State Lobbying Services

The City of Palm Bay, Florida is soliciting proposals for State Lobbying Services through Request for Proposals (RFP) 01-RFP-26, seeking a qualified firm to provide comprehensive legislative advocacy at the state level. The selected vendor will be responsible for pre-session activities including developing legislative plans and identifying funding opportunities, session services such as providing weekly legislative updates and arranging legislator meetings, and post-session services involving comprehensive summaries and City Council presentations. Proposers must demonstrate a minimum of five years' experience in state lobbying for municipalities or public agencies, with established relationships in the Florida legislative system. The evaluation will utilize a weighted scoring approach, with 90% of points allocated to non-price factors: Qualifications and Experience (25 points), Key Personnel and Professional Relationships (20 points), Approach and Methodology (20 points), Reporting and Communication (15 points), and References and Past Performance (10 points), with Cost Proposal accounting for the remaining 10 points. Critical dates include a questions deadline of January 9, 2026 at 5:00 PM, proposal submission due on January 27, 2026 at 9:00 AM, and a virtual proposal opening at 10:30 AM on the same date.

The initial contract term will be twelve months beginning in 2026, with potential extensions for four additional twelve-month periods, not to exceed a cumulative total of sixty months. Pricing must be submitted as a monthly fee with an annual total, and the City will not reimburse retainers or out-of-pocket expenses. The City requires substantial insurance coverage, including $1,000,000 per occurrence Commercial General Liability, $1,000,000 Business Automobile Liability, and $1,000,000 Professional Liability/Errors and Omissions. Proposers must comply with Florida's E-Verify requirements, public records laws, and drug-free workplace standards, and provide certifications regarding non-collusion, human trafficking compliance, and status on scrutinized companies lists. While no specific set-aside designations are mentioned, the City reserves the right to conduct oral interviews with top-ranked firms and will ultimately award the contract to the highest-ranked responsive and responsible proposer whose proposal best serves the City's interests. The procurement does not specify a precise budget range, but the monthly fee structure suggests flexibility for competitive pricing from qualified state lobbying firms.