RFP-Software Developer

Request For Proposals

Software Development: Software Developer

“Spotlight on Women Entrepreneurs with Disabilities in Canada” Project

About Eviance

Eviance’s mission is to be a facilitator of knowledge-to-action in the global cross-disability field and to bring people and knowledge together on local, national, and global level to incite behavioral and system level change. We enhance intersectional and reflexivity action-based solutions that advance human rights and equity-focused decision making in Canada and abroad. Our vision is to realize an inclusive, equitable and accessible society that is sustainable for ALL. Our mission is realized through the following main activities: (a) Community-based research, education and development using methods that embrace human rights, intersectionality, reflexivity, innovation, and excellence; (b) Seeking strategic partnerships and collaborations with institutions, governments, organizations, businesses, and civil society; (c) Dedication to the use of high-quality evidence in disability, and inclusive broader sector, policies, programs and practices; and, (d) Including persons with various disabilities, inclusive of mental health, in constructive and meaningful ways in all of our activities.

Canadian Centre on Disability Studies Incorporated operates as Eviance.

Project Goal:

Transform the entrepreneurship ecosystem’s capacity to act on the challenges faced by underfunded and underserved women entrepreneurs with disabilities by developing actionable strategies and partnerships for shared data collection and use, enabling better decision-making and support to improve the economic security and prosperity of women with disabilities.

The successful proponent will be a key partner to Eviance and Project Partner New Power Labs (NPL) in bridging to the entrepreneurial subject matter experts and networks in meeting the objectives of this project.

Project Description:

Through this approximately 30-month* systemic change project, Eviance will help advance equality of women with disabilities. Specifically, the project will address a systemic gap related to information about women with disabilities within the entrepreneurship ecosystem that is a barrier to supporting women entrepreneurs with disabilities to achieve economic security and prosperity. This will be achieved by: convening a working group of women entrepreneurs with disabilities, and strategic community members to provide continuous feedback to project activities; scanning the entrepreneurship ecosystem for key actors and existing tools; conducting focus groups and interviews to identify and better understand the issues; developing a strategy to address the information needs and gaps; piloting a tool for information gathering and reporting; sharing the strategy within the entrepreneurship ecosystem; and securing commitments from key actors to implement the strategy and plan for sustainability. An external evaluation will be conducted to measure and assess the impact of the systemic change project.

This project will rely heavily on the skills and services of a Software Developer to design and develop the web-based solution with secure data ingestion endpoints. The solution will collect data from multiple partners and their information systems via secure web forms, API integration, Secure File Transfer and other common means, and provide aggregated data to Eviance and NPL.

Specifically:

The successful applicant will have working knowledge of the diverse entrepreneurship and disability sectors, the platforms and tools they use for collecting program and outcomes data and will be able to provide proven knowledge and skills to inform the rapid prototyping, development, and piloting of the software tool and the data collection and reporting required to meet the project objectives.

Proven skills in creating accessible web-based solutions that meets the current WCAG standards required by the Canadian Federal Government is a key requirement. Preference will be given to applicants with proven skills in creating bilingual (English and French) solutions. Additionally, all data is to be anonymized and secured. All data collected, project-specific code, and all reports and analysis will remain the exclusive Intellectual Property of Eviance. The Developer retains IP rights to their pre-existing background technology/libraries.

Proven experience working within project teams; proficient communication skills are essential (verbal, written, timely and efficient).

Data collection will support and inform key insights into intersectional gaps and barriers in the sector during the design of the project. The applicant’s strength, and knowledge in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, will complement and enhance Eviance’s subject matter expertise in cross-disability and women’s issues.

The Software Developer will work within a set budget of up to 65K for the end-to-end project lifecycle.

Proposals must include examples of how the Applicant’s work has been informed by:

1. GBA Plus/Intersectional approach;
2. Ethics approach to protect participants privacy and confidentiality.

Project Duration:

Anticipated to start March 2026-required to end November 2027.

Project Activities:

Engage a diversity of entrepreneurship ecosystem actors that are reflective of the range of entrepreneurship experiences of women with disabilities, as well as those who serve and/or represent diverse communities.

• Co-create with Eviance and NPL the data collection framework to support the project logic model.
• Develop the accessible web-based software tool for anonymized data collection and aggregation
• Co-create with Eviance and NPL Proof of Concept and Minimum Viable Prototype which demonstrates the importance and value of collecting this data to support the success of diverse women entrepreneurs with disabilities.
• Actively participation to support the evaluation through the course of the project (Year One to Year Three).

Key Dates and Proposal Requirements:

Request For Proposal Issuance: February 10, 2026

Proposal Deadline: February 24, 2026 at 4pm EST

Proposal Length: May not exceed five (5) pages in total, including biographies and fee schedule.

Please submit completed proposal to: jgledhill@mccgroup.ca

If you have any questions during the workday, please contact Dr. Susan L. Hardie, Eviance Executive Director at susan.hardie@eviance.ca.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria:

• 60%: Experience developing accessible web-based software tools for data collection, data aggregation, and working with heterogenous data sets with an agile development approach
• 20%: Experience within equity deserving communities in Canada
• 10%: Experience within the entrepreneurial or small business sectors in Canada
• 10%: Experience in the not for profit or cross-disability sector will be considered

**Fee Schedule must include applicable taxes in all totals and any additional expenses must be clearly itemized, including applicable taxes.

Proponent Eligibility Restrictions:

This Request For Proposal is open only to registered Canadian businesses operating full time in Canada. All work completed in this project must occur in Canada.