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Board authorizes staff to negotiate master agreements with 13 law firms after RFQ; trustees question conflicts and cost transparency
Summary
The Committee of the Whole authorized staff to negotiate master services agreements with 13 law firms in response to an RFQ for legal services; trustees raised concerns about perceived conflicts of interest, timing outside the budget cycle and the lack of public pricing while staff negotiates insurance and contract terms.
Orland Park trustees on June 2 voted to authorize staff to negotiate master services agreements with a pool of 13 law firms that responded to a recent request for qualifications for legal services, a process staff said is intended to create prequalified providers for multiple kinds of municipal legal work.
Village manager George (last name not specified) told the board 13 proposals were received and that staff evaluated firms based on specialized municipal experience, firm depth and potential costs. He said the final agreements will be negotiated to confirm insurance coverage, terms and fees. “We are very fortunate that we got such a high qualified pool of applicants for this,” he said.
Several trustees challenged the timing and transparency. Trustee Maloney and Trustee Milani asked why the public did not see fee schedules and why pricing would be withheld during negotiations; staff said final contract pricing and insurance documentation will be posted when agreements are executed. Trustee Milani noted variations in proposed hourly rates across firms and asked that staff negotiate fees to stay within the village’s legal services budget.
Trustee Katsenas raised a potential conflict of interest, observing that a firm the trustee associated with the mayor’s campaign had provided services historically. Trustee Healy and others expressed concern about the appearance of conflicts and asked that the mayor avoid participation if a firm that provided campaign representation is selected for significant work. The village manager said staff would negotiate terms and confirmed there is no guarantee that every firm will reach final agreements; the board vote authorizes negotiations only.
The motion passed on roll call; the transcript records a mix of ayes and two recorded “no” votes during the final board roll call for the related item (Trustees Katsenas and Healy voted no when the item moved forward to formal approval later in the meeting). Staff said they would return final agreements and pricing once negotiations conclude and contracts are signed.
