The Colorado Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel (OADC)
- Client: The Colorado Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel (OADC)
- Service: Bid Builder
- Industry: Legal
- Location: Denver, Colorado
Company Bio: The Colorado-based Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel (link) is an organization dedicated to client-centered advocacy. The OADC is funded to provide representation for indigent persons in criminal and juvenile delinquency cases in which the Public Defender’s Office determines that an ethical conflict of interest exists. The mission of the OADC, through holistic public defense, is to help adults and children who have been charged with criminal and delinquent offenses by the government. The OADC’s holistic public defense practices foster ethical, informed, and standard-driven best practices in public defense. The OADC allocates resources intentionally designed to rebalance the disparate power wielded by the government in the criminal legal system.
“When we set out to procure a new billing and invoicing software, we were overwhelmed and nervous because it was critical for our organization’s operations and success. When we found The Bid Lab, we knew we were working with the right people. They made us feel at ease, knowing we were working with a team that had experience and loved what they were doing.“
Daniel Nunez, The Colorado Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel (OADC)
OADC Overview
- Collaborated with stakeholders, OADC team members, and end users to develop a Scope of Work that prioritized system needs
- Drafted and issued the RFI (as part of vendor research) as well as the RFP
- Hosted a pre-proposal conference attended by some of the industry’s largest technology vendors and managed the Q&A process
- Organized and attended vendor presentations for shortlisted vendors
- Developed vendor evaluation scorecards and reports; assisted with proposal evaluation and vendor selection
The Challenge
The OADC was seeking a long-term partner relationship with a software development and support vendor. However, as a growing organization with changing needs, the OADC needed more than just some development and support: they needed a system upgrade. They needed to build and maintain the next-generation version of their legacy software. This meant the organization required a new vendor that could immediately implement functional software when the current vendor’s point of contact was no longer available to support the existing software.
The OADC wanted to use this change of vendors as an opportunity. They knew they wanted to deliver an enhanced user experience with new software features. They knew they’d need to incorporate additional technologies and databases that could interface with a new system that they wanted to call the OADC Platform. But these upgrades wouldn’t be easy, nor could they settle for just any software vendor. Both the vendor and the developed system needed to be reliable, agile, and responsive to the organization.
The OADC required custom software that could flexibly fill the needs and work with two groups of users. OADC contractors needed to input, view, and manage daily billing and case/appointment information. In addition, OADC staff would need to continue overseeing funding requests as well as paying contractors.
To gain the new necessary system features, the OADC needed to integrate four legacy systems into a single OADC Platform. These legacy systems were built by three different vendors using different database structures and technology stacks. Additionally, the OADC wanted to integrate its informational website into the OADC Platform.
They needed a new long-term partner who could develop a 100% customizable software solution. However, they didn’t have the existing resources to procure this vendor independently. That’s when they decided to partner with The Bid Lab.
The OADC’s Solution
After hosting a stakeholder kick-off call, The Bid Lab began reviewing detailed project plans and timelines. This alone improved our project’s chances of staying in scope and on schedule throughout the process. After creating agendas and interviewing OADC stakeholders and system end users, we were able to hone in on the priorities and pain points. This helped us form the basis of a comprehensive scope of work. With a focused scope, vendors would know what to prioritize when developing any new software.
With the OADC’s approval, we then drafted and released an RFI to help us gather additional information. Although the RFI was not mandatory to participate in the RFP, we had 12 vendors submit responses! Thanks to the insights gained from those responses, we were able to update, enhance, and finally finalize our RFP. Our document contained nearly 40 pages of detailed requirements and features of the four existing software platforms alongside details of what OADC desired from the new and integrated software.
As soon as the OADC released the RFP, we hosted a pre-proposal conference to directly engage interested vendors. The conference attracted diverse vendors, including some of the biggest firms in the technology realm.
We then evaluated the 19 proposal responses we received (yes, you read that correctly!). Afterward, we advanced qualified vendors to the larger OADC evaluation committee’s review. The Bid Lab developed evaluation scorecards and guidelines; once the evaluation committee had completed their reviews, The Bid Lab worked with the OADC staff to shortlist five vendors. The Bid Lab coordinated and hosted vendor presentations and then created a vendor evaluation report.
Soon, the OADC had selected a vendor. Once we assisted the OADC with the winner’s contract negotiations, we anxiously awaited to hear back about the results of the engagement.
“We had more responses than we anticipated and even came in under budget! What more could we ask for? The Bid Lab exceeded our expectations every step of the way.”
Daniel Nunez, The Colorado Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel (OADC)
The Results of the Engagement
As mentioned, the RFP attracted 19 proposals, with five finalists reaching the presentation stage. The OADC reported that they’d selected a clear winner after vendor presentations.
The aftermath? Well, the OADC contracted with their selected vendor. Not only did they move forward, but the project is under budget. Support costs are 23% under budget and 44% under the projected implementation budget.
The OADC was so satisfied with our services that they kicked off a second project with The Bid Lab! We began working with the OADC on a complete website redesign midway through their custom software development project! The Bid Lab is thrilled to know that we exceeded the OADC’s expectations and made the process a positive one for their entire team.
The Bid Lab
Are you ready to redesign your systems and procurement processes for the long term? Still looking for a way to launch your solicitation to the masses? Reach out to The Bid Lab for a free consultation today! You can also call us at 1-844-4BIDLAB or email respond@thebidlab.com to learn how we can help you build a bidding process that can help you find the perfect partner for your business or organization.
In the meantime, check out how we’ve helped others in the legal industry (such as the personal injury attorneys at Napoli Shkolnik) and the Colorado-based Office of Respondent Parents Counsel (ORPC). Other Colorado-area case studies include The Colorado Fund for People with Disabilities and Life From the Summit,
