OPD Contract Attorney

The Office of State Public Defender (OPD) in Montana has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) solicitation number OPD-RFP/RFQ-2022-0147 for contract attorney services across the Northwestern Land Office (NWLO) region, specifically covering Flathead, Lake, Lincoln, and Sanders Counties. The procurement seeks to contract with qualified private attorneys to provide legal representation in criminal and civil matters where OPD is appointed. Attorneys must submit a comprehensive application package including a current resume, writing sample, proof of professional liability insurance, and a recent Continuing Legal Education (CLE) transcript. For appellate case consideration, attorneys are required to provide an appellate brief as their writing sample. The solicitation was released on March 21, 2022, and remains open for submissions from March 9, 2022, to March 9, 2024, with attorneys required to complete a fillable PDF form and upload supporting documentation. The contact for this opportunity is Andrea Moore, who can be reached at ANDREA.MOORE@mt.gov or +1 406-496-6095, and the procurement uses commodity code 3920 for Professional Services - Legal Services.

While the document does not specify explicit set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types, it appears open to qualified private attorneys practicing in the specified Montana counties. No incumbent vendors or specific contractual infrastructure requirements are detailed in the provided documentation. The solicitation does not outline specific financial terms, funding sources, or precise contract values, making it challenging to determine potential award amounts or budget ranges. Attorneys with previous OPD agreements are permitted to answer "Yes" to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) question if their prior agreement expired less than 30 days before the solicitation date. The procurement seems designed to expand OPD's pool of contracted attorneys capable of providing legal representation across criminal and civil matters in the Northwestern Montana region, with a focus on professional qualifications and demonstrated legal expertise.