RFP No. 25-16 Federal Advocacy.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) NO. 25-16

FEDERAL ADVOCACY

RFP PROPOSED SCHEDULE

RFP Posted Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Advertisement Wednesday, October 22, 2025 and Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Pre-Proposal Conference Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Questions regarding this RFP submitted to District by 2:00 pm PST

Friday, November 7, 2025

Questions and Answers posted to Website

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Proposer Responses Due by 2:00 pm PST

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Interviews with Proposers Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Tentative Award Date Friday, December 19, 2025

Board Date for Approval Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Business Services - Procurement Unit 770 Wilshire Boulevard, 6th Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90017-3719

RFP 25-16 – Federal Advocacy Services Page 2 of 63

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

2. GENERAL GOALS AND SCOPE OF SERVICES

3. GENERAL INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES

4. INSTRUCTIONS AND GENERAL CONDITIONS

5. PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENT

6. PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND CONTRACT AWARD

6.1.Evaluation Process

Appendix A: Scope of Services

Appendix B: Cost Proposal

Exhibit A: Non-Collusion Affidavit

Exhibit B: Certificate of Non-Discrimination

Exhibit C: Completed Confidentiality Agreement

Exhibit D: Acknowledgement of All Addenda Issued By The District

Exhibit E: Russian Economic Sanctions Certification

Exhibit F: Certification of Small, Local, Emerging, And Disabled Veteran Business

(SLEDV)

Exhibit G: Levine Act Campaign Contribution Notice

Exhibit H: PP-04-09 Bid Protests and Appeals

Exhibit I: Verification

Exhibit J: Professional Services Agreement

Exhibit K: Exceptions and Deviations to the Professional Services Agreement

RFP 25-16 – Federal Advocacy Services Page 3 of 63

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Purpose of Request For Proposal (RFP)

The Los Angeles Community College District (“the District”), through the issuance of this Request for Proposal ("RFP" is soliciting proposals to enter into an agreement with a qualified Proposer or Proposers to provide federal lobbying services. These services will aim to increase the District’s visibility within Congress, federal agencies and departments, and the Administration, and to intensify advocacy efforts in support of government grants, budget proposals, and legislation that advance the goals of LACCD.

The general duties and responsibilities of the selected firm(s) are specifically defined below.

It is intended that the selected firm(s) will work with LACCD staff to determine and refine the lobbying service needs of the District and to establish annual federal lobbying needs, goals, objectives, and priorities for the term of the proposed contract.

Multiple Firms May Be Selected. LACCD reserves the right to select none, or more than one firm to provide the required Federal lobbying services. In addition, LACCD may reject all proposals and decide to withdraw its RFP in its entirety.

The LACCD welcomes a diverse pool of proposers to submit to the RFP. This includes those firms that have received LGBTQIA certification by recognized municipal agencies.

1.2. About the District

The District was organized in 1969 and is governed by an elected Board of Trustees and is part of the statewide California Community College system. Members of the Board of Trustees are elected at large to serve four-year terms. LACCD serves a highly diverse, multi-racial and multi-lingual geopolitical area of approximately five million people in 2024 in roughly 900 square miles of the County of Los Angeles, including 36 cities and unincorporated communities, including the City of Los Angeles. The District extends from the San Fernando Valley and Sylmar areas north of metropolitan Los Angeles, down to the Port of Los Angeles in the south; from the “west side” of Los Angeles, over to the eastern side of Los Angeles into Boyle Heights and the San Gabriel Valley.

The District’s nine colleges provide comprehensive, lower-division general education (the traditional first two years of a four-year degree) for transfer; education pathways for two-year certificates or Associate’s degrees; occupational education; credit and non-credit instructional programs and Adult Education to meet the needs of the surrounding communities; Career Education and Strong Workforce jobs training education; citizenship

RFP 25-16 – Federal Advocacy Page 4 of 63 classes; and, in some instances, four-year Bachelor’s degree programs and other lifelong learning opportunities. The colleges receive accreditation, subject to renewal, from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). The nine colleges are:

Los Angeles City College, East Los Angeles College, Los Angeles Harbor College, Los Angeles Mission College, Los Angeles Pierce College, Los Angeles Southwest College, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, Los Angeles Valley College and West Los Angeles College and all are fully accredited. The colleges range in size from about 22 acres (Los Angeles Trade- Technical College) to more than 450 acres (Los Angeles Pierce College). Facilities include newly constructed classroom and instructional laboratory buildings, learning resource centers (libraries with specialized learning/tutoring centers) as well as original instructional buildings, parking structures, maintenance yards, athletic fields and gymnasiums. Some of the colleges, like Trade-Technical, founded in 1925, pre-date the District and were brought into the District. Others were created and built as the District expanded to its current configuration.

The District’s 2024-2025 Fiscal Year budget, found online, here, is from all funds and sources is $10.2 billion, of which $8.3 billion $8.3 billion is for the District’s capital improvement and construction program, “BuildLACCD.”

In Fall 2023 the District employed more than 6,000 full-and part-time personnel and served nearly 250,000 full-and part-time students in the 2023-24 academic year. More information about the District and its colleges can be found online, here. The student population of the LACCD is ethnically diverse: In the 2023-24 academic year 55 percent of students were Hispanic/Latinx, 21 percent White, 9 percent African American, 5 percent Asian, and 2 percent Multi-Ethnic. More detailed information about LACCD students can be found online, here. Nearly 36,000 awards to students were conferred by LACCD colleges in the 2023-24 academic year, including two-year degrees, degrees for transfer, and credit and non-credit certificates of achievement.

ANNUAL ENROLLMENT (HEADCOUNT) BY COLLEGE, 2023-2024

LACC 30,599 LASC 11,702

ELAC 65,950 LATTC 22,890

LAHC 17,512 LAVC 30,226

LAMC 21,814 WLAC 20,452

LAPC 28,499

Total Enrollment Headcount: 249,644 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lacitycollege.edu%2F&data=05%7C02%7CDANIELAR2%40EMAIL.LACCD.EDU%7C1eb9500f7b874ba607fb08dd301fbbd5%7C0b71261a495f4ea99911da844b9402ef%7C0%7C0%7C638719635031496559%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Q5YyiP70xh20YLbOfPrELmY4fkvZ%2Frokuk%2FSj1wQS1M%3D&reserved=0 https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.elac.edu%2F&data=05%7C02%7CDANIELAR2%40EMAIL.LACCD.EDU%7C1eb9500f7b874ba607fb08dd301fbbd5%7C0b71261a495f4ea99911da844b9402ef%7C0%7C0%7C638719635031511637%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Nn7EUKJDMWQBEn9ge615x1Mzh%2FX8T7K30kMefTjoplQ%3D&reserved=0 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RFP 25-16 – Federal Advocacy Page 5 of 63

The District maintains an active free-tuition program, the Los Angeles College Promise (LACP), available to all first-time, full-time students, regardless of age, race/ethnicity or demographic background. Since its inception in 2017, over 35,000 students have participated in this program and about 10,000 LACP students were enrolled in LACCD colleges in the 2023-2024 academic year.

LACCD welcomes a diverse pool of proposers to respond to the Request for Proposal as outlined below in the Scope of Services Section, this includes those firms that have received LGBTQIA certification by recognized municipal agencies.

2. GENERAL GOALS AND SCOPE OF SERVICES

2.1. General Goals

It is the intent of the Los Angeles Community College District (“the District”) to secure Federal lobbying services for LACCD to increase its visibility in the Congress, Federal Agencies and Departments, the Administration, as well as to intensify advocacy for government grants, budget proposals and legislation that support the goals of LACCD.

The general duties and responsibilities of the selected firm(s) are specifically defined below. It is intended that the selected firm(s) will work with LACCD staff to determine and refine the lobbying service needs of the District and to establish annual federal lobbying needs, goals, objectives, and priorities for the term of the proposed contract.

Multiple Firms May Be Selected. LACCD reserves the right to select none, or more than one firm to provide the required Federal lobbying services. In addition to, the LACCD may reject all proposals and decide to withdraw its RFP in its entirety.

2.2. Scope of Services

Please refer to Appendix A: Scope of Services.

2.3. Term of Contract

The contract awarded through this RFP is expected to be effective for a one-year period with four optional one-year renewals for a maximum of for up to five (5) years with a

RFP 25-16 – Federal Advocacy Page 6 of 63 vendor who meets the criteria outlined in this RFP. The exercise of any option years will be upon the satisfactory performance and by written consent at the absolute and sole discretion of the District.

2.4.

Optional Pre-Proposal Conference An optional pre-proposal conference will be held on [date] at [time], at [location/virtual link]. The purpose of this conference is to review the scope of services, proposal requirements, and answer any questions from prospective proposers. Attendance is not mandatory; however, interested firms are strongly encouraged to attend as the conference will provide useful information and clarification.

Any changes to the solicitation resulting from this conference will be issued in writing through an addendum. Verbal discussions will not alter the requirements of this solicitation.

All times noted above and elsewhere in this RFP are in Pacific Daylight Saving Time

(PDT).

3. GENERAL INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES

3.1. District Contact Person

Dorothea Mc Farline Procurement Manager Los Angeles Community College District Procurement Unit, 6th Floor 770 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90017-3719

TEL: 213.891.2421

email: mcfarld@laccd,edu

3.2. Internet Access to this RFP

All materials related to the RFP are available on the internet, and can be found here.

A Proposer who chooses to download an RFP solicitation will be responsible for checking the aforementioned website for clarifications and/or addenda. Failure to obtain clarifications and/or addenda from the website shall not relieve Proposer from being bound by any additional terms and conditions in the clarifications and/or addenda, or from considering additional information contained therein in preparing your Proposal.

http://www.laccd.edu/Departments/BusinessServices/Contract-Services/Pages/Bids-And-Proposals.aspx

RFP 25-16 – Federal Advocacy Page 7 of 63

Note: There may be multiple clarifications and/or addenda. Any harm to the Proposer resulting from such failure shall not be valid grounds for a protest against award(s) made under the solicitation.

All Proposers are solely responsible for obtaining all RFP materials.

3.3. Unauthorized Communications

Proposers shall not, prior to approval of the Award of Contract by the District Board of Trustees, contact or communicate, either verbally or in writing, with any of the following persons (other than the person named above) for the purpose of discussing the requirements of the RFP Documents or the RFP process: (1) any trustee, officer, employee, or representative of the District; or (2) any consultant, or employee of a consultant, providing the District with assistance, advice, or professional services relating to the matters covered by the RFP Documents or who is involved in any aspect of the RFP evaluation or scoring processes. Unauthorized communication by a Proposer in violation of the foregoing may result in disqualification.

3.4. Interested Parties

Proposers who are advisors to the District in respect to the RFP process are not allowed to submit, or participate in submission of, Proposals. A Proposer shall not participate in, or be “interested in,” more than one Proposal. For purposes of this paragraph, “interested in” means having a managerial or financial interest in another Proposer or a Subcontractor to another Proposer. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Subcontractor may be proposed as a subcontractor to more than one Proposer.

3.5. Proposer Clarifications

Without limitation to the District’s rights relating to the conduct and content of Negotiations, the District reserves the right, but assumes no obligation to, at any point in the RFP process to contact a Proposer directly, without notice to other Proposers, for purpose of obtaining clarifications of, or to address minor irregularities, informalities, or apparent clerical mistakes in, a Proposal (“Proposer Clarifications”). Where the District determines that there is a need and justification for seeking Proposer Clarifications, the District may request Proposer Clarifications from some Proposers and no other Proposers. If Proposer Clarifications are sought from all Proposers, the questions asked may be different for each Proposer.

RFP 25-16 – Federal Advocacy Page 8 of 63

3.6. False Information

In addition to and without limitation upon any other requirements of the RFP Documents, the District reserves the right, but assumes no obligation, to disqualify any Proposer and reject any Proposal should District determine that any information submitted by the Proposer is false, incorrect, or materially incomplete.

3.7. District Confirmation

The District reserves the right, but assumes no obligation, to confirm through any means available to the District the truth, accuracy, or completeness of any information contained within the resumes or other information submitted by a Proposer or communicated by a Proposer or a Subcontractor during face-to-face communications with the District or its representatives or consultants administering the RFP process.

3.8. No Joint Offers Accepted

Where two or more Proposers desire to submit a single proposal in response to this RFP, they should do so on a prime/subcontractor basis rather than as a joint venture or informal team. For this engagement, District intends to contract with individual provider(s) and not with multiple providers doing business as a joint venture. Accordingly, where two or more providers desire to join in preparing and submitting Proposals, they should do so on a prime-subcontractor basis, rather than as a joint venture or informal team. The provider acting as the “prime”, if it receives the Award, will enter into the Agreement with the District.

3.9. District Determinations

The District shall have the right to make all determinations and interpretations relating to the RFP Documents or the RFP process, including, without limitation, any Proposer’s compliance with the RFP Documents or its qualifications to participate in the RFP process, and all such determinations shall be final and binding.

4. INSTRUCTIONS AND GENERAL CONDITIONS

This RFP contains the instructions and conditions governing the requirements for a proposal to be submitted by an interested Proposer, the format in which the proposal is to

RFP 25-16 – Federal Advocacy Page 9 of 63 be submitted, the material to be included therein, and the requirements that must be met. Each Proposer should carefully examine the entire RFP and be fully aware of the nature and quality of the services sought by District as well as the conditions for providing such services.

PROPOSALS MAY BE REJECTED AS NON-RESPONSIVE IF THE PROPOSER FAILS

TO FULLY COMPLY WITH ANY OR ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS OR CONDITIONS

SET FORTH IN THIS RFP.

4.1. RFP Schedule

RFP Posted Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Advertisement Wednesday, October 22, 2025 and Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Pre-Proposal Conference Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Questions regarding this RFP submitted to District by 2:00 pm PST

Friday, November 7, 2025

Questions and Answers posted to Website

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Proposer Responses Due by 2:00 pm PST

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Interviews with Proposers Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Tentative Award Date Friday, December 19, 2025

Board Date for Approval Wednesday, January 7, 2026

*Please reserve this date on your calendars as the District will not provide additional notification of the interview date.

The District reserves the right, at any time to make adjustments in the form of additions, modifications or deletions to the RFP schedule. Such adjustments, if any shall be made by RFP Addendum. References in the RFP Documents to the RFP Schedule or to date in the RFP Schedule shall mean the RFP Schedule as so adjusted.

RFP 25-16 – Federal Advocacy Page 10 of 63

4.2. Proposal Submission

The proposer shall submit to the District one (1) printed original and eight (8) copies of its proposal, together with one (1) copy of a USB drive containing an electronic version of the proposal in Microsoft Word format, addressing each of the items in this RFP and must be received by the District no later than 2:00 p.m. PDT on November 18, 2025.

Proposals are to be enclosed in a sealed package displaying the proposer’s name, California Secretary of State Certificate of registration/Entity File number, and the words:

“PROPOSAL RESPONDING TO RFP 25-16: FEDERAL ADVOCACY SERVICES".

Mail or deliver proposals to:

Los Angeles Community College District 770 Wilshire Blvd, 6th Floor Los Angeles, California 90017 ATTN: Dorothea Mc Farline Procurement Manager

Submittals not conforming to the specifications of this RFP may be deemed non-responsive, result in point deductions during evaluation, or be rejected in their entirety.

Proposals must be received by 2:00 p.m., PST on November 18, 2025. Any proposals received after the time and date above may at the District’s sole and absolute discretion of the District, be returned unopen or set aside without consideration.

Delivery of the proposal by the specified deadline is the sole responsibility of the Proposer to ensure that its proposal is delivered on time. If hand-delivered, ample time should be scheduled for delays caused by downtown Los Angeles area traffic and parking.

District does not provide parking accommodations to proposers submitting proposals.

The District shall not be responsible for, nor accept as a valid excuse for late proposal receipt, any delay in mail service or other method of delivery used by the Proposer except where it can be established that the District was the sole cause of the late receipt.

Proposals submitted via fax, telephone or email will not be accepted.

All proposals must be provider offers subject to acceptance by District and may not be withdrawn for a period of 180 calendar days following the Proposal Submission Deadline. Proposals may not be amended once submitted to District, except as permitted by District.

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4.3. Meeting RFP Specifications Identified in Scope of Services

The services offered by the Proposer must meet the specifications as described in this RFP. The District reserves the right to reject as non-responsive any proposal that does not meet the specifications as described in this RFP.

4.4. Proposed Information to be Accurate, Complete and Valid

The Proposer must provide information including, but not limited to, fees for all offered services based on the scope of services, which is set forth in Appendix A: Scope of Services.

Failure to do so may invalidate the proposal. The price must be accurate, complete, and valid for the term of the agreement. The Proposer is responsible for the accuracy of the proposal submitted, and no allowance will be made for error or fee increases that the Proposer later alleges are retroactively applicable.

4.5. Authorized Signatures

Exhibits A through K (Exhibit H and J excluded) must all be signed by the Proposer’s authorized signatory and must be submitted by the Proposer in the sealed envelope along with its proposal. The District is unable to accept any proposal submitted without these statements completed and signed by the Proposer’s authorized signatory.

4.6. Authorization to Do Business

All Proposers must be authorized to do business in California. If a Proposer is a sole proprietorship or partnership, the Proposer should furnish with its proposal a copy of a current business license issued in California. If the Proposer is a corporation, it must be approved by the California Secretary of State to do business in California as shown by it having an “ACTIVE” status listed on the California Secretary of State website as of the date of submission of the proposal. The Proposer shall provide the corporate number issued by the Secretary of State with its proposal.

Each Proposer is required to possess at the time of submitting its Proposal, and at all times during the RFP process (and, in the case of the Proposer that receives award, at the time of award, upon execution of the Agreement, and at all times during performance of the Agreement) any licenses required by Applicable Law for the performance of the Agreement.

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4.7. Requirements

The Proposer shall be responsible for becoming familiar with the scope of services required by the District as set forth on pages of this RFP, and shall rely solely upon his or her own independent judgment, and not upon any statements or representations made by the District, whether express or implied. The failure or omission of any Proposer to acquaint himself or herself with the service requirements of the District shall in no way relieve any Proposer from any obligation with respect to this proposal or to the resulting agreement.

The submission of a proposal shall be taken as prima facie evidence of compliance with this section.

4.8. Questions about RFP

Questions are to be submitted in writing by email to Dorothea Mc Farline, at email address: mcfarld@laccd.edu on or before NOON, Pacific Daylight Time, Friday, November 7, 2025. Please include “RFP 25-16 – Questions for “Federal Advocacy Services” in the subject line.

Proposers are asked to submit all questions in writing by the deadline for questions.

LACCD shall not be obligated to answer any questions received after the above deadline or submitted in a manner other than as instructed above.

Written responses will be posted on the Los Angeles Community College’s website, here.

Proposers are instructed not to contact District board members, personnel or its agents in any other manner concerning this RFP. Unauthorized contact, at LACCD’s sole and absolute discretion, will be grounds for disqualification of a proposer.

4.9. RFP Addenda

If it becomes necessary for District to revise any part of this RFP or to provide clarification or additional information after the proposal documents are released, written addenda will be posted online, here.

It shall be the responsibility of the Proposer to check the website or to appropriately inquire with District for any addenda issued. All addenda issued by DISTRICT shall become part of the RFP and the Proposer shall acknowledge, in writing, receipt and incorporation of all addenda and clarifications in its response. Specifically, Proposer’s acknowledgement of the addenda must be declared in the proposal in Exhibit D.

Failure of the Proposer to receive addenda shall not relieve the Proposer from any obligation under its proposal as submitted. The Proposer shall identify and list in its mailto:mcfarld@laccd.edu https://www.laccd.edu/offices/business-services/contract-services/bids-proposals https://www.laccd.edu/offices/business-services/contract-services/bids-proposals

RFP 25-16 – Federal Advocacy Page 13 of 63 proposal all addenda received and included in its proposal. The Proposer’s failure to identify and list in its proposal all addenda received and included in its proposal may be asserted by the District as a basis for determining a proposal as non-responsive.

4.10. Interpretation of Documents

If any person contemplating submitting a proposal for the services proposed herein is in doubt as to the true meaning of any part of the proposal documents, or finds discrepancies in, or omissions from the documents, he/she may submit to the District a written request for an interpretation of correction thereof. The person submitting the request will be responsible for its prompt delivery. Any interpretation or correction of the proposal documents will be made only by addendum duly issued and a copy of such addendum will be mailed or delivered to each person receiving a set of the proposal documents. No person is authorized to make any oral interpretation of any provision in the proposal documents to any Proposer, and no Proposer is authorized to rely on any such unauthorized oral interpretation.

4.11. Withdrawal/Proposal Irrevocable for 180 Days

A Proposer may withdraw its proposal at any time prior to the submittal deadline by sending the District a request in writing from the same person who signed the submitted proposal.

As of the deadline for submittal, any proposal received by the District and not withdrawn becomes an irrevocable offer available for acceptance by the District immediately and for one hundred and eighty (180) days thereafter. The Proposer is responsible for the accuracy of the proposal submitted, and no allowance will be made for errors or price increases that the Proposer later alleges are retroactively applicable.

4.12. Exemption from Disclosure

Proposals will remain confidential in their entirety until the evaluation and analysis process is complete and a recommendation of an award has been approved by the LACCD Board of Trustees. All proposals submitted will become the property of the LACCD. The Proposer must identify, in writing, all copyrighted material, trade secrets, or other proprietary information that the preparer claims are exempt from disclosure under the Public Records Act (California Government Code Section 6250 et seq.). Any Proposer claiming such an exemption must also state in the proposal that “the provider agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Los Angeles Community College District, its Board of Trustees, Los Angeles City College, East Los Angeles College, Los Angeles Harbor College, Los Angeles Mission College, Los Angeles Pierce College, Los Angeles Southwest College, Los Angeles Trade- Technical College, Los Angeles Valley College, West Los Angeles College, and its officers, RFP 25-16 – Federal Advocacy Page 14 of 63 employees and agents, from any claims, liability, or damages against, and to defend any action brought against above said entities for their refusal to disclose such material, trade secrets, or other proprietary information by any party." Failure of a proposal to include such a statement will be deemed a waiver of any exemption from disclosure under the California

Public Records Act. A blanket statement that all contents of the proposal are confidential or proprietary will not be honored by the District. The Proposer’s identification of a document as “proprietary” or “confidential” does not automatically confer exclusion from disclosure under the California Public Records Act.

4.13. Pre-Contractual Expenses

Pre-contractual expenses are defined as any expenses incurred by the Proposer to:

(1) Prepare its proposal in response to this RFP; (2) Submit that proposal to District; (3) Negotiate with District on any matters related to this RFP, including a possible contract; and

(4) Engage in any other activity prior to the effective date of award, if any, of a contract resulting from this RFP. District shall not, under any circumstance, be liable for any pre-contractual expenses incurred by Proposers. All expenses including, but not limited to, pre-contractual expenses incurred by the Proposer in preparing the proposal shall be borne and paid for solely by the Proposer and shall not be included in their offers.

4.14. Subcontractors

Proposers are permitted to provide for a portion of the Basic Services to be performed by one or more consultants or contractors retained by the Proposer (collectively, “subcontractor”) provided that each subcontractor proposed to be used is identified in the Proposal by name, contact person, telephone number, email address, and a description of the portion of Basic Services to be performed by the subcontractor.

4.15. Immaterial Defect in Proposal

The District may waive any immaterial deviation or defect in a proposal. The District’s waiver shall in no way modify the RFP documents or excuse the Proposer from full compliance with the RFP if awarded the contract.

4.16. Oral Communications

Any oral communication by the District Contact Person or his/her designee regarding this RFP is not binding and shall in no way modify the RFP or the obligations of the District, Proposer and/or Contractor.

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4.17. RFP as Part of Final Contract

At the District’s discretion, the content of this RFP may be incorporated into the final contract.

4.18. Proposed Contract

The Proposer(s) selected for contract award(s) through this RFP shall be required to enter into a written agreement with the District. The Standard Agreement for professional services presented in Exhibit J of this RFP is the contract proposed for execution. It may be modified to incorporate other pertinent terms and conditions set forth in this RFP, including those added by addendum, and to reflect the Proposer's offer or the outcome of contract negotiations, if any.

Exceptions and requested changes to the terms and conditions of the Standard agreement, or the Proposer's inability or unwillingness to comply with any of the provisions of the Standard Agreement, must be declared in the proposal and will be considered as part of the proposal evaluation process.

4.19. Exceptions/Deviations

Any exceptions to, deviations from, or inability to comply with the requirements set forth in this RFP, or the terms and conditions contained in the Professional Services Agreement, must be declared in writing in Exhibit K within the proposal; and failure to do so will prevent Proposer from asserting its inability to comply with the terms or conditions later on. Such exceptions or deviations must be segregated as a separate element of the proposal under Exhibit K - "Exceptions and Deviations to Professional Services Agreement." The District will make a good faith effort to consider contractual issues identified by providers and District requires all proposing providers to similarly make a good faith effort to comply with the District’s sample agreement terms and conditions.

Proposals that mandate the use of provider standard services contract, rather than utilizing the District’s standard services contract will result in those providers’ proposals being judged non-responsive and these proposals will be rejected.

Proposals that reject the following integral provisions of the District's contract

RFP 25-16 – Federal Advocacy Page 16 of 63 terms and conditions will be treated as a rejection of the District's contract and these proposals will be rejected.

Section 5 Term of Agreement Section 12 Waiver of Damages; Indemnity Section 14 Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) Section 18 Governing Law Section 19 Non-Discrimination Section 22 Board Authorization Section 27 Requirements for Federally-Funded Contracts Section 28 Accessibility Requirements

Exceptions or deviations which are in conflict with the District's terms and conditions may render the proposal non-responsive. In the event that exceptions and deviations to the Professional Services Agreement are requested after the contract has been awarded, the District may deem the proposal non-responsive and may disqualify the proposal at its discretion.

4.20. No Commitment to Award

Issuance of this RFP and receipt of proposals does not commit District to award a contract. District expressly reserves the right to postpone proposal opening for its own convenience, to accept or reject any or all proposals received in response to this RFP, to negotiate with more than one provider concurrently, or to cancel all or part of this RFP.

4.21. No Agreement Until Signed

No agreement with the District is effective until both parties have signed a contract and the District’s Board of Trustees has authorized the contract.

4.22. News Releases

News releases pertaining to any award resulting from this RFP may not be made without the prior written approval of the District.

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4.23. Use of District Employee’s Names

The successful Proposer must agree not to use the names, office phone numbers, email addresses, and/or addresses of District employees for any purpose not directly related to this RFP.

4.24. Adjustments to Contract

All adjustments shall be proposed in writing by the District for approval prior to becoming effective. All required contract amendment(s) shall be issued by the District.

4.25. Contractor Evaluation

Contractors (and their subcontractors, if applicable) will be evaluated periodically regarding their performance.

4.26. Termination or Cancellation

The District reserves the right to terminate any contract awarded through this RFP by providing thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Contractor.

4.27. Protests

Any Proposer that has not been disqualified, whose Proposal or other actions taken have not been determined to be non-responsive to the requirements of the RFP Documents, and who under the terms of the RFP Documents had the right to participate in, and in fact fully participated in the second and third phases of the RFP process, may file a protest challenging the Award to another proposer, provided that the proposer filing the protest complies with the District's Business Operations and Policy Procedures, PP-04-09, Bid Protests and Appeals, as provided in Exhibit H and located here.

In order to be considered, all protests must be in writing and filed with and received by District, not more than five (5) business days following the date of issuance of the District’s Notice of Intent to Award with the contact below. Protests received by District after this date will be returned to the sender.

https://www.laccd.edu/sites/laccd.edu/files/2022-08/04-09-bid-protest-and-appeal.pdf

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The protest letter must state the basis for the protest and the remedy sought and should be addressed to:

Valencia M. Moffett Director of Business Services or designee Los Angeles Community College District 770 Wilshire Blvd, 6th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90017

Failure to timely file the proposal protest shall constitute grounds for the District to deny the proposal protest without further consideration of the grounds stated therein.

4.28. Other District Rights

The rights, powers, and discretion expressly conferred upon the District under the RFP Documents are not intended to be exclusive but are cumulative and in addition to, and not a substitute for, every other right, power, or discretion existing or available to the District under the RFP Documents or Applicable Laws.

5. PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENT

5.1. General

The proposal should provide a straightforward, concise description of the proposer’s ability to satisfy the requirements of this RFP. Emphasis should be placed on conformance to the RFP instructions, on responsiveness to the RFP requirements, and on completeness and clarity of the proposal’s content.

This RFP and the selected proposal response will become a part of any Agreement that is executed as a result of this RFP between the District and the Contractor. Any proposal attachments, documents, letters, and materials submitted by the proposer shall be binding and may be included as part of any final Agreement.

Each provider submitting a proposal must follow the instructions contained in this RFP in preparing and submitting its proposal. The proposing provider is advised to thoroughly read and follow all instructions. A proposal must contain all of the information in the order and format indicated below. All terms and conditions set forth in this RFP will be deemed to be incorporated by reference in their entirety into any response submitted by your provider.

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Failure to comply with the rules/format set forth herein may result in rejection of the RFP response.

All proposals received and any information contained therein, are subject to disclosure in accordance with the California Education Code. Interested providers must respond to all of the questions listed below.

5.2. Required Format of Proposals

In order to adequately compare and evaluate proposals objectively, all proposals must be submitted in accordance with the format below.

Failure to comply with the rules/format set forth herein may result in rejection of the RFP response.

In your proposal, please respond to each question by repeating the question at the top of the section and referring to the question by the numbers used in this RFP.

5.2.1.Proposals are to be submitted in 8 1/2” x 11” size, typed in a font size no less than 12 and submitted in paper form, single-sided, bound with a simple method of fastening. Lengthy narrative is discouraged; presentations should be brief and concise and not include extraneous or unnecessarily elaborate promotional material.

5.2.2. Sections should be separated by labeled tabs and organized in accordance with subject matter sequence as set forth below. Each page of the Proposal must be numbered in a manner so as to be uniquely identified. Proposals must be clear, concise, and well organized.

5.2.3.Supplemental technical information, product literature, and other supporting materials that further explain or demonstrate Provider's capabilities may also be included as addenda to a submitted proposal.

5.2.4. Proposers should use the following outline in organizing the contents of their proposals. (See details in Section 5.3)

A. Cover Page B. Transmittal Letter C. Table of Contents

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D. Specifications of Scope of Services E. References

Appendices F. Appendix A – Cost Proposal G. Appendix B – Supporting Documents H. Appendix C - Personnel I. Appendix D - Mandatory Documents

• Sections should be separated by labeled tabs.

• Failure to comply with the rules/format set forth herein may result in rejection of the RFP response.

5.3. Required Content of Proposals

5.3.1. Cover Page. A cover page with the Proposer’s name, the title, “RFP 25-16: Federal Advocacy Services" and submission due date and time.

The Proposer should provide the corporate number issued by the California Secretary of State. (Please see Section 4.6 Authorization to Do Business)

5.3.2.Transmittal Letter. The letter of transmittal must, at a minimum, contain the following:

• Identification of the offering vendor(s), including name, address email address and telephone number;

• An acknowledgement of RFP addendum and/or addenda, if any;

• Name, title, address, telephone number and email address of contact person during period of proposal evaluation

• A statement that the proposal shall remain valid for a period of not less than six (6) months, (180 days), from the due date for submittal

• Identification of any information contained in the proposal which the proposer deems to be, and establishes as, confidential or proprietary and wishes to be withheld from disclosure to others under the California Public Records Act

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A blanket statement that all contents of the proposal are confidential or proprietary will not be honored by the District.

• Signature of a person authorized to bind the offering provider to the terms of the proposal

• Name and address of operating provider, names of owners or principals of provider. Also include a completed W-9.

5.3.3.Table of Contents. Immediately following the transmittal letter include a complete table of contents for material included in the proposal, including page numbers.

5.3.4. Proposal and Related Experience

A. Qualifications

This section should establish the proposer’s ability to satisfactorily perform the required scope of work by demonstrating competence in the services to be provided; the nature and relevance of similar work recently completed for other clients; a proven record of meeting schedules and deadlines; competitive advantages over other firms; business strength and stability; and strong client references. The proposal should also highlight the expertise, qualifications, and relevant experience of the firm’s professional personnel, including the depth of experience, applicable training, professional licensure or registration, and the longevity and stability of key staff. Additionally, the respondent must demonstrate the capacity to operate effectively in bipartisan settings and with partisan political representatives. Proposals should reflect broad experience working with Congress, federal agencies, and Executive Branch departments focused on education, workforce, and training, as well as a successful track record with federal agencies that award grants related to higher education.

Specifically include:

• Background information about your firm, including date of founding, legal form (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation/state of incorporation), number and location of offices, principal lines of business, number of employees and other pertinent data. Disclose any conditions (e.g., bankruptcy or other financial problems, pending litigation, planned office closures, impending merger) that may affect your firm’s ability to perform contractually. Certify that the firm and its principals are not

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Proposers must demonstrate their background and experience in the following:

1. Knowledge of Los Angeles and California political landscape.

2. Proven relationship with key Congressional members, Congressional staff and key policy and appropriations Committees, Federal Agencies, and Federal Departments.

3. Proven success and demonstrated relationships with the White House/Executive

Branch, and the Los Angeles Congressional delegation.

Proposers must demonstrate their ability to:

1. Design and execute lobbying efforts at the national level through the Authorization and Appropriations process.

2. Work on behalf of the LACCD on national policies and programs such as the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, financial aid, immigration, workforce training and CTE, national government grant application recommendations, and other federal funding/issues to offset local, state, national and global pandemic crises impacting higher educational institutions generally, and community and technical colleges in particular.

3. Proven relationships and demonstrated success with federal agencies/departments that award higher education related grants.

4. Take full responsibility for the activities that occur in connection with this engagement regardless of political parties, districts, Committees or Subcommittees, or individuals contacted or lobbied in connection with this engagement.

5. Represent LACCD with decorum, integrity, and professionalism, at all times.

6. Coordinate strategies between national, state and local (California) lobbying efforts.

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A. Proposed Staffing and Project Organization

The proposal should demonstrate the respondent's capability to perform the work by showcasing the expertise and qualifications of its professional personnel. Evaluation will consider the depth of experience, relevant training, registration or licensure, and the stability and longevity of each individual with the firm.

• Identify the professional staff who will be assigned to the project. For each individual, provide a resume or curriculum vitae detailing their qualifications, licenses, certifications, education, relevant experience, length of practice, and tenure with the firm. Please include a staffing organization chart of the key parties for the engagement. (See Appendix C – Personnel.)

• Detail the Firm’s experience including each team member’s experience in providing the services listed in the RFP including Project Name, and Client Organization within the last five (5) years.

• Noteworthy qualifications for providing the…