Agency Request for Proposal – Counsel to Commission
Proposal Due Date/Time: June 1, 2026, by 5:00 pm
Purpose and Intent
The purpose of this Agency Request for Proposal is to solicit bid proposals from contractors to provide general legal representation to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (Commission).
Please provide an hourly rate quote for both representing the Commission in court and for routine attendance at meetings/preparation work, if a difference in rates exists.
Background
The Commission is an independent, autonomous agency of State government allocated within the Department of Law and Public Safety and charged with the enforcement of the New Jersey Campaign Contributions and Expenditures Reporting Act (N.J.S.A. 19:44A-1 et seq.), the Legislative Activities Disclosure Act (N.J.S.A. 52:13C-18 et seq.), the Personal Finance Disclosure Law (N.J.S.A. 19:44B-1 et seq.), and the Uniform Recall Election Law (N.J.S.A. 19:27A-1 et seq.). Because of its unique responsibility to enforce campaign finance and lobbying laws in a nonpartisan manner, the law recognizes the special need for independent agency counsel, and the Commission is specifically authorized to appoint its own independent counsel, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:44A-6a.
Scope of Work
As legal counsel to the Commission, work shall include, but may not be limited to:
· Representing the Commission in all New Jersey and federal courts, including appellate court
· Providing oral and written assistance and legal counsel to the Commission as required
· May assist in the preparation of regulations and advisory opinions
· Attending all scheduled monthly Commission meetings, as well as all special Commission meetings, and providing legal counsel at the meetings
· Reviewing Initial Decisions issued by the Office of Administrative Law, and drafting Final Decisions issued by the Commission
· Observing all requirements of Commission Code of Ethics, including prohibitions against partisan political activity applicable to Commission employees
Experience Requirement
Prior experience serving as counsel to a State agency and representing that agency at the appellate level and/or in Superior Court preferred.
Contract Duration
The selected Attorney will contract with the State of New Jersey under the supervision of the Election Law Enforcement Commission. The projected date for contract commencement is on or about July 1, 2026, and will end on June 30, 2027. Either party to this contract may terminate it without cause and at any time upon giving 60 days’ written notice to the other party.
Required Forms
The following forms are required to be completed and submitted with the proposal package:
· Agency Request for Proposal
· Disclosure of Investigations and Other Actions Involving Bidder
· Disclosure of Investments Activities in Iran
· Ownership Disclosure
· Offer and Acceptance (Signatory Page)
These fillable PDF forms can be found on the New Jersey Purchase and Property’s website at http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/purchase/forms.shtml. The forms are required to be printed and signed.
Submission of Proposals
Do not submit RFP through the job board. All sealed bids/submissions of proposals must be sent to our Commission via USPS or commercial delivery. Complete instructions are listed below.
When using the United States Postal Service (regular mail) to return proposal, the following address
must be used:
Election Law Enforcement Commission
Attn: Christine Clevenger
P.O. Box 185
Trenton, NJ 08625-0185
When using commercial delivery FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. the following address must be used:
Election Law Enforcement Commission
Attn: Christine Clevenger
25 South Stockton Street, 5th Floor
Trenton, NJ 08608
Agency Contact
Christine Clevenger
Phone: 609-292-8700
The proposal due date/time is June 1, 2026, by 5:00pm
If you are regulated under or file reports pursuant to the New Jersey Campaign Contributions and Expenditure Reporting Act, the Gubernatorial Legislative Disclosure Statement Act, the Uniform Recall Election Law and/or the Legislative and Governmental Process Activities Disclosure Act please disregard this solicitation.