Question Period Note: Procurement process for official language interpretation services and new request for standing offer

In 2025, in collaboration with the Procurement Branch, the Translation Bureau modified its procurement tool. The new standing offers came into effect in January 2026.

• In fall 2025 and early January 2026, Public Services and Procurement Canada launched a request for a standing offer for official languages interpretation services, following well-established procurement processes
  • The purpose of the request for a standing offer was to provide greater flexibility, particularly when extending events, to reduce the administrative burden and reduce costs, while better aligning with industry standards
  • The request for standing offers now allows suppliers to add accredited resources to their offer at any time, which allows capacity to be increased on an ad hoc basis

If pressed on reports from the Office of the Procurement Ombud:

• Public Services and Procurement Canada takes its responsibilities related to the management of interpretation services contracts very seriously and takes note of the findings made by the Procurement Ombud
• after the issue was identified in April 2025, Public Services and Procurement Canada promptly conducted an internal review and acknowledged in June 2025 a discrepancy in the Attribution of Work. Public Services and Procurement Canada is continuing its investigation into the circumstances and contributing factors of this matter. Measures have already been put in place to ensure compliance with contractual clauses, including centralizing the assignment of work under a single authority capable of providing better oversight
• the Translation Bureau is also implementing other measures, including better employee training, clearer internal directives and better recordkeeping practices
• Public Services and Procurement Canada is currently looking at the next steps to follow up on the recommendations of the Procurement Ombud

If pressed on the impact of choosing the lowest bidder on the quality of interpretation:

• the quality of interpretation is assured not by the price charged, but rather by a process of mandatory accreditation of suppliers, as well as other requirements, and by a process of ongoing management of the quality performance of suppliers

If pressed on the impact of new standing offers on supplier health and safety:

• occupational health and safety are top priorities for the Translation Bureau
• the Translation Bureau continuously applies protective measures based on technological advances and research in audiology and acoustics for all interpreters, whether they are employees or suppliers
• from 2020 to 2024, the number of acoustic incidents decreased by approximately 75% thanks to measures implemented by the Translation Bureau
• standing offers include health and safety provisions similar to those in previous contracts

To replace contracts that expired on December 31, 2025, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) launched a request for information process at the end of June 2025, which closed on August 8, 2025. Nearly 50 suppliers submitted comments that were taken into account in the preparation of the new procurement tool: a request for standing offers.

The request for a standing offer was posted on October 24, 2025, with an initial closing date of November 24, 2025, for interpreters who already hold accreditation with the Translation Bureau. Thirty-four bidders were selected for a total of 36 available interpretation service resources. A second phase took place from December 24, 2025, to January 16, 2026, to allow candidates who had passed the last accreditation exam to submit their offers. Five new bidders were selected, bringing the total to 41 available interpretation service resources.

Between June and August 2025, the Office of the Procurement Ombud (OPO) received written complaints from four Canadian suppliers regarding the administration of their separate contracts awarded by PSPC for the “provision of parliamentary and conference interpretation services.” OPO addressed each complaint in a separate report. The four OPO reports focus primarily on the allocation of work, and one of them also addresses concerns related to travel time. Other issues were also raised, such as the use of the CanadaBuys (Ariba) platform and the department's integrity in administering the contract. Summaries of the four complaint review reports were published on the OPO website between January 12 and February 23, 2026. PSPC has committed to sharing the results of its review of the reports' findings with the OPO.

• The Translation Bureau uses suppliers for approximately 40% of official languages interpretation requests in Parliament (exceptionally, only 24% in the current year due to prorogation and federal elections). The rates charged by suppliers have experienced significant inflation of nearly 70%, going from about $800 for a 6-hour day of interpretation in 2019 to about $1,353 for a 4-hour day in 2025, plus a 25% bonus when the meeting is broadcast
  • From the request for standing offers, 39 offers were awarded, for a total of 41 interpretation service resources available under a standing offer starting in January 2026 to serve Parliament, compared to 75 resources available under an open contract in 2025
  • The median rate charged by suppliers increased by 3.5% under the new procurement tool that came into effect in January 2026, compared to the median price in 2025
  • Beyond its primary procurement tool, the Translation Bureau has always used other means to meet interpretation needs: from April 2023 to the end of 2025, in addition to the approximately $19 million paid to its suppliers under the former primary tool, the Bureau spent more than $3 million on one-time contracts with other suppliers