Agenda Packets - 2003/03/03 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item No: 6 Meeting Date: March 3, 2003 Type of Business: Worksession City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: James Ericson, Interim City Administrator Item Title/Subject: Review Draft RFP for Legal Representation BACKGROUND: The City Council directed staff to examine available RFPs for legal services and to draft an RFP specific to Mounds View pulling the best components from each RFP. DISCUSSION: I have reviewed (word for word) the RFPs that had been provided to the Council at your last worksession and have put together an RFP specific to our needs. Not surprisingly, most of the RFPs had similar language and requirements. While the Council should closely review every clause and section within the RFP, I’d ask that you comment on the following identified RFP sections: Process. Please review the “Process” section at the bottom of the first page. Contact. Item 2 under General Instructions, Page 2, indicates the following about contact between the firms and the City during the review period: “To ensure fairness and uniformity, firms submitting responses are requested to not contact City staff or the City Council. Questions about this RFP may be sent in writing to the City Administrator” Every RFP with the exception of Roseville’s included similar strongly worded language. The intent of this clause of course is to prevent “lobbying” by the submitting firms. Granted, firms may have some legitimate questions or may need additional information which is why some cities provide for a pre-submission conference one week prior to the due date. Other cities like St. Louis Park and Chanhassen allow that questions may be submitted in writing to the City Manager. To minimize the administrative oversight needed, I have proposed that questions may be submitted in writing rather than to schedule a separate pre-submission conference meeting. Legal Services Requirements. The list of requirements begins on Page 4 and is quite extensive. Please review this list carefully and indicate whether any additional requirements are appropriate. I have provided other members of staff a copy of the RFP for their review and comment as well to ensure all facets of legal representation are addressed.