Special Education Hearing Officers

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP 701-26-017) to procure special education hearing officer services through a competitive solicitation process. TEA seeks to award multiple contracts to qualified hearing officers who will preside over special education due process hearings conducted under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), adjudicating disputes between parents of children with disabilities and school districts regarding identification, evaluation, educational placement, and provision of free appropriate public education (FAPE). Hearing officers must be licensed to practice law in Texas and maintain good standing throughout the contract period, possess a minimum of five years of active legal practice with three years of experience in special education, school law, disability, administrative, constitutional, civil rights, or litigation matters, and demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of IDEA provisions and applicable federal and state regulations. Deliverables include conducting impartial hearings, rendering final decisions within 45 days for standard hearings and 10 school days for expedited hearings, organizing detailed case files, submitting monthly invoices by the 10th of each month, and attending mandatory training sessions including orientation on September 28, 2026, and a mandatory session on October 20, 2026, with ongoing requirements of at least ten continuing legal education hours annually. The evaluation criteria allocate 40 points for experience and qualifications in relevant legal practice areas, 37 points for a writing sample demonstrating sound legal reasoning and clear communication, 20 points for price reasonableness (with hearing officers compensated at a negotiated hourly rate capped at $280.00 per hour, with proposers submitting rates below the cap receiving additional evaluation points), and 3 points for professional references. The written questions deadline is April 22, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Central Time, with final publication of questions and answers on April 29, 2026; proposals are due May 15, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Central Time via electronic submission through the Euna Procurement (Bonfire) platform at tea.bonfirehub.com, with proposal evaluations and oral presentations scheduled for May 2026, contract negotiations anticipated in June 2026, and a contract start date projected for September 2026. The contract term is four state fiscal years commencing from the agreed-upon start date.

The solicitation documentation does not indicate any set-aside designations, disadvantaged enterprise restrictions, or preferences limiting the types of organizations eligible to respond; the procurement appears open to all qualified individual hearing officers meeting the specified legal and experience requirements. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the solicitation materials, and no reference is made to existing infrastructure or technology requiring integration. Reimbursable expenses include up to three hours for case file organization, travel to hearings, TEA-sponsored training attendance, copying costs at ten cents per page, telephone and long-distance charges at actual cost, facsimile costs at ten cents per page, translation and interpretation services at reasonable rates, and tuition up to $1,800.00 annually for approved continuing legal education seminars. The solicitation does not establish a guaranteed number of cases to be assigned to any individual hearing officer, with case assignments determined based on time restraints and caseload management to ensure compliance with applicable legal timelines. While specific award values or budget ranges are not disclosed in the available solicitation materials, the hourly rate structure capped at $280.00 per hour, combined with the variable nature of case assignments, indicates that total contract values will depend on the volume of hearing officer services required during the four-year contract term.