Legal Services

The Stockton Unified School District ("District) is soliciting proposals from qualified law firms and legal service providers to establish a qualified pool of firms to provide legal counsel, advisory services, and representation in support of the District's educational mission, governance responsibilities, business operations, and compliance obligations to the District Governing Board. The District seeks to identify and prequalify firms with demonstrated expertise in one or more areas of legal practice relevant to California public school districts, including, but not limited to, General Legal Counsel, Board Governance, Labor and Employment, Human Resources, Employee Relations and Negotiations, Special Education, Charter Schools, Facilities and Construction, Real Estate, Public Contracting, Student Matters, and Litigation.

Background

The Stockton Unified School District is the 17th largest school District in the State of California and provides TK-12 education services to over 39,000 students. located in Stockton, in the heart of California’s Central Valley. The District has pre-school and Adult School programs, is the Charter Authority for 11 active Charter schools and operates various administrative, maintenance, and support facilities to ensure high-quality educational programs and student services.

Additional information about the District, its schools, and programs is available on the Stockton Unified School District website.

Project Details

• Reference ID: RFP 26-27-02
• Department: Purchasing Services
• Department Head: Sheikia Wilson (Director, Purchasing)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-07-27T22:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Firm Qualifications & Experience (30 pts) —

  Evaluation of the Respondent's overall qualifications, organizational experience, staffing, and demonstrated ability to provide legal services to California public school districts. Consideration may include:

  • Membership in good standing with the State Bar of California;
  • Years of experience representing California public school districts;
  • Experience advising publicly elected governing boards, superintendents, executive leadership, and public agencies;
  • Organizational capacity, stability, and resources; and
  • Breadth of legal services offered.
• Staff, Team Qualifications and Experience (20 pts) —

  Evaluation of the qualifications, experience, expertise, and availability of the attorneys and key personnel proposed to provide services to the District, including:

  • Relevant education and professional experience;
  • Areas of legal specialization;
  • Experience representing California public school districts; and
  • Availability and continuity of assigned personnel.
• Relevant K-12/Public Agency Legal Experience (10 pts) —

  Evaluation of the Respondent's demonstrated experience providing legal services per the Scope of Services.

• Demonstrated Understanding of the Scope of Services (20 pts) —

  Evaluation of the Respondent's demonstrated understanding of the District's legal service needs, the Scope of Services, and its overall approach to providing responsive, timely, and effective legal counsel to the District.

• Fee Schedule (20 pts) —

  Evaluation of the Respondent's proposed fee schedule, including the reasonableness and competitiveness of hourly rates, billing practices, reimbursable expenses, alternative fee arrangements, and overall value to the District.

Submission Requirements

• Fee Proposal Declaration (required) —

  The individual submitting this proposal hereby certifies that they are duly authorized to submit this proposal on behalf of the firm identified below.

  By digitally confirming this submission, the proposer certifies that they have read, understand, and agree to comply with all specifications, instructions, terms, and conditions set forth in this Request for Proposals (RFP), including all addenda issued by the District. The proposer further certifies that the firm has the qualifications, experience, resources, and ability to provide all services described in this RFP at the prices submitted.

  The proposer certifies that the proposal includes a complete and accurate pricing submission and that all costs, fees, and charges associated with the proposed services have been fully disclosed.

  The proposer further certifies that, since the issuance of this RFP, no contact, discussion, or negotiation regarding this RFP has been conducted or will be conducted by any representative of the firm with any District employee, District agent, or Board member, except through the designated District contact identified in the RFP documents. The proposer understands that any such unauthorized contact may result in disqualification of the proposal.

  The proposer further certifies that the firm is properly licensed, insured, and authorized to conduct business within the scope of this RFP in the State of California.

  The proposer acknowledges that all requirements, terms, and addenda contained in this RFP are incorporated into this proposal and that, if selected by the District, the proposal shall be considered binding upon the proposer.

• Technical Submission (required) —

  Please upload your Technical Proposal here. This document should include your firm's qualifications, project approach, and proposed timeline.

• Fee Proposal (required) —

  Please upload your complete Cost Proposal here. This should include a detailed breakdown of all fees, hourly rates, and any other costs associated with the project as outlined in the Scope of Work.

• Certificate Regarding Worker’s Compensation (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• W-9 (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Proposer Application (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Fingerprint and Criminal Background Check (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Certification Regarding Debarment (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Debarment Verification (required) —

  Please enter your company's legal name or dba company name.

  The company name must match what is listed on the submitted W9.

• Equal Opportunity Certification (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• 2022 Executive Orders Compliance Statement (required) —

  On February 21, 2022, President Biden issued Executive Order 140651 imposing economic sanctions and prohibiting many activities including, but not limited to, investing, importing, exporting, and contracting, in areas of Ukraine and in Russia. On March 4, 2022, California Governor Newsom issued Order N-6-222 requiring state agencies to take steps to ensure any agency and entity under contract with state agencies comply with the Federal Order.

  If awarded a contract with the District, your Firm must comply with the economic sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, including the orders and sanctions identified on the U.S. Department of the Treasury website.

  As part of this procurement, please select all that apply:

• Executive Order Compliance Certification PCC 2202-2208 (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Throughout the life of the Contract, Vendor shall pay for and maintain in full force and affect the policies of insurance identified in the District’s General Conditions as specified in Section INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS. (required) —

  Please acknowledge.

• Please provide any additional information that you would like the District to consider as part of your proposal.
• Should this solicitation include a detailed pricing table? (required) —

  Select Yes if you want the system to include a structured pricing table where vendors must enter individual unit costs. 

• Does this project require separate cost and technical proposals? (required) —

  This will create two distinct upload fields for vendors: one for their Technical Proposal and one for their Cost Proposal. Select No if vendors should submit a single, combined document.

• What is the anticipated duration of the contract? (required) —

  Please enter the term.

• Are recurring progress or data reports required? (required) —

  Select Yes if the selected vendor must submit periodic status updates, data exports, or compliance reports throughout the contract term.