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Riverdale Park will reissue municipal legal services RFP after single unsuitable bid
Summary
Staff told the Board of Elections that a prior request for proposals for municipal legal services produced one submission that did not meet the town’s needs; the board agreed to reissue the RFP and pursue additional outreach, and staff proposed using current counsel for an initial review of the election manual while rebidding.
Riverdale Park staff reported that the town’s recent request for proposals for municipal legal services produced a single proposal that the town determined would not meet its needs, and the board agreed to reissue the RFP and expand outreach.
Jessica told members the RFP was advertised per requirements (including on eMaryland Marketplace, the Maryland Municipal League list, and the Maryland State Bar listings) but resulted in one response that the town rejected as inadequate. She said the town is sending the RFP back out and has done direct outreach to neighboring jurisdictions to invite municipal attorneys to review the bid package.
A board member suggested additional outreach to specialty bar associations—examples cited included a Black bar association and an LGBTQ bar association—to broaden the pool of applicants. Jessica said she would forward the suggestion and any resources to the procurement staff.
Because the rebid may delay counsel availability, Jessica proposed asking the attorney currently providing ad hoc counsel to do an initial review of the election manual and code language so the board can identify immediate issues and prepare for council consideration if ordinance changes are required.
Next steps: staff will reissue the RFP with additional outreach, forward suggested specialty-bar contacts to procurement, and, if the board approves, ask current counsel to provide an initial review of the manual while the procurement process continues.
