Transit Agency Legal Services

CityBus (Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation) is requesting proposals for comprehensive legal services to serve as outside General Counsel on an as-needed basis, with proposals due November 16, 2026 at 5:00 p.m., administered by NEORide on behalf of the transit agency. NEORide is serving solely as the procurement administrator; the resulting contract will be between CityBus and the selected firm.

The scope encompasses nine primary service areas: general counsel and day-to-day legal consultation; labor and employment law and workplace investigations; collective bargaining and labor relations in public-sector contexts; procurement, contracting, and federal compliance including FTA and 2 CFR Part 200 requirements; grant and regulatory compliance; Board governance support; litigation and claims management; real estate and capital project assistance; and strategic legal advisory services. Proposers must demonstrate a minimum of ten years of experience providing legal services to public agencies or public transportation organizations, with specific expertise in FTA-funded procurements, labor and employment matters, public procurement, and Indiana municipal law. Routine legal requests must be addressed within one business day; urgent matters must be addressed on the same business day when practical. Key personnel submissions must include resumes for a dedicated lead attorney supported by experienced associates and paralegals.

The contract will commence in 2026 for an initial one-year term with four optional one-year renewal periods, subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability. The cost proposal requires fully burdened hourly labor rates by attorney classification (Senior Partner/General Counsel, Partner, Senior Attorney, Associate Attorney, and specialized roles in labor-employment, procurement, litigation, and regulatory-FTA compliance) and representative fixed-fee quotes for board meetings, policy review, contract drafting, procurement review, training, and legal research. CityBus is exempt from federal and Ohio sales taxes; proposers should not include these in pricing. The selected firm must maintain professional liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence and in the aggregate, plus workers' compensation, commercial general liability, commercial auto liability, and crime coverage.

Evaluation criteria: experience (25 points), project understanding and competency (35 points), technical capacity (20 points), project approach and quality (20 points), and total contract price (15 points). Questions are due October 7, 2026. Proposed prices must remain firm for 180 calendar days following the proposal due date. The contract is subject to FTA regulations, 2 CFR Part 200, and applicable federal civil rights and DBE requirements.