Captioning RFP Template: Sections, Language and Scoring

A good captioning RFP does three things. It states the communication need in plain terms. It asks vendors to prove accuracy, latency, security and setup. And it scores answers on outcomes, not on one prescribed method. This page gives you a section-by-section template you can copy, with sample language, a scoring table and the questions that separate strong bids from weak ones.

We build live captioning software, so we have read a lot of these documents from the vendor side. We wrote this to be useful whichever kind of provider you end up choosing.

TL;DR

• Write the RFP around the communication need (who, how long, what content), not around a single service type.
• Ask for measurable targets: accuracy, latency, completeness and uptime, plus how the vendor proves each one.
• Require specialized-vocabulary handling before the event, such as names, places and jargon.
• Ask exactly how audio and transcripts are stored, retained and deleted. Do not assume.
• Score on a weighted rubric and allow more than one delivery model, human or AI, so you compare real options.

Table of Contents

• What a captioning RFP is for
• Do you need an RFP at all?
• Start from the legal frame (US)
• The template, section by section
• Write for outcomes, not for one method
• How to evaluate AI captioning bids
• Our perspective
• Where Live Caption AI fits
• Common drafting mistakes
• FAQ
• Sources

What a captioning RFP is for

An RFP is a formal request for vendors to propose how they would meet a defined need, at a defined price, under defined terms. For captioning, the need usually falls into one of three buckets:

• Live events and meetings: town halls, board meetings, classes, worship services, conferences.
• Recorded media: lecture videos, training libraries, public-hearing archives.
• Both, with transcripts and summaries on top.

The public examples that rank for this topic show the range. A Judicial Council of California solicitation for closed captioning services covers live real-time work and edited transcripts on a delivery clock. A Cleveland State University RFP for closed captioning and transcription of A/V content focuses on recorded media. A CART captioning request for applications from North Carolina is built around a roster of human captioners. Same topic, three very different documents. Start by deciding which one yours is.

Do you need an RFP at all?

Not always. Many organizations have purchasing thresholds below which a quote or a simple purchase order is enough. Check your own procurement policy first. If a tool costs a few hundred dollars a year, a formal RFP may cost you more in staff time than the contract is worth.

An RFP makes sense when:

• Your policy requires competitive bids at your spend level.
• The service will run for multiple years or across many departments.
• You need legally reviewed terms on data, liability and accessibility.
• You want to compare delivery models side by side, such as human CART, hybrid and AI captioning.

Smaller groups, such as churches, community organizations and event teams, can use the same template as a checklist and skip the formal process. Cut it down to sections 2, 4, 5 and 7 below.

Start from the legal frame (US)

Your RFP should say why you are buying. For state and local governments, the reason is Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA’s effective communication guidance says the goal is to give people with disabilities the same access as everyone else. It also says the right aid depends on the context, including the complexity and length of the communication.

That last point matters for drafting. If you write “vendor must supply a certified human captioner for every session,” you may overspend on a ten-minute announcement and still miss the point. If you write “vendor must deliver captions that meet these outcomes,” you let a short, simple session use a lighter tool and keep human captioners for complex, high-stakes ones. The rule text itself, 28 CFR 35.160, requires a public entity to take appropriate steps so communication is as effective as communication with others. It also requires giving primary consideration to the aid the person with a disability requests. Have your counsel read it before you finalize requirements.

Deadlines for web content and apps

If your captioned content will live on a website or in a mobile app, the DOJ web rule applies too. According to the ADA.gov fact sheet on the web rule, state and local governments must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Entities with populations of 50,000 or more have until April 26, 2027. Smaller entities and special district governments have until April 26, 2028. We break the rule down in our WCAG vs ADA guide. For a wider view of how accessibility work connects to site performance, this overview of web accessibility and inclusion is a reasonable companion read.

A caution that belongs in your RFP: no software, ours included, makes an organization compliant by itself. Compliance depends on how you plan, deliver and document communication. Ask vendors to describe how their service supports your effective-communication plan, and do not accept a claim of “ADA certified.” The ADA has no certification program for captioning products.

The template, section by section

Copy the headings below into your own document. Edit the bracketed items.

1. Overview and background

Give vendors context in a few short paragraphs.

[Organization name] is seeking proposals for [live captioning / captioning of recorded media / both] for [meetings, classes, events, services]. We serve approximately [number] people. We are issuing this RFP to support effective communication for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and for others who benefit from captions.

Include the issue date, question deadline, due date and time (with time zone), submission method and a single point of contact. Public bids often reject late or misaddressed proposals, so be exact. Many include a subject-line format for email submissions, as in the Cleveland State bid.

2. Scope of work

This is the section that decides whether you get comparable bids. Be specific about:

State how viewers will access captions. If you want attendees to read on their own phones without installing anything, say so. That single line filters out vendors who need hardware or accounts.

3. Performance requirements

Public captioning solicitations commonly measure vendors on four things: accuracy, synchronicity (latency), completeness and technical reliability. Published accuracy targets in public bids often range from 98% to 99.9%, as seen in documents like the California Judicial Council RFP. Pick numbers you can defend, then ask how they are measured.

Sample language:

The vendor shall describe the accuracy it expects on [content type], how accuracy is measured, and under what conditions (audio quality, accents, vocabulary) it may fall. The vendor shall state typical caption delay in seconds for live sessions. The vendor shall describe its backup procedure if the primary service fails during a session.

Notice the wording: describe how it is measured. A bare “99% accuracy” line invites a bare “yes.” Ask for the method, a sample and the conditions.

Be honest about your content. A clean single-speaker lecture and a noisy panel with crosstalk will not score the same, with any provider. Say which one you have.

4. Specialized vocabulary

This is the most overlooked section, and the one that most affects the reader’s experience. Names of people, places, programs, drugs, legal terms and scripture references are where generic speech-to-text stumbles. The California RFP is a good model for how formal bids handle terminology and delivery detail.

Sample language:

The vendor shall describe how it handles proper nouns and specialized terminology. Proposals must state whether the customer can supply a list of names and terms before a session, the maximum size of that list, and whether subject-specific recognition models are available for [medical / ministry / financial / other] content.

Then ask for numbers. How many terms can you add? Is it per session or saved? Can your staff do it, or must the vendor?

5. Security, privacy and data retention

Ask vendors to explain how they handle audio and transcript data. Some government contracts require SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001, and a Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System RFP is an example of a public solicitation that bundles accessibility and captioning requirements. Whatever your standard, make vendors answer these in writing:

1. Is session audio stored? For how long? Where?
2. Are transcripts stored, and who can access or delete them?
3. Which third-party processors touch the data?
4. Which certifications or attestations does the vendor hold, and can it provide documentation?
5. Will the vendor sign your data-protection terms?

If you handle protected health information, say so in the RFP and have your compliance officer review every answer. Do not accept a general claim. Ask for the document.

For transparency about our own position: Live Caption AI never stores session audio. We do not hold SOC 2, and we do not offer a Business Associate Agreement. If either is a hard requirement for you, a tool like ours would not qualify, and it is better to know that on day one.

6. Deliverables and exports

List what you need after a session:

• Plain-text transcripts
• Timed caption files (SRT is the usual one)
• Structured data (JSON)
• Print-ready documents (PDF)
• Summaries

Ask which formats each vendor supports and whether exports cost extra. Do not list a format as mandatory unless you will use it. Every extra “must have” shrinks the bidder pool.

7. Pricing form

Provide a pricing table and require vendors to fill it in. Otherwise you will compare an hourly rate to a monthly subscription and a per-minute fee with no common basis.

Then add a worked scenario: “Price [30] one-hour sessions across [12] months, including [4] sessions with translation.” A scenario forces every vendor onto the same math.

8. Vendor qualifications and references

Ask for three references from similar organizations, a description of support hours, and how the vendor handles a failure mid-session. For human services, ask about captioner qualifications and scheduling lead time. For AI tools, ask about product maturity, update cadence and what happens if the vendor changes its pricing.

9. Evaluation criteria

Publish your scoring so vendors know what matters. A simple weighted rubric:

Adjust the weights. A medical practice may push security to 25%. A church with a volunteer tech team may push ease of use higher.

10. Terms and submission

Include contract length, renewal options, termination rights, insurance (if applicable), an accessibility statement requirement and your legal review language. Your procurement office will have its own boilerplate; use it.

Write for outcomes, not for one method

The ADA guidance is clear that the right aid depends on the situation. So write requirements that let different delivery models compete:

• Human CART: Best for complex, high-stakes or long sessions where a person requests it, such as legal proceedings.
• Hybrid: AI captions with human correction, often used for recorded content.
• AI live captioning: Fast to deploy, low cost, suitable for many meetings, classes, services and events, especially when you can load vocabulary in advance.

If your RFP names only one, you decide the winner before bids arrive. If it names outcomes, you see what the market offers at what price. Keep a human option available for people who request it and for sessions where the stakes are high.

How to evaluate AI captioning bids

AI tools are easy to demo and hard to compare. Run the same test on each one:

1. Use a real recording of your own speakers, with your own names and jargon.
2. Run it twice: once with no vocabulary setup, once with the vendor’s best setup.
3. Count errors on names and key terms, not just the overall percentage.
4. Measure the delay between speech and text on a phone, not just on the vendor’s laptop.
5. Try to read the captions as a first-time attendee would. How many steps? Is an app or account required?
6. Export a transcript and open it.

The point of step 2 is that vocabulary handling often drives the difference between a caption stream people trust and one they ignore.

Our perspective

We see two mistakes in captioning RFPs again and again.

The first is buying for the worst case on every session. A weekly meeting and a federal-court hearing do not need the same service. When every session gets the most expensive method, budgets run out and fewer sessions get captioned at all. A tiered approach covers more events and more people.

The second is ignoring the attendee’s experience. If viewers must install an app, create an account or borrow a device, many won’t. That is why Live Caption AI works the way it does: the speaker runs it on a phone or laptop, attendees scan a QR code and read captions on their own phones. No app, no account, no hardware to rent, no stenographer to book.

We also think vendors, including us, should state limits plainly. Live Caption AI is an AI captioning tool. It is not certified, and it is not human-reviewed. It does not make an organization ADA-compliant on its own, though an organization can use it as part of its effective-communication plan. If your RFP demands human verification, SOC 2 or a Business Associate Agreement, say so, and choose accordingly.

On vocabulary, we built Medical, Worship & Ministry and Finance & Earnings models, plus Custom Terms: up to 100 names, places and terms a speaker types in before going live. Put that kind of requirement in your RFP no matter who bids.

— Ryan

Where Live Caption AI fits

If your RFP is for live meetings, classes, services or events, and a tool that runs on the speaker’s phone or laptop meets your needs, here is what we offer:

• Professional: $19.99 per month, with unlimited captioning.
• Business: from $199 per month.
• Free plan for basic on-device captions.
• Translation into one of 29 languages per session, with viewers switching between the original and the translation. Credit packs are available: 30 credits for $6.99, 60 credits for $11.99, or 120 credits for $19.99, each one-off.
• Exports as TXT, SRT, JSON or PDF, and AI summaries included.
• Session audio is never stored.

For medical, legal and professional settings, see our professional use page. For plan details, see pricing. Planning an event? Our live captioning for events guide walks through setup.

Explore Live Caption AI

Common drafting mistakes

• Demanding a certification that does not exist. There is no ADA certification for captioning software.
• Setting an accuracy figure with no method. Ask how it is measured.
• Leaving vocabulary out. Names and terms drive most visible errors.
• Skipping data questions. Ask about audio and transcript storage in writing.
• Vague volume. Without hours, vendors guess, and prices become incomparable.
• Hiding the rubric. Publish your scoring.
• Too many must-haves. Each one narrows the field. Separate “required” from “preferred.”

FAQ

What should a captioning RFP include?

At minimum: background, scope and volume, performance requirements, vocabulary handling, security and data retention, deliverables, a pricing form, vendor qualifications, evaluation criteria and contract terms. The template above covers each one with sample language. Add your procurement office’s standard legal terms.

What accuracy rate should I require?

Public bids commonly cite targets between 98% and 99.9%, but the number means little without a measurement method. Ask vendors how they measure accuracy, on what content and under what audio conditions. Then test their claims with your own recordings.

Can AI captioning satisfy ADA effective communication?

The ADA says the right aid depends on the context, and the entity must give primary consideration to the request of the person with a disability. AI captions can be part of an effective-communication plan for many sessions, but no tool makes an organization compliant alone. Keep human options available, and ask your counsel about high-stakes settings.

Do small organizations need a formal RFP?

Often not. Check your procurement policy for the spend threshold that triggers competitive bidding. If you are under it, use the template as a checklist for a quick vendor comparison and a trial.

Sources

• Judicial Council of California, RFP BAP-2025-08-TK, Closed Captioning Services
• Cleveland State University, RFP #5063DT, Closed Captioning and Transcription
• NC DHHS, RFA for CART Captioning Services
• ADA.gov, Effective Communication
• 28 CFR Part 35, Subpart E, Communications
• ADA.gov, Fact Sheet on the Web and Mobile Apps Rule
• LACERS RFP No. 4305, Website Development, Accessibility Remediation and Captioning

Recommended

• Copy Ready Captioning Style Tokens for Production Teams
• U.S. Captioning Grants: ED 84.327C and $500–$2,000 Microgrants