Utah State Courts Legal Representation for Respondents in Guardianship Cases RFP

The Utah State Courts Administrative Office of the Courts is requesting proposals for legal representation of respondents in guardianship petitions statewide through the Guardianship Reporting and Monitoring Program, with proposals due October 14, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. MDT. Award is anticipated to a single offeror.

The scope is court-appointed legal representation for approximately 130 guardianship cases annually, with cases averaging 10 hours of attorney work per case. Cases are assigned after the statutory 60-day volunteer recruitment period through the Guardianship Signature Program expires. All assigned attorneys must be active Utah State Bar members in good standing with demonstrated competency in guardianship law through formal certification or completion of GRAMP's training course. Proposals must detail attorney qualifications and experience with disabled or impaired respondents, administrative capacity and scalability, conflict-of-interest procedures, and three completed guardianship case examples per attorney demonstrating prior representation of protected persons or respondents.

The compensation rate is fixed at $200 per hour, non-negotiable, with an initial funding cap of $130,000 for the pilot program period. The contract term is approximately one year through June 30, 2027, with potential extension up to one additional year at the Judicial Council's discretion and mutual agreement. The AOC anticipates seeking additional funding through contract amendment to cover the projected 1,300 billable hours annually; if additional funding is not approved for fiscal year 2027–28, the contract terminates June 30, 2027, at a maximum payout of $130,000.

Evaluation follows a two-phase process. Phase One scores written proposals on 85 points maximum; vendors scoring 51 points or higher advance to Phase Two interviews (15 points maximum). Final award is based on combined Phase One and Phase Two scores totaling 100 points. Submissions are electronic through Euna/Bonfire U3P or hard copy to the AOC office. All proposals become public information following award, except materials marked confidential and justified through a Confidentiality Claim Form. Utah reciprocal preference law applies.