Wondering how to maintain high-quality translations while reducing costs? Here is how to set up a request for proposals to find the best LSP for your needs.
Done right, a translation request for proposals (RFP) is the optimal process to find the most suitable language service provider for your business. But running and managing an RFP is resource-intensive, both for clients and vendors.
In this blog post, we’ll delve into the procedure of setting up an RFP, identify the situations that do call for it, and give you tips to ensure the success of your RFP.
What’s an RFP?
An RFP is a project announcement. Your organization outlines a project and calls for bids from vendors who can meet certain requirements. RFPs can be either public or by invitation.
This process enables you to assess the proposals of preselected vendors after they showcase the solutions they can offer.
How do an RFP, RFI, and RFQ differ?
While in the search for the right LSP, you’ll also come across the acronyms RFI and RFQ. Here is what they stand for:
- RFI – Request for Information
It’s a document used to gather details about potential suppliers, services, or solutions. RFIs often ask for general information (i.e., company background, experience, and capabilities).
In other words, RFIs seek to prequalify potential vendors before making a formal request for proposals.
- RFQ – Request for Quote
This document is used to request price proposals from potential suppliers. It includes details about the products or services required, along with specific terms and conditions.
Its purpose is to gather competitive pricing information, so suppliers respond to it with their quotes.
When should you run an RFP?
Going through the RFP process will pay off in the following scenarios:
- If you don’t have a standard translation process in place yet.
- If you have a large-scale project requiring specific experience.
- If you’re encountering any of the issues below with your current translation vendor:
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- Poor translation quality.
- Insufficient translation processes and technology.
- Escalating translation costs.
- Incomplete range of services.
- Lack of resources to scale up with you (e.g., additional languages).
Planning your RFP.
Before getting started, here are some key points you’ll need to define:
- Will your RFP be by invitation only or open to any qualified vendors?
- Is the bigger focus on quality or cost savings?
- What will the deadline for replies be?
- How will you publish your RFP and gather responses?
- How will you manage questions that may come in from the vendors?
- Who will be in charge of handling questions and, at a later stage, evaluating proposals and handling contractual negotiations?
What information do you need to provide?
Vendors need to have a clear picture of why you’re running the RFP and what your translation needs are. Provide them with detailed information on the following points:
- Your business and why you need translation/ localization services.
- Your technological setup and the integrations you usually work with.
- Language combinations needed.
- Expected volume and frequency of translation requests.
- Type of services you need (e.g., human translation, machine translation, transcreation, localization).
- Subject matter specialization.
- Format of your content (e.g., xml, pdf, indd, docx, rtf, etc.).
- Text length requirements, if any.
- Internal processes and requirements.
- Current setup of translation services.
- Issues you’re currently facing when it comes to translation.
Questions to ask in your translation RFP.
Asking the right questions is key to making informed decisions and selecting the ideal LSP for your needs. These are some of the points you should inquire about:
- Company size.
Factors such as turnover and number of employees point to the company’s leverage in the industry.
- Company locations.
This can give a good idea of the language combinations supported by a vendor.
- Quality.
High-quality translations are the result of sound processes, so ensure vendors hold relevant certifications (i.e., ISO 9001 and 17100). Also, ask for customer satisfaction survey results and inquire about non-conformities management.
- Translation technology and processes.
You may need certain technology tools to streamline the translation workflow, such as:
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- Translation management system (TMS).
- Glossary creation and terminology management.
- Cloud-based reviewing for multiple users.
- A document repository.
- Customer portal with specific features.
- Additional language technology tools.
- Security and data protection.
Your translation vendor must be committed to keeping your private information close at hand. And walk you through their process for protecting your proprietary data, both during and after the translation project.
- Capacity.
Ensure the vendor can manage your translation volumes by inquiring about their turnaround times.
- Case studies.
This will help you assess their quality and understand whether your business aligns with their client base in terms of size.
- Costs.
Inquire and categorize prices for the services most relevant to you, which are likely to include the ones below:
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- Translation rates for different source and target languages (per word/hour).
- Costs for further processing, such as DTP.
- Possible subscription costs (e.g., licenses).
- Discounts for translation memory matches and/or based on project volume.
- Surcharges (e.g. for urgent translations).
- Minimum rates.
How to evaluate the proposals.
Consider using a points-based system to rank the vendors based on how they meet your criteria. Once you have a list of the finalists, you may also want to request:
- References from clients whose company profile is similar to yours.
- Sample translations of content you provide.
- An RFQ.
What happens once the new LSP is on board?
Once you’ve found the partner who ticks all the right boxes for you, you should implement an ongoing evaluation system. In other words, you should establish KPIs to measure your partner’s performance in terms of:
- Translation quality.
- Timely delivery.
- Service quality.
If you’re looking for a vendor who can cater to all your language needs, Montero Language Services may be the right fit for you. Whether it is translation, localization, interpreting, branding, or digital services, our tailored solutions will strengthen your international presence.
