statement of the provider with regard to confidentiality and data security
- Handling of express orders
- Availability of a platform solution to simplify translation management?
- Use of CAT tools (computer-assisted translation tool)?
- Statement regarding machine translation
- Objective, consistent, metric-driven approach for evaluating translation quality
- Proofreading of translated texts for quality assurance (LQA—Linguistic Quality Assessment). Is this service offered?
Implementation:
Now you must formulate the call for tenders in as clear and structured a manner as possible, taking into account the translation needs of your company as well as the requirements for the desired language service provider.
Start with a brief description of your company and name a few key figures, such as area of activity, revenue in the past year, number of employees, and international markets.
Then clearly state the reasons for the call for tenders (for example: standardization of the translation processes, search for one (1) preferred provider, cooperation with a service provider with up-to-date technology such as a platform solution, cost optimization, quality optimization, etc.) and show your vision and your requirements profile. This can be presented in the form of a summary table or a list. This is where the criteria you defined in advance during the internal needs assessment come into play:
- Subject areas of the texts to be translated
- Types of texts (such as annual reports, press releases, technical documentation, etc.)
- Approximate scope of each project (word count)
- Frequency of each project (number per month/year)
- Required language pairs
- File formats
- Machine translation required
- Desired platform solution
At this point, you should also state whether (and if so, what) additional criteria are important to you, such as references, audits, capacities for short-term urgent projects, use of latest tools, etc.
To convey your focus to the translation service providers offering their services, it is recommended that you list your evaluation criteria and their relative importance transparently during the selection process. This can be done using percentage weighting (e.g. pricing criterion 30%, quality assurance criterion 40%, delivery time criterion 20%, data security criterion 10%).
Finally, structure the tender process by setting clear deadlines, time frames, and contact information.
- When is the deadline to confirm participation in the tender
- If there are several rounds of bids: what are the submission deadlines for each round
- How should the offers be transmitted
- When can questions be asked
- When is the evaluation period
- When will the award/rejection be communicated
- What is the period of validity for the desired partnership
- Who is the contact person
When you have completed your tender, taking into account all relevant criteria, there are only two final decisions to be made:
a) through what channels should your tender be published (e.g. one of the various tendering platforms on the internet, targeted invitations to selected providers based on recommendations, internet research, or industry-specific trade fairs),
b) what is the maximum number of providers you would like to be included in your tender process to ensure you get a good overview but do not overload the selection process for the sake of time. The decision about the maximum number depends on individual needs and varies from company to company. In our experience, it is between four and eight providers.
These instructions for preparing and implementing your tender should allow you to optimize the selection process for your future translation partners with the help of objective criteria. However, remember that another criterion which is not objectively measurable plays an important role in decision-making: interpersonal chemistry! It is therefore recommended to have at least one round of video calls with the remaining candidates before making the final decision to get to know them better.
Janus Worldwide is a global language service provider which has supported international companies with language services for 27 years. With its comprehensive portfolio (translation, localization, interpreting, video and web localization, gaming and e-learning localization, DTP work, platform solutions), Janus Worldwide offers high-quality language services at competitive prices. Janus Worldwide is certified according to ISO 9001, ISO 17100, ISO 13611, ISO 20771 and ISO 18587. With offices in 10 countries on 4 continents, Janus Worldwide is number 44 in the top 100 language service providers and number 7 in the top LSPs in Western Europe (CSA Research, 2022).
Business Development Director for the DACH Region
