Federal Government Affairs & Legislative Services

The City of Pittsburgh Office of Management & Budget has issued Request for Proposal #2026-RFP-018 soliciting qualified individual consultants or firms to provide Federal Government Affairs & Legislative Services. The primary scope of work encompasses monitoring and tracking federal legislation, providing bill tracking services, conducting federal legislative and budget advocacy, coordinating regulatory efforts, facilitating special projects before federal agencies, and maintaining an active presence in Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh to represent the City's interests before Congress, federal agencies, and related entities. Qualified respondents must demonstrate extensive lobbying and advocacy experience at the federal level, with demonstrated ability to influence legislation, capture federal revenues, and identify and secure competitive grants, earmarks, and discretionary funding for municipalities. Proposals will be evaluated across five weighted criteria: firm qualifications, experience, and references (15 percent); qualifications of the project team (15 percent); project approach and plan (30 percent); cost proposal (30 percent); and MWDBE/VOSB good faith effort (10 percent). A non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for April 2, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. via Microsoft Teams; written questions must be submitted by April 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.; and proposals must be submitted electronically through the City's e-Procurement Portal by April 16, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. The expected contract term is four years from execution, with contract award anticipated in May 2026.

All respondents must demonstrate good faith efforts to obtain participation from Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (18 percent goal), Women-Owned Business Enterprises (7 percent goal), Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (5 percent goal), and LGBTQIA+ small businesses (3 percent goal), and must complete and submit the MWDBE/Veteran-Owned/LGBTQIA+ Solicitation and Commitment Form. The City has not identified an incumbent vendor for these services. All proposers must agree to the City's terms and conditions, comply with prevailing wage ordinance and equal employment opportunity requirements, complete vendor registration and contact sheets, provide a W-9 form, and disclose any finder's fees or consulting arrangements that could present conflicts of interest. Proposals should include detailed cost breakdowns by phase or deliverable, hourly rates for all staff, and reimbursable expenses such as travel, which should not exceed GSA rates for Pittsburgh. The City has not specified a budgetary estimate or award value range for these services and reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, cancel the RFP, negotiate with any respondents, or award to a firm other than the lowest-cost proposer.