Hearings Officer Services

The City of Bend is seeking to establish a pool of qualified Contractors to provide professional Hearings Officer Services through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process. The procurement targets professional services for conducting administrative hearings, with the primary goal of creating a pre-qualified group of candidates who can be called upon as needed. Interested contractors must demonstrate substantial experience in conducting administrative hearings, legal interpretation, and rendering impartial decisions. The solicitation was posted on August 5, 2025, with proposals due by September 8, 2025, providing potential respondents approximately one month to prepare and submit their qualifications. While inclusion in the pool does not guarantee a contract, selected contractors will be evaluated based on their professional credentials, prior experience with municipal hearings, legal expertise, and ability to provide objective and comprehensive hearing management services. The RFQ documents, including the primary solicitation (1-Hearings Officer Services RFQ.pdf) and a sample agreement (2-Exhibit C - Sample Agreement.pdf), provide detailed requirements and expectations for potential contractors.

The procurement appears to be open to all qualified professional service providers without specific set-aside designations or enterprise restrictions. No explicit information is provided about incumbent vendors or existing technological infrastructure requirements. The solicitation suggests a flexible, on-call arrangement where selected Hearings Officers would be engaged as needed by the City of Bend, located in Deschutes County, Oregon. While the exact budget or potential award value is not specified in the provided documents, the contract structure implies compensation will likely be based on hourly rates or per-hearing fees. The procurement aims to create a pool of qualified professionals who can be called upon to conduct administrative hearings, suggesting a potentially ongoing but intermittent engagement. Contractors will need to demonstrate substantial professional qualifications, including legal background, administrative hearing experience, and the ability to render impartial, well-reasoned decisions in municipal contexts.