RFA: Extension Foundation – Team Health Dashboard Development

Introduction

The Extension Foundation (EXF) invites applications from qualified software developers to collaborate on building and supporting the next version of the Team Health Dashboard (THD). This RFA seeks proposals from applicants with demonstrated expertise in Ruby on Rails development, system integration with Google Forms and Google Scripts, database-driven user experiences, and scalable email notification systems.

The THD is an internal tool that helps Cooperative Extension teams assess and improve their team dynamics over time through structured surveys and automated feedback loops. The goal of this partnership is to enhance the existing dashboard (now in v2.1 planning), transition to Rails 8 and Ruby 3.3.x, and implement administrative controls, survey validation, and smarter email workflows.

Scope of Work

Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to deliver on the following:

Development & Engineering

• Upgrade and deploy the THD application using Rails 8 and Ruby 3.3.x.
  Implement webhooks and/or Google Scripts to handle form submissions and forward them to the Rails API endpoint.
• Add survey validation logic to prevent duplicate submissions by the same user per survey cycle.
• Support cron-based or time-triggered notifications (90, 181, 271, 360 days).

Administrative Tools

• Enable EXF Admins to:
  • View team-level submission metadata (not individual answers).
  • Delete teams and associated submissions.
  • Remove users from teams.
  • Archive teams and reset survey cycles.

Email Notification System

• Ensure ActionMailer is fully functional with preview capabilities.
• Allow configurable notifications for team leaders upon team member submissions.
• Improve FROM/REPLY-TO address handling so emails originate from the team owner’s email rather than a generic address.
• Implement customizable threshold logic for sending dashboards (100% for baseline, 80% for subsequent surveys).

Vendor Obligations

The selected developer(s) will:

• Participate in weekly check-ins with the EXF product owner.
• Use GitHub for version control and coordination.
• Deploy staging environments on Heroku and/or other EXF-preferred platforms.
• Deliver clean, well-documented code with handoff documentation and training.
• Remain available for ongoing maintenance (separate contract) if desired.
• Maintain a business insurance policy appropriate to their area of expertise. 

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Demonstrate advanced experience in Ruby on Rails, ActionMailer, and web app deployment.
• Have a track record of developing secure, user-friendly, and database-integrated tools.

Application Requirements

Proposals should include:

• An overview of the applicant’s relevant experience and technical skills.
• A proposed approach to implementing the functionality described.
• Timeline and milestones (we anticipate a ~10-week development window).
• Cost estimate based on fixed price or hourly rate.
• Examples of past projects, GitHub repos (if available), and client references.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on:

• Technical expertise and experience with Rails and associated technologies.
• Understanding of EXF needs and survey-based applications.
• Clarity and feasibility of the proposed implementation plan.
• Cost-effectiveness and value for investment

How to Apply

Please submit your information and materials to the following form: https://registry.extension.org/251604153959057

Questions?

Contact aaronweibe@extension.org