Provision of Transcription Services

Description

By way of this Request for Expression of Interest (REOI), the United Nations Procurement Division seeks expressions of interest from qualified service providers capable of delivering the following services in support of the United Nations Investigations Division: This is NOT the actual solicitation. The UN will be issuing an RFP solicitation for these services at a later stage with the detailed requirements Transcription Services – Accurate and complete transcription of audio-recorded investigative interviews into written text format. Interviews may be conducted in English, French, Arabic, or Spanish. The anticipated contract term is three (3) years, with the option, at the sole discretion of the United Nations, to extend the contract for up to two (2) additional one-year periods under the same or substantially similar terms and conditions. The selected contractor shall be responsible for: • Transcribing audio recordings of investigative interviews into accurate, complete, and professionally formatted text documents; • Providing a secure mechanism for the transfer, receipt, and return of audio files, transcripts, and related documents; • Implementing and maintaining appropriate legal, technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and security of all information entrusted to the contractor; • Maintaining robust data management and information security protocols, including controlled access, auditability, secure storage, and documented handling procedures for sensitive investigative materials; and • Complying with all United Nations confidentiality, data protection, and information security requirements, including any requirements relating to offline hosting or restricted processing environments that may be specified in the solicitation documents. The services involve highly sensitive and confidential investigative information. Accordingly, the contractor must demonstrate the ability to protect information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or loss throughout the entire lifecycle of the engagement. The United Nations Investigations Division conducts investigations worldwide within the diverse, multicultural environment of the United Nations. These investigations concern allegations of misconduct involving United Nations personnel, contractors, and vendors. The subject matter varies significantly and may include fraud, corruption, abuse of authority, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, and other forms of misconduct. Interviews constitute a critical component of virtually all investigations. These interviews are typically conducted in a deposition-style format by trained investigators, with a lead investigator asking questions and the interviewee providing responses. When interviews are audio-recorded, the recordings must be accurately transcribed into written form for use in internal administrative proceedings. Such proceedings include the preparation of investigation reports that reference specific portions of the transcript, as well as administrative hearings and disciplinary processes presided over by judicial or quasi-judicial authorities. Accordingly, all transcriptions must be accurate, complete, reliable, and capable of withstanding scrutiny in administrative and legal proceedings. Interviews may be conducted in English, French, Arabic, or Spanish, and transcription services must support these languages. Given the highly sensitive nature of investigative materials, confidentiality, security, and discretion are of paramount importance. Personnel performing transcription services, as well as the systems used to process, store, and manage records, must incorporate appropriate and demonstrable legal, technical, administrative, and physical safeguards. Compliance with applicable data protection and confidentiality requirements is mandatory. All investigative data, audio recordings, transcripts, and related records must be managed in accordance