Federal government relations consultant

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, in collaboration with the Recreation and Conservation Office, Governor's Salmon Recovery Office, Puget Sound Partnership, and Washington State Conservation Commission, is seeking a strategic federal relations consultant through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process. The primary objective is to secure a consultant who will represent and track federal issues in Washington, D.C. related to salmon and wildlife conservation, Puget Sound recovery, and agricultural voluntary stewardship programs. The selected consultant must demonstrate at least 10 years of experience in federal government relations, including comprehensive knowledge of agency missions, legislative processes, and established relationships with the Washington congressional delegation and federal agencies. Key responsibilities include developing strategies to maintain and increase federal funding, facilitating multi-state congressional letters of support, building awareness among congressional members and federal agencies, and coordinating efforts to elevate Washington's natural resources issues. The evaluation process will weight proposals based on proposed experience and qualifications (50 points), existing federal relationships (25 points), federal strategy development (15 points), and cost (10 points), with proposals due electronically by June 13, 2025, and the apparent successful bidder expected to be announced around June 20, 2025.

The procurement is structured to provide preferential treatment to small businesses and veteran-owned businesses, with a potential 3% bid preference for firms that do not require mandatory individual arbitration clauses for employees. The contract will run from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027, with a total budget of $120,000. Contractors must meet comprehensive insurance requirements, including commercial general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and automobile liability insurance. The contract includes provisions for nondiscrimination, personal information protection, and compliance with prevailing wage laws. Bidders should be prepared to provide detailed documentation of their federal government relations experience, including specific examples of successful advocacy, relationship-building, and strategic communications with congressional representatives and federal agencies. The procurement emphasizes the importance of an independent contractor relationship and includes specific terms regarding confidentiality, intellectual property rights, and performance expectations.