ToR for Software Development of Centralized Legal Aid Service Management System

Background

Access to justice remains a critical challenge for vulnerable and marginalized populations, particularly those in pre-trial detention, correctional facilities, and underserved communities. Legal aid service providers play a vital role in ensuring that individuals are informed of their rights, receive legal representation, and are supported throughout the justice process. However, the effectiveness and reach of these services are often constrained by fragmented data management practices, limited coordination across service delivery locations, and the absence of integrated digital systems.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) currently delivers legal aid services through a combination of centralized coordination and decentralized service points, including pre-trial legal aid programs, prison-based legal aid services, and mobile legal aid initiatives operating across multiple regions such as Addis Ababa, Hawassa, Adama, Wolaita Sodo and Shashemene. These services are implemented through a network of legal professionals, paralegals, and volunteers who provide assistance at offices, courts, police stations, and community outreach locations.

At present, case data is largely captured through manual processes or disparate tools, resulting in challenges related to data consistency, real-time tracking of cases, reporting, and monitoring of service outcomes. This limits the organization’s ability to efficiently manage caseloads, measure impact, support evidence-based decision-making, and meet reporting requirements for partners and donors.

In response to these challenges, Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) seeks to design and implement a centralized Legal Aid Services Case Management System (LAS-CMS). The system will serve as a unified digital platform to streamline case registration, tracking, and management across all service types and locations. It will also enhance coordination among legal aid providers, improve data accuracy and accessibility, and strengthen monitoring and evaluation of legal aid interventions.

The proposed system is expected to support both online and offline data capture to accommodate varying connectivity conditions, ensure secure handling of sensitive legal information, and provide real-time dashboards and analytics for internal management and external reporting. Ultimately, the LAS-CMS will contribute to improving the efficiency, transparency, and impact of legal aid service delivery, thereby advancing access to justice for underserved populations.

Objectives

General Objectives:

The overall objective of this assignment is to design, develop, and deploy a centralized Legal Aid Services Case Management System (LAS-CMS) that enhances the efficiency, coordination, and impact of legal aid service delivery across multiple service types and geographic locations.

Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of the assignment are to:

1. Develop a centralized digital platform to support end-to-end management of legal aid cases, including case registration, tracking, updates, and closure across all service types (pre-trial, prison-based, and mobile legal aid services).
   1. Improve data management and accessibility by enabling standardized data collection, secure storage, and real-time access to case information for authorized users across different locations.
      1. Strengthen coordination and workflow management among legal aid staff, lawyers, paralegals, and volunteers through role-based access, case assignment, and activity tracking functionalities.
      2. Enhance monitoring, evaluation, and reporting (M&E) by providing dynamic dashboards, analytics, and reporting tools that support evidence-based decision-making and donor reporting requirements.
      3. Enable offline and low-bandwidth functionality to ensure continuity of data collection and system usage in areas with limited or unreliable internet connectivity, with synchronization capabilities when connectivity is restored.
      4. Ensure data security and confidentiality through the implementation of access controls, encryption mechanisms, and audit trails to protect sensitive legal and personal information.
      5. Facilitate integration and interoperability with external systems and stakeholders, including potential integration with third party to exchange critical data.
      6. Support scalability and sustainability by designing the system architecture to accommodate future expansion in terms of geographic coverage, service types, and user base, while ensuring ease of maintenance and system upgrades.

1. Improve tracking of case outcomes and impact by incorporating mechanisms to capture case results, follow-ups, and key performance indicators related to access to justice and service effectiveness.
   1. Enhance user experience and adoption by delivering an intuitive, user-friendly interface and providing necessary documentation and system flexibility to adapt to evolving operational needs.

Scope of Work

The selected vendor/consultant will be responsible for the end-to-end design, development, deployment, and support of the Legal Aid Services Case Management System (LAS-CMS). The scope of work shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

Requirements Analysis & System Design

• Review existing documentation and conduct stakeholder consultations.
• Analyze current workflows across all legal aid service types and locations.
• Produce detailed system specifications, including functional and non-functional requirements.
• Design system architecture, database schema, and user workflows.

System Development

• Develop a centralized, web-based case management system with offline/data import & export capabilities.
• Build core modules including:
  • Case Data Management
  • Beneficiary Management
  • User & Role Management
  • Legal Aid Operations (service types and locations)
  • Reporting and Dashboard (M&E)
• Develop secure document management functionality.
• Implement search, filtering, and reporting features.

Mobile & Offline Functionality

• Develop or enable mobile-friendly or Progressive Web App (PWA) functionality.
• Ensure offline data collection capability with synchronization once connectivity is available.

Integration & API Development

• Design and implement APIs for integration with external systems (e.g., courts, partner organizations).
• Ensure interoperability and scalability of the system.

Data Migration

• Migrate existing data from manual records or legacy systems (e.g., Excel/CSV).
• Ensure data quality, consistency, and validation during migration.

Testing & Quality Assurance

• Conduct unit, integration, and user acceptance testing (UAT).
• Fix identified bugs and optimized system performance.

Deployment & Configuration

• Deploy the system in a secure hosting environment (cloud or hybrid).
• Configure user roles, permissions, and system settings.

Training & Capacity Building

• Provide training sessions for system administrators and end users.
• Develop user manuals, technical documentation, and training materials.

Maintenance & Support

• Provide post-deployment technical support and system maintenance for a given period.
• Address bugs, updates, and performance improvements within an agreed support period.

For more and detailed information please refer the link

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qSG_Q3lkLd7p1_twL1ufOr-C9OGP0g4o/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=114900261187250094336&rtpof=true&sd=true

Competencies

Requires skills & competencies:

The selected vendor/consultant is expected to demonstrate the following technical and professional competencies:

Technical Competencies

• Proven expertise in designing and developing web-based management information systems (MIS) preferably within the legal, justice, or social service sectors.
• Strong experience in full-stack software development, including modern frontend frameworks (e.g., Angular, React, Vue) and backend technologies (e.g., Node.js, Django, or similar).
• Demonstrated capacity in database design and management, particularly with relational databases such as PostgreSQL or MySQL.
• Experience in developing offline-capable applications (e.g., Progressive Web Applications or mobile applications with synchronization features).
• Proficiency in API design and integration, enabling interoperability with external systems.
• Strong knowledge of system security best practices, including data encryption, authentication mechanisms, and role-based access control.
• Experience in implementing data visualization and dashboard tools for reporting and monitoring purposes.
• Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git) and modern software development practices.

Functional & Domain Competencies

• Understanding of case management workflows, preferably in legal aid, justice systems, or humanitarian/development contexts.
• Experience working with Civil Society, NGOs, government institutions, or donor-funded projects is highly desirable.
• Ability to translate operational requirements into practical and user-friendly system features.
• Awareness of data protection, confidentiality, and ethical considerations when handling sensitive personal and legal data.

Project Management & Delivery Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to manage end-to-end system development projects, including planning, execution, testing, and deployment.
• Strong documentation skills, including the preparation of technical documentation, user manuals, and training materials.
• Experience in conducting user training and capacity building for non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to deliver within agreed timelines and maintain clear communication and reporting throughout the project lifecycle.

Team Composition Competencies

The vendor should provide a qualified team with expertise in:

• Software Development (Frontend & Backend)
• Database Design and Management
• UI/UX Design
• System Architecture
• Quality Assurance and Testing

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Effective communication and stakeholder engagement
• Attention to detail and commitment to quality
• Flexibility and responsiveness to feedback
• High level of professionalism and integrity