Active SLED Opportunity · MARYLAND · CECIL COUNTY

    Drug Court Defense Attorney Services - Part-Time

    Issued by Cecil County
    countyRFQCecil CountySol. 248261
    Open · 7d remaining
    DAYS TO CLOSE
    7
    due Apr 30, 2026
    PUBLISHED
    Mar 23, 2026
    Posting date
    JURISDICTION
    Cecil County
    county
    NAICS CODE
    541110
    AI-classified industry

    AI Summary

    Cecil County seeks a part-time Drug Court Defense Attorney to represent participants in sanction hearings. Requires Maryland Bar admission, availability Fridays, and legal expertise. Submit quotes by April 30, 2026, via OpenGov Portal. Contract term July 2026 to June 2027.

    Opportunity details

    Solicitation No.
    248261
    Type / RFx
    RFQ
    Status
    open
    Level
    county
    Published Date
    March 23, 2026
    Due Date
    April 30, 2026
    NAICS Code
    541110AI guide
    Jurisdiction
    Cecil County
    Agency
    Cecil County

    Description

    Cecil County Drug Court Program under the auspice of the Circuit Court for Cecil County is looking to fill a part-time position (approximately 5-10 hours per week) in our Drug Court Program. The individual/law firm will be responsible for representing Drug Court participants at their Drug Court Review and Sanction Hearings.

    Project Details

    • Reference ID: RFQ-27-001
    • Department: Procurement Office
    • Department Head: Connie S Kamit (Procurement Manager)

    Important Dates

    • Questions Due: 2026-04-22T19:00:00.000Z

    Evaluation Criteria

    • GENERAL

      These General Conditions are a part of the Contract. In case of any conflict with the Special Provisions, the Special Provisions shall govern.

    • METHOD OF SOURCE SELECTION

      Cecil County, Maryland is required to adhere to Cecil County Code, Section 92 Purchasing, concerning good public purchasing practices using a competitive process (RFQ). All available information may be reviewed on the Cecil County, Maryland website (www.ccgov.org).

    • ELECTRONIC SUBMITTALS (MANDATORY)

      All quotes submitted electronically shall be submitted via OpenGov Procurement Portal. Submittals received through other means shall not be opened.

      The electronic time and date stamp will serve as the verification of the submittal requirement.

      ELECTRONIC SUBMITTAL PROCESS

      To be considered, Quotes shall be received by the closing date and time via OpenGov Procurement Portal.

      Late Quotes will not be considered. Bidders are strongly encouraged not to wait until the last minute to submit quotes. The time stated on the OpenGov Portal will be definitive of the time of receipt. 

      After submitting a Quote via OpenGov Procurement Portal and upon successful receipt by the County thereof, Bidder will receive an auto-receipt email from OpenGov Procurement. This receipt is proof that the quotes has been received by the Purchasing Division and should be retained for Bidder’s records. The County has no obligation to consider any quote for which an auto-receipt was not generated.

    • DEFINITIONS
      1. Responsible bidder: Bidder or offeror who has the capability in all respects to perform fully the contract requirements, and the experience, integrity, perseverance, reliability, capacity, facilities, equipment, and credit which will assure good faith performance.
      2. Responsive bidder: Is a vendor who has submitted a bid, which conforms in all material respects to the requirements stated in the IFB/RFQ.
      3. Contractor: Is the bidder or offeror who is awarded the Contract pursuant to this request for quotation.
    • METHOD OF AWARD
      1. The County reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
      2. The Contract shall be awarded or rejected within 180 days from the date of opening bids.
      3. If the bidder to whom an award is made shall fail to execute the Contract in the specified time indicated, the award may be annulled and the Contract awarded to the second lowest and responsible bidder, or the County may reject all of the bids as their interest may require.
    • BASIS OF AWARD

      The Contract may be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder(s) whose bids comply with all the requirements prescribed. In acceptance of bids, the County will be guided by consideration of the interest of the public and the County shall be under no obligation to accept the lowest bid.

      Bids may be rejected if they show any omissions, alterations of form, additions not called for, conditional or alternate bids, or irregularities of any kind. To ensure fair competition unresponsive bids or bids obviously unbalanced may be rejected. If there is any discrepancy between the unit price and the extended price, the unit price shall prevail.

      Cecil County, Maryland, reserves the right to accept or reject any bid and to procure no or any quantity of goods or services that are the subject of this RFQ, as deemed in its best interest of the County by the Purchasing Agent.

      All contracts and/or quantities are contingent on budgeting constraints.  All awards are based on Total Bid Amounts.  The County reserves the right to add or delete items from the bid package due to budget constraints, which may result in changing the Total Bid Amount.  The awarded vendor will be notified of any changes resulting in a bid price change.

    • SCOPE OF WORK (including specifications)

      The individual/law firm will be responsible for:

      • Provide direct assistance and representation to Drug Court participants within the Drug Court program, including but not limited to representation at Sanction Hearings involving any loss of liberty and/or termination/VOP/Sentencing hearings
      • Explain Drug Court requirements including waivers and expectations to Drug Court participants
      • Attend Drug Court hearings as scheduled each Friday between 8:30 AM through 4:00 PM
      • Attend Drug Court pre-court meetings with Drug Court team at 8 AM and 12 PM each Friday
      • Attend Drug Court trainings up to twice per year as requested by the Drug Court Coordinator; may request reimbursement for costs associated with approved training
      • Provide Professional Liability Insurance
      • Provide an Attorney, in your absence, to cover your responsibilities if you are not available. Payment for coverage is solely the responsibility of the awarded individual/law firm 
    • QUESTIONS/ADDENDA
      1. Bids are subject to change in the form of an addendum. It is the bidder’s responsibility to make sure all addenda are acknowledged in their bid via the OpenGov Procurement Portal. Failure to do so could result in the bid being disqualified.
      2. All questions should be asked no later than seven (7) calendar days in advance of the bid. All questions must be submitted using the questions and answers feature in OpenGov Procurement Portal.
      3. Addenda are posted on the OpenGov Procurement Portal at least three (3) calendar days before bid opening.
    • NOTICE TO PROCEED

      A Notice to Proceed/Purchase Order will be sent to the Contractor by Cecil County, Maryland. 

    • Qualifications/Skills

      A Juris Doctorate Degree and admission to the bar in the state of Maryland and in good standing with the Department of Assessment and Taxation. Must be available each Friday, as well as times Drug Court participants require discussion regarding representation for sanction hearings. Strong commitment to helping the community and ensuring equal access to justice.

    • MARYLAND REGISTRATION/QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

      (a) The Bidder must be in compliance with the laws regarding conducting business in the State of Maryland.

      All Bidders shall provide a copy Certificate of Status from the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, evidencing the Bidder is in good standing with the State of Maryland.

      See: https://dat.maryland.gov/businesses/Pages/Internet-Certificate-of-Status.aspx for information on obtaining the Certificate of Status. Certificates are not available for trade names, name reservations, government agencies, sole proprietorships, and some other accounts as these are not legal entities and thus are not required for these categories of bidders. For more information on the Certificate of Status please see https://dat.maryland.gov/Pages/sdatforms.aspx.

      (b) All bidders shall provide a copy of current business license for State of Maryland.

      (c) Cecil County reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to extend the date this documentation must be provided. The Bidder’s inability to provide this documentation could result in the bid being rejected.

      (d) All proposers must be in good standing with Cecil County, Maryland. Proposers must meet any outstanding taxes, fees, or accounts with Cecil County.

    • Quote Submission

      All quotes are required to be submitted electronically via OpenGov Procurement.

    • Salary

      The salary is grand funded on a Fiscal Year basis.

    • METHOD OF PURCHASE AND PAYMENT

      A Purchase Order will be sent to the contractor upon award of the contract.  All payments  will be remitted within thirty (30) days (net 30) upon receipt of an invoice.  Payment/Final payment will be remitted upon acceptance of the completed project and receipt of final invoice.

      All invoices shall be submitted to:    

      Cecil County Drug Court
      Adult Drug Treatment Court
      Cecil County Circuit Courthouse
      129 E Main Street, Room 304
      Elkton, MD 21921                                                      

    • Questions

      All questions shall be asked using the question & answer feature via OpenGov Procurement by 3:00 pm on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

    • EXCEPTIONS/SUBSTITUTIONS
      1. Any exceptions or substitutions to the specifications requested should be marked on the bid form and listed on a separate sheet of paper attached to the bid.
      2. An exception to the specifications may not necessarily disqualify the bid. The County will determine if the exception is an essential deviation or a minor item.
      3. In the case of a minor deviation, the County maintains the option to award to that bidder if it determines the performance is not adversely affected by the exception.
    • CONTRACT TYPE AND TERM

      The Contract term once awarded is July 1, 2026 (or execution of contract) through June 30, 2027 unless the Circuit Court or the awarded Contractor requests an earlier termination of the contract with 30 days written notice.

    • Submittal Requirements

      Respondent shall demonstrate within their proposal that they possess the necessary education and experience to perform the work described herein. This shall be accomplished with the provision of the following groups of information:

      • Detailed background on the individual/law firm and their capabilities for providing contract services.
      • Detailed background, experience, and capabilities of the proposed service providers. Their education and experience should be fully documented.

      The recommendation of the proposal review committee shall be based on the evaluations using the following criteria:

      • Previous experience of the respondent with furnishing said, "Legal Services", including general experience working within the framework of the judicial system.
      • Previous experience and education of the proposed providers
      • The individual/law firm's understanding of the scope of the work and quality and clarity of the individual/law firm's written methodology and description of the proposed approach to accomplish the work
      • Provide proposed cost based upon the term of the contract. Based on approximately five (5) - ten (10) hours per week with most of the hours on Friday as stated above. Respondent may include costs associated with training through the Drug Court program.

      Drug Court may request additional information or clarification of proposals and reserves the right to select the response to this solicitation which it believes will best serve its business and operational requirements, considering the evaluation criteria set forth above.

      Drug Court hereby reserves the right to solicit best and final offers only from a short list of respondents receiving the highest evaluated ratings.

    • PRICES

      Bid prices shall remain firm for one hundred eighty (180) days from the date of the bid opening. All contracts and/or quantities are contingent on budgetary constraints.

      Pricing must include all labor, delivery, materials, tools, and equipment to perform work.

    • Evaluation Procedure

      The proposal review committee will review and evaluate all proposals received in response to this solicitation. The proposal review committee may require oral presentations from a short list of respondents judged to be reasonably susceptible of being selected for award.

      The Drug Court reserves the right to enter negotiations with the respondents regarding questions about the technical and financial proposals and resolve differences. The Drug Court reserves the right to solicit a best and final offer from each remaining respondent.

      Drug Court reserves the right to determine which respondents have met the minimum basic requirements of this solicitation. Drug Court shall have the sole right to determine whether any deviation from the requirements of this solicitation is substantial in nature, and the Drug Court may reject in whole or in part any and all proposals, waive minor irregularities, and negotiate with all responsible respondents in any matter deemed necessary to serve the best interest of the Court.

      Drug Court reserves the right to award to multiple individuals/law firms.

    • Contract Award

      The Contract may be awarded to the lowest responsible, responsive bidder. Cecil County, Maryland reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive technicalities. All contract awards are based upon budgetary constraints.

    • Solicitation Packages

      Solicitation packages can be downloaded on Cecil County's OpenGov Procurement Portal (https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/cecil/projects/248261 ) as a PDF document no charge.  

      Changes or addendums to this bid will be posted on the County's OpenGov Procurement Portal.

      The County is not responsible for information obtained from sources outside the Cecil County Purchasing Office, including downloads from the County website. Vendors are directly responsible for obtaining updates, changes, or addendums either from the updated webpage or by contacting the Purchasing Office.

    • PERSONAL LIABILITY OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS

      In carrying out any of the provisions of this Contract or in exercising any power of authority granted to him thereby, there shall be no personal liability upon the County, or his authorized agent being understood that in such matters he acts as the agent or representative of the County.

    • PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT (PIA)

      Cecil County is subject to the Maryland Public Information Act and may be required to release bid submissions in accordance with the Act.

      Any materials the Vendor deems to be proprietary or copyrighted must be marked as such; however, the material may still be subject to analysis under the Maryland Public Information Act.

    • LAWS AND REGULATIONS

      The Contractor, at all times, shall observe and comply with all federal, state, municipal and/or local laws, ordinances, rules and regulations in any manner affecting the work to be done and all such orders or decrees as may exist at present and those which may be enacted later, of bodies or tribunals having jurisdiction or authority over and shall indemnify and save harmless the Owner and all its officers, agents and employees against any claim or liability arising from or based on the violation of any such laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, order or decree, whether such violations by the Contractor or by any sub-Contractor or any of their agents and/or employees.

    • RIGHT TO TERMINATE

      Cecil County, Maryland reserves the right to terminate this contract by a ten (10) day written notice should the quality of the work/products become inferior, or the delivery service becomes poor.

    • CLAIMS

      Should the Contractor believe that it is entitled to any additional compensation or time, over or beyond the compensation or time stipulated in the Contract documents, or for compensation or an extension of contract time over or beyond that allowed or approved by the County for damages, losses, expenses, or delays alleged to have been sustained by it in connection with this Contract, the Contractor shall file a written notice of claim thereof with the County prior to incurring any costs for which it may claim a right to additional compensation. The written notice shall be on company letterhead and addressed to the authorized County Representative. Unless otherwise specified or required, in the events of alleged delay to the schedule, such notice shall be given no later than twenty (20) days after the onset of such alleged damages, losses, expenses, or delays.

      Unless otherwise specified, within thirty (30) days after giving the required notice, but not later than final payment, the Contractor shall file with the County a written, itemized statement of the details and amount of such claim of damage, loss, expenses, or delay. Unless the Contractor timely files its written notice of claim and statement of costs as prescribed herein, the Contractor’s claim for such additional compensation shall be absolutely invalidated; and it shall not be entitled to any compensation on account of such alleged damage, loss, expenses, or delay.

      The County shall ascertain the facts and shall approve an equitable adjustment to the Contract amount and/or time when, in the judgment of the County, the findings of fact warrant it. The County shall issue a written decision on the claim within thirty (30) days after receipt of the Contractor’s itemized statement of the claim unless extended by mutual written agreement. If the County does not issue a decision within thirty (30) days or any extension thereof, the County shall be deemed as having made a final decision denying the claim. The County’s decision shall be final and conclusive on the parties, except as provided in “Breaches and Dispute Resolution”.

    • BREACHES AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION
      • Disputes– Disputes arising in the performance of this Contract which are not resolved by agreement of the parties shall be decided in writing by the authorized representative of Cecil County, Maryland. This decision shall be final and conclusive unless within ten (10) days from the date of receipt of its copy, the Contractor mails or otherwise furnishes a written appeal to the Cecil County, Maryland. In connection with any such appeal, the Contractor shall be afforded an opportunity to be heard and to offer evidence in support of its position. The decision of the Cecil County, Maryland shall be binding upon the Contractor and the Contractor shall abide be the decision.
      • Performance During Dispute – Unless otherwise directed by Cecil County, Maryland, Contractor shall continue performance under this Contract while matters in dispute are being resolved.
      • Claims for Damages – Should either party to the Contract suffer injury or damage to person or property because of any act or omission of the party or of any of their employees, agents, or others for whose acts he is legally liable, a claim for damages, therefore, shall be made in writing to such other party within a reasonable time after the first observance of such injury of damage.
      • Rights and Remedies – The duties and obligations imposed by the Contract Documents and the rights and remedies available there under shall be in addition to and not a limitation of any duties, obligations, rights, and remedies otherwise imposed or available by law. No action or failure to act by the Cecil County, Maryland shall constitute a waiver of any right or duty under the Contract, nor shall any such action or failure to act constitute an approval of or acquiescence in any breach there under.
    • SUBLETTING OF CONTRACT

      The Contractor shall not sublet, sell or assign all or any portion of the Contract, or the work provided therein, without the consent of the County. Subletting or assigning more than fifty percent (50%) of the dollar value of the Contract work shall not be permitted. Where subcontractors are used, the contractor shall submit all insurance information for all subcontractors.

    • CONTRACT PERFORMANCE

      If the contractor fails to perform or violates any provisions under this contract, failure or violation may be considered a material breach establishing grounds for contract termination. If the contract is terminated, Cecil County, Maryland may award to the second ranked vendor for this RFQ without re-solicitation.

    • DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE PROGRAM

      The County promotes policies which assure and encourage the full participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) in the provision of goods and services. Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, as defined in 49 CFR 23, shall have equal opportunity to compete for and perform sub-contracts which the Contractor(s) enters into pursuant to this contract. The Contractor(s) shall use their best efforts to solicit bids from and to utilize DBE sub-contractors(s) or sub-contractors(s) with meaningful minority group and female representation among their employees.

    Submission Requirements

    • Proposal Upload (required)

      Please submit required information as listed within Section 2 "Submittal Requirements"

    • A Copy of Certificate of Status from the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation (required)
    • Proposal Statement (required)

      By selecting confirm, the bidder agrees to the following:

      The bidder declares that the only person, firm, or corporation, or persons, firms, or corporations, that has or have any interest in this proposal or in the Contract or Contracts proposed to be taken is or are the undersigned; that this proposal is made without any connection or collusion with any person, firm, or corporation making a proposal for the same work; that the attached specifications have been carefully examined and are understood; that as careful an examination has been made as is necessary to become informed as to the character and extent of the work required; and that it is proposed and agreed, if the proposal is accepted to contract with Cecil County, Maryland, in the form of Contract heretofore attached, to do the required work in the manner set forth in the specifications.

      The bid price on the attached and signed Proposal Forms is to include and cover the furnishing of all equipment, materials, and labor requisite and proper and the providing of all necessary machinery, tools, apparatus, and means for performing the work, and described, and shown in the plans and specifications within the prescribed time. If this proposal shall be accepted by said County and the undersigned shall refuse or neglect within ten days after receiving the Contract for execution to execute the same, and to give stipulated bond, then said County may at their option determine that the bidder has abandoned the Contract; and thereupon the proposal and the acceptance thereof shall be null and void; and the deposit accompanying the proposal shall be forfeited to and become the property of the County.

       

    • Total Bid Amount (required)

      The Bid Form lists all anticipated work tasks, the unit of measure and estimated quantities. The bidders shall insert as indicated a unit price or lump sum price for each listed work task and multiply that price by the quantity to arrive at an extended total for each work task. All extended prices are then summed to arrive at the Total Bid Amount for the project. The bid will be awarded to the bidder that has the lowest total bid price and is responsive and responsible as defined in the bid/contract documents.

      By confirming, the bidder swears (or affirms) under the penalty of perjury that the Bidders, its agents, servants, and/or employees, to the best of their knowledge and belief, have not in any way colluded with anyone for and on behalf of the Bidder, or themselves, to obtain information that would give the Bidder any unfair advantage over others, nor have to gain any favoritism in the award of any contract resulting from this bid. By signing this bid form, I acknowledge that I have read the entire bid package.

       

    • The above statements and responses are certified to be true and accurate, and we have the equipment, labor, supervision and financial capacity to perform this Contract for the Total Bid Amount, either with our organization, or with subcontractors. (required)
    • Agreement of Terms and Conditions (required)

      The VENDOR declares that the only person, firm or corporation, or persons, firms or corporations, that has or have any interest in this proposal or in the Contract or Contracts proposed to be taken is or are the undersigned; that this proposal is made without any connection or collusion with any person, firm or corporation making a proposal for the same work; that the attached specifications have been carefully examined and are understood; that as careful an examination has been made as is necessary to become informed as to the character and extent of the work required; and, that it is proposed and agreed, if the proposal is accepted to contract with Cecil County, Maryland, in the form of Contract heretofore attached, to do the required work in the manner set forth in the specifications.

      The proposal price on the attached and Proposal Forms are to include and cover the furnishing of all equipment, materials, and labor requisite and proper and the providing of all necessary machinery, tools, apparatus, kitchen utensils and means for performing the work, and described and shown in the plans and specifications within the prescribed time. If this proposal shall be accepted by said County and the VENDOR shall refuse or neglect within ten days after receiving the Contract for execution to execute the same, and to give stipulated bond, then said County may at their option determine that the VENDOR has abandoned the Contract; and, thereupon, the proposal and the acceptance thereof shall be null and void; and, the deposit accompanying the proposal shall be forfeited to and become the property of the County.

      In the case of firms, the firm’s name must be subscribed to by at least one (1) member. In the case of corporations, the corporate name must be by some authorized officer or agent thereof, who shall also subscribe his name and office.

    • Indemnity/Hold Harmless Agreement (required)

      To the fullest extent permitted by law, the undersigned Organization agrees to indemnify and hold Cecil County, Maryland, its elected and appointed officials, employees, and volunteers, and others working on behalf of Cecil County, Maryland, harmless from and against all loss, cost, expense, damage, liability or claims, whether groundless or not, arising out of the bodily injury, sickness or disease (including death resulting at any time therefrom) which may be sustained or claimed by any person or persons, or the damage or destruction of any property, including the loss of use thereof, based on any act or omission, negligent or otherwise, of the Organization, or anyone acting on its behalf in connection with or incident toRFQ-27-001Drug Court Defense Attorney Services - Part-Time, except that the Organization shall not be responsible to Cecil County, Maryland on indemnity for damages caused by or resulting from Cecil County, Maryland's sole negligence; and the Organization shall, at its own cost and expense, defend any such claims and any suit, action, or proceeding which may be recovered in any suit, action, or proceeding, and any and all expense including, but not limited to, costs, attorney's fees and settlement expenses, which may be incurred therein.

       

    • Agreement of Jurisdiction (required)

      Governing Law; Consent to Jurisdiction. This procurement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Maryland, and the parties submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Maryland. This agreement may not be modified except in writing executed by the parties.

       

    • Addendum Verification (required)

      This is to certify this project reflects changes created by the addenda.

    • Updated W-9 (required)
    • Additional Information (optional)

      Upload any additional information you feel will enhance your quote. (optional)

    • Pricing (required)
    • Type of Pre-Bid Meeting (required)
    • Attendance Requirement (required)
    • Does this project have a site visit? (required)
    • Site Visit Location (required)

      Please enter the address in following format:

      Building Name (if any), Street Address, City, State, Zip Code.

    • Is additional insurances required for this project? (required)
    • Bid Opening Date & Time (required)

      Please type in following format

      9 November, 2023 at 2:00 PM EST

    • Is "Experiences and Qualifications Statement" required for this project? (required)

    Key dates

    1. March 23, 2026Published
    2. April 30, 2026Responses Due

    AI classification tags

    Frequently asked questions

    SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.

    SamSearch Platform

    Stop searching. Start winning.

    AI-powered intelligence for the right opportunities, the right leads, and the right time.