Request for Qualifications - Hearing Officer

The City of East Orange, through its Department of Finance, Division of Procurement, is issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to establish a pool of qualified and licensed attorneys to serve as Hearing Officers. This solicitation seeks to secure professional legal services for presiding over internal employee disciplinary hearings within the municipality. The core project aims to create a roster of competent legal professionals to ensure fair and structured adjudication of employee conduct issues. The scope of work for the selected Hearing Officers will encompass conducting these hearings impartially, managing evidence and testimony, and subsequently issuing detailed written opinions that explain their decisions, ensuring due process and transparent resolution for internal personnel matters for the Office of Corporation Counsel. Prospective contractors must be licensed attorneys in the State of New Jersey and must demonstrate substantial experience specifically in presiding over or participating in internal employee disciplinary hearings. Submissions require a comprehensive qualification statement outlining the firm's principal activities, personnel count, location, and specific reasons for suitability for the Hearing Officer role. Key personnel information, including credentials, educational background, and areas of responsibility with respect to the services required, is mandatory. Additionally, respondents must provide a list of three client references for whom related services have been provided, including government agency names, contact persons, telephone numbers, service dates, costs, and project status. Mandatory compliance includes New Jersey's Affirmative Action (N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq., N.J.A.C. 17:27 et seq.), Contract Compliance, Equal Employment Opportunities in Public Contracts, and Disclosure of Ownership (N.J.S.A. 52:25-24.2). A Professional Liability insurance coverage with limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate is also a prerequisite for successful applicants, along with Workers Compensation, General Liability, and Automobile insurance. Sealed RFQ responses are due on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at 11:00 A.M. and must be delivered to the Purchasing Agent at the Division of Procurement, Municipal Building, 44 City Hall Plaza, East Orange, NJ 07018. Each submittal package must include one original, two copies, and one CD or thumb drive, clearly marked "Hearing Officer" with the firm's name. A non-refundable fee of $25.00 applies for physical RFQ packets obtained on-site. Required submission forms include the Proposal Cost/Signature Form, Non-Collusion Affidavit, Stockholder Disclosure, Affirmative Action Statement, and Acknowledgement of Receipt of Addenda, among other certifications and disclosures detailed in the RFQ checklist. Proposals must remain firm for sixty (60) days after the submission date. All inquiries regarding this solicitation should be directed to Racquel C. Ferguson, Purchasing Agent, who can be reached at (973) 266-5162, with a fax number of (862) 444-0101.