PUBLIC NOTICE
SOQ 23-030
 
Supplemental Professional Legal Services
 
 
          The Parish of Jefferson, authorized by Resolution No.142921, is hereby soliciting a Statement of Qualifications (Professional Legal Services Questionnaire) from persons or firms interested in Providing Various Supplemental Professional Legal Services when needed for Jefferson Parish.
 
 
Deadline for Submissions: 3:30 p.m., November 1, 2023
 
 
The following criteria, listed in order of importance, will be used to evaluate the statement of the firms submitting, with only those persons or firms receiving an overall cumulative score of at least seventy (70) percent or greater, of the total possible points for all categories to be assigned by the participating legal services evaluation committee members shall be deemed qualified to perform outside legal services tasks:
 
Professional training and experience in relation to the type of work required for the outside legal services. (Maximum points awarded shall be thirty-five (35).)
Size of firm and capacity for timely completion of newly assigned work considering the number of professional and support personnel required to perform the type of outside legal service tasks and the firm's current unfinished workload. (Maximum points awarded shall be thirty (30).)
Past performance by person or firm on parish contracts. Assertions of fault by a person or firm, which shall include time delays, cost over-runs, and/or malfeasance in prior work completed for the parish shall be evidenced by substantiating documentation provided by the parish attorney and received by the chairman of the evaluation committee a minimum of two (2) weeks prior to the scheduled date of the legal services evaluation committee meeting. (Maximum points awarded shall be ten (10).)
Location of the principal office where work will be performed. Preference shall be given to persons or firms with a principal business office at which the work will be performed as follows: (1) Jefferson Parish, including municipalities located within Jefferson Parish (15 points); (2) Neighboring Parishes of the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan Region, which includes Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles and St. Tammany Parishes (12 points); (3) Parishes other the foregoing (ten (10) points); (4) outside the State of Louisiana (six (6) points). Maximum points awarded shall be fifteen (15).)
Adversarial legal proceedings between the parish and the person or firm performing professional services, in which the parish prevailed, and excluding those instances or cases where the person or firm was added as an indispensable party, or where the person or firm participated in or assisted the public entity in prosecution of its claim. In the event that the person or firm fails to provide accurate and detailed information regarding legal proceedings with the parish, including the absence of legal proceedings, the person or firm shall be deemed unresponsive with regard to this category, and zero (0) points shall be awarded. (Maximum points awarded shall be fifteen (15) for the lack of any such adversarial proceedings as defined.)
Prior successful completion of projects of the type and nature of legal services, as defined, for which firm has provided verifiable references. (Maximum points to be awarded shall be five (5).) 
That the person or firm submitting a Statement of Qualifications shall have the following minimum qualification: at least one Firm Representative, as defined in Section 2-926 of the Jefferson Parish Code of Ordinances, who is licensed to practice law in the State of Louisiana, with a minimum of five (5) years’ experience.
 
The person or firm submitting a Statement of Qualification (Professional Legal Services Questionnaire) must identify all subcontractors who will assist in providing professional services for the project, in the professional services questionnaire. Each subcontractor shall be required to submit a (Professional Legal Services Questionnaire) and all documents and information included in the questionnaire.  (Refer to Jefferson Parish Code Ordinance, Section 2-928)
 
All persons or firms (including subcontractors) must submit a Statement of Qualifications (Professional Legal Services Questionnaire) by the deadline. The latest professional services questionnaire may be obtained by contacting the Purchasing Department at (504) 364-2678 or via the Jefferson Parish website at www.jeffparish.net.  This questionnaire can be accessed by hovering over “Business and Development” on the website and clicking on the Professional Services Questionnaires option under “Doing Business in Jefferson Parish”.
 
Submissions will only be accepted electronically via Jefferson Parish’s e-Procurement site, Central Bidding at www.centralauctionhouse.com or www.jeffparishbids.net.  Registration is required and free for Jefferson Parish vendors by accessing the following link: www.centralauctionhouse.com/registration.php.
 
No submittals will be accepted after the deadline.
 
Affidavits are not required to be submitted with the Statement of Qualifications, but shall be submitted prior to contract approval.
 
Disputes/protests relating to the decisions by the evaluation committee or by the Jefferson Parish Council shall be brought before the 24th Judicial Court.
 
ADV: The New Orleans Advocate:  October 25, 2023