RFP no. 26-03 bond underwriting services

The Los Angeles Community College District is requesting proposals for bond underwriting services under RFP No. 26-03, with proposals due June 25, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time and a mandatory pre-proposal conference on June 4, 2026. Small, Local, Emerging, and Disabled Veteran (SLEDV) business certification carries 10 points in evaluation and affects eligibility for the approved firms panel.

The District seeks to establish a multi-year underwriting pool to manage issuance of voter-approved general obligation bonds and other authorized debt instruments across the nine fully accredited colleges serving approximately nine million people across 900 square miles of Los Angeles County. Selected firms will serve as Senior Manager, Co-Senior Manager, or Co-Manager, with individual bond transactions assigned based on expertise, financial capacity, and proposed strategies. Firms must submit non-collusion affidavits, certificates of non-discrimination, confidentiality agreements, acknowledgment of addenda, exceptions and deviations forms, Russian economic sanctions certifications, SLEDV certifications, and Levine Act campaign contribution notices.

Proposals are evaluated on a 100-point scale: professional qualifications and experience (25 points), project approach and methodology (20 points), key personnel (20 points), corporate citizenship and community engagement (15 points), past performance and references (10 points), and SLEDV certification (10 points). Firms scoring an average of 85 points or higher are eligible for placement on the District's bench of approved firms. The District anticipates awarding contracts to multiple firms and reserves the right to negotiate fees for each bond issuance.

The contract term runs five years from August 6, 2026 through July 30, 2031, with either party able to terminate with 30 days' written notice. The District's Debt Policy requires a minimum of three percent net present value savings threshold for refundings. Questions are due June 9, 2026 by 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time, with responses posted by June 11. The Notice of Intent to Award is scheduled for July 20, 2026, with Board approval on August 5, 2026. Submit one printed original, seven copies, and one electronic copy on USB drive in Microsoft Word format to the Procurement Unit at 770 Wilshire Boulevard, 6th Floor, Los Angeles.