Professional Lobbying Services (State)

The City of Hialeah (the “City”) is seeking proposals from experienced and qualified governmental affairs consulting firms to provide professional lobbying services. The City reserves the right to select one (1) firm to provide proactive advocacy, strategic planning, and legislative monitoring to represent the City before the executive and legislative branches of the State of Florida.

Background

The goal of this representation is to secure legislation, appropriations, and grant funding for programs and projects identified as priorities by the City. The selected firms will serve as a consistent and effective primary point of contact between the City and state officials.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2025-26-054
• Department: Mayor's Office
• Department Head: Bryan Calvo, Esq. (Mayor)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-06-19T18:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Experience & Qualifications / Work Reference of Entity and Success (25 pts) —
  1. Firm & Staffing
     
     
     1. Provide a brief history of the firm and its specific expertise in the public sector.
        
        
     2. Identify the primary lobbyists and support staff that will be assigned to the City. Include a summary of their professional backgrounds, focusing on prior legislative experience, executive branch relationships, and technical policy expertise.
        
        
  2. Demonstrated Success & Track Record
     
     
     1. Detail at least three (3) specific examples from the last five years where the firm successfully secured funding, passed favorable legislation, or defeated adverse regulations on behalf of a client.
        
        
     2. Provide evidence of an ability to work effectively across the aisle and maintain productive relationships with both majority and minority leadership.
        
        
  3. Professional References
     
     
     1. Provide contact information for three (3) current or former clients. Ideally, these references should represent entities of similar size or complexity to the City of Hialeah.
        
        
     2. Preference will be given to firms that demonstrate long-term client retention, indicating a consistent level of service and reliability.
• Knowledge & Relationship at State Level / Relevant Access & Influence (25 pts) —
  1. Provide a detailed overview of your firm’s established, bipartisan relationships with key legislators, committee leadership, and executive branch officials.
     
     
  2. Describe your firm’s ability to facilitate high-level meetings and maintain consistent dialogue with influential stakeholders, particularly during compressed legislative sessions or critical regulatory windows.
     
     
  3. Detail your firm’s standing within the State Level, highlighting a track record of ethical influence and the ability to serve as a trusted, authoritative voice on behalf of your clients. 
• Service / Program Plan / Advocacy and Support Approach (30 pts) —
  1. Describe the firm’s methodology for identifying, monitoring, and influencing legislation, administrative rules, and policy shifts. Include the process for developing an annual legislative priority list in coordination with the City's administration.
     
     
  2. Provide a detailed plan for maintaining and leveraging relationships with key stakeholders, including members of the State Legislature, Congress, executive branch agencies, and relevant committee staff.
     
     
  3. Outline the approach for identifying and securing state and federal funding opportunities, including appropriations, grants, and earmarks tailored to the City’s infrastructure, public safety, and economic development goals.
     
     
  4. Describe the protocol for providing real-time updates during legislative sessions and regular progress reports throughout the year. Include how the firm will coordinate with the City’s designated points of contact to ensure a unified message.
• Price (20 pts) —

  The maximum number of points allocated to the Price component will be awarded to the Proposer offering the lowest total annual cost. Other proposals will receive points inversely proportional to the lowest bid.
  
  Pricing will be scored objectively using the Relative Price Formula.

  Proposer	Proposed Annual Price	Calculation	Points Awarded
  Firm A	$60,000 (Lowest)	(60,000 / 60,000) x 20	20.00
  Firm B	$75,000	(60,000 / 75,000) x 20	16.00
  Firm C	$90,000	(60,000 / 90,000)  x 20	13.33

Submission Requirements

• Solicitation Package
• Letter of Intent (required) —

  Each Respondent shall submit a letter of intent, which shall be signed by an authorized officer of the company or other Person authorized to bind the Respondent to the terms presented in its Response. The letter of intent must expressly state that the Respondent will provide the services requested in the Solicitation, in compliance with the terms in the Agreement, for the prices submitted with the Response.

• Respondent's Statement of Organization (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized. 

• Subcontractor (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized.

• Subcontractor (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Public Entity Crimes Affidavit (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized. 

• Non-Collusion Affidavit (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized. 

• Insurance Requirements & Checklist (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized. 

• Drug-Free Workplace (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized. 

• Certification to Accuracy of Solicitation (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized. 

• City of Hialeah Disclosure Affidavit (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized. 

• Assignment of Antitrust Claims (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized. 

• E-Verify Sworn Statement (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized. 

• Is the entity's principle business location within Hialeah city limits? (required) —

  If yes, please download the below documents, complete, and upload completed.

  If no, please download the form and upload blank.

• Is the entity's principle business location within Hialeah city limits? (required) —

  If yes, please download the below documents, complete, and upload completed.

  If no, please download the form and upload blank.

• Common Carrier or Contracted Carrier Attestation (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• ”No sharing of personal identifying data with foreign countries of concern” (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized. 

• Affidavit Required by Section 787.06, Florida Statutes, “Human Trafficking” (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized. 

• Certificate of Receipt (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Litigation and Debarments (required) —

  To establish responsibility the Respondent cannot have one (1) or more of the following circumstances.

  A. Have a member, principal, officer, or stockholder who is in arrears or in default of any debt or contract involving the City, is not a debtor or in default to the City ; or is not a , guarantor, maker,  or surety upon any obligation to the City, and/or has failed to perform faithfully any contract with the City; or
  
  B. Have any record of any pending lawsuit(s) or unsatisfied civil judgments against the Respondent or conviction(s) of criminal acts including, without limitation, any crimes involving fraud or moral turpitude, fraud, deceit, or have ever been declared bankrupt or had a receiver appointed over their property or been the subject of an assignment for the be benefit of creditors in the past seven (7) years.
  
  C. Be on the convicted vendor list per “Public Entity Crimes”, Section 287.133, Fla. Stat and/or the Discriminatory Vendor List”, Section 287.134, Fla. Stat. or.
  
  D. Have been debarred within the past seven (7) years by any public agency in Florida 
  
  These findings of responsibility will apply jointly and severally to the Respondent as a business entity and to a member, principal, officer, or stockholder of the Respondent. 
  

  RESPONDENT MEETS ONE (1) OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES.

• Litigation and Debarment Disclosure (required) —

  If YES to the Litigation and Debarments question, please disclose within this text window. Failure to disclose any circumstances listed above shall result in a response being deemed NON-RESPONSIVE.

  If NO to the Litigation and Debarments question, please label this section as N/A".

• CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND ETHICS (required) —

  Each Respondent must confirm that the Respondent does not violate any of the following conflicts of interest provisions:

  (a) To the best of its knowledge, no officer, director, agent, or employee of the Respondent, or any relative of an officer, director, agent, or employee of the Respondent, is also an employee of the City.

  (b) To the best of its knowledge, no City employee owns, directly or indirectly, an interest of five percent (5%) or more in the Respondent’s firm or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates.

  (c) The Respondent does not directly or indirectly own or have a financial interest in more than ten percent (10%) of any other Respondent, regardless of whether such ownership is direct or through a parent, subsidiary, affiliate, other agreement or arrangement, or holding company of any other business entity.

  Each Respondent shall list and describe any professional or financial relationship that it has or had with the City, its elected or appointed officials, any employees or agents, or any of its agencies or component units, during the past five (5) years (i.e., since January 1, 2019), together with a statement explaining why each relationship do not constitute a conflict of interest relative to the services sought in this Solicitation.

  The Respondent shall have an ongoing obligation to give the Purchasing Division Director prompt written notice of any other professional or financial relationships that it enters into with the City, its elected or appointed officials, its employees or agents, or any of its agencies or component units before the Agreement is executed.

  Each Respondent must list all relationships that present potential, actual, or perceived conflicts of interest in connection with the Respondent’s potential work under this Solicitation. Concerning each such conflict, please provide a brief explanation of the facts and issues involved in the potential conflict. If the Respondent is not aware of any potential conflict, the Respondent should state there are no such conflicts expressly.

  Each Respondent must identify all persons that are involved with this Solicitation on behalf of the Respondent. In addition to the representatives previously addressed by the Respondent in their response to this Solicitation, please identify the names of any person serving as the Respondent’s lawyer, lobbyist, or public relations representative with regard to this Solicitation. The Respondent also must promptly notify the City Clerk in writing if any person is added to this list after the submittal of the Proposal.

  If the Respondent is participating in any discussions concerning a merger, acquisition, partnership, or assignment of the Agreement, please identify the other person(s) that may be participating in the work performed under the Agreement.
  
  RESPONDENT MEETS ONE (1) OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES.
  

• Conflicts of Interest and Ethics —

  If YES to the Conflicts of Interest and Ethics question, please disclose within this text window. Failure to disclose any circumstances listed above shall result in a response being deemed NON-RESPONSIVE.

  If NO to the Conflicts of Interest and Ethics question, please label this section as N/A".

• Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, And Other Responsibility Matters (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Assurance of Compliance (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Respondent's Initial Section 3 Goals (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Minority Business Utilization Commitment (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Section 3 Packet (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Section 3 Business Certification (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Lap Certification of Current Capacity (required) —

  The Contractor must certify that they have the financial capacity to complete the project. It is required that the Contractor download, complete, and submit attached form FDOT form # 525-101-46.

• Lobbying Certification (required) —

  Bidder must download FDOT form #375-030-33 and FDOT form #375-030-034d, complete, and upload.

• Non-Collusion Declaration and Compliance with 49 CFR §29.110(a) (required) —

  Please download the non-collusion declaration and compliance with 49 CFR §29.110(a) form, complete, and upload.

• Vendor Eligibility Check Prior to Contract Award (required) —

  Please download the vendor eligibility check prior to contract award form, complete, and upload.

• Capacity to Perform —

  To establish responsibility each Respondent must provide information demonstrating that the Respondent will be able to dedicate sufficient capable personnel, inventory, materials, equipment, and other resources to perform the work required under the Agreement. Each Respondent must identify and describe the resources it has available to serve the City.

• Please upload a list of all capable personnel, inventory, materials, equipment, and other resources to perform the work required under the Agreement (required)
• Experience and Qualifications —

  To establish responsibility each Respondent shall submit proof that a Respondent is a Person who is licensed or authorized to complete the lobbying services required in this Solicitation and is licensed to do business in the State of Florida and in “Good” standing.

• Experience & Qualifications of the Firm (required) —

  A. Respondent must provide a brief history of the firm and its specific expertise in the public sector and identify the primary lobbyists and support staff that will be assigned to the City. Include a summary of their professional backgrounds, focusing on prior legislative experience, executive branch relationships, and technical policy expertise. 

  B. Respondent must provide proof it is fully licensed and certified to operate as a lobbying firm in the State of Florida.

  C. The Firm must provide proof they have a minimum of three (3) years of experience providing lobbying services.

  D. The designated Principal-in-Charge and Project Manager must provide proof they each have a minimum of five (5) years of experience in the lobbying field 

  E. Respondent must submit proof they are an active corporation or other incorporated business entity (e.g., LLC, etc.) in the State of Florida.

  F. Respondent must submit a valid Business Tax Receipt (BTR).

  G. Respondent must provide proof that it has successfully represented at least three (3) municipal or county governments before state agencies with measurable success in securing funding.

  H. Respondent must provide three (3) references in the response section of this solicitation. Ideally, these references should represent entities of similar size or complexity to the City of Hialeah. 

  I. Respondent must be in good standing with all ethics commissions regulatory bodies. No ethics violations, suspensions in the past. 

• Knowledge & Relationship at State Level (required) —

  A. Respondent must provide a detailed overview of your firm’s established, bipartisan relationships with key legislators, committee leadership, and executive branch officials.

  B. Describe your firm’s ability to facilitate high-level meetings and maintain consistent dialogue with influential stakeholders, particularly during compressed legislative sessions or critical regulatory windows. 

  C. Detail your firm’s standing within the State Level, highlighting a track record of ethical influence and the ability to serve as a trusted, authoritative voice on behalf of your clients. 

• Service / Program Plan / Advocacy and Support Approach (required) —

  Each Respondent must include a description of the systematic approach and actions to be taken to provide the services requested under the RFP. This systematic approach must describe, at a minimum, the established procedure and Respondent’s capability to follow all applicable rules and maintain a safe work environment from which the Respondent will perform the services pursuant to the requirements of the Agreement.

  A. Describe the firm’s methodology for identifying, monitoring, and influencing legislation, administrative rules, and policy shifts. Include the process for developing an annual legislative priority list in coordination with the City's administration.

  B. Provide a detailed plan for maintaining and leveraging relationships with key stakeholders, including members of the State Legislature, Congress, executive branch agencies, and relevant committee staff 

  C. Outline the approach for identifying and securing state funding opportunities, including appropriations, grants, and earmarks tailored to the City’s infrastructure, public safety, and economic development goals. 

  D. Describe the protocol for providing real-time updates during legislative sessions and regular progress reports throughout the year. Include how the firm will coordinate with the City’s designated points of contact to ensure a unified message.

• Completed Project #1 —

  To establish responsibility each Respondent must submit proof that it has completed a minimum of three (3) contracts within the last three (3) years, in which the Respondent provided lobbying services to Florida cities, counties or other Florida governmental agencies in similar size or complexity to the City of Hialeah. 
  
  Do not include references from the City of Hialeah.
  
  For each such contract, the Respondent must provide the following information:

• Contact Information (required) —

  Name telephone number and email address for your client's contact person or representative for each contract.

• Description of Services (required) —

  A narrative description of the services performed. 

• Contract Duration (required)
• Dollar Amount of the Contract (required)
• Completed Project #2 —

  To establish responsibility each Respondent must submit proof that it has completed a minimum of three (3) contracts within the last three (3) years, in which the Respondent provided lobbying services to Florida cities, counties or other Florida governmental agencies in similar size or complexity to the City of Hialeah. 
  
  Do not include references from the City of Hialeah.
  
  For each such contract, the Respondent must provide the following information:

• Contact Information (required) —

  Name telephone number and email address for your client's contact person or representative for each contract.

• Description of Services (required) —

  A narrative description of the services performed. 

• Contract Duration (required)
• Dollar Amount of Contract (required)
• Completed Project #3 —

  To establish responsibility each Respondent must submit proof that it has completed a minimum of three (3) contracts within the last three (3) years, in which the Respondent provided lobbying services to Florida cities, counties or other Florida governmental agencies in similar size or complexity to the City of Hialeah. 
  
  Do not include references from the City of Hialeah.
  
  For each such contract, the Respondent must provide the following information:

• Contact Information (required) —

  Name telephone number and email address for your client's contact person or representative for each contract.

• Description of Services (required) —

  A narrative description of the services performed.

• Contract Duration (required)
• Dollar Amount of Contract (required)
• Reference #1 —

  Each Response must be accompanied by a list of three (3) references, which shall include the name of the company, dates of contract, description of the completed work or goods supplied, a contact person and the current telephone number. Each reference may be either public or private entities, but must be distinct and cannot be duplicated. Do not include references from the City of Hialeah, and please. NO RESPONSE WILL BE CONSIDERED WITHOUT THIS WRITTEN LIST OF REFERENCES. IT WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE. 

• Entity Name (required)
• Contract Term Dates (required)
• Description of goods or services supplied (required)
• Entity contact name (required)
• Entity contact email (required)
• Entity contact phone number  (required)
• Reference #2 —

  Each Response must be accompanied by a list of three (3) references, which shall include the name of the company, dates of contract, description of the completed work or goods supplied, a contact person and the current telephone number. Each reference may be either public or private entities, but must be distinct and cannot be duplicated. Do not include references from the City of Hialeah, and please. NO RESPONSE WILL BE CONSIDERED WITHOUT THIS WRITTEN LIST OF REFERENCES. IT WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE 

• Entity Name (required)
• Contract Term Dates (required)
• Description of goods or services supplied (required)
• Entity contact name (required)
• Entity contact email (required)
• Entity contact phone number (required)
• Reference #3 —

  Each Response must be accompanied by a list of three (3) references, which shall include the name of the company, dates of contract, description of the completed work or goods supplied, a contact person and the current telephone number. Each reference may be either public or private entities, but must be distinct and cannot be duplicated. Do not include references from the City of Hialeah, and please. NO RESPONSE WILL BE CONSIDERED WITHOUT THIS WRITTEN LIST OF REFERENCES. IT WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE 

• Entity Name (required)
• Contract Term Dates (required)
• Description of goods or services supplied (required)
• Entity contact name (required)
• Entity contact email (required)
• Entity contact phone number (required)
• SOLICITATION CONFIRMATION —

  By submitting their response and price proposal, the respondent certifies they have followed all solicitation rules and are making a legally binding offer to accept any resulting award. 

• RESPONSE & PRICE PROPOSAL CONFIRMATION (required) —

  The Respondent certifies that this Response and price proposal are submitted in accordance with the solicitation specifications and conditions governing this Solicitation. By submitting a response to this solicitation, the Respondent explicitly agrees to honor all pricing and terms for a period of one-hundred and eighty (180) calendar days from the date of the Solicitation opening.
  
  This confirmation constitutes the unequivocal, irrevocable offer of the Respondent to be bound by the terms of its Response and price proposal. The Respondent further certifies that they will accept any award(s) made to them as a result of this Solicitation during this 180-day period.

• This Solicitation will be for (required)
• Provide evaluation criteria for the RFP (required) —

  Criteria may include but are not limited to:

  • Years of Experience
  • Years of Experience with a governmental entity.
  • Understanding and responsiveness to the solicitation as a whole or specific section(s).
  • Pricing
  • Proposer's Financials
  • Capacity to Perform
• What is the estimated value of the project? (required)
• How will the project be funded? (required)
• What account(s) will be utilized for the expenditure? (required) —

  If no account has been designated, please see OMB before continuing.

• Please describe the other funding source, and provide an account number. (required) —

  If no account has been designated, please see OMB. Be as detailed as possible when describing the funding source.

• What will be the term of the resulting contract? (required)
• Will the contract require renewal terms? (required) —

  Please choose the applicable option

• Will the contract require renewal terms? (required) —

  Please choose the applicable option

• Will the contract require renewal terms? (required) —

  Please choose the applicable option

• Will the contract require renewal terms? (required) —

  Please choose the applicable option

• Is Local Vendor Preference applicable to this solicitation? (required)
• Is a pre-bid/pre-proposal meeting necessary? (required)
• What is the address of the pre-bid/pre-proposal meeting site? (required)
• Will subcontractors be allowed? (required) —

  Note: A self-performance requirement sets a minimum percentage of work that the contractor must complete in this project rather than utilize subcontractors.

• What is the ____% of the self-performance requirement? (required)
• Will this project include Grant funded Roadway Construction? (required)
• Which solicitation template was chosen? (required)
• Does the project have completion estimate? (required) —

  A completion estimate is important for solicitation projects because it is crucial for both the companies bidding on the project and the organization soliciting the bids.

  For bidders, the estimate is the foundation of their proposal, allowing them to:

  • Submit competitive and profitable bids.
  • Effectively manage resources like labor and materials.
  • Identify and plan for potential risks.

  For project owners, the estimate helps them to:

  • Accurately evaluate and compare different proposals.
  • Secure necessary funding by establishing a budget.
  • Monitor the project's progress and costs to prevent overruns.
• What is the completion estimate for this project in calendar days? (required)