ALS wins Ministry of Justice deal
APPLIED Language Solutions is to create up to 30 new jobs at its base in the Saddleworth village of Delph after winning a five-year deal with the Ministry of Justice.
The business, which is owned by Gavin Wheeldon, said that the framework agreement could save the taxpayer around £60m over the course of the five-year contract, which begins in September 2011.
It also expects the framework to be used by other law enforcement bodies including police forces and the Crown Prosecution Services.
The firm already provides language services to Greater Manchester Police. Applied Language Solutions uses its own software platform through which freelance linguists have already been checked and vetted.
ALS said the advantages of using its system include a better allocation of resources, so the closest available linguist is used and that consecutive assignments can be booked, cutting costs and time spent looking for accredited interpreters.
Wheeldon said: “This contract enables the justice sector to significantly reduce the amount of public money it spends on providing language services, whilst making huge improvements in efficiency that will free front line staff from the current administrative burden of searching for interpreters and translators.
“We have already achieved cost savings of up to 70% for existing customers within the criminal justice system and made huge improvements in efficiency and quality.”
“We are thrilled that we will now be able to help the rest of the justice sector achieve similar savings through our industry leading technology and our experience in providing these services.”
