REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR SPECIAL LEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE CITY OF BAYONNE

The City of Bayonne, New Jersey, is soliciting proposals for Special Legal Counsel to provide comprehensive professional services for a one-year term, effective from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026. The core project involves offering expert legal guidance and representation on all issues related to public safety negotiations. The selected counsel will be responsible for negotiating collective bargaining agreements with the City’s public safety unions, and other City unions as directed by Administration, City Counsel, or Mayor and Council. Key duties also include preparing reports, providing advice and counsel during Mayor and Council meetings on critical matters such as negotiations, PERC litigation, grievance arbitration, impasse, fact-finding, and interest arbitration. Furthermore, the Special Legal Counsel will interact closely with the City’s Administration on related legal and personnel matters, handle all necessary negotiations, conferences, court appearances, and hearings, and attend regular, special, and Executive Session meetings of the Mayor and Council. Prospective contractors must satisfy stringent minimum qualifications to be considered for this professional services position. Applicants, whether an individual attorney or a law firm, must demonstrate at least fifteen (15) years of prior experience serving as Special Legal Counsel for a municipal or government entity within the State of New Jersey. Essential requirements include having sufficient staff to manage the extensive scope of services outlined in Section II, ensuring the submitting attorney is licensed and in good standing with the Bar Association of the State of New Jersey, and possessing a minimum of fifteen (15) years’ experience specifically in public safety unit (police and fire) negotiations. This experience must include noted expertise in interest arbitration, evidenced by at least two (2) published interest arbitration decisions within the past ten (10) years. Additionally, the attorney or firm must carry professional liability insurance in an amount of at least $1,000,000.00 from a carrier rated AAA by Best Insurance Digest, and must not have represented any adverse parties or claims against the City of Bayonne within the preceding three years. Interested parties are required to submit their comprehensive proposals to the City of Bayonne Law Department, Room 15, located at 630 Avenue C, Bayonne, New Jersey 07002. The firm submission deadline is January 12, 2026, at 11:00 AM prevailing time. All proposals will be publicly opened at the Dorothy E. Harrington Municipal Council Chambers, within the Municipal Building at 630 Avenue C, Bayonne, New Jersey, at the specified deadline. Required submission documents include an original and two (2) copies of the complete proposal package, containing fully executed forms such as the Disclosure Statement, Non-Collusion Affidavit, Affirmative Action Compliance Notice, Owner’s Disclosure Statement, Hold Harmless Agreement, Americans with Disabilities Act Language, and Vendor’s Information. A valid New Jersey Business Registration Certificate and detailed responses to all items outlined in Section III Part B of the Request for Proposal are also mandatory. No specific bid security, bonds, or pre-bid meetings are mentioned in the provided text.