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County moves forward on web portal transformation; RFP for translation-management system planned for July
Summary
The county updated the committee on phase three of its web transformation: a multilingual translation-management system RFP to be released in July, with vendor selection and phased implementation beginning in 2026.
County information-technology staff and language-access officials outlined next steps in the web portal transformation initiative on June 24, focusing on multilingual access and a planned translation-management system (TMS) procurement.
The county completed earlier phases that consolidated and modernized department websites on a new santaclaracounty.gov platform. Phase three emphasizes language access and digital-service expansion; staff said the county will issue an RFP for a translation-management system in July and pursue phased vendor selection and implementation in 2026–2028.
Why it matters: county staff said better automated and managed translations will improve service access for residents whose primary language is not English and will support county priorities for equity and public information.
TSS and the Language Access Unit said market research identified solutions but no government has yet provided a perfect, fully replicable model; the county expects to run proof-of-concept tests with top vendors in late 2025 and begin wave-based implementation in 2026. Ricardo Romero Morales, program manager for Language Access, said the initial goal is to implement threshold-language support (English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Tagalog) for high-impact pages, while departments with broader needs (for example, some health services with up to 16 languages) will be addressed individually.
Board members emphasized user experience and accessibility, asking staff to include user testing and community feedback in early waves. Supervisor Ellenberg asked about email transitions tied to the .gov domain; TSS said email transition planning is underway but does not have to be completed until 2029 under federal guidance, although the technical migration may be faster.
The committee voted to receive the report. Staff said they will proceed with the RFP and coordinate community testing and phased implementation, and that they will return with updates as procurement and proof-of-concept results are available.
