The Michigan Supreme Court has launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) to seek a company to build a new statewide e-filing system to empower the public to file cases electronically from anywhere at any time. The Court is also looking for proposals for an electronic document management system to enable courts to receive and manage e-filed documents.
"With e-filing, our goal is no more paper copies and no more waiting in line to file court documents," Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert P. Young Jr. said in a news release. "At the same time, e-filing will help courts more efficiently manage the flow of documents without the burden of millions of paper files."
In 2015, about 34.5 million documents were filed statewide in Michigan courts in relation to about 3.2 million cases. Creating a statewide e-filing system will be complicated by the fact that the 242 court system is decentralized and using 20 different systems to store and manage case files. The courts are also funded by 165 cities and counties. Some larger jurisdictions are already successfully using e-filing, some jurisdictions allow for files to be stored electronically, and some jurisdictions do not currently allow for electronic filing or storage. The new system will have to allow for integration with case management and document management systems.
The RFP is available at www.courts.mi.gov/efiling. Proposals are due by 2 p.m. on Oct. 26.
