| RFP Overview | |
| Organization Name: | Texas Immigration Law Council |
| Project Title: | Texas Community Justice Worker Mobile Application |
| RFP Release Date: | June 5, 2026 |
| Questions Due Date: | June 22, 2026, at 11:59 PM CST |
| Proposal Due Date: | June 26, 2026, at 11:59 PM CST |
| Proposal Submission: | Electronically to procurement@txilc.org on or before due dates above. |
1. Introduction
About Us
Formed in 2023 as a 501(c)(3), the Texas Immigration Law Council (TxILC) is a nonpartisan statewide immigration legal resource and policy organization working to protect and promote the rights of immigrants and refugees of all nationalities in Texas. Through coalition building work, education, and legal technical support, the Council works to create federal, state, and municipal immigration reforms that protect the rights of immigrants and refugees in Texas.
Within TxILC, the Economic Justice Initiative (EJI) is a statewide program that harnesses technology and innovative solutions to remove barriers to justice, educate communities, and make legal help more accessible across Texas. Central to this mission is the training and deployment of Community Justice Workers (CJWs) — trusted, community-rooted professionals who work alongside licensed attorneys to bring legal information and resources directly to the people who need them most, while operating within the boundaries of what non-lawyers are legally permitted to do.
Project Summary
The EJI team at TxILC is seeking proposals from qualified mobile application development firms to design, build, and launch a secure, compliance-focused iOS and Android platform. The platform will serve four core functions:
- A structured learning and quiz platform for community justice worker training
- An AI-assisted scenario training simulator for client-facing skills development with a focus on avoiding the unauthorize practice of law (UPL) in client interaction
- A legal navigator to guide community justice workers in providing accurate legal information to clients
- A job board where organizational partners can post volunteer opportunities and CJW position availability, and where prospective CJWs can browse and apply
The platform must be architected with security, data privacy, and legal compliance at its foundation.
2. Scope of Services
2.1 Mobile Application Development
- Native or cross-platform mobile app for iOS (14+) and Android (10+)
- Encrypted local storage and secure session management
- Offline-capable core features with background sync
- Accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1 AA minimum)
2.2 Quiz & Learning Module
- A learning system that supports existing learning modules for app integration. With the purpose of training CJWs in legal information provision and additionally to prepare for licensure of paraprofessionals when licensure becomes available in Texas.
- Course-linked multiple-choice, true/false, and scenario-based quiz engine
- Instant answer feedback with legal reasoning explanations per question
- Learner progress tracking
- Spaced repetition engine to resurface weak areas over time
2.3 AI Assisted UPL Scenario Trainer
- Scripted scenario library covering client intake calls, follow-ups, and sensitive communications
- Branching dialogue engine with correct/incorrect path detection and feedback
- Scoring rubric assessing tone, accuracy, and compliance-safe language
- Future-ready architecture for AI-driven dynamic client persona integration (v2)
- Real-time UPL boundary detection: the system must recognize when a trainee’s response crosses into unauthorized practice of law, immediately flag the violation, halt the scenario path, and deliver targeted corrective feedback explaining why the line was crossed and how to redirect to compliant language
2.4 Legal Navigator
- Step-by-step issue-spotting decision trees organized by practice area (family law, property preservation, etc.)
- Hard-stop and attorney referral prompts when the UPL boundary is reached
- Integration with the legal information chatbot currently in development by a local legal aid organization; the app must support API connectivity to this chatbot so CJWs can access accurate legal information directly within the legal navigator workflow
2.5 Job Board & Volunteer Opportunity Portal
- Host site portal allowing organizations to create and manage listings for CJW volunteer opportunities and paid positions, including details such as location, practice area focus, time commitment, and application requirements
- CJW-facing job board where users can browse available opportunities, filter by location or practice area, and submit applications directly through the app
- Application tracking for host sites to review submissions and manage candidate status
- Notifications to CJWs when new opportunities matching their profile or location are posted
- Admin tools for TxILC staff to review and approve listings before they go live, ensuring quality control and alignment with program standards
2.6 Credentialing & Compliance Infrastructure
- Role-based access control (RBAC): community justice worker, organizational partner, attorney supervisor, admin, etc.
- UPL disclaimer and acknowledgment system embedded in relevant features
2.7 Security & Backend Architecture
- RESTful API backend with JWT-based authentication and TLS 1.3 encryption in transit
- PostgreSQL primary database with row-level security so users can only access their own records
- Encrypted storage for any documents or files generated on the platform
- Secrets management for internal credentials and database access keys
- Basic access logging and alerting for unusual activity
SOC 2 Type II certification and full GDPR compliance are not required at launch given the limited personal data collected, but the architecture should be designed to support these standards as the platform scales.
Project Budget
TxILC is seeking transparent, milestone-based pricing that reflects the full scope of the project above. Proposers should present costs segmented by phase (discovery, design, development, QA, launch) and include estimates for ongoing maintenance and support. We welcome proposals that identify opportunities to phase scope for an early MVP delivery and are open to both fixed-price and time-and-materials structures with clear cost controls.
3. Proposal Submission Requirements
Proposals must include the following sections:
- Cover Letter — Brief introduction to the firm and why TxILC is a good fit.
- Company/Organization Overview — Background, size, relevant experience, and qualifications in mobile and legal/compliance tech.
- Technical Approach & Architecture — Proposed tech stack, platform architecture decisions, security approach, and how the firm will address compliance requirements.
- Feature Approach — How the firm plans to implement each of the four core modules (quiz engine, simulator, legal navigator, networking).
- Work Plan & Timeline — Phased project schedule with milestones, key deliverables, and estimated delivery dates.
- Budget & Pricing — Detailed cost breakdown by phase and feature area; include assumptions and out-of-scope items.
- References & Past Work — At minimum two examples of relevant mobile applications developed.
Submission Deadline: May 9, 2025, at 11:59 PM CST
Submission Format: Electronically to procurement@txilc.org
Questions: Submit all questions to procurement@txilc.org by April 28, 2025. Answers will be distributed to all registered respondents.
4. Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following weighted criteria:
| Criterion | Weight | Description |
| Technical Expertise | 30% | Demonstrated experience building secure, compliance-focused mobile applications. Prior work in legal tech, healthcare, or fintech preferred. |
| Feature Approach | 25% | Quality and feasibility of the proposed approach to the quiz engine, outreach simulator, legal navigator, and networking modules. |
| Security & Compliance | 20% | Depth of security architecture, understanding of UPL requirements, and path to SOC 2 and GDPR alignment. |
| Budget & Timeline | 15% | Reasonable, transparent pricing with a realistic and well-structured delivery timeline. |
| References & Past Work | 10% | Quality of prior mobile applications and strength of client references. |
5. Additional Terms & Conditions
- TxILC reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal without obligation or explanation.
- Any costs incurred in preparing a response to this RFP are the sole responsibility of the proposer.
- Final vendor selection is subject to contract negotiations including IP ownership, source code escrow, and data handling agreements.
- All proposals and associated materials will be treated as confidential and used solely for evaluation purposes.
- TxILC may request clarification or additional information from any proposer during the evaluation process.
Thank you for your interest in partnering with TxILC!
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