RFP823 - Secret Shopper/Mystery Shopping Evaluation of the Aging and Disability Resource Connection

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the regional planning, development, and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 10-county metro Atlanta region, which includes Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale counties.

ARC is the federally designated Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for the metro Atlanta region. [...] A&IS serves the needs of older adults, adults with disabilities, and caregivers while also planning and advocating for the needs of future generations.

ARC is soliciting proposals from qualified firms with demonstrated expertise in mystery shopping, secret shopping, customer-experience evaluation, call-center assessment, accessibility testing, and related customer-engagement services.

The selected Contractor will evaluate the accessibility, responsiveness, and overall customer experience of ARC’s Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC). The evaluation will include testing ARC’s Platform 28 (P28) telephone system and designated email touchpoints, reviewing staff adherence to applicable policies and procedures, and assessing follow-up against the Georgia Division of Aging Services (DAS) Standards of Promptness.

The purpose of this RFP is to select a Contractor to gather objective information from telephone and email touchpoints and provide actionable findings regarding the customer experience from initial contact through resolution or completion.

The evaluation will assess at a minimum:

• Ease of access to the ADRC;
• P28 telephone menu navigation and routing;
• Telephone and email response times;
• Length of time to connect with a counselor
• Call abandonment data;
• Voicemail response and follow-up;
• Time from the initial request for assistance through completion;
• Access to language interpretation;
• Accessibility for people with disabilities;
• Staff professionalism, clarity, accuracy, and consistency;
• Compliance with DAS Standards of Promptness;
• Compliance with applicable ADRC policies and procedures;
• Effectiveness of follow-up;
• P28 reporting capabilities and recommended reporting improvements;
• Opportunities to improve customer experience from beginning to end.

The target population represented through the mystery-shopping scenarios will include:

• Adults age 60 and older;
• Adults with disabilities; and
• Caregivers.

The Contractor must complete a minimum of 15 telephone mystery-shopping scenarios during the initial evaluation. The initial sample must include five scenarios from each of the ADRC team including Information and Referral, EDWP, and HCBS.

ARC may authorize additional calls during the initial phase or the optional follow-up phase. Unless otherwise authorized through a written amendment, the cumulative number of mystery-shopping calls will not exceed 50.

For each of the three team or menu options, the Contractor must conduct at least one non-English-language scenario. At a minimum, one scenario must be conducted in Spanish; and the remaining multilingual scenarios must use one or more of the other languages supported by the ADRC: Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, or Russian.

For each of the three team or menu options, the Contractor must conduct at least one scenario involving a disability consistent with the DAS Taxonomy of Service Definitions. At least one scenario should evaluate access for a person with a hearing impairment.

The Contractor may not begin mystery-shopping contacts until ARC has approved the methodology and scripts.

**Proposals must be submitted electronically** through the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) procurement website. Proposal submitted by any other method (including email, mail, fax, or hand delivery) may not be accepted unless specified in the solicitation document. Respondents must complete the two-step registration process (initial registration and application completion) on the ARC procurement website to access the solicitation and submit a proposal. Late proposals will not be accepted under any circumstances.

Proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF or Microsoft Word-compatible format. Proposals must not exceed 15 pages, using standard 8.5-by-11-inch pages and a font size of at least 12 points.

**Questions** must be submitted electronically through the procurement website. Official responses will be posted on the procurement website as a written addendum by 4:00 PM EST on Monday, November 23, 2026.

Evaluation criteria

| Evaluation Criterion | Weight |
| --- | --- |
| Related experience, qualifications, references, and proposed personnel | 25% |
| Technical approach and methodology | 25% |
| Work plan, schedule, and staff availability | 25% |
| Proposed budget and overall value | 25% |

The Proposer must submit a detailed budget using the format in Exhibit B. The proposal must separately identify costs for the initial scope and the optional follow-up phase.

ARC may invite a short list of Proposers to participate in interviews with an evaluation committee.

The anticipated contract period is January 25, 2027, through December 30, 2027.