Case Management System

Cook County Government, on behalf of the Cook County Public Defender's Office, is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP 2550-09162) for a comprehensive Case Management System (CMS) to support one of the largest public defense offices in the nation. The procuring entity seeks a qualified vendor to deliver a centralized CMS solution capable of supporting over 750 concurrent sessions and managing case-related activities across diverse practice areas including felony, misdemeanor, juvenile, family defense, post-conviction, appeals, immigration, and mental health matters. The system must serve tens of thousands of clients annually while supporting a workforce of approximately 490 attorneys, 130 support staff, and 80 administrators. Key deliverables include implementation services, data migration of the current 2.29 terabytes of case management data with annual growth capacity of approximately 300 gigabytes, comprehensive security compliance (including CJIS compliance, SOC 2 Type II certification, AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS 1.2+ in transit, multi-factor authentication, and audit trails), and long-term technical support. Evaluation criteria include technical proposal quality, oral presentation performance, pricing, and overall value proposition, with selection based on the proposal offering the best overall value. The non-mandatory pre-proposal conference is scheduled for February 5, 2026 at 11:00 AM via Microsoft Teams; questions must be submitted by February 11, 2026 at 10:00 AM (Chicago time); and proposals are due March 31, 2026 at 10:00 AM via the Bonfire Vendor Portal with no late submissions accepted. The Cook County Board intends to enter into a five-year agreement with one three-year renewal option plus one two-year renewal option.

This procurement carries an MBE/WBE participation goal of zero percent (0%), though proposers are encouraged to demonstrate good faith efforts to utilize certified minority and women-owned business enterprises as subcontractors. All proposals must include executed Economic Disclosure Statements and insurance documentation with minimum coverages of $2,000,000 for Technology Professional Liability and $2,000,000 for Cyber coverage. Vendors must demonstrate experience with large-scale CMS implementations, preferably within public defense agencies, and provide proof of financial stability and capacity to support a long-term partnership. Pricing must be submitted as a fixed-fee arrangement with detailed cost breakdowns across implementation, annual recurring costs, and optional services. Compliance with Cook County Professional Services Agreement terms and IT Special Conditions is required. No incumbent vendor or current contractor information is specified in the RFP documentation. The funding source and total contract amount will be determined upon award and Cook County Board approval, with no specific budget range provided in the solicitation materials.