Events

Before launching a major technology and process improvement initiative, the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN) is seeking input from potential vendors for a Request for Proposals that PLAN will then publish.  

In this interactive Project Discovery Session hosted by LSNTAP, Erik Hansen, Director of Technology and Data, Elizabeth Grifith, Director of Grants and Compliance, and Liz Chacko, Deputy Director will present information about a statewide initiative that PLAN will soon launch, with the help of a yet-to-be contracted external vendor. The three-year statewide initiative will evaluate and then improve intake processes and outcomes tracking across Pennsylvania's thirteen PLAN funded legal aid organizations that form the PLAN Network (seven regional legal aid programs, and six specialty statewide programs).  

The proposed RFP is only for the evaluation and planning phase of the three-year project to assess and then improve the PLAN networks intake systems, which will take place in Year 1. Implementation of the improvements will take place in Years 2 and 3. (The implementation phase will be handled under a separate RFP process based on the results of the evaluation and planning phase.) Through the evaluation and planning phase, PLAN aims to identify opportunities to streamline intake, improve client experience, increase support staff productivity, and establish a roadmap for technology and process enhancements to be implemented in Years 2 and 3.

Proposed Year 1 work:

• Conduct a network-wide assessment of intake practices across PLAN member legal services programs (LSPs)
  • Comprehensive review of each LSP’s current intake systems (workflow, processes, technology use, data points collection).
  • Evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of each LSP’s systems, including identifying gaps and needed improvements in both systems and technology.
  • Identification of common problems and challenges facing all programs.
  • Identification of best practices/processes/systems, including those already used by particular LSPs, that may used as models network wide.
• Based on the network wide assessment, identify viable statewide models and options for intake and outcomes improvements, using LegalServer and Microsoft Suite technologies if possible. Recommendations may include:
  • Improvements and systems upgrades for particular LSPs in order to level set the network as a whole
  • Identifying pain points/chokepoints in the intake/casework process and identifying ways to ease those
  • Identifying where some LSPs have solved those issues and how the other LSPs could implement those solutions
  • Identification of viable technological solutions which solve the pain points/ chokepoints  
• Facilitate structured engagement with PLAN leadership, staff, and stakeholders about the findings and next steps.
• PLAN  will decide on the recommendations to adopt. The Consultant will develop a detailed multi-year implementation roadmap for Years 2 and 3, This roadmap should include timelines, a work plan, drafting of additional RFP’s for implementation, technology development etc.  

Following the project overview, participants will engage in a facilitated discussion to help shape the initiative before an RFP is developed. The conversation will explore questions such as:

• Is the proposed scope likely to achieve the project's goals?
• What challenges, risks, or opportunities should be considered during planning?
• Should the work be completed as a single project or divided into multiple phases or procurements?
• What expertise, deliverables, and evaluation criteria should be reflected in the RFP?
• What lessons learned from similar initiatives could improve the project's likelihood of success?

This session is intended to draw on the collective expertise of potential vendors who have experience with intake systems, process improvement, technology implementation, and change management.

The purpose of the discussion is to help PLAN develop a well-defined project and a stronger RFP—not to evaluate vendors or select solutions. Participation in this session will not provide any competitive advantage in any future procurement. Instead, it is an opportunity to share practical insights, identify best practices, and help shape an initiative that has the potential to strengthen intake services for legal aid organizations throughout Pennsylvania.