HomeMy WebLinkAboutLegislative Program DecisionsDate: April 7, 2014
To: Board of Commissioners
From: Judith Ure
Subject: State Lobbyist Solicitation
At the conclusion of the 2013 legislative session, the Board of Commissioners expressed an
interest in assessing the County’s current needs for state lobbying and legislative services and to
potentially update the existing arrangement accordingly.
Since 2003, the County has engaged Public Affairs Counsel (PAC) for lobbying and legislative
services. While there is no legal or policy mandate to solicit new proposals for services
periodically, the current contract with PAC has expired and should be either renewed or
replaced. In making such a decision, the Board may wish to consider the following information.
Options
The County’s legislative program can be managed in a variety of ways, including:
1. Renewing the current contract with PAC. As the terms of the existing contract were
established in 2003, issues such as scope of work and compensation may need to be revisited.
2. Issuing a request for proposals soliciting interest from qualified firms to provide lobbyist and
legislative services and enter into a new contract with the successful proposer.
3. Recruiting, hiring, and maintaining a County staff person to coordinate legislative activities
and lobby on the County’s behalf.
Considerations
Although many issues may be considered by the Board in determining the best approach for the
County’s legislative program, a few that have received mention to date include:
How ready and continued access to the County’s legislative delegation will be facilitated.
How a firm’s various clients who hold opposing positions are managed and how conflicts of
interest are mitigated.
How the County’s positions on proposed legislation will be coordinated with the Association
of Counties (AOC) and various departmental professional associations.
How the County’s legislative activities will be coordinated with other local public agencies,
business organizations, and community groups.
Timelines
Preparation for the 2015 legislative session officially begins on September 22 when pre-session
requests for proposed legislation are due. To ensure that the County is ready and able to act by
then, arrangements for lobbying and legislative services should be in place by August 15, 2014.
Following is a tentative schedule of activities that would correspond with that target for each of
the options above:
Option 1
June 9-July 4 – Identify issues to be revised or included in new contract.
July 7-31 – Open negotiations with current contractor as to terms of new contract.
August 1-14 – Prepare contract.
August 15 – Execute contract.
Option 2
May 6-29 – Prepare request for proposals document and rating materials.
May 30 – Issue request for proposals.
June 2-27 – Accept proposals.
June 23-July 3 – Evaluate proposals.
July 7-11 – Present recommendation to Board of Commissioners for approval.
July 14-18 – Allow unsuccessful proposers to appeal decision.
July 21-25 – Consider appeals.
July 28-31 – Make final decision.
August 1-14 – Negotiate terms of contract and prepare document.
August 15 – Execute contract.
Option 3
May 1-30 – Develop position description.
June 2-7 – Advertise recruitment.
June 9-July 3 – Accept applications.
July 7-14 – Hold interviews.
July 21-25 – Conduct background checks.
July 28-31 – Select candidate and make offer of employment.
August 1-15 – Employment start date.