Introduction
Legal Services of Eastern Michigan (LSEM) is soliciting proposals from qualified evaluators to assess its Technology Initiative Grant – Access to Equal Justice (TIG-AEE) Fair Housing Testing Project. LSEM is the recipient of TIG-AEE funding from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). The goal of the project is to enhance and manage the quality and quantity of fair housing testing assignment and reporting services by developing and expanding a web application that enables individual fair housing centers to modify tester report questions and provide administrative oversight.
This web application project will improve operational efficiency, promote collaboration among fair housing centers, and eliminate cost barriers for centers wishing to utilize the application. LSEM is seeking an evaluator with experience conducting project evaluations involving technology or web applications to assess the effectiveness, usability, and impact of the web application.
Background
LSEM, through its Fair Housing Center (FHC), is expanding its fair housing testing web application with support from TIG-AEE funding. The overarching goal of the TIG-AEE project is to enhance the quality and quantity of fair housing testing services by enabling individual fair housing centers to modify questions and provide administrative oversight through the web application.
This expansion builds on the original TIG development and is designed to streamline operations, increase collaboration among centers, and eliminate cost barriers for implementation. By incorporating these features and centralizing data management, the project aims to improve service quality and efficiency, enable centers to share best practices, and promote wider accessibility nationwide.
The evaluation will focus on the usability, functionality, effectiveness, and overall impact of the web application, including how well it supports operational efficiency, collaboration among centers, and accessibility.
Scope of Work
The evaluator selected for this project will perform an evaluation of LSEM’s web application, and produce a final evaluation report. The maximum amount of payment for all work performed for the projectis $6,000.00.
Specifically, LSEMis seeking an evaluator to provide the following services:
- Assess the usability, functionality, and overall impact of the web application in relation to the project’s objectives and intended outcomes, drawing on available data sources (e.g., app usage data, baseline measures, and stakeholder feedback).
- Provide preliminary findings and recommendations for review and discussion with project staff.
- Prepare and provide a final evaluation report.
Timeline
LSEM will select the evaluator by December 23, 2026 with the evaluation contract term beginning by January 5, 2026. The final evaluation report should be submitted to LSEM by January 30, 2026.
Selection Criteria
In awarding a contractfor services to evaluate theTIG-AEEproject, LSEM will examine factors, including:
- The extent to which the consultant’s response addresses the assessment needs identified in the Scope of Work section.
- The proposed plan to perform the evaluation services.
- Qualifications and experience in performing economic impact evaluations and comprehensive project evaluation services.
- Total cost for providing services.
Response Process
Response Schedule:
Request for Proposal released by December 1, 2025.
Responses due no later than December 15, 2025.
Successful vendor selected on or before December 23, 2025.
Contract signed and work commences by January 5, 2026.
Response Format: Proposals should be sent via email to Brian Smith, Chief Operations Officer, at bsmith@lsem-mi.org.
Response Requirements and Content: Proposals (maximum 3 pages) should address the following:
- Qualifications and relevant experience (especially with technology/web application evaluations).
- A brief description of your general evaluation approach and how you would tailor it to this project.
- Proposed timeline to meet the deliverables.
- Estimated budget.
Contact Information
Please send questions and proposals to:
Brian Smith
Chief Operations Officer
Legal Services of Eastern Michigan
bsmith@lsem-mi.org
436 S. Saginaw St., Ste. 101
Flint, MI 48502