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Response to New Mexico
Solicitation # 50-000-14-0002
WSCA-NASPO Master Agreement for
Telephone Based Interpreter Services
Presented to:
State of New Mexico
General Services Department
State Purchasing Division
TECHNICAL PROPOSAL
Sarah Gamble, Director of Contracts
911 Main Street, Suite 10 | Vancouver, Washington 98660
Toll Free: (800) 208-2620 | Fax: (360) 433-0441 | Direct: (360) 433-0441
Email: [email protected]
Solicitation #50-000-14-00002 Telephone Interpreter Services
ATTACHMENT E: Letter of Transmittal Form
RFP#: 50-000-14-00002
Offeror Name: CTS LanguageLink
Items #1 to #7 EACH MUST BE COMPLETED IN FULL Failure to respond to all seven items
WILL RESULT IN THE DISQUALIFICATION OF THE PROPOSAL!
1. Identity (Name) and Mailing Address of the submitting organization:
CTS LanguageLink, Inc.
911 Main Street Suite 10
Vancouver, WA 98660
2. For the person authorized by the organization to contractually obligate the business entity:
Name Alan Bloch
Title Controller
E-Mail Address [email protected]
Telephone Number 360-433-0441
3. For the person authorized by the organization to negotiate on behalf of the business entity regarding
this Offer (if different from above):
Name Jeff Barger
Title President and CEO
E-Mail Address [email protected]
Telephone Number 360-991-3432
4. For the person authorized by the organization to contractually clarify/respond to queries regarding
this Offer (if different from either of the above):
Name Roberta Barger
Title CFO
E-Mail Address [email protected]
Telephone Number 360-4332
5. Use of Sub-Contractors (Select one)
____ No sub-contractors will be used in the performance of any resultant contract OR
_X__ The following sub-contractors will be used in the performance of any resultant contract:
We do not sub contract WSCA over the phone interpreting work to other interpreting companies
or other sub-contract companies. In addition to employed interpreters located in our call center and
sound proof interpreter rooms we utilize independent contract interpreters. We do not consider our
interpreters to be sub-contractors since they are not acting as a company but instead as independent
contractors. However in order to ensure full compliance based on New Mexico possible definitions
of independent versus sub-contractor, we have enclosed an attached list of independent contract
Solicitation #50-000-14-00002 Telephone Interpreter Services
Table of Contents
Proposal Summary 1
Response to Specifications 2
Organizational Experience 2
Organizational Infrastructure 5
Key Staff Qualifications 13
Operational Information 18
Interpreter Quality Assurance 31
Organizational References 35
Service Testing 36
Conclusion 37
Attachment G – Technical Requirements Completed Form 38
Contract Terms and Conditions 45
Other Supporting Material 46
Financial Stability Reports 47
Contract Interpreter Business Associate Agreement 85
Interpreter Code of Conduct and Ethics 93
WSCA Sample Invoice 96
Proposal Summary
CTS LanguageLink exists as the trusted communication link for our clients, enabling them to overcome
language and cultural barriers to open new markets, deliver equal access to services and establish quality
customer relationships. As a language services provider with twenty-three years of experience and a network
of professional interpreters, we are readily capable of facilitating effective communication between WSCA
and your limited English proficient customers.
The CTS LanguageLink Advantage
Twenty-three years of experience providing effective interpretation services
A network of trained, qualified interpreters that have experience working with state, city and local
government contracts
Account set up in one business day
Immediate IVR answer time, twelve second average interpreter connect time
Dedicated Client Relations team member for WSCA account management
Interpretation services in over 240 languages, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
Detailed usage reports and invoices available via our secure web-based Client Portal
CTS LanguageLink listened to WSCA customers and implemented improvements based on feedback.
Updated interactive Voice Response for faster connect times
Higher capacity back-up generator for our headquarters
Colocation facilities added for better redundancy
Doubled the number of employees in the call center for faster live answer agent availability
Added sound proof interpreting rooms to eliminate background noise
Added Vendor Management Department dedicated to interpreter recruitment, testing and
assessments
Hired a dedicated interpreter work force manager
We continue to listen and are implementing the following in 2015.
Add employed interpreters for new interpreting rooms
Open an additional facility for employed interpreter dedicated office
Add more language statistical reports to the client portal
Create interactive webinar training on working with interpreters
Should you have any questions regarding the contents of this proposal or CTS LanguageLink’s ability to
perform the services required, please do not hesitate to contact Sarah Gamble at 360-433-0441 or
[email protected]. On behalf of each member of the CTS LanguageLink team, we wish to thank you
for the opportunity to submit our proposal.
1
Response to Specifications
Organizational Experience
Offeror must provide a description of its organization’s experience and history providing Telephone Based
Interpreter Services (including their familiarity with, and experience resolving, problems associated with this
service). Offeror’s response must also include a description of its business location(s), size, areas of
specialization and expertise, client base (including other currently held contracts or agreements with state
and/or local government entities). The narrative must thoroughly describe how the Offeror has supplied
expertise for similar contracts and must include the extent of their experience, expertise and knowledge as a
provider of Telephone Based Interpreter Services.
Incorporated in 1991, CTS LanguageLink is a full-service multilingual communication agency
headquartered in Vancouver, Washington. We have offices located in Los Angeles, California and
Dominican Republic. Our Interpretation Division provides over-the-phone, video remote and on-site
interpretation services in over 240 languages and our Translation Division provides document translation,
web localization and audio visual services in over 100 languages. CTS LanguageLink is an industry leader:
Having grown 127% from 2011 to 2012, CTS LanguageLink was named the fastest growing language
service provider in the world and the eighth largest provider of interpretation, translation and localization
services in North America in 2013 by Common Sense Advisory, an independent research firm. 1
As a language services provider with a national presence and an excellent reputation, we take pride in our
client relationships, many of which have lasted decades. The majority of our current clients are state and
local government agencies. We have extensive experience providing multilingual services in the health
care, social services, legal and general business. CTS LanguageLink has developed a level of institutional
knowledge and streamlined processes that allow us to provide our clients worry-free service.
CTS LanguageLink takes great care in finding and using only the most competent interpreters. We
provide quality interpretation and translation services that are specific to our clients’ target audience in
terms of regional dialect, culture and demographics.
CTS LanguageLink recognizes that the skill sets of interpreters differ from that of translators. Interpreters
rely on their hearing and vision to analyze the verbal exchange between the parties and their short term
memory to faithfully render meaning from one language to another in the moment. Interpreters must
also be able to remain objective and impartial regardless of the emotional content of the conversation.
Their work is transitory, with no lasting record and their sole focus is the conversation in front of them.
Supporting the interpretation needs of our customers has been CTS LanguageLink’s primary focus since
we were founded. We were awarded this contract in 2009 and have been servicing telephonic
interpretation services since 1999. We currently service 13 different states through participating
amendments under the WSCA contract. Based on our extensive experience, the Health Care Authority
named CTS LanguageLink as the sole awardee to provide interpretation services to the State of
Washington in 2012. Through this contract, CTS LanguageLink provides nearly 3,500 healthcare
providers with over-the-phone, video remote and on-site interpretation services to facilitate their ability to
provide equal access to services for eligible federally reimbursable (Title XIX and Title XXI) covered
1
“The Language Services Market”, Common Sense Advisory, May 2013, 35
2
clients who are limited English proficient or who are deaf, deaf-blind or hard of hearing. It is projected
that health care providers under this contract will have more than 660,000 service requests over the three
(3) year period of this contract.
In addition to the 13 WSCA participating states we have contracts with the following list of Sate and or
local government entities
Contract
Contract
Number
Start Date to
Present
October 2014
Minutes
City of Vancouver Washington NA June 2013 461
Fulton County NA May 2008 493
Government Services Administration (GSA) GS-10F-0103Y December 2011 2,679
King County Seattle D34611D July 2005 126
Multnomah County Oregon 4400001123 November 2005 106
New Mexico NA February 2013 14,459
Oakland California 24642 March 2011 1,176
Prince George Maryland 586244 August 2011 9,150
Prince William County Maryland BP8112BA2 July 2008 1,222
San Diego California NA October 2010 236
Saif Corporation (Oregon worker's comp) NA January 2010 6,941
Solano County California NA April 2010 607
State of Idaho NA June 2010 1,173
Resolving Customer Complaints
All feedback is handled on a case by case basis by our Client Relations team. Laura Flores, Client
Relations Manager oversees all complaints while Bingo Ildefonzo, Client Relations Supervisor and the
team researches and responds to each and every feedback. Customers may inform us of any difficulties
they have accessing our system, or with an individual CSR or interpreter via our web portal, email, fax or
phone call. See screen shot below of our web portal feedback form.
3
4
Upon receiving notice of feedback, whether technical or personnel related, CTS LanguageLink follows
up with the client within 1 business day and offers resolution within 2 business days. We resolve the
feedback to our customer’s satisfaction and move forward. Our response is thorough and includes our
research, outcome and a resolution for the future. We received some concerns from Idaho courts at the
start of our contract after the response from Bingo Ildefonzo, Client Relations Supervisor Idaho courts
response was.
“Thank you Bingo. We appreciate the open dialogue and your attention to addressing these issues. Best
regards.”
They are currently one of our customers who provide references and recommendations for other
customers.
On Friday March 23rd
, 2012 for a couple of hours there were some concerns related to call quality coming
from a particular Washington DSHS office that falls under the existing WSCA contract. This was out of
the ordinary and was reported to our client relations team. They immediately responded by following
up with the customer, reaching out to our Call Center Manager, reporting it to IT and
telecommunications departments. The problem went away and it seems there were no concerns with the
system at that time. Although there were no particular problems our client relations team monitored the
account for the next few days. We take feedback seriously and involve all teams in order to ensure there
are no service occurrences.
Within that first 24 hours, our team is reviewing our call monitoring records to gather information, if
applicable. Then they would contact all the parties involved to gather additional information. For
example, problems accessing the system would involve our Information Technology team, whereas we
might chose to involve our Call Center Manager or Interpreter Relations team if the feedback is staff
related. Once all the relevant information has been gathered, we will decide on a course of action and
follow up with the customer.
Additionally, we encourage our Customer Service Representatives and Interpreters to inform us as soon
as possible of any situations they notice so that we may address them immediately, before they rise to the
level of a customer complaint.
Organizational Infrastructure
a) Describe your company’s current call-handling capabilities as well as its ability to accommodate a
significant increase in the volume and duration of calls for Telephone Based Interpreter Services.
CTS LanguageLink’s Interpretation Services Division supports telephonic, on-site and video remote
interpretation in over 240 languages. We run a state-of-the-art customer service center from our
Washington licensed headquarters in Vancouver. Our Customer Service Representatives are available to
speak with our clients and connect callers to interpreters 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
CTS LanguageLink maintains a large network of professional interpreters and translators who can service
any additional volume generated. Our interpreters, both in-house and independent contractors, service
more than 929,000 minutes per month. Our Vendor Management department is continuously recruiting,
5
and at our current levels we have the capacity to interpret up to 2,000,000 minutes per month. Our
recruiting efforts would focus on making sure our language mix of interpreters clearly matched that of the
reported numbers by each participating state.
Below is a breakdown of the overall languages we provided telephonic interpretation in October 2014 as
an example of the amount of minutes we are providing interpretation services in a month.
Language Calls Minutes Percent
Spanish 61,403.00 612,209.18 65.90%
Arabic 1,917.00 35,406.76 3.81%
Somali 1,896.00 27,122.71 2.92%
Vietnamese 2,072.00 26,772.02 2.88%
Russian 1,961.00 24,563.94 2.64%
Mandarin 1,114.00 15,571.52 1.68%
Nepali 852.00 13,769.02 1.48%
Korean 860.00 12,444.16 1.34%
French 1,079.00 11,895.61 1.28%
Cantonese 927.00 10,919.07 1.18%
Portuguese 997.00 10,703.91 1.15%
Burmese 512.00 7,912.53 0.85%
Karen 512.00 7,570.84 0.81%
Farsi 407.00 7,336.62 0.79%
Chinese 545.00 6,109.84 0.66%
Haitian Creole 532.00 5,651.66 0.61%
Tagalog 286.00 5,630.85 0.61%
Amharic 304.00 5,621.98 0.61%
Swahili 259.00 4,996.20 0.54%
Tigrinya 281.00 4,983.14 0.54%
French-Canadian 443.00 4,937.49 0.53%
Bosnian 228.00 4,412.13 0.47%
Japanese 278.00 4,210.52 0.45%
Cambodian 259.00 4,100.90 0.44%
Punjabi 218.00 3,825.71 0.41%
Hmong 180.00 3,096.69 0.33%
Kinyarwanda 112.00 2,570.65 0.28%
Bengali 119.00 2,377.35 0.26%
Laotian 126.00 2,128.68 0.23%
Kirundi 83.00 2,034.35 0.22%
Albanian 112.00 1,889.71 0.20%
Ukrainian 111.00 1,713.67 0.18%
Hindi 93.00 1,581.55 0.17%
Urdu 113.00 1,567.97 0.17%
6
Chin - Hahka 90.00 1,542.00 0.17%
Thai 83.00 1,477.50 0.16%
Polish 132.00 1,336.32 0.14%
Chuukese 78.00 1,325.38 0.14%
Ilocano 82.00 1,304.82 0.14%
Marshallese 87.00 1,245.10 0.13%
Italian 107.00 1,232.15 0.13%
Dari 51.00 1,098.23 0.12%
German 97.00 1,012.90 0.11%
Oromo 73.00 998.22 0.11%
Karenni 50.00 885.90 0.10%
Romanian 80.00 860.79 0.09%
Armenian 56.00 772.82 0.08%
Hakha - Chin 30.00 740.00 0.08%
Cape Verde Creole 66.00 708.50 0.08%
Creole 67.00 679.44 0.07%
Portuguese - Brazilian 69.00 676.10 0.07%
Pashto 34.00 661.13 0.07%
Kurdish 48.00 642.93 0.07%
Turkish 48.00 637.68 0.07%
Tagranian 30.00 629.00 0.07%
French Creole 59.00 566.30 0.06%
Portuguese Creole - Cape Verdian Creole 48.00 485.00 0.05%
Filipino 36.00 480.70 0.05%
Chaldean 25.00 428.40 0.05%
Nuer 18.00 404.97 0.04%
TWI 23.00 352.70 0.04%
Dinka 13.00 342.60 0.04%
Kunama 20.00 341.85 0.04%
May Maay 33.00 305.80 0.03%
Mongolian 24.00 291.74 0.03%
MaayMaay 26.00 279.60 0.03%
Gujarati 18.00 273.90 0.03%
K'iche' 13.00 259.00 0.03%
Chin-Tedim 15.00 254.20 0.03%
Hebrew 13.00 250.00 0.03%
Fulani (Fula) 10.00 245.90 0.03%
Serbian 14.00 231.52 0.02%
Ethiopian 10.00 208.40 0.02%
Greek 22.00 206.10 0.02%
Tongan 16.00 200.90 0.02%
Lingala 8.00 196.72 0.02%
Wolof 7.00 190.80 0.02%
7
Croatian 12.00 189.60 0.02%
Samoan 17.00 189.00 0.02%
Tamil 17.00 169.50 0.02%
Bulgarian 11.00 167.97 0.02%
Uzbek 6.00 163.00 0.02%
Chin-Zophei 3.00 154.90 0.02%
Sundanese 10.00 142.93 0.02%
Mixteco 10.00 133.72 0.01%
Ga 3.00 133.30 0.01%
Quiche 7.00 129.40 0.01%
Ibo 4.00 125.00 0.01%
Yoruba 5.00 117.82 0.01%
Tibetan 6.00 117.50 0.01%
Visayan 5.00 110.60 0.01%
Fuzhou 4.00 105.97 0.01%
Chin - Mizo 7.00 105.10 0.01%
Grebo 1.00 99.60 0.01%
Khmer 11.00 95.50 0.01%
mam 6.00 85.90 0.01%
Toisanese 11.00 85.30 0.01%
Kanjobal 8.00 81.53 0.01%
IGBO 4.00 76.50 0.01%
Hungarian 8.00 75.46 0.01%
Czech 6.00 72.85 0.01%
Assyrian 4.00 70.32 0.01%
Kayah 1.00 69.00 0.01%
Flemish 2.00 61.50 0.01%
Akan 3.00 57.60 0.01%
Chaochow 1.00 51.80 0.01%
Moroccan 2.00 50.80 0.01%
Macedonian 4.00 47.00 0.01%
Trukese (Chuukese) 5.00 43.40 0.00%
Ewe 1.00 43.00 0.00%
Hakka 4.00 41.03 0.00%
Serbo Croatian 2.00 38.81 0.00%
Slovak 3.00 36.92 0.00%
Zophei 2.00 36.00 0.00%
Kikuyu 1.00 32.30 0.00%
Telugu 2.00 31.50 0.00%
Sinhalese 1.00 29.10 0.00%
Balochi 1.00 26.90 0.00%
Danish 1.00 26.50 0.00%
Chin-Falam 2.00 26.00 0.00%
8
Mixteco Bajo 3.00 25.70 0.00%
Lithuanian 2.00 25.50 0.00%
Navajo 3.00 25.00 0.00%
Mandinka 2.00 24.00 0.00%
Bangwa 1.00 21.00 0.00%
Finnish 2.00 21.00 0.00%
Malay (Bahasa Melayu) 2.00 19.67 0.00%
Kaqchikel 2.00 19.00 0.00%
Soninke 2.00 18.20 0.00%
Dutch 3.00 16.50 0.00%
Taiwanese 3.00 16.00 0.00%
Luo (Dhuluo) 1.00 15.00 0.00%
Malayalam 2.00 14.50 0.00%
Toishanese 3.00 12.40 0.00%
Palauan 1.00 12.00 0.00%
Bicolano 1.00 12.00 0.00%
Indonesian 2.00 11.50 0.00%
Icelandic 1.00 11.00 0.00%
Krahn 1.00 10.30 0.00%
Nigerian 1.00 10.00 0.00%
Tamal 1.00 7.30 0.00%
Mandingo 2.00 7.00 0.00%
SIERRA LEONE 1.00 6.53 0.00%
Edo 1.00 6.50 0.00%
Ponapean 1.00 5.30 0.00%
Georgian 1.00 4.50 0.00%
Azerbaijani 1.00 3.98 0.00%
syrian 1.00 3.50 0.00%
Mien 2.00 3.33 0.00%
Bahasa Melayu (Malaysian) 1.00 3.00 0.00%
Thonga 1.00 2.00 0.00%
Cebuano 1.00 0.30 0.00%
Total 83,396.00 929,043.88
We are confident in our ability to manage the additional volume this contract may produce, because this
scalability is the basis of our business model, and it has been tested. For example, in 2012 we were
awarded a FEMA contract, which requires us to be ready for immediate significant scaling. With this
contract, came new hires in customer service, interpreter relations and administrative areas to support the
volume surges. We implemented increased capacity and redundancy to our telephony and database
structure.
9
b) Describe your company’s Emergency Management Plan (EMP) to guarantee continuous service during a
disaster or other catastrophe (e.g., earthquakes, power outages, etc.).
Telephony and Internet Service Assurance
CTS LanguageLink has implemented a SONET Fiber ring into our corporate Vancouver Washington
location. This technology deployment provides CTS with the inherent survivability of true SONET fiber
to our primary ISP and one of our four primary telephony providers.
SONET technology provides real time alternately routed network paths for both telephony and Internet
traffic if one side of the fiber ring is compromised. If the ring is broken or suffers equipment malfunction,
traffic, normally routed over one arc of the ring, would instantly re-route over the alternate arc. This ring
topology provides CTS with seamless continuity for both Internet and telephony services.
Our fiber deployment also provides the unique opportunity to quickly re-route our physical connection
for telephone and Internet transport traffic to alternate Washington state sites or an out-of-state backup
location such as our California center.
In addition to our fiber based provider, CTS LanguageLink maintains traditional copper connectivity to
an additional three local and long distance telephone providers and one alternate backup Internet
provider. This legacy copper topology augments our fiber route and ensures carrier redundancy, service
availability and business continuity.
In addition to physical copper and fiber access flexibility, our 800 numbers are designed to alternate route
on excess call volumes or failure of the transport T1 lines. CTS would transparently and automatically
continue to receive client calls over local telephone numbers provided by an alternate service provider
and physically diverse transport providers. Calls normally transported to us via a copper connection would
be delivered via the fiber route and those calls provisioned over fiber would be delivered via the copper
route.
We maintain 800 and local connectivity from four distinct and physically diversely located telephone
providers. This provides CTS an additional buffer to localized events such as a telephone vendor
experiencing network difficulties. Each route to us is backed up by a completely diverse alternate route.
If a carrier is impacted, we can still be reached via automatic re-routes, alternate 800 numbers or local
telephone numbers.
Power
Our corporate building is located on a very stable electrical grid in Vancouver, Washington, however; in
the event of a power outage, all critical infrastructure including network, telephony and workstations are
backed up by a robust system of Uninterruptable Power Sources (UPS) and backup generator with
automatic transfer switch.
Data and Network Continuity
10
Our internal server backup application provides us the ability to quickly recover any of our servers and
server capabilities onto any hardware server platform. This is referred to as Like-to-Unlike. For example:
if our physical Exchange Server was to become unavailable, we could restore its functionality and memory
archives onto any other server device, on-site or off-site. Our current server deployment is equivalent to
an N+1 strategy. We have all Internet and Intranet services deployed over our server community and an
applications server which could be converted to a core service if needed.
Emergency Management Plan (EMP)
CTS LanguageLink has its own in-house IT staff consisting of an IT Director, Software
Developer/Analyst, Information Systems/Telecommunications Director and help desk. Each staff
member is cross-trained in the other disciplines to provide manpower redundancy.
CTS LanguageLink houses and supports and infrastructure of servers running a combination of Windows
2008 R2 and Windows 2012 server software. We have redundant Windows Domain Controllers, internal
DNS servers, external DNS servers and web servers. In addition, we house and support Microsoft
Exchange 2007 and Microsoft SQL Server 2012.
The servers, PCs and other network devices are connected using 10/100/1000 switches with 10 gigabit
uplinks. Our LAN is connected to the internet via two 100Mbps links using Border Gateway Protocol
(BGP).
All PCs and servers are protected by Cisco ASA Firewall, and Kaspersky Anti-Virus. All inbound and
outbound email is scanned by a Barracuda SPAM and Anti-Virus firewall.
We perform nightly backups of all critical servers and keep the prior 4 weeks’ worth of backups at an
offsite location.
Emergency Recover Procedures and Contacts
ALL Emergency Recovery Procedures and Contacts are available in the proprietary internal document
“CTS LanguageLink INFORMATION SYSTEMS DOCUMENTATION” located in the files folders,
corporate executive offices, its offices and off site with each executive and administrator.
TELEPHONY:
Integra: 866-372-4356
Long Distance
Local
PBX/Telephone system
CenturyLink: 800-860-1020
Long Distance
TW Telecom: 800-829-0420
Long Distance
Any occurrences of telephone problems can and should be forwarded to:
A. Richard Ballard
11
B. Joe Huerena
C. Dan Nelson
D. Integra Telecom Company
E. CenturyLink
F. TW Telecom
Loss of PBX functionality can be overcome on a limited basis by transferring the LD and Local traffic to
our analog back up lines. Expected long duration outages can be recovered using our IP telephony phone
system and/or off site California office as a forwarding and control center. Also, hot backup spare
hardware and copies of current telephony software are available via Integra Telecom.
LAN NETWORK:
GIG Ethernet and router troubles can and should be forwarded to:
A. Richard Ballard
B. Dan Nelson
Loss of Intranet/LAN access can be overcome using the local wireless network for short duration
incidences and for long duration outages transfer of hosting capabilities to the alternate California hub.
INTERNET:
TW Telecom: 800-829-0420
Silverstar Telecom: 877-782-7662
Loss of Internet access can be overcome using the local wireless network for short duration incidences
and for long duration outages transfer of hosting capabilities to the alternate California hub.
PC/COMPUTER/SERVERS:
If a system is faulted and unrecoverable using normal procedures file/folder/directory and or complete
system re-initialization is possible and contact should be made to:
A. Richard Ballard
B. Daniel Christensen
C. Dan Nelson
D. If unable to reach Richard, Dan or Daniel contact: Jeff Barger
Bare metal recovery disks and cloned hard drives are located in the Network room 3rd floor (of
Corporate Headquarters).
Offsite backup copies of recovery disks and cloned hard drives are located at a secure location; currently
at 12907 NW 32nd Ct. Vancouver, WA.
BUILDING:
Evergreen building emergencies should be referred to the building support group headed by Jeff Barger.
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Key Staff Qualifications
Offeror must provide a description of the qualifications and work experience for the proposed Contract
Administrator and other key staff assigned to perform the work as outlined in this RFP listing their relevant
experience and certifications.
Dan Nelson, COO oversees our Customer Service department, Client Relations department, Interpreter
Relations department and Vendor Management department and will be your contract administrator. Our
Customer Service department receives and fills requests for interpretation services and our Client
Relations department works to address and resolve client service related issues. Our Vendor Management
department qualifies new interpreters and our Interpreter Relations department ensures continuous
quality. Below is an overview of the key staff involved in managing this contract.
Staff Member/ Title Duties/Authorities/Responsibilities Experience/Qualifications
Dan Nelson,
COO
Oversight of division operations and
technical execution tracking, monitor and
control; Ensures operations meet our
contractual requirements and internal
quality requirements; highly effective in
contractual cost, delivery and technical
performance deliverables attainment.
Joined CTS LanguageLink in 2006 as
Director of Information Technology,
then added the Interpretation Division as
VP. Dan has almost 20 years of IT
experience and extensive experience in
analyzing and streamlining business
processes through management and
technical means.
Chrystal Mosley,
Interpreter
Relations
Manager
Employee and subcontracted interpreter
evaluation/testing and orientation.
Chrystal has several years’ experience
working as a supervisor in the interpreter
relations team and was then promoted to
Interpreter Relations Manager.
Laura Flores,
Client Relations
Manager
Customer communications and
relationship management and technical
support, customer training, quality
assurance compliance, operational;
efficiencies & effectiveness expertise and
methodologies.
More than 20 years management
experience. Laura, came to CTS
LanguageLink in 2006 as Call Center
Manager.
Rick Johnson,
Call Center
Manager
Oversight of call center operations and
staff, training, productivity, reporting and
scheduling. Responsible for 24x7x365
continuous operations supporting 240
languages.
More than 15 years management
experience and an additional 10 years’
experience as a 911 dispatcher.
Monique
Hanson, Vendor
Management
Supervisor
The Vendor Management department is
tasked with recruiting qualified
interpreters and translators for existing
contracts and upcoming projects
Monique has been with CTS
LanguageLink for three years starting with
managing the recruitment for our FEMA
contract and then moving into
recruitment for the entire organization.
Jose Valenzuela
Interpreter
Manager
Oversight of Interpreting operations and
staff, training, productivity, reporting and
scheduling. Responsible for 24x7x365
continuous operations supporting 240+
languages.
With over 12 years of Interpreting
experience, Jose (JJ) Joins CTS
LanguageLink in April of 2012 as
General Manager for the Dominican
Republic Interpreting Center. In July of
2014 is promoted to Interpreter Manager
for all worldwide operations.
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Nora Jacobson,
Interpreter Work
Force Manager
Oversight forecasting and scheduling for
the Interpretation Division. Oversight
Scheduling Philosophy of schedule
assignments. Responsible for maximizing
efficiency and Occupancy while meeting
service Objectives.
More than 13 years of Workforce
Management experience and over 7 years
of Call Center Experience. Joined CTS
LanguageLink in September 2014.
Please see below our corporate organization chart, our interpretation divisional chart and Dan Nelson,
WSCA Contract Administrator and CTS LanguageLink COO’s Resume.
14
cts_leadership_org_final 10 December r 14
Kimila JohnsonVice PresidentSales & Marketing
SALES & MARKETINGPhil HaymanDirector of Sales – East Coast
SALES & MARKETINGSusan BowlesDirector of Sales – West Coast
SALES & MARKETINGSarah GambleDirector, Contracts
CTS LanguageLinkLeadership Organizational Chart
Jeff BargerChief Executive Officer
Roberta BargerChief Financial Officer
SALES & MARKETINGJill SmithManagerSales
Alan BlochController
TRANSLATIONDouglas HeidlandDirector, Localization & Translation
INTERPRETATIONChrystal MoselyManagerInterpreter Relations
INTERPRETATIONLaura FlorezManagerClient Relations
INTERPRETATIONJose ValenzuelaManagerInterpreters
INTERPRETATIONRick JohnsonManagerEnglish Call Center
Patti GosserManagerHuman Resources
Dan NelsonChief Operating Officer
Dan Nelson
VP Interpretation Operations
Chrystal Mosely
Interpreter Relations Manager
Laura Flores
Client Relations Manager
Rick Johnson
English Call Center Manager
Monique Hanson
Vendor Management Supervisor
Jeff GriffithIT Manager
CTS LanguageLinkInterpretation Organizational Chart
Jose Valenzuela
Interpreter Manager
Interpreters
Natasha PortmanInterpreter Lead
Interpreter Relations
Tiffany LabonteIR
Moriah HansonIR
Phyllis GigaxIR
Jennifer SchwinofIR
Mande WeaverIR
Client Relations
Bingo IldefonzoClient Relations
Courtnee BarretteClient Relations
Jeffrey TratzClient Relations
Elijah StroudClient Relations
Call Center
Maribel MaganaCall Center Lead
Ermelande MariscalCall Center Lead
Mariessa LoganCall Center Lead
Jayme ObiasCall Center Lead
Vendor Management Office
Michael NambaVMO Specialist
Erin KellyVMO Specialist
Information Technology
Jennifer BushComputer Support
Daniel ChristensenComputer Support
Richard BallardTelephony Engineer
Carmen BenitezSpanish Interpreter
Christian AquirreSpanish Interpreter
Laura GiraldoSpanish Interpreter
Lizabeth SanchezSpanish Interpreter
Mike PerezSpanish Interpreter
Rosa GarciaSpanish Interpreter
Yasury ValdezSpanish Interpreter
Nguyen LamVietnamese Interpreter
Alyssa JohnsonCSR
Amanda BrownCSR
Amanda LongCSR
Andrea HinzeCSR
Angela JohnsonCSR
Brady LangeCSR
Brian BaxCSR
Carol FieldsCSR
Erin ThrasherCSR
Hayley HilmesCSR
Hope BillowCSR
Jasna JamesCSR
Jeanna McCrearyCSR
Jessica QuituguaCSR
Joseph ConroyCSR
Julia ReidingerCSR
Krysta JensenCSR
Lora LaCarneyCSR
Lori MendezCSR
Michael HambergCSR
Natasha MillerCSR
Nicole CastonCSR
Rick HiteCSR
Sarah LongCSR
Sheena GouldCSR
Simone SurCSR
Stephanie BrockCSR
Thamara SextonCSR
Tyler GambleCSR
Yelena GladchuckCSR
cts_int_org_draft 22 OCTOBER 1416
Daniel Nelson Chief Operating Officer
Education
University of Washington B.S., Electrical Engineering Specialized in embedded systems and digital design
Experience Employee management Customer relations management Contractor relations management Marketing management Business process development Budget creation, maintenance, and management Manages all software design, development, deployment and support for all internal and
external software applications. Performs business process analysis and presents recommendations to senior management Assists with managing and maintaining the local area network, workstations and servers Programming skills with Visual Basic versions 5.0, 6.0, .NET 2003 and .NET 2005, Structured
Query Language (SQL) HTML, ASP, VB Script, JavaScript, CSS, XSL, XML, C and C++ Database design experience for Microsoft SQL Server versions 6.5, 7.0, 2000 and 2005 Oracle
versions 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 Experience with Seagate Crystal Reports versions 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, 9.0, 10 and 10.5 Experience with Internet Information Server versions 5.0 and 6.0 Experienced with installing, configuring, troubleshooting and maintaining Microsoft based
workstations and servers Experienced with configuring, troubleshooting and maintenance of local area networks and
wireless networks Responsible for the product management, software development, deployment and customer
support for a Time and Attendance application serving 6 customers ranging from 1,200 to 12,000 employees
lead engineer supporting more than 50 customers across 150 locations
17
Operational Information
a) Describe the method and/or protocol used to identify an LEP client’s language, the process for
connecting that individual with an appropriate interpreter, and the process to address situations when an
interpreter for the requested language is not immediately available.
Most LEP clients know how to pronounce their language and/or home country in English. If the LEP
does not know their language we have several determining resources. Our Call Center Representatives
are trained and tested to know accents in addition to determine language based on country. We also have
several internet based resources such as Ethnologue in order to look up various dialects, languages and
countries in order to connect them to the appropriate interpreter.
Accessing an Over-the-Phone Interpreter
CTS LanguageLink’s phone operations are versatile and flexible enabling us to provide an arrangement
that is tailored to suit WSCA. At contract initiation, CTS LanguageLink will coordinate with New Mexico
and all other participating states to configure accounts based on each customer’s needs. Our Client
Relations department will issue toll-free numbers and account codes and configure our interactive voice
response (IVR) system or live operator answer to connect with appropriately qualified interpreters. If
desired, we are able to collect numeric identifiers such as department ID or employee ID, which will
appear on your invoices and usage reports. Accessing an interpreter over-the-phone through our IVR
system may look like this:
Our IVR system is integrated with our client and interpreter databases. Each time WSCA dials in, the
call is automatically paired with your client record and interpreter requirements. Each client record is
developed in our system according to the individual client’s data collection and service requirements.
Each interpreter record is highly detailed to ensure we pair the client with an interpreter who meets their
specific requirements. Through skills-based routing, CTS LanguageLink can quickly and reliably locate
and engage interpreters who have the qualifications to service WSCA.
For rare instances when languages of lesser diffusion interpreters may not be available immediately our
CSR’s are able to offer options to the customer. We can call a customer back when an interpreter is
18
available or we can pre-schedule an interpreter in advance. Therefore if they know a future time of when
they may need an interpreter for that particular language we can schedule the interpreter for their call in
order to ensure availability.
b) Describe how your company will meet the requirement for interpreters to respond to calls (on average)
at a rate of 95% or greater within 30 seconds of the client’s language being identified.
A partnership with CTS LanguageLink gives each client access to our people and our technology. Clients
are connected to our IVR system in immediately and to an interpreter in twelve seconds, on average.
Although we have and IVR answer you are always able to reach a live operator at any time. You can reach
a live operator on average within ten seconds.
We implemented work force management software which includes forecasting, scheduling, enforcement
and adherence for interpreters. We also hired Nora Jacobson, Interpreter Work Force Manager who
reports to Jose Valenzuela, Interpreter Manager.
The interpreter team manage the interpreters who are logged on to our system. Our work force
management system also displays when an interpreter is actually busy with an interpreting assignment;
since this information is available in real-time, no matter what the volume is, our staff is always able to
connect to an interpreter within 30 seconds. Additionally, we have an entire Vendor Management
department that work on constant recruitment based on the proposals we are bidding on, the new
customers coming on and the existing volume. The work force management software allows us to forecast
the need of additional interpreters based on the estimated volume. These reports are provided to our
Vendor Management department for hiring and testing of new interpreters. Therefore, we can guarantee
we will always have enough staff to ensure connectivity in the required timeframe.
Our telephony switch is integrated into our database. CTS LanguageLink utilizes a SQL Server 2000
database with a VB6 front end to manage and track all language interpretation jobs, interpreters and
clients. This is a proprietary database, internally designed by programmers with extensive experience in
the interpretation industry. Because we own the source code, any adjustments and/or modifications that
may be needed to accommodate your requirements can be easily accomplished. This database allows us
to:
Receive interpretation requests through a toll
free number
Assign OPI work based on interpreter skills
Prioritize calls as per the customer’s specifics
Ensure that no calls receive a busy signal
Ensure that 99% of the calls are answered
within ten seconds
Track real-time telephonic appointments and
availability
Bill completed jobs
Provide various reports and job history
information
Track client and interpreter-specific
information
CTS LanguageLink has implemented a secure web-based Client Portal that enables clients to monitor
usage in real time, view and export usage reports and invoices into MS Word, MS Excel and/or PDF and
provide feedback to CTS LanguageLink.
19
Figure 1. Access the Client Portal via an encrypted connection.
Figure 2. View call details including language requested, interpreter ID, time and date of call, connect
time and minutes and charge per call.
20
c) What are your company’s requirements and safeguards to ensure confidentiality and compliance with
the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)? Describe how these
requirement/safeguards are managed and reinforced.
As a company, we hold clients’ information in full confidence, and we are fully compliant with HIPAA
and the HITECH Act. We do not send any patient information electronically, nor is it stored on hard
copy or on portable devices. All documents containing confidential information are shredded by a
professionally licensed company that is a National Association for Information Destruction (NAID)
member. Because we only work with experienced professionals, they are already familiar with privacy
practices and have incorporated them into their daily routine. Confidentiality is also covered in our
employee handbook and subcontracting agreements for interpreters. Further, access to our offices is
restricted and visitors are escorted through the premises.
Employed staff are required to go through HIPAA HITECH training. Once the training is finished they
are required to pass a test prior to working for CTS LanguageLink.
Interpreters are required to sign a HIPAA business associate agreement, an interpreter guidebook and
the interpreter Code of Conduct and Ethics. All of these items include information about confidentiality.
In addition, our interpreters are tested on their knowledge of the Code of Conduct and Ethics as it relates
to confidentiality and non-disclosure.
d) Provide a copy of the informational and instructional materials that will be provided to customers and
the public explaining the process used to access telephone interpreter services with your company.
Offerors must provide informational/instructional material for both the end users as well as for the public
to indicate that interpretation services are available at no cost to the public.
CTS LanguageLink will provide service introduction and interpreter awareness training sessions upon
contract initiation, as well as a Service Starter Kit, which includes:
Welcome Email
How to Request Services
Telephonic Interpreter Tips
Point to Your Language Posters (including information for the LEP that this service is offered
for now additional charge)
Client Portal Instructions
WSCA Sample Invoice
Any other customized material based on individual participating amendment
Please see below sample materials
21
Welcome Email Sample
Hello, and welcome to CTS!
We thank you for partnering with CTS LanguageLink - we have now created your account for over-the-
phone interpretation services for the ACOUNT NAME. Your client account code is XXXXX- you
and/or your staff will be asked to provide this number when calling in for service. The phone number
to reach an interpreter directly is (888) XXX-XXXX; you will be prompted to enter your account number
before connecting to the interpreter. If you need a different language or assistance in placing a call out
to a third party, please press option “9” for a customer service representative. Attached you will find step-
by-step instructions that describe the process in greater detail:
How to Request Services
Sample Invoice and Invoice Notification Email for paperless invoicing
Client Portal Instructions
“Point to Your Language” Visual
Tips on how to work with an interpreter
In addition to these electronic files, we provide telephone stickers with your toll free number/account
information for easy reference, poster-size “Point to your Language” visuals and poster size notification
that these services are free of charge to the LEP client. You may contact our Client Relations department
at [email protected], for any material requests.
We would also like to encourage you to perform a complimentary “test call” in order to ensure your
account is set up according to your billing requirements. Please contact our Client Relations team after
completing the test call in order to go over the account. If you need CTS LanguageLink to retrieve
additional data from your callers in order to utilize services, please contact us.
When you need to view your account details online, we provide a client portal on our website for your
convenience. Please note that you will need this information to access your monthly invoice. To access
the portal, simply go to www.ctslanguagelink.com, find the “Login” tab, and then “Interpretation Client Portal.” Your login information appears below:
Interpretation Client Portal Username: XXXXX
**To obtain your password: Log onto www.ctslanguagelink.com, click on the “Login” tab, and then
“Interpretation Client Portal”. On the Login screen, click on “Change Password”. As we are committed to providing the best interpretation service possible at CTS LanguageLink, we
encourage you to access our online resources; there you will find detailed billing reports generated for
your review and client feedback forms to report any concern.
Also, please feel free to contact our Client Relations Department with any pertinent feedback regarding
interpretation service by contacting [email protected] or toll free (855) 579-2704.
Once again, we thank you for choosing us for your interpretation needs, and we are happy to assist you.
22
How to Request Services Sample
Step 1: Call 1 888-XXX-XXXX
Step 2: Enter Account Number XXXX, followed by # sign
Step 3: Select 1 to be connected directly to your Spanish interpreter, or
Select 2 to be connected directly to your Russian Interpreter, or
Select 9 for all other languages
*If you require a 3rd party call, press 9 to reach a Customer Service Representative
23
Tips and advice
How to Work with a Telephone Interpreter
Your roleTelephone interpreters may receive several calls a day—each one requiring special attention in a specific field. When working with an interpreter over the phone, there are a few things you should keep in mind to ensure your call is handled quickly and successfully.
Always speak in first person, just as you would in normal conversation. �For example, say, “Do you have a fever?” rather than “Ask her if she has a fever, please.”
Immediately introduce yourself to the limited-English proficient (LEP) �client and explain your reason for calling.
Telephone interpretation is “consecutive” interpretation. That means you �will experience pauses when the interpreter repeats each statement in the respective language.
After you speak one-two sentences or finish a thought, pause to give the �interpreter enough time to interpret.
Be prepared to explain some things in more detail for the telephone �interpreter. Some terminology and concepts may not have an equivalent in the target language.
Control the conversation. The telephone interpreter is only there to �interpret. You are responsible for making sure the LEP client receives the same service as an English-speaking client.
Ask the interpreter and the LEP client questions to ensure they �understand what you want to communicate.
Avoid asking the interpreter for his/her opinion about the situation being �interpreted.
We can accommodate three-way telephone interpretation calls. Tell the �call center agent the name and phone number of the third party, and they will arrange the call for you. The interpreter cannot facilitate this for you. You must ask the call center agent at the beginning of the call.
Follow up by providing us with feedback about your interpretation �services.
Your Telephone inTerpreTer’s roleWe expect our interpreters to meet high standards and want to know when they are meeting our expectations. To that end, your feedback is critical
Make sure your interpreter introduces himself/herself using a first name �and ID number. They are not required to provide a last name.
Your interpreter should not have a side conversation with you or the �client. He or she must relay everything that is said back to you or your client. This includes any advice that the client may ask of the interpreter.
Your interpreter should not discuss anything unrelated to the telephone �interpretation assignment.
More questions about telephone interpretation? Contact us at 1-866-610-1338 or email [email protected].
911 Main Street, Suite 10 | Vancouver, Washington 98660 | Toll Free: +1 800-208-2620 | Fax: (360) 693-9292www.ctslanguagelink.com
INTERPRETATION SERVICES
24
Point to your language
www.ctslanguagelink.comTRUSTEDMULTILINGUALCOMMUNICATION
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(Farsi) Română (Romanian)
Soomaali (Somali)
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25
Welcome, Interpreter services are available and free of charge.
Bienvenido, servicios de interpretación disponibles y sin cargo.
Kính chào quý vị, chúng tôi có dịch vụ Thông Dịch và được cung cấp miễn phí.
.مرحبا، تتوفر خدمات الترجمة بدون مقابل
خوش آمدید، خدمات ترجمه شفاهی به صورت رایگان در دسترس می باشند.
स्वागत छ, दोभाषे सेवाहरू उपलब्ध छन् र नि:शुल्क छन् ।
Karibu, huduma za mtafsiri zinapatikana na bila malipo.
欢迎！我们提供免费口译服务。
BudKqkdygonf/ pum;jyef 0efaqmifrIrsm;ukd &&SdEdkifNyD; tcrJh jzpfygonf/
Добро пожаловать! Услуги переводчика предоставляются бесплатно.
歡迎！我們提供免費傳譯（口譯）服務。26
Sample Client Portal Instructions
Step 1: Please access our website at www.ctslanguagelink.com, then find the “Login” tab on the right-
hand corner. Under “Interpretation Portals,” select “Client Portal.” You should see the screen pictured
below:
Step 2: The usernames and passwords are unique to each account number you have established, so
please let us know if you need assistance determining these. You may write them in the blanks below for
easy reference.
Username: _______________
Password: _______________
If you do not know or have forgotten your password click on “Change Password”. You will be prompted
to input your email address. You will then receive an email containing a link that will allow you to change
your password. Please note, the email address used to change passwords, must match the email address
listed our client records.
27
Once you have entered this information, you will see the “Home” page for the Client Portal:
For convenience, you may use the links on this page to go directly to your onsite jobs list or to schedule
an onsite interpretation appointment.
Step 3: Choose task from the Navigation Payne:
1. HOME: Selecting will take you back to the “Home” page shown above
2. CHANGE ACCOUNT: This feature is for “Parent” accounts only. It will allow you to view the
activity under your “sub-account”
o To change accounts, find the sub account on the list, and click on “Select”
3. ADMINISTRATION: This feature is available to account administrators only. Individual users
do not have the administration capabilities
o Job Locations: allows you to add/edit/or delete onsite job locations
o Contacts: allows you to add, edit or delete individual users
4. JOBS: allows you to view jobs
o Telephonic: this feature is available for accounts with telephonic interpretation
capabilities
Completed Telephonic Jobs: allows you to view your completed telephonic
jobs for any given date range
Preschedule Jobs: allows you to view your prescheduled telephonic jobs for any
given date range
5. BILLING: This feature is available to account administrators only. Individual users will not
have access to billing functions.
o Telephonic Interpretation reports: this feature is available for accounts with telephonic
interpretation capabilities.
Invoice List w/ Telephonic Totals: allows you to view your invoice list with
telephonic totals for any given date range
Telephonic Billing History: allows you to view your telephonic billing history
for any given date range
Telephonic Details by Requesting Client: (parent account feature) allows you
to view the telephonic billing details based on sub account and invoice number
28
Telephonic Language Report: allows you to view your telephonic language
report for any given date range. Includes the number of minutes used for each
language.
o Export Invoice: this feature allows you to export any invoice in an Excel spreadsheet.
o Invoices: this feature allows you to view, print or download any invoice.
6. CUSTOMER FEEDBACK FORM: allows you to submit any feedback regarding your
interpretation services electronically
7. LOGOUT: allows you to log out of the client portal
We truly hope that you find our Client Portal to be useful and convenient; we encourage you to explore
the site and welcome any further suggestions on implementing or improving our online features. You
may contact Client Relations at [email protected]; we are always happy to assist you.
29
Below is an implementation plan we have mastered with the existing WSCA contract in order to make a
seamless process for adding new states and new customer accounts within the state. As you can see below
this includes an opportunity to go over the above material to customize for each state’s individual needs.
No. Task Responsible Parties
1 Participating amendment execution Alan Bloch, Controller CTS
LanguageLink and participating entity
Activities
• Review account application for end users
• Provide participating entity with completed vendor registration
• Provide participating entity with a W-9
No. Task Responsible Parties
2 Contract kickoff and training CTS LanguageLink Client Relations
Team, participating entity
Activities
• Host contract kickoff meeting
• Training includes initiating a call, working with Interpreters and navigating our Client
Portal
Deliverables
• Training materials
Milestones
• Contract kickoff meeting conducted
• Participating entity end users identified
• Training with participating entity completed
No. Task Responsible Parties
3 End user account setup Client Relations Department,
individual accounts
Activities
• Distribute account application to participating entity’s end users
• Configure participating entity’s account
Deliverables
• Account applications
• Welcome e-mail
• Account code
• How to access an interpreter with FAQs handout
• Point to your language poster with information for LEP client that interpretation services
are available and free of charge, specific to that state entity’s language needs
• Language list
30
Solicitation #50-000-14-00002 Telephone Interpreter Services
• Quick reference guides
• Client portal instructions
Milestones
• Reporting and data collection needs addressed
• Account configuration finalized
• Access material confirmed and finalized
• Account applications received from end users
No. Task Responsible Parties
4 Service begins Interpretation Division, Billing
Department, participating entity
Activities
• Monitor service level daily
• Monitor Customer Service Representatives and Interpreters as they provide services
to end user’s
• Implement and begin our 10-step quality assurance process for each account
• Provide ongoing training
Deliverables
• Invoices
Milestones
• Interpretation services in use
Interpreter Quality Assurance
a) Describe your screening process for interpreters and the general minimum requirements for experience,
education, language proficiency and certifications. Include detailed information regarding any testing
instruments or tools you use to determine the interpreter’s skill level.
Professional candidates who are certified by a credentialing body, such as the Washington Department
of Social and Health Services, are eligible for CTS LanguageLink’s roster of approved interpreters.
For those not already certified by a recognized public or private credentialing body, our Vendor
Management department screens for:
Demonstrated command of both English and their target language
Previous interpreting experience (at least two years/300 hours), verified through professional
services invoices or payroll check stubs
Professional references from at least three independent sources
Interpreters are required to demonstrate the critical skills and knowledge of an effective, professional
interpreter. CTS LanguageLink defines this as:
Language proficiency at a native or near-native level in both English and the target language
Mastery of a broad spectrum of general vocabulary in both English and the target language
31
Active knowledge of technical and non-technical medical and social services-related terminology
in both English and the target language
Ability to listen to oral discourse in English and convey its full contents and meaning in the target
language and vice versa
Ability to abide by the principles of ethical conduct for interpreters
We assess language proficiency for interpreters through a series of comprehensive written and oral exams,
administered in-house, which includes a written test in English, sight translation to and from English and
the target language and an interpretation exercise. Additional tests evaluate their skills in and knowledge
of industry specific terminology, interpretation processes and the Code of Conduct and Ethics for
professional interpreters.
Interpreters who are not located in our call center or one of our sound proof interpreter rooms are
required to send us pictures of their professional office environment. We do not allow interpreters to
take calls from cell phones or locations outside of an office environment. They must prove that they
have a landline dedicated for over the phone interpretation and are located in a professional office
environment.
Our process of interpreter evaluation is what makes CTS LanguageLink a reliable source for quality
interpreters.
b) Describe how your company will ensure that interpreters are providing (and will continue to provide) a
quick, courteous response with accurate interpretation.
Over-the-Phone Interpretation 10 Step Quality Assurance Plan (QAP)
CTS LanguageLink has been providing over-the-phone interpretation (OPI) services since 1999. We
have such a high commitment to quality that we have a documented QAP that is utilized for every
customer. The objectives of our QAP are summarized below:
CTS LanguageLink shall provide scheduled and unscheduled OPI services for non-English
speaking individuals 24x7x365 per day
CTS LanguageLink shall provide telephonic interpretation services in over 240 languages and
dialects
All interpreters provided for interpretation services shall be pre-qualified, tested and trained for
industry standard terminology
Interpreters’ qualifications / certifications will be matched to client’s need (legal, medical, etc.)
Questions for Identifying and Preventing Deficiencies in Quality
How long did it take the IVR or Customer Service Representative (CSR) to answer your call
Did the IVR or CSR gather the appropriate information and was it done in a timely manner
Did the CSR provide you with courteous and quick service
How long were you on hold before being connected with an interpreter
Did the interpreter introduce himself/herself using a first name and ID number
Did the interpreter provide you with courteous service
32
Did the interpreter speak in the first person as you would in a normal conversation For example
“I have a fever” instead of “she says she has a fever”
Did the interpreter have a side conversation with you or the client? Did he/she relay everything
said back to you or your client
Did the interpreter discuss anything other than what was related to the call
Did the interpreter ask you to explain some things in more detail Some terminology and
concepts may not have an equivalent in the target language
Did the interpreter thank you for calling and make sure there was no additional need for their
services
Was there a problem or question and how was that handled
Did you receive accurate billing and reporting
10-Step Quality Assurance Plan
CTS LanguageLink goes through a multi-layered process of checks and reviews in order to ensure the
highest degree of quality. We have developed a 10-Step QAP that enables us to deliver the highest quality
for over-the phone interpretation.
STEP 1 Answer Time
Our in-house IT staff has created a real time dashboard tool enabling us to constantly monitor the average
answer time for our services. Those customers utilizing our IVR system are greeted within 3 seconds.
For customers being serviced by live operators, our average answer time requirement is 12 seconds. Not
only do we monitor the dashboard real time, we also receive daily reports to ensure we are meeting this
requirement.
STEP 2 Data Collection
Every customer is configured based on their custom requirements. Both our IVR system and our live
operator answer process require this information in order to proceed with the call. The CSRs run daily
checklists on each of their calls to ensure all information was obtained. The Call Center Manager also
runs a weekly report to ensure we have all of the necessary data in order to bill for each and every call.
STEP 3 Call Center Customer Service
We monitor our CSR calls on a weekly basis to ensure we are providing the best possible customer
service. We specifically monitor each CSR to ensure
The CSR answers the phone based on the calling and called telephone numbers
The CSR asks the appropriate questions
The CSR displays a courteous and positive tone to the customer
STEP 4 Interpreter Connect Time
Included in our real time dashboard tool is the ability to see our average connect time by language and
by customer. In addition, we run daily reports to ensure we are meeting our interpreter connect time
requirement. Our average connect time agreement is 20 seconds.
33
STEP 5 Interpreter Greeting
We monitor our interpreter calls on a weekly basis to ensure that the interpreter has introduced
himself/herself with his/her language, ID number and first name.
STEP 6 Interpreter Customer Service
With permission from the customer, we monitor 5% of calls, looking specifically for interpreter customer
service issues. Did the interpreter display a courteous and positive tone? Did he/she provide the same
customer service to the Limited English speaking client that the customer provided? Was there any
disagreements related to the interpreter or the outcome of the call?
STEP 7 Interpreter Code of Ethics
During our monitoring of calls we watch specifically for the interpreter code of ethical issues. This
includes the following:
Background Noise – What is the quality of the phone call, Are all parties able to hear each other
and provide a successful interpretation
Paraphrasing – The interpreter is trained to interpret word for word, there should be no
paraphrasing of the call the interpreter is speaking in the first person
Summarizing – The interpreter should not be summarizing what the provider is saying
Advocating – The interpreter is to have no side conversation with the client and no additional
conversation other than interpreting what the customer is saying, the interpreter should not be
advising the limited English speaking client on how to respond or what to do in a situation The
interpreter is to remain neutral in the conversation
Cultural Awareness – The interpreter is to inform the client of any cultural nuances of the call.
Interpreters are also to respect these differences.
STEP 8 Closing the Call
All interpreters are to close the call by thanking both parties, asking if there is any more need for their
services and then informing the customer that they are now disconnecting.
STEP 9 Conflict Resolution
If there was a complaint or problem during the call we expect the interpreter or CSR to report the issue.
If the issue was not reported by internal staff, this will be addressed with the interpreter or the CSR. We
always view this as a training opportunity and a chance to improve our services.
STEP 10 Billing and reporting
Our quality assurance does not end with the OPI call, but instead with the final billing process. We want
to ensure that our customers receive an accurate bill and report. After the first telephonic call, a member
of our staff will call you to make sure everything was to your satisfaction. You will then receive another
call from our billing representative after we have sent our first invoice to ensure you do not have any
questions or need any additional information.
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Organizational References
WA State Department of Health and Social Services (DSHS)
Jason Reed, Program Manager
PO Box 45131 Olympia, WA 98504-5131
(360) 725-4896
Project Description: WSCA OPI services for Washington DSHS
Project Dates: February 2009 - Present
Nevada State Purchasing Division
Marcy J. Troescher, Purchasing Officer
515 E. Musser Street, Suite 300 Carson City, NV 89701
(775) 684-0199
Project Description: WSCA OPI services for Washington DSHS
Project Dates: February 2009 - Present
Alaska Dept. of Labor & Workforce Development
Jack Yandell, Manager
PO Box 107224 Anchorage, AK 99510
(907) 269-4751
Project Description: WSCA OPI services for Washington DSHS
Project Dates: February 2014 – Present
BOEC – Portland 911
Toni Sexton
3732 SE 99th
Portland, OR 97266
(503) 823-1030
Project Description: WSCA OPI services for Washington DSHS
Project Dates: May 2014 – Present
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Service Testing
Test Call Instructions
Step 1: Call 1 888-393-9186
Step 2: Select 1 to be connected directly to your Spanish interpreter, or
Select 2 to be connected directly to your Russian Interpreter, or
Select 9 for all other languages
*If you require a 3rd party call, press 9 to reach a Customer Service Representative
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Conclusion
We Go Beyond Words
Communication with someone in their own language calls for more than word-for-word interpretation. It
demands subject matter expertise and a knowledge of the target audience’s culture. It also requires an
ability to keep up with the dynamic nature of the language. The combination of our extensive network of
native speakers, in-house talent and leading-edge technology allows us to meet all of these demands with
high-quality, turnkey solutions.
Commitment to Service
Customer service is among our highest priorities. We work hard to provide our clients with reliable and
convenient round-the-clock access to our services. Whether they choose to contact us over the phone or
through our web-based Client Portal, we will respond immediately.
With CTS LanguageLink, clients can expect an attentive team that blends accuracy with urgency, meeting
budget requirements and pressing time to market demands. Our vision is simple: to provide trusted
multilingual communication.
We have included the necessary information within this bid package which will help the procurement
team make their decision in awarding the WSCA Telephone Based Interpreter Services contract.
Our experience and proven track record already servicing this contract and as a quality telephone
interpretation services provider places us in an excellent position to continue to partner with New Mexico
and the Western States Contracting Alliance participating states. Successfully meeting the needs of this
contract will demand quality leadership. This is the strength of CTS LanguageLink.
Our work with government organizations (state, county and local government) gives us the management
tools, the confidence and most importantly, the knowledge to accomplish the objectives set forth in this
proposal. CTS LanguageLink has demonstrated that our experience, coupled with our infrastructure will
play an important role in our continued success in managing the WSCA Telephone Based Interpreter
Services contract.
There is nothing more important to this company than the integrity with which we operate. The
motivation behind this philosophy is to position ourselves to uphold our vision… to provide trusted
multilingual communication. Having access to a quality-minded vendor is paramount to the State of New
Mexico and participating states.
On behalf of all of us at CTS LanguageLink we wish to thank the State of New Mexico for being the lead
state on this contract and for the opportunity to submit our holistic approach to meeting the needs of the
ongoing WSCA contract.
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ATTACHMENT G: Technical Requirements
Description Comply?
(Yes or No)
EXPERIENCE OF THE CONTRACTOR
1. Bidder must have at least two years of experience in providing Telephone
Based Interpreter Services to state or local government entities on a 365-
days a year, 7-days a week, 24-hours a day basis.
Yes
2. Bidder must currently be providing an average of at least 100,000 minutes
of Telephone Based Interpreter Service calls per month within the past
year.
Yes
EQUIPMENT AND FACILITY
1. Contractor must have all necessary equipment, installed and functioning
at time of Bid submittal, to provide the services required in the contract.
Yes
2. Contractor must have telephone terminal equipment with expansion
capabilities to accommodate an increase in call volume, as needed. Yes
3. Contractor’s telephone terminal equipment must be capable of collecting
the detailed call traffic information needed to produce the reports
required by the contract.
Yes
4. Interpreter services for the most frequently used languages must be
performed within the United States from a professional facility or a
professional home-based office with limited background noise and no
interruption. Interpreter services for the least frequently used languages
may be performed outside of the United States and/or from a professional
home-based office with limited background noise and no interruption
only in cases where an interpreter from the United States or a professional
facility is unavailable.
Yes
5. “Most frequently used languages” means the top ten frequently used
languages within each Participating State to be identified on each state’s
Participating Addendum.
Yes
LANGUAGES
1. Bidder must be able to provide Telephone Based Interpreter Services for
all languages/dialects listed below (at a minimum):
Yes
Akan Dutch Inupiaq Mongolian Spanish
Albanian Ewe Iraqi Arabic Moroccan Arabic Sudanese Arabic
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Amharic Estonian Italian Nepali Swahili
Apache Farsi Japanese Norwegian Swedish
Arabic Finnish Karen Nuer Tagalog
Armenian Flemish Kashmiri Oromo Taiwanese
Assyrian French Khmer Pashto Tamil
Bambara French
Canadian Kirundi Patois Tewa
Behdini Fukienese Korean Persian Thai
Bengali Fulani Krio Polish Tiwa
Bosnian Fuzhou Kunama Portuguese Tibetan
Bulgarian Georgian Kurdish Portuguese Creole Tigrinya
Burmese German Laotian Punjabi Taishanese
Cambodian Greek Latvian Romanian Tongan
Cantonese Gujarati Lithuanian Russian Towa
Catalan Haitian Creole Maay Samoan Turkish
Chin Hausa Macedonian Serbian Ukrainian
Chuukese Hebrew Malay Serbo Croatian Urdu
Chiu-Chow Hindi Malayalam Sicilian Uzbek
Croatian Hmong Mandarin Sinhalese Vietnamese
Czech Hungarian Marshallese Slovak Wolof
Danish Ibo Mien Somali Yoruba
Dari Ilocano Mixteco Sorani Yupik
Dinka Indonesian
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CONNECTION
1. On average, Contractor must answer at least 95% of all incoming calls
within five seconds of the call starting to ring at the Contractor’s facility.
The call may be answered by an automated attendant but the customer
must be given an option, either by voice prompt or keypad selection, to
speak with a live operator/customer service representative. If the
customer opts for a live operator/customer service representative,
connection must occur within ten seconds of the customer’s selection.
Yes
2. On average, Contractor must respond to calls at a rate of 95% or greater
within 30 seconds of the client’s language being identified. Once
interpretation begins, the call cannot be placed on hold or put into a queue
of any kind.
Yes
3. If in a given month the language mix of Spanish to all other languages is
below 75%, the percentage of calls that must meet the 30 second response
time will be adjusted as follows:
If percentage of
Spanish is:
Connective time will be:
Less than 60% 80% of all calls will be responded to within 30 seconds,
after the client’s language being identified
60-70% 85% of all calls will be responded to within 30 seconds,
after the client’s language being identified
70-80% 90% of all calls will be responded to within 30 seconds,
after the client’s language being identified
Yes
4. In the event interpretation service for Spanish, Russian, Somali,
Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean or Farsi does not begin within 60 seconds
of the client’s language being identified, the customer shall not be charged
for any interpretation services provided for the duration of the call.
In the event any interpretation service request for Spanish, Russian,
Somali, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean or Farsi results in a customer being
told “no interpreter is available,” the Contractor will be subject to a self-
assessed penalty equal to the cost of the customer’s average interpreter call
for the month in which the “no interpreter available” event occurs. These
penalties will be assessed monthly and will be itemized and deducted from
the appropriate monthly invoice total.
Yes
5. Contractor must provide toll-free access to interpreter services from
anywhere in the United States, 365-days a year, 7-days a week, 24-hours a
day.
Yes
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INVOICING
1. Contractor must only invoice for the time that interpreter service is
provided. Time required establishing the language service needed and/or
connection time to the appropriate interpreter will not be chargeable.
Billing of the interpretation period starts when the interpreter answers and
begins interpreting. The interpretation period is ended when the
interpreter has been disconnected from both the customer and the client.
Yes
2. Invoices will be prepared at the end of every calendar month and
delivered to the customer no later than the 15th
day of the calendar month
immediately following the month under invoice.
Yes
3. Invoices will reflect billing increments of one-tenth of one minute. For
any period of time which falls between tenths of a minute, Contractor will
round up to the next tenth of a minute. One-tenth of one minute is
defined as six seconds.
Yes
4. The minimum billable charge shall be equal to a one minute charge at the
rate of the language for which interpreter service is provided.
Yes
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5. Invoices must contain the following information, at a minimum:
a. Master contract number and/or any other unique contract
identification number assigned by a Participating State.
b. For the State of New Mexico, Contractor’s Statewide Vendor
Identification Registration number assigned by the NM
Department of Finance.
c. Date of invoice.
d. Contractor name and address.
e. Customer account number and Department name/program.
f. Billing period.
g. Interpreter Connection Time.
h. Total number of calls interpreted.
i. Total number of billable interpretation minutes.
j. Total number of “no interpreter available” calls.
k. Percentage of calls connected in 30 seconds or less.
l. Total number of calls resulting in interpreter connection times of
greater than 60 seconds.
m. Total number of dropped calls between the time the call is
answered by an automated attendant or live operator and the time
an interpreter is online
n. Total dollar amount of credits and/or penalties for qualifying calls
that do not meet the criteria established in Attachment G:
Technical Requirements, section titled, “Connection,” Item #3.
o. Total dollar amount due.
p. Any applicable prompt payment discount(s) available.
q. Date and time of each interpreter service occurrence provided.
r. Interpreted language associated with the call.
s. Duration of the interpreter service provided, measured in tenth of a
minute increments.
t. Contract rate per minute.
u. Billable amount associated with each call.
v. Interpreter identification number or code as assigned by the
Contractor.
Yes – See
attached
Sample
Invoice
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN
1. Contractor must have in place an Emergency Management Plan (EMP) to
guarantee continued services and/or limited disruptions during and
following natural disasters or other potentially disrupting events. (e.g.;
earthquakes, power outages, etc.) Attach a copy of Contractor’s EMP.
Yes – See
section
response to
specifications
item b.
2. Contractor must have a high-speed emergency notification system to be
used for crisis communications. The system must be capable of efficiently
sending notifications via phone and/or email to all customers prior to,
during, and after a crisis or emergency, 365-days a year, 7-days a week, 24-
hours a day.
Yes
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CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT
1. Contractor must possess a signed and dated Confidentiality Statement for
each interpreter, either employed or contracted, prior to that interpreter
providing service under the Contract. Attach a sample copy of Contractors Confidentiality Statement.
Yes – see
below
interpreter
BAA and
code of
ethics
INTERPRETER OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
1. The interpreter will remain neutral in the conversation unless prompted
by the customer with additional instructions.
Yes
2. The interpreter will speak in the first (1st
) person. Yes
3. The interpreter will use the utmost courtesy when conversing with the
customer and/or the client.
Yes
4. The interpreter will respect cultural differences of the client. Yes
5. The interpreter will refrain from entering into a disagreement with the
customer and/or the client.
Yes
6. The interpreter will accurately interpret the client’s statements and relay
the message in its entirety with the meaning preserved throughout the
conversation. Information will not be edited or deleted which may
erroneously change the meaning the of the client’s statements.
Yes
7. All conversations or interpretation between the interpreter, the customer
and the client will remain confidential and will not be shared with
individuals unrelated to the call. Calls must only be recorded for Quality
Assurance and training purposes. Call recording may be further restricted
in other state’s Participating Addendums.
Yes
CUSTOMER RESPONSE CRITERIA
1. Response to customer questions and concerns will be handled as
expeditiously as possible and according to the following criteria:
a. General questions of concern: A written response to customer
questions is due within five working days from initial contact. If
the response is incomplete at response due time, the response will
be an update of steps taken thus far to answer the customer’s
questions along with an estimated completion date. If a complete
response is still not provided within seven days from initial
contact, at the customer’s request, Contractor must provide a
senior administrative contact to escalate the request.
b. Request for materials: Instructional materials must be mailed to
the customer within two working days of receiving the request.
c. All other requests: Time requirements for all other requests will
be negotiated individually between the customer and the
Contractor.
Yes
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QUALITY ASSURANCE PLAN
1. Contractor must have a Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) that describes an
acceptable method for monitoring, tracking and assessing the quality of
services provided under the Contract. The QAP must also describe how
the Contractor will identify and resolve issues related to interpreter quality
and/or performance, as well as customer initiated concerns and/or
complaints. Attach a copy of Contractor’s QAP.
Yes – see
section
interpreter
screening
and testing
item b.
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
1. Contractor must provide instructional materials at no additional charge to
assist end users in accessing the services that will be provided under the
Contract. Materials should include language identification materials such
as “I Speak” cards and procedural information for accessing the services.
Yes
2. Instructional materials must also include informational language posters
for the public indicating interpretation services are available and free of
charge. The informational language posters for the public must include (at
minimum) the most frequent languages utilized by each participating state
to be identified in each state’s participating addendum.
Yes
3. Sample informational posters must be provided to customers for approval
and possible editing free of charge in order to suit local languages/needs.
Yes
4. Instructional materials must be readily available to all customers, at no
cost, throughout the term of the Contract.
Yes
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Reponses to Contract Terms and Conditions
We agree to the terms and conditions of the sample contract.
Offeror’s Additional Terms and Conditions
We have no additional terms and conditions
45
Other Supporting Material
Financial Stability Reports
Contract Interpreter Business Associate Agreement
Interpreter Code of Conduct and Ethics
WSCA Sample Invoice
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BUSINESS ASSOCIATE SUBCONTRACTOR AGREEMENT
This Business Associate Subcontractor Agreement (“Agreement”) is entered into by and between Corporate Translation Services, Inc. (“CTS Language Link”) and ____________________ (“Subcontractor”) and shall be effective as of ________________ ___, 20__ (the “Effective Date”). Unless otherwise defined in this Agreement, capitalized terms shall have the same meanings set forth in the Privacy Rule and the Security Rule.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, CTS Language Link has entered into agreements with one or more Covered
Entities (“Providers”) pursuant to which CTS Language Link will receive, have access to or create Protected Health Information in order to provide services to Providers;
WHEREAS, CTS Language Link and Subcontractor have entered into a
_________________ agreement (the “Service Agreement”), pursuant to which CTS Language Link will assign to Subcontractor certain of CTS Language Link’s responsibilities under its agreements with Providers;
WHEREAS, Subcontractor may create, receive, maintain, or transmit Protected Health
Information on behalf of CTS Language Link in conjunction with the services described in the Service Agreement;
WHEREAS, such Protected Health Information may be used or disclosed only in accordance with the Privacy Rule issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”); and
WHEREAS, Subcontractor must safeguard any electronic Protected Health Information
that it creates, receives, maintains, or transmits on behalf of CTS Language Link as required by the Security Rule issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under HIPAA.
NOW THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows: 1. DEFINITIONS
“Availability” means the property that data or information is accessible and useable upon demand by an authorized person.
“Confidentiality” means the property that data or information is not made available or disclosed to unauthorized persons or processes.
“Designated Record Set” means a group of records maintained by or for CTS Language Link or Providers that is (i) the medical records and billing records about Individuals maintained by or for
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CTS Language Link or Providers; (ii) the enrollment, payment, claims adjudication, and case or medical management record systems maintained by or for a health plan; or (iii) used, in whole or in part, by or for CTS Language Link or Providers to make decisions about individuals. As used herein, “Record” means any item, collection, or grouping of information that includes PHI and is maintained, collected, used, or disseminated by or for CTS Language Link or Providers.
“Individual” shall mean a person who is the subject of Protected Health Information and shall include a person who qualifies as a personal representative in accordance with 45 CFR § 164.502(g).
“Privacy Rule” means the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, set forth at 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164. “Protected Health Information” or “PHI” means individually identifiable information, transmitted or maintained in any form or medium, relating to the past, present or future physical or mental health or condition of an Individual, provision of health care to an individual, or the past, present or future payment for health care provided to an Individual, as more fully defined in 45 CFR § 160.103, and any amendments thereto. PHI includes Electronic Protected Health Information, or “e-PHI,” as defined in the Security Rule.
“Required By Law” shall have the same meaning as the term “required by law” in 45 CFR § 164.103.
“Secretary” shall mean the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services or
his or her designee. “Security Incident” means the attempted or successful unauthorized access, use,
disclosure, modification, or destruction of information or interference with system operations in an information system.
“Security Rule” means the Security Standards for the Protection of Electronic Protected Health Information, set forth at 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164. “Subcontractor” means an entity or a person that performs a function on behalf of, or provides a service to, CTS Language Link that involves the creation, receipt, use or disclosure of PHI. “Transaction” means the transmission of information between two parties to carry out financial or administrative activities related to health care, and includes the following types of information transmissions: (1) Health care claims or equivalent encounter information, (2) Health care payment and remittance advice, (3) Coordination of benefits, (4) Health care claim status, (5) Enrollment and disenrollment in a health plan, (6) Eligibility for a health plan, (7) Health plan premium payments, (8) Referral certification and authorization, (9) First report of injury, (10) Health claims attachments, and/or (11) Other transactions that the Secretary may prescribe by regulation.
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2. SCOPE OF USE AND DISCLOSURE
2.1 Subcontractor may use or disclose PHI as required to perform its obligations
under the Service Agreement, provided that such use or disclosure of PHI would not violate the Privacy Rule if done by CTS Language Link. Unless otherwise limited herein, Subcontractor may use or disclose PHI:
(a) For Subcontractor’s proper management and administrative services;
(b) To carry out the legal responsibilities of Subcontractor; and
(c) To provide data aggregation services relating to the health care operations of
CTS Language Link (if required under the Service Agreement) as permitted by 45 CFR § 164.504(e)(2)(i)(B).
2.2 Subcontractor shall not request, use or release more than the minimum amount of
PHI necessary to accomplish the purpose of the use or disclosure. 2.3 Subcontractor or its agents or subcontractors shall not perform any work outside
the United States of America that involves access to, or the disclosure of, PHI without the prior written consent of CTS Language Link.
3. OBLIGATIONS OF BUSINESS ASSOCIATE
Subcontractor shall:
3.1 Use or disclose PHI only as permitted or required by this Agreement or as Required By Law.
3.2 Establish and use appropriate safeguards to prevent unauthorized use or disclosure of PHI.
3.3 Implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that reasonably and
appropriately protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the electronic PHI that it creates, receives, maintains, or transmits on behalf of CTS Language Link.
3.4 Immediately report to CTS Language Link any unauthorized use or disclosure of
PHI, or Security Incident, of which it becomes aware. Subcontractor shall take all reasonable steps to mitigate any harmful effects of such breach or Security Incident. Subcontractor shall indemnify CTS Language Link against any losses, damages, expenses or other liabilities including reasonable attorney’s fees incurred as a result of Subcontractor’s or its agent’s or subcontractor’s unauthorized use or disclosure of PHI.
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3.5 Ensure that all of its subcontractors and agents are bound by the same restrictions and obligations contained herein, whenever PHI is made accessible to such subcontractors or agents.
3.6 Within ten (10) days of receiving a request, make all PHI and related information in its possession available as follows:
(a) To the Individual or CTS Language Link, to the extent necessary to permit
CTS Language Link to respond to an Individual’s request for access to their PHI for inspection and copying in accordance with 45 CFR § 164.524, to the extent the PHI is maintained in a Designated Record Set;
(b) To the Individual or CTS Language Link to the extent necessary to permit CTS Language Link to make an accounting of disclosures of PHI about the Individual, in accordance with 45 CFR § 164.528. At a minimum, Subcontractor shall provide CTS Language Link with the following information: (i) the date of the disclosure, (ii) the name of the entity or person who received the PHI, and if known, the address of such entity or person, (iii) a brief description of the PHI disclosed, and (iv) a brief statement of the purpose of such disclosure which includes an explanation of the basis for such disclosure.
3.7 Within fifteen (15) days of receiving a request from CTS Language Link,
incorporate any amendment or correction to the PHI in accordance with the Privacy Rule, to the extent the PHI is maintained in a Designated Record Set. 3.8 Make its internal practices, books and records relating to the use or disclosure of PHI received from or on behalf of CTS Language Link available to CTS Language Link or the Secretary for purposes of determining compliance with the Privacy Rule.
3.9 To the extent Subcontractor conducts Transaction(s) on behalf of CTS Language Link, Subcontractor shall comply with the HIPAA Regulations, “Administrative Requirements,” 45 C.F.R. § 162.100 et seq., by the applicable compliance date(s) and shall not: (a) change the definition, data condition or use of a data element or segment in a standard; (b) add any data elements or segments to the maximum defined data set; (c) use any code or data elements that are either marked “not used” in the standard’s implementation specification or are not in the standard’s implementation specification(s); or (d) change the meaning or intent of the standard’s implementation specifications. 4. OBLIGATIONS OF CTS LANGUAGE LINK
4.1 If applicable, CTS Language Link shall notify Subcontractor of any limitation(s) in CTS Language Link’s notice of privacy practices to the extent such limitation(s) may affect Subcontractor’s use or disclosure of PHI.
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4.2 If applicable, CTS Language Link shall notify Subcontractor of any changes in, or revocation of, permission by an Individual to use or disclose PHI, to the extent that such changes may affect Subcontractor’s use or disclosure of PHI. 4.3 If applicable, CTS Language Link shall notify Subcontractor of any restriction to the use or disclosure of PHI that CTS Language Link has agreed to in accordance with CFR § 164.522, to the extent that such restriction may affect Subcontractor’s use or disclosure of PHI. 4.4 Notwithstanding permissible uses of PHI described in Section 2.1 above, CTS Language Link shall not request Subcontractor to sue or disclose PHI in any manner that would not be permissible under the Privacy Rule if done by CTS Language Link. 5. INDEMNIFICATION
Each party will indemnify and defend the other party from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, expenses or other liabilities, including reasonable attorney’s fees, incurred as a result of any breach by such party of any representation, warranty, covenant, agreement or other obligation contained herein by such party, its employees, agents, subcontractors or other representatives. 6. TERM AND TERMINATION
6.1 Term. The term of this Agreement shall be effective as of the Effective Date, and
shall terminate when all of the PHI provided by CTS Language Link to Subcontractor, or created or received by Subcontractor on behalf of CTS Language Link, is destroyed or returned to CTS Language Link, or, if it is infeasible to return or destroy PHI, protections are extended to such information, in accordance with the termination provisions in this Section 6.
6.2 Termination. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or the
Service Agreement, CTS Language Link may terminate this Agreement and the Service Agreement upon five (5) days written notice to Subcontractor if CTS Language Link determines, in its sole discretion, that Subcontractor has violated a material term of this Agreement and such breach is not cured within such five (5) day period.
6.3 Effect of Termination.
(a) Except as provided in this Section 6.3, upon termination of this Agreement, for any reason, Subcontractor shall return or destroy all PHI received from CTS Language Link, or created or received by Subcontractor on behalf of CTS Language Link. This provision shall apply to PHI that is in the possession of subcontractors or agents of Subcontractor. Subcontractor shall retain no copies of the PHI.
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(b) In the event that Subcontractor determines that returning or destroying the PHI is infeasible, Subcontractor shall provide to CTS Language Link notification of the conditions that make return or destruction infeasible. Upon CTS Language Link’s confirmation that return or destruction of the PHI is infeasible, Subcontractor shall extend the protections of this Agreement to such PHI and limit further uses and disclosures of such PHI to those purposes that make the return or destruction infeasible, for so long as Subcontractor maintains such PHI.
(c) The rights and obligations of Subcontractor under this Section 6.3 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
7. GENERAL PROVISIONS
7.1 Compliance with Provider Agreements. Subcontractor agrees to comply with the applicable terms of all agreements between CTS Language Link and Providers relating to PHI. The requirements of this Agreement are intended to be coextensive with those contained in CTS Language Link’s agreements with Providers relating to PHI. To the extent that such agreements with Providers contain additional or different requirements than those contained in this Agreement, CTS Language Link shall notify Subcontractor of such additional or different requirements and Subcontractor shall comply therewith.
7.2 Regulatory References. A reference in this Agreement to a section in HIPAA, the
Privacy Rule, the Security Rule, or other applicable law or regulation means the section then in effect or as amended.
7.3 Effect. This Agreement supersedes any agreements between the parties involving
the disclosure of PHI by CTS Language Link to Subcontractor. To the extent any conflict or inconsistency between this Agreement and the terms and conditions of any other agreement (including the Service Agreement) exists, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail. Otherwise, this Agreement shall be construed under, and in accordance with, the terms of the Service Agreement, and shall be considered an amendment of and supplement to the Service Agreement.
7.4 Amendment. The parties agree to amend this Agreement as necessary to comply with the Privacy Rule, the Security Rule, and such other regulations promulgated by the Secretary. No alteration, amendment, or modification of the terms of this Agreement shall be valid or effective unless in writing and signed by Subcontractor and CTS Language Link.
7.5 Interpretation. Any ambiguity in this Agreement shall be resolved to permit CTS
Language Link to comply with the Privacy Rule.
7.6 Non-Waiver. A failure of any party to enforce at any time any term, provision or condition of this Agreement, or to exercise any right or option herein, shall in no way operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise preclude any other right or option herein.
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In no way whatsoever shall a waiver of any term, provision or condition of this Agreement be valid unless in writing, signed by the waiving party, and only to the extent set forth in such writing. 7.7 Agreement Drafted By All Parties. This Agreement is the result of arm's length negotiations between the parties and shall be construed to have been drafted by all parties such that any ambiguities in this Agreement shall not be construed against either party. 7.8 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable by any court, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent that it is in contravention of applicable laws without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof. 7.9 Section Headings. The section headings contained herein are for convenience in reference and are not intended to define or limit the scope of any provision of this Agreement. 7.10 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, and will become effective and binding upon the parties as of the effective date at such time as all the signatories hereto have signed a counterpart of this Agreement. 7.11 Notices. Any notices required or permitted to be given hereunder by either party to the other shall be given in writing: (1) by personal delivery; (2) by electronic facsimile with confirmation sent by United States First class registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested; (3) by bonded courier or by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service; or (4) by United States first class registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, in each case, addressed to the addresses provided in the Service Agreement, or to such other addresses as the parties may request in writing by notice given pursuant to this Section 7.11. Notices shall be deemed received on the earliest of personal delivery; upon delivery by electronic facsimile with confirmation from the transmitting machine that the transmission was completed; twenty four (24) hours following deposit with a bonded courier or overnight delivery service; or seventy-two (72) hours following deposit in the U.S. Mail as required herein. 7.12 Applicable Law and Venue. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Washington (without regard to principles of conflicts of laws). The parties agree that all actions or proceedings arising in connection with this Agreement shall be tried and litigated exclusively in the State of Washington. This choice of venue is intended by the parties to be mandatory and not permissive in nature, and to preclude the possibility of litigation between the parties with respect to, or arising out of, this Agreement in any jurisdiction other than that specified in this Section 7.12. Each party waives any right it may have to assert the doctrine of forum nonconvenience or similar doctrine or to object to venue with respect to any proceeding brought in accordance with this Section 7.12.
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INTENDING TO BE LEGALLY BOUND, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized representatives.
Subcontractor Corporate Translation Services, Inc.
By:___________________________ By:___________________________ Title:_________________________ Title:__________________________ Date:__________________________ Date:__________________________
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911 Main Street, Suite 10 | Vancouver, Washington 98660 | Toll Free: +1 800-208-2620 | Fax: (360) 693-9292
www.ctslanguagelink.com
Following is our PROFESSIONAL CODE OF CONDUCT for Interpreters. We hold interpreters
accountable to these principles at all times. Each interpreter is required to review this Code of
Conduct and acknowledge receipt with their signature.
ACCURACY:
Interpreters will always thoroughly and faithfully render the source language, omitting or adding
nothing, giving consideration to linguistic variations in both source and target languages,
conserving the tone and spirit of the source language message.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY – COURTESY:
Interpreters will be culturally competent, sensitive, and respectful of the individual(s) they
serve.
CONFIDENTIALITY:
Interpreters must not divulge any information obtained through their assignments, including but
not limited to, information gained through access to documents or other written materials.
DISCLOSURE:
Interpreters will not publicly discuss, report, or offer opinion concerning matters in which they
are or have been engaged, even when that information is not privileged by law to be
confidential.
PROFICIENCY:
Interpreters must meet the minimum proficiency standard set by passing the required
certification examination or screening evaluation.
COMPENSATION:
Interpreters will not accept additional money, considerations, or favors directly from provider
and/or LEP client. Interpreters will not use for private or others gain or advantage any
provider’s time, facilities, equipment, or supplies, nor will they use or attempt to use their
position to secure privileges or exemptions.
NON-DISCRIMINATION:
Interpreters will always be neutral, impartial and unbiased. Interpreters shall not discriminate
on the basis of gender, disability, race, color, national origin, age, socioeconomic or educational
status, or religious, political, or sexual orientation. If an Interpreter is unable to ethically
perform in a given situation, the Interpreter must refuse or withdraw from the assignment,
without any threat or retaliation in response to this action.
93
911 Main Street, Suite 10 | Vancouver, Washington 98660 | Toll Free: +1 800-208-2620 | Fax: (360) 693-9292
www.ctslanguagelink.com
SELF-EVALUATION:
Interpreters must accurately and completely represent their certifications, training, and
experience.
IMPARTIALITY – CONFLICT OF INTEREST:
Interpreters must disclose any real or perceived conflict of interest, which would affect their
objectivity in the delivery of service. Providing interpreting or translation services for family
members or friends may violate the individual’s right to confidentiality, or constitute a conflict
of interest.
PROFESSIONAL DEMEANOR:
Interpreters will be punctual, prepared, and dressed in a manner appropriate and not distracting
for the situation.
SCOPE OF PRACTICE:
Interpreters must not counsel, refer, give advice, or express personal opinions to individuals for
whom they are interpreting, or engage in any other activities, which may be construed to
constitute a service other than interpreting. Interpreters are prohibited from having
unsupervised access to clients, including but not limited to phoning clients directly.
REPORTING OBSTACLES TO PRACTICE:
Interpreters will assess their ability to interpret/translate at all times. Should an interpreter
have any reservations about his or her competency, he or she must immediately notify the
parties and offer to withdraw, without any threat of retaliation in response to this action. The
interpreter may remain until a more appropriate interpreter/translator can be secured.
ETHICAL VIOLATIONS:
Interpreters will immediately withdraw from encounters they perceive as violations of this code.
Any violation of the Code of Professional Conduct may cause termination of the contract.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Interpreters will develop their skills and knowledge through professional training, continuing
education, and interaction with colleagues and specialists in related fields.
PROFESSIONALISM & CUSTOMER SERVICE:
94
911 Main Street, Suite 10 | Vancouver, Washington 98660 | Toll Free: +1 800-208-2620 | Fax: (360) 693-9292
www.ctslanguagelink.com
Interpreters will arrive at assignments at the appointed time and prepared to interpret. If they
are unable to keep a scheduled appointment, they are to notify CTS LanguageLink immediately
so that we may inform the customer and dispatch a qualified replacement. Interpreters will
provide identification as required and/or as requested, and behave in a polite and courteous
manner at all times.
_____________________________________
Interpreter Signature
_____________________________________
Printed Name
_____________________________________
Date
95
INVOICE SUMMARY
NA
Vancouver, WA 98660
Invoice Number:
Invoice Date:
Due Date:
Invoice for services provided by CTS LanguageLink for:
Bill-To Client ID #:
CONTRACT #:
Balance Due:
Corporate Translation Services, Inc. d.b.a. CTS LanguageLink Federal Tax ID=91-1506430
This invoice reflects usage from Oct 14, 2010 through Oct 14, 2010.For billing questions please call (888) 203-3670.
PLEASE DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION WITH YOUR REMITTANCE FOR PROPER TIMELY CREDIT
Invoice Number:
Invoice Date:
Due Date:
Please Remit Payment to:
NA
Vancouver, WA 98660
Amount Due:
d.b.a. CTS LanguageLink
Accounts Payable911 Main Street #10Vancouver, WA 98660
Job Minimum Billing Increment
Telephonic Second(s)
Vendor Reg. #:
6403
TEST ACCOUNT FOR NEW CUSTOMERS
NA10/14/2010
30184
60 6
30184
10/14/2010
$0.82
$0.82
6403TEST ACCOUNT FOR NEW CUSTOMERS
Bill-To Client ID #: 6403
TEST ACCOUNT FOR NEW CUSTOMERS
NA
Client ID #:
Total Calls:
Total Minutes:
Total Penalties and Credits:
1.00 Calls < 30 Seconds: Calls > 60 Seconds: Dropped Calls: 1 $0.00
Net 30 Days
TERMS: Net 30 Days1.5% per month on all past due chargesPlease reference Invoice Number upon remittance
Net 30 Days
Corporate Translation Services, Inc.
Page 1 of 296
Job #:
Req. By:
Location:
Date/Time: 10/14/2010 09:54 AM - 09:55 AM Subject:
Interpreter:Language:
Service: Telephonic
Cost Center Code: Staff/Employee ID: Connection Time:
1223843
Spanish 4922
1 1.00 Minute(s) @ 0.82 $0.82
Page 2 of 297
