RFP 26-03: General Counsel and Other Legal Services

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District (Metro Fire or District) is soliciting proposals from qualified individual attorneys and law firms (Contractor) licensed to practice in the State of California to provide general legal counsel and other legal services. The District seeks firms with demonstrated experience representing California special districts and other public agencies across a broad range of federal, state, and local matters, including but not limited to labor and employment, public contracting and procurement, governance and Ralph M. Brown Act (Brown Act) compliance, and legal issues specific to fire protection, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and public safety operations.

Through this solicitation, the District intends to designate one firm to serve as General Counsel, while also establishing a Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) of firms to provide other legal services as needed. Contractors selected through this process may be retained on an as-needed basis to support the District’s operational, administrative, and governance functions.

Background

Metro Fire is an independent special district formed in 2000 through a Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO)-approved consolidation of 16 local fire agencies. Governed by a nine-member Board of Directors (Board), the District is the largest fire and EMS agency in Sacramento County and one of the largest fire districts in the State of California. Metro Fire provides services to a population of more than 738,000 residents within its 359-square-mile jurisdiction, which includes the cities of Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova, unincorporated areas of Sacramento County, and a small portion of Placer County.

As an all-risk public safety agency, Metro Fire provides fire suppression, emergency medical response and transport, hazardous materials response, technical rescue, fire prevention, building safety regulation and inspection, and arson investigation services. The District currently employs more than 750 personnel across operational, administrative, and support functions and administers four labor Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), two resolutions, and one executive employment agreement governing its workforce.

As a California independent special district, Metro Fire operates within a comprehensive statutory and regulatory framework, including but not limited to the Brown Act, the California Public Records Act, public contracting requirements, labor and employment laws, and other state and federal laws applicable to fire protection and EMS agencies. The District’s legal needs span governance and legislative support, labor relations and employment matters, public procurement and contract review, land use and development issues, risk management and claims, public works, and other public agency matters.

Project Details

• Department: Procurement
• Department Head: Courtney Moore (Purchasing Agent)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-03-25T19:00:00.000Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-03-27T23:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Experience & Qualifications (30 pts)
• Service Approach (35 pts)
• Past Performance and References (15 pts)
• Fee Proposal (20 pts)

Submission Requirements

• Authorized Person(s) (required) —

  Please provide the following information for the primary point of contact(s) during the RFP process.

  Name

  Title

  Phone Number

  Email Address

• Proposal Response (required) —

  Please upload your Proposal Response here. This shall include all information requested in Section 11.0, Parts 1 - 9 of the RFP document. The response shall be formatted in the order outlined in Section 11.0. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE ANY CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION HERE.

• Confidential Sections of Proposal (if applicable) —

  Each proposal will become public record after the award of a contract unless the proposal or specific parts of the proposal can be shown to be exempt by law. Each Contractor may clearly label part of a proposal as "CONFIDENTIAL" if the Contractor thereby agrees to indemnify and defend the District for honoring such a designation. The failure to so label any information that is released by the District will constitute a complete waiver of all claims for damages caused by any release of the information. Proposal contents you consider to be confidential shall be uploaded here, and not appear in the Proposal Response (Question 2 above).

• Contractor Certification (required) —

  Contractor certifies that if awarded, Contractor agrees to execute the final written agreement within ten (10) calendar days following the notification of contract award.

• Contractor Attestation (required) —

  Contractor hereby certifies that they have read and understand the terms, conditions, and requirements of the RFP, including all appendices, attachments, agreements, addenda, amendments, and forms. The Contractor further attests that they are authorized to bind the Contractor to such terms and conditions. The Contractor acknowledges acceptance of these terms and conditions, and waives all claims, rights, demands, and the benefit of any provisions of any statute, rule of law, or regulation that might affect the rights of the District under this RFP.

Questions & Answers