Term Contract for Public Defender Services for the City & Borough of Juneau (CBJ or City)

Solicitation No.

210275

Type / RFx

RFP

Status

Active

Level

local

Published Date

—

Due Date

April 15, 2026

NAICS Code

541110AI guide

Jurisdiction

City & Borough of Juneau

State

Alaska

Agency

City & Borough of Juneau

Intent: The CBJ is seeking proposals from qualified attorneys and law firms to provide competent, effective, and timely legal assistance and representation to adults charged with municipal misdemeanor violations who are determined by the court to be indigent. The City welcomes response proposals from solo practitioners, partnerships, and firms. The city also welcomes joint proposals from two or more attorneys. Contact, Questions & Addenda: CBJ Purchasing Division of Finance is the sole point of contact for all matters pertaining to this solicitation. Submit any questions to purchasing@juneau.gov No oral interpretations will be made. Submit all questions in writing, noting issuing buyer, solicitation number and title. Requests must be received a minimum of seven (7) business days prior to the solicitation deadline. Any changes to CBJ issued documents will be in the form of an addendum to the solicitation and will be issued as promptly as possible to all plan holders. All such addenda will become part of the solicitation. Submission Instructions: Late responses will not be accepted. Timely responses are accepted via electronic submission at Public Purchase CBJ’s eProcurement provider by registered Contractors. To register complete the free, online, two-step (sign-up and account verification) registration process. If needed, use the Public Purchase ‘Help’ menu tab or chat feature. Register Now: Account verification may take 24-hours to complete. Consultants who successfully register may submit a response by doing the following: Complete all online acknowledgements of the Terms & Conditions (Attachment A), Insurance Requirements (Attachment B) and the City and Borough of Juneau Standard Contract (Attachment C- Sample). Contractors are provided the opportunity to acknowledge, acknowledge with exceptions, or not accept the required documents. Exceptions may not qualify for award. Upload your PDF RFP Response as specified. About Juneau: Located in the panhandle of Southeast Alaska, on the traditional land of the Tlingit people, the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ or City) consists of 3,250 square miles and is only accessible by air or sea. Juneau is Alaska’s capital and has a population of approximately 31,000 people. The Juneau area is a temperate rainforest and receives around 92 inches of annual precipitation. For more information on Juneau, visit CBJ’s Website Expectation: The selected Contractor shall meet the following expectations for Standards of Care. Services must be performed in a professional, skilled manner consistent with American Bar Association (ABA) Standards and the Alaska Rules of Professional Conduct. Review of General Terms & Conditions (Attachment A), Insurance (Attachment B) & CBJ ‘Standard’ Contract (Attachment C): Attached to this RFP are documents required for this project (ATTACHMENTS, A, B & C). Contractors should carefully review all these attachments. The awarded Contractor should review the draft contract and indicate their willingness and capability to provide insurance coverage of the same or similar nature. Licensing & Insurance: The successful proposer must provide proof of: Active State of Alaska Business License. License to practice law in Alaska and good standing with the Alaska Bar Association Insurance and required by the CBJ that includes Professional Liability (Malpractice) Insurance. Contract Administration & Compliance: In an effort to maintain the expected level of services and ensure that the Contractor is fulfilling all duties and reporting requirements, CBJ will assign Robert Barr, Deputy City Manager, or upon notification, another designee may be delegated by the Contract Administrator. Scope of Work (SOW): The awarded Contractor would be expected to provide the following Scope of Work to successfully offer services for the city. (a) Duty to Provide Public Defender Services: The Contractor shall provide all public defender services required under AS 18.85.155 in misdemeanor cases prosecuted by the City and Borough of Juneau in which counsel is appointed during the term of this agreement. Legal services provided will include, but not be limited to, meetings with clients and potential witnesses, legal research, preparation and filing of pleadings, negotiations with the appropriate prosecutor and preparation for and appearance at all court proceedings. Legal services provided also include petitions to revoke probation and appeals. Contractor must agree to regularly meet with clients outside of any scheduled court hearings. Upon expiration of this agreement, the Contractor shall continue to represent defendants in all cases appointed by the court up to the time the contract terminated, without further payment by the CBJ for defense work or expenses, except that adjudicated cases in compliance hearings or in CRP (Coordinated Resources Project) court will be transferred to the next contractor upon expiration of this agreement. Contractor will not be responsible for appeals or probation revocations which arise after the expiration date of this agreement. (b) No Obligation to Represent a Non-Indigent Defendant:The Contractor is obligated to accept appointment in any case where the defendant has been determined an indigent person as described in AS 18.85.170. The Contractor is not obligated to accept any appointment in any case where the court determines the defendant is not eligible for court-appointed counsel under AS 18.85.100-170, Administrative Court Rule 12, and Criminal Court Rule 39. In the case where a person who is represented by a Contractor under this agreement is found by the court to no longer qualify for a court-appointed attorney at public expense, the Contractor shall have no obligation to continue representation of the person after a court order terminating representation by court-appointed counsel. The CBJ is not responsible for any costs or fees incurred once the court finds the defendant no longer qualifies for a court-appointed attorney. (c) Duty to Appear in Court: The Contractor shall appear in court when CBJ cases are scheduled and remain as necessary to accept appointment. The Contractor shall be responsible for doing all work required to defend cases in which the Contractor is appointed and all appeals accepted by the Contractor and shall be responsible for all costs involved in providing a defense and on an appeal, including costs of investigation and expert fees, except as otherwise provided in the contract. The Contractor shall appear in person in Juneau for all trial, evidentiary, pretrial, and change of plea hearings. (d) Duty To Provide Reports To The CBJ: The Contractor shall produce written statistical reports on a quarterly basis. Reports are due within 30 days of the end of each quarter adhering to the following schedule: April 30; July 31; October 31; January 31. NOTE: In the event the parties do not extend the term of this contract past June 30, the final report is still due by July 31. The reports shall state or provide the following information, broken down monthly: The number of cases to which the Contractor has been appointed; The charges filed in each case; and The disposition of each case. Case Volume Information: The CBJ public defender is assigned to approximately nine hundred (900) misdemeanor cases annually. For example, the case breakdown for 2025 was as follows: 35% Trespass, Larceny, Criminal Mischief, Disorderly Conduct 25% DUI and Driving Crimes 18% DV related Crimes 12% Non DV Person Crimes (Assault and Harassment) 10% VCORs Contract Term: The initial contract term is to begin on July 1, 2026 and will continue until June 30, 2027. Upon satisfactory performance, the contract will automatically be renewed for two (2) more fiscal year renewals, until the contract expires on June 30, 2029. Payments: A purchase order will be issued after July 1st for the initial contact fiscal year; 7/1/26-6/30/27. Subsequent contract renewal years will require a new purchase order, issued each after the beginning of the new fiscal year. Invoices: The Contractor is expected to submit a monthly invoice for services, via email, to the Contract Administrator (or assigned designee) and the CBJ Accounts Payable Office at (Accounts.Payable@juneau.gov) Invoices will state the total agreed upon monthly contract amount. The amount will be paid in equal monthly installments to cover all professional services and expenses; with the exception of discovery costs, which will be paid directly upon receipt of Contractor’s invoice. Appointment & Conflicts: Once appointed to a case, the Contracted municipal public defender is expected to continue with that case until it is closed, even if the case extends past the contract term. In cases where the municipal public defender cannot represent the defendant due to a conflict of interest, conflict counsel will be court-appointed and will be paid separately through an agreement between CBJ and counsel. Personal Leave: For solo practitioners, CBJ will cover outside counsel costs to allow the Contractor to take up to 3 weeks of leave annually. The Contractor is responsible for coordinating with the CBJ Prosecutor’s Office and the court to schedule this leave. Travel Expenses: The Contractor must provide an all-inclusive estimate of the anticipated costs to perform the SOW as specified. All travel expenses, i.e. lodging, transportation, per diem, etc., are to be added as a separate line item on the submitted price or fee proposal. The CBJ Project Manager reserves the right to negotiate with the selected Contractor on any part of the in-person component that the Contractors identify as necessary. Proposal Requirements & Format: Proposals should be prepared to provide a straight-forward, concise description of the Contractor’s capability to satisfy the requirements of the Scope of Work /Scope of Services. All proposal document must provide all of the following information: 1. Introduction: Include an introduction letter that provides information about your firm. Be sure to include the name of the contact person(s) and all of your company’s contact information; including email address(es) and web site if applicable. The letter must be dated and signed by the person who has the authority to bind the company. 2. Understanding, Methodology & Management Plan: (Weight 25%) Points will be awarded on the following. a) Describe your understanding of the required services and your firm’s proposed method to accomplish the work required. b) Explain your interest in this contract and serving the community of Juneau; include brief details on your proven ability to work with diverse communities, groups and demographics. c) Include a description of the proposed method for managing case intake and ensuring timely communication with clients. d) If you reside outside of Juneau, detail how many days you plan to be in-person to meet with your clients and attend court. e) Explain your plans to ensure required communication, and how you will coordinate serving clients while away from Juneau. f) Whether you, any attorney at the firm, or other staff anticipate any conflicts of interest with the CBJ, and if so, how conflicts will be addressed. g) Identify who will be responsible for decision making, and accountability (project manager) for the successful delivery of these services; and what is their level of authority. h) If different that the person above, identify who will supervise the provision of these legal services by others and the extent to which this individual will be available to CBJ. 3. Experience & Qualifications: (Weight 30%) Points will be awarded on the following. a) Specify the name of each individual attorney who is proposed to provide public defense services who will to CBJ under this Contract. b) Identify the expectation of their role(s) as applicable to the provision of these services. c) Document your or their experience as an attorney(s). d) Include CV(s) or resume(s) and a brief summary of qualifications and specialized experience for each attorney who will provide legal services as part of this contract. e) If a law firm, how many attorneys are currently employed by your firm and how many will be assigned to this contract; f) Provide details of whether you or your firm provides currently or has previously provided criminal defense services. g) Include details on any applicable activities or associations, such as work with the Alaska Bar Association and previous experience in criminal defense outreach, that show your commitment to providing reliable, practical and professional legal services. h) Include any other specifics that you believe describes you or your firm’s ability to successfully provide services for the City. i) Include any other information that you believe is pertinent to the consideration of your proposal. 4. References: (Weight 30%) Points will be awarded on the following. a) Provide at least three (3) professional references from recent legal service contracts. Include verified contact names and email addresses for the projects or work. b) If applicable, describe the provision of services that have been accomplished by the same proposed personnel which was similar in concept and scope. Include verified contact names and email addresses for the projects or work. 5. Fee/Cost Proposal:(Weight 15%) Points will be awarded on the best value of services presented to the city when compared to the fees proposed. The City reserves the right to accept the proposal that provides the best value of services and most directly aligns with CBJ’s needs, regardless of price. CBJ reserves the right to negotiate with the Proposer on the details of the proposed fee structure. a) Include your Fee or Cost Proposal that shows the annual rate for the provision of these services. b) The rate must be all-inclusive and anticipate all costs necessary to provide the services described in this RFP, including, if needed, all travel expenses. Note: travel costs must be added as a separate line item on the submitted fee proposal but must incorporated into the final TOTAL of the Fee/Cost Proposal. c) If helpful, you may wish to include a detailed fee schedule, that shows hourly rates or flat-fee structures per case type. 6. Sample Evaluation Form: Evaluator No.____ Proposer________________ Maximum Score Achievable = 1,000 points CRITERIA Weight % Score (0 – 10*) Total Points = (Numerical Score X Weight) Understanding & Methodology 25 Experience & Qualifications 30 References 30 Fee/Cost Proposal 15 *Point Guide: Outstanding (10 points)Adequate to Good (6 to 8 points) Marginally Acceptable (3 or 4 points)Unacceptable (0 or 1 point)No scores using numbers 2, 5 or 9

1. April 15, 2026Responses Due