City of Newark RFP: Governmental Consulting and Legislative Services

The City of Newark, New Jersey is issuing Request for Proposals (RFP #2025-RFP-006) to procure Governmental Consulting and Legislative Services, with electronic submissions required through the city's OpenGov e-Procurement Portal by 10:15 am on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. The city seeks multiple qualified government relations firms to develop and execute a comprehensive government affairs strategy that will advocate for and advance Newark's funding requests through congressional annual appropriations and federal competitive grants. Key deliverables and objectives include advocating for the city at state and federal levels, developing a comprehensive government relations strategy, monitoring and analyzing relevant legislation, establishing and maintaining relationships with key legislators, serving as a liaison with the congressional delegation and executive branch agencies, and providing regular updates on legislative and regulatory issues. The consultant will be responsible for all expenses incurred during the contract period, which will run for 24 consecutive months commencing upon full contract execution. The city will evaluate proposals using five criteria: experience (25 percent), abilities (25 percent), budget (25 percent), professional references (10 percent), and RFP requirements compliance (15 percent). Prospective respondents must submit a New Jersey Business Registration Certificate, Certificate of Employee Information Report, completed W-9 form, and all mandatory vendor submission forms addressing equal employment opportunity, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, ownership disclosure, investment activities disclosure, and political contribution disclosure. The city emphasizes that proposals must be submitted well in advance of the deadline, as the electronic portal will not accept submissions once the 10:15 am deadline passes.

No specific set-aside designations or restrictions limiting participation to particular organization types, such as disadvantaged enterprises or small businesses, are identified in the available RFP documentation. The procurement documents do not reference any incumbent vendors, current contractors, or existing infrastructure requiring integration with the proposed services. All vendors must comply with applicable affirmative action and non-discrimination laws, and must demonstrate through their submissions that they understand the city's commitment to equal opportunity employment and ethical business practices. The maximum annual budget allocation for these governmental consulting and legislative services is $180,000, establishing the contract value threshold for this 24-month engagement. Interested proposers should note that incomplete submissions may result in automatic bid rejection, and all preparation costs will be borne by the responding firm.