Clerk Staffing Study

The Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) issued a Request for Proposals on March 31, 2026, for consulting services to perform a comprehensive staffing study of clerk operations on behalf of its Research and Analysis division under solicitation K26-0057-25. The procurement seeks consulting expertise to develop a court clerk staffing model, study design, and timekeeping system development with associated support services. Deliverables include detailed analysis of clerk operations, staffing recommendations, and system design documentation. The evaluation criteria encompass bidder qualifications, relevant prior experience with similar court or administrative staffing studies, proposed staffing levels and hourly rates across multiple position titles, and organizational capability to manage the engagement. Bidders must submit proposals by the April 22, 2026 deadline and must complete the Bidder/Offeror Profile form, Bidder/Offeror Experience documentation (detailing up to three prior comparable contracts with client references), Bid/Price Proposal Form with itemized hourly rates and levels of effort, and signed affidavits confirming legal authority, regulatory compliance, and absence of debarment. The proposal form is organized into three sections with nine line items each, requiring bidders to specify hourly rates and hours of effort for various position titles with automatic calculation of total pricing.

The RFP does not identify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting competition to specific categories of organizations, though bidders may certify Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) or Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise (VSBE) status on the proposal form. All bidders must be registered in good standing with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation, maintain current tax compliance, and comply with Maryland election law regarding campaign contribution reporting for contracts exceeding $200,000 in annual value. The contract incorporates standard Maryland Judiciary terms including intellectual property ownership vesting with the AOC, contractor indemnification obligations, non-discrimination requirements, and liability limitations capped at five times the Not-To-Exceed amount for non-patent claims. No incumbent contractor information or specific budget ranges were disclosed in the available solicitation documents. Contractors must execute a Non-Disclosure Agreement protecting confidential judicial information and restrict access to authorized personnel only, with breach resulting in liquidated damages of $1,000 per unauthorized disclosure and potential injunctive relief under Maryland law. The contract term and total compensation amount are to be specified in the final executed agreement based on the accepted proposal pricing.