Coming up· published 2 Jul 2025
Interpreting Services and Digital Language Services - Market Engagement
Milton Keynes City Council · Milton Keynes, South East
Milton Keynes City Council is planning Interpreting Services and Digital Language Services - Market Engagement. It is a contract for other health and social care in Milton Keynes.
Source: Find a Tender, published 2 Jul 2025. Details are refreshed every 30 minutes.
Key dates
2025
Pipeline notice updated
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice · 15:36
View notice2025
Pipeline notice published
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice · 15:32
View notice2025
Tender notice expected
Date given in the buyer's earlier notice
2026
Contract starts
Next
2029
Contract ends
3 years after it starts
About this tender
In brief
Milton Keynes City Council is planning Interpreting Services and Digital Language Services - Market Engagement. It is a contract for other health and social care in Milton Keynes. The buyer has published an early notice. It gives providers time to prepare before the tender opens. The estimated value is £260,000. The contract runs from 30 April 2026 to 30 April 2029. It lasts 3 years.
The buyer marks it as suitable for SMEs and VCSEs. Find a Tender published it on 2 July 2025. The notice number is 036934-2025. The OCDS ID is ocds-h6vhtk-0557e0. Bids are made through the buyer's In-Tend portal.
Summary of the contracting process
Milton Keynes City Council is engaging in a planning stage for procuring interpreting services and digital language services. The initiative aims to enhance language access through traditional and digital methods under a new contract model, starting from 1 May 2026. It focuses on areas such as face-to-face, telephone, and video interpreting, along with AI-supported language tools like translation and transcription technologies.
Suppliers are invited to participate in the market engagement, with responses due by 5pm on 16 July 2025. An engagement event is set for the week commencing 28 July 2025. The procurement addresses the services category and is targeted to improve service delivery within the UKJ12 region, particularly in the locality of Milton Keynes.
It provides an avenue for growth, especially for SMEs and VCSEs looking to expand their operations in the public sector. The procurement process is structured to encourage collaborative partnerships and innovative approaches to meet the council's evolving needs.
The notice in full
Milton Keynes City Council ('the Council') would like to engage in discussions with providers of Interpreter Service to develop collaborative approaches to increasing local sufficiency. Milton Keynes City Council is seeking early engagement with the market to inform the development of a new contract model that reflects both traditional and digital approaches to language access.
This will ensure continued support and improved service delivery; it is proposed that the Interpreter Service be recommissioned from 1 May 2026 under a new contract structure. The contract will be looking to cover both traditional and digital approaches to language access. The recommissioned service will be: 1.
Traditional Interpreting Services: (Face-to-Face, Telephone, and Video Interpreting - Spoken and Non-Spoken) 2. Digital and AI-Supported Language Tools: (Translation, Transcription, and Communication Support Technologies) We are keen to hear from providers on the questions given in the market engagement document. The responses to the questions will help the Council in developing the specification and the tender.
Please respond to the questions within the attached document by latest 5pm on 16th July 2025 via In-Tend Correspondence section/market engagement stage. A provider engagement event will be held w/c 28th July 2025, please indicate in the attached document if you would like to receive an invitation. The Market Engagement document can be accessed on our e-tendering portal: in-tendhost.co.uk/milton-keynes/aspx/Home
Lots: no lot details came through with this notice. The official notice and the tender pack have the full breakdown.
Key facts
Contract
- Service
- Other health and social care
- Procurement type
- Standard
- Category
- Services
- Contract period
- 30 Apr 2026 to 30 Apr 2029 (3 years)
- Suitable for
- Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs); Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs)
Procedure
- Notice type
- UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
- Current stage
- Planning
- Stages so far
- Planning
- Published on
- Find a Tender Service
- Buyer's portal
- In-Tend
Not stated in the notice: procurement method, awardee scale.
Values
- Tender value
- £260,000
Not stated in the notice: lots value, awards value, contracts value.
Status
- Tender
- Planning
- Lots
- Planning
Not stated in the notice: awards, contracts.
References
- Find a Tender notice
- 036934-2025
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-h6vhtk-0557e0
- CPV code
- 48740000 - Foreign language translation software package; 72212740 - Foreign language translation software development services; 79530000 - Translation services
- CPV division
- 48 - Software package and information systems; 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support; 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
Location
- Local authority
- Milton Keynes
- Town
- Milton Keynes
- Postcode
- MK9 3EJ
- Electoral ward
- Central Milton Keynes
- Constituency
- Milton Keynes Central
- Delivery area
- Milton Keynes
- Region
- South East
- Sub-region
- Milton Keynes
- Area
- Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
- Country
- England
Buyer
Contracting authority
- Organisation
- Milton Keynes City Council
- Category
- Services
- Contact
- Procurement Team
- Phone
- 01908691691
- Address
- Milton Keynes, MK9 3EJ · South East · England
Documents and links
- Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tenderfind-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036934-2025
- Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tenderfind-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036930-2025
- In-Tend portal, to register and bidin-tendhost.co.uk/milton-keynes/aspx/Home
- Legislation.gov.uklegislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- OCDS record ocds-h6vhtk-0557e0 (JSON)find-tender.service.gov.uk/api/1.0/ocdsReleasePackages/ocds-h…
Questions about Interpreting Services and Digital Language Services - Market Engagement
When will the Interpreting Services and Digital Language Services - Market Engagement tender open?
Milton Keynes City Council has not yet given a date for the tender notice. An early notice is the time to answer any market engagement questions and gather the evidence a bid will need.
How much is the Interpreting Services and Digital Language Services - Market Engagement contract worth?
The estimated value is £260,000. The contract runs from 30 April 2026 to 30 April 2029 (3 years).
Who is the buyer for Interpreting Services and Digital Language Services - Market Engagement?
Milton Keynes City Council, based in Milton Keynes, South East. The named contact is Procurement Team, on 01908691691.
How do I bid for Interpreting Services and Digital Language Services - Market Engagement?
Register on the buyer's In-Tend portal, download the tender pack and check every condition of participation before you start writing. The buyer has marked it as suitable for SMEs and VCSEs. Care Sync Experts writes and reviews care tender bids from £1,500 + VAT.
Want help winning this tender?
We write and review care tender bids: quality answers, case studies and social value, checked against how the buyer scores before you submit.
What to do next
- Read the early notice in full.
- Answer any market engagement questions.
- Gather your evidence and case studies now.
- Check your policies are up to date.
- Watch for the tender notice.
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