Title Services for Right-of-Way

Washington County's Department of Land Use & Transportation is seeking a title insurance company to provide comprehensive title services for right-of-way acquisitions through a competitive solicitation (Bid No. 2022.246-ITQ). The procurement will establish a 5-year contract from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2027, with the intent to select up to four firms based on pricing. Required services include generating preliminary title reports, litigation reports, title insurance, deed research, and escrow services. Specific deliverables encompass detailed documentation for real property acquisitions, with pricing structured per tax lot and per closing, assuming a $500,000 transaction amount. The bid was released on October 31, 2022, with key deadlines including November 9, 2022, for submitting questions and November 14, 2022, at 3:00 pm for final bid responses. Evaluation criteria will focus on comprehensive pricing, responsiveness to specifications, and compliance with Washington County Procurement Rules and Oregon State Statutes.

The solicitation does not explicitly outline specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged business enterprises. The contract allows for cooperative purchasing, enabling other public agencies to potentially utilize the contract terms. While no incumbent vendors are mentioned, the bid requires extensive insurance coverage, including Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000/$2,000,000), Automobile Liability ($1,000,000), Workers' Compensation, and additional specialized insurances like Professional Liability and Cyber Liability. The county reserves the right to reject any or all bids and will award the contract to the lowest responsible respondent meeting all specifications. Though a precise budget range is not specified, the procurement suggests an anticipated transaction volume sufficient to support multiple contracted title service providers, with individual service pricing being a critical evaluation factor.