Municipal Bond Counsel Services - 2026

Agency:	City of Orange Township
State:	New Jersey
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	541110 - Offices of Lawyers
Posted Date:	Oct 24, 2025
Due Date:	Dec 4, 2025
Original Source:	Please Login to View Page
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Department of Law

Gracia Robert Montilus, City Attorney

Municipal Building

29 North Day Street, Second Floor

Orange, New Jersey 07050

REQUEST FOR

QUALIFICATIONS

Municipal Bond Counsel Services

January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026

SUBMISSION DEADLINE

1:00 PM – December 4, 2025

ABOUT THE CITY OF ORANGE TOWNSHIP

The City of Orange Township (“City”) is located in Essex County, New Jersey, and is home to approximately 31,000

residents across 4 wards (North, South, East and West). Administration of City government is overseen by an

elected Mayor and a 7-member Municipal Council (1 member from each ward and 3 at-large members), with

day-to-day operations delegated to the City’s several departments. Through the Business Administrator, the

Department of Administration is responsible for, among other things, overseeing the annual development of and

advising the Mayor and Municipal Council on matters involving the City.

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

The City of Orange Township (hereinafter the “City”) is requesting qualification statements from qualified

individual to provide Bond Counsel Services. Qualification Statements will be evaluated in accordance with

the criteria set forth in this Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Using this RFQ, the City intends to establish a

pool of attorneys who will be available to provide legal services as needed during the contract term. One or

more individuals/firms may be selected to provide services. If selected, the governing body will approve a

resolution awarding a contract to the attorney based on an hourly rate of compensation not to exceed $150.00

and for a sum not to exceed a specified amount.

Bond Counsel shall be a licensed attorney at law of New Jersey. Bond Counsel performs and provides legal

advice with regard to the following activities: the preparation of Bond Ordinances and the review of the

adoption proceedings; the preparation and review of public finance resolutions, the preparation and issuance

of Bond Anticipation, Special Emergency, and Tax Anticipation Notes and the preparation and issuance of

General Obligation Bonds. In addition, Bond Counsel is responsible for the preparation and/or review of any

Preliminary Official Statement and Official Statement of the City. Bond Counsel is also responsible for the

preparation and/or review of any application to the Local Finance Board, and attendance at any related

meetings of the Board.

As to the compensation for these services: For services rendered in connection with issuance of temporary

and/or permanent obligations, Bond Counsel will receive a transactional fee. Please include in the response

the proposed base fee for each type of transaction, as well as any additional increment which may apply in

relationship to the par amount of the obligations.

Services rendered that do not result in the issuance of temporary and/or permanent obligations shall be

compensated on an hourly basis. Please set forth the cost details in the response, including the hourly rates of

each of the individuals who will perform services and time estimates for each individual, all expenses and the

total cost of a “not to exceed” amount.

PERIOD OF QUALIFICATION

January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026.

FORM AS TO SELECTION

If selected to provide services, the successful Respondent shall be required to execute a form contract,

which includes indemnification, insurance, termination and licensing provisions. A complete copy of a draft

City contract is available upon request.

It is also agreed and understood that the acceptance of the final payment shall be considered a release

representation shall be considered a release in full of all claims against the City arising out of, or by reason

of, the work done and materials furnished under this Contract.

GLOSSARY

The following definitions shall apply to and are used in this Request for Qualifications (RFQ):

“City” – refers to the City of Orange Township.

“Qualification Statement” – refers to the complete responses to this RFQ submitted by the Respondents.

“Qualified Respondent” – refers to those Respondents who (in the sole judgment of the City) have satisfied

the qualification criteria set forth in this RFQ.

“RFQ” – refers to this Request for Qualifications, including any amendments thereof or supplements thereto.

“Respondent” or “Respondents” – refers to the interested persons and/or firm(s) that submit a Qualification

Statement.

“Period of Qualification” – refers to the period (January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026) during which a

successful Respondent will remain eligible for services under the terms of this RFQ.

SECTION I

INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 Introduction and Purpose

The City of Orange Township is soliciting Qualification Statements from interested persons and/or

firms to provide professional services, as more particularly described herein. Through a Request for

Qualification process described herein, person and/or firms interested in assisting the City with the provision

of such services must prepare and submit a Qualification Statement in accordance with the procedure and

schedule in this RFQ. The City of Orange Township will review Qualification Statements only from those

persons and/or firms that submit a Qualification Statement which includes all information required to be

included as described herein (in the sole judgment of the City). The City intends to qualify person(s) and/or

firm(s) that (a) possess the professional, financial and administrative capabilities to provide the proposed

services, and (b) will agree to work under the level of compensation, terms and conditions determined by the

City to provide the greatest benefit to the taxpayers of the City.

1.2 Procurement Process and Schedule

The selection process is in accordance with the “New Jersey Local Unit Pay-to-Play”, Law and

municipal ordinances establishing the “pay-to-play” criteria. The City has structured a procurement process

that seeks to obtain the desired results described above, while establishing a competitive fair and open process

to assure that each person and/or firm is provided an equal opportunity to submit a Qualification Statement in

response to the RFQ. Qualification Statements will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria set forth in

Section 2 of this RFQ, which will be applied in the same manner to each Qualification Statement received.

Qualification Statements will be reviewed and evaluated by the City Attorney of the City of Orange

Township. The Qualification Statements will be reviewed to determine if the Respondent has met the

minimum professional, administrative and financial areas described in this RFQ. Based upon the totality of

the information contained in the Qualification Statement, including information about the reputation and

experience of each Respondent, the City Attorney will evaluate and determine which Respondents are

qualified (professionally, administratively and financially) to be submitted to the Municipal Council for

approval.

The RFQ process commences with the issuance of this RFQ. The steps involved in the process and

the anticipated completion dates are set forth in Table 1, Procurement Schedule. The City reserves the right

to, among other things, amend, modify or alter the Procurement Schedule upon notice to all potential

Respondents.

All communications concerning this RFQ or the RFQ process shall be directed to the City’s

Designated Contact Person, in writing.

Qualification Statements must be submitted to, and be received by the Office of Procurement, via mail

or hand delivery, by 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 4, 2025. Qualification Statements will not be

accepted by facsimile or e-mail transmissions. Qualification Statement shall be opened in the City Attorney’s

Office, located on the 2nd floor of Orange City Hall, Orange, New Jersey.

TABLE I

ANTICIPATED PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE

ACTIVITY DATE

1. Publication of Request for Qualifications October 23, 2025.

2. Commence Issuance of Request for Qualification Packages October 23, 2025.

3. Receipt of Qualification Statement December 4, 2025.

Conditions Applicable to RFQ.

 Upon submission of a Qualification Statement in response to this RFQ, the Respondent

acknowledges and consents to the following conditions relative to the submission and review and

consideration of its Qualification Statement:

 This document is an RFQ and does not constitute a Request for Proposals (RFP)

 This RFQ does not commit the City to issue an RFQ.

 All costs incurred by the Respondent in connection with responding to this RFQ shall be borne

solely by the Respondent.

 The City reserves the right (in its sole judgment) to reject for any reason any and all responses and

to eliminate any and all Respondents responding to this RFQ from further consideration for this

procurement.

 The City reserves the right, without prior notice, to supplement, amend, or otherwise modify this

RFQ, or otherwise request additional information.

 All Qualification Statements shall become the property of the City and will not be returned.

 All Qualification Statements will be made available to the public at the appropriate time, as

determined by the City (in the exercise of its sole discretion) in accordance with law.

 The City may request Respondents to send representatives to the City for interviews.

 Any and all Qualification Statements not received by the City’s Law Department Procurement by

1:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 4, 2025, will be rejected.

 Neither the City, nor its officers, officials or employees shall be liable for any claims or damages

resulting from the solicitation or preparation of the Qualification Statement, nor will there be any

reimbursement to Respondents for the cost of preparing and submitting a Qualification Statement

or for participating in this procurement process.

Rights of City

The City reserves the right to reject any and all submissions, if necessary, or to waive any informalities

in submissions and to accept any item, items or services in the submissions that are in the best interest of the

City. The City of Orange Township reserves the right to terminate services upon notice to the submitter.

Addenda or Amendments to RFQ

During the period provided for the preparation of responses to the RFQ, the City may issue addenda,

amendments or answers to written inquiries. Those addenda will be noticed by the City and will constitute a

part of the RFQ. All responses to the RFQ shall be prepared with full consideration of the addenda issued

prior to the Qualification Statement submission date.

Qualification Statement Format

Qualification Statements must cover all information requested in this RFQ. Qualification Statements

which in the judgment of the City fail to meet the requirements of the RFQ or which are in any way

conditional, incomplete, obscure, contain additions or deletions from requested information, or contain errors

may be rejected.

SECTION 2

SCOPE OF SERVICES

2.1 It is the City’s intent to solicit Qualification Statements from Respondents that have expertise

in providing professional legal services as described below and as set forth in the attached Notice of

Solicitation for Responses. Respondents must demonstrate that they will have the continuing capabilities to

perform these services.

This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.

Bid Title:	Municipal Bond Counsel Services - 2026
Category:	Bids and Request for Qualification (RFQs)
Status:	Open

Municipal Bond Counsel Services - 2026

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