OCA-DGCP-084 Judiciary Civil Legal Services, Statewide - ISSUED 10/09/2026

NEW YORK STATE UNIFIED COURT SYSTEM
Office of Court Administration
Division of Grants, Contracts & Procurement
on behalf of the Office for Justice Initiatives
Request for Proposals
OCA-DGCP-084
Judiciary Civil Legal Services, Statewide

OCA-DGCP-084 Judiciary Civil Legal Services, Statewide
Issued October 9, 2026 Due November 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Contents
RFP Articles
I. Background
II. Project Information
III. Available Funding and Term
IV. Project Services
V. Eligible Applicants
VI. Award Selection Criteria and Method of Award
VII. Proposal Instructions
VIII. Submission of Proposals
IX. Questions
X. Pre-Bid Conference
XI. General Specifications
Exhibits
Exhibit 1: Funding by Judicial District (PDF)
Exhibit 2: Insurance Requirements (PDF)
Forms
Form 1- Proposal Document (Microsoft Word Document)
Form 2 - Proposal Budget (Microsoft Excel Document)
Form 3 - Annual Workload Projection Chart (Microsoft Excel Document)
Form 4 - Vendor Assurance and Conflict-of-Interest Disclosure (Microsoft Word Document)
Form 5 - Document Enclosure Checklist and Verification (PDF)
Attachments
Attachment I - Standard Request for Bid Clauses & Forms
Attachment II - Not applicable
Attachment III - Vendor Responsibility: Acknowledgment Form and VR Questionnaire
Attachments are available for download from the Unified Court System's Current Solicitation
webpage: https://www.nycourts.gov/grants-contracts-procurement/current-solicitations

OCA-DGCP-084 Judiciary Civil Legal Services, Statewide
Issued October 9, 2026 Due November 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time
I. BACKGROUND
The mission of the New York State Unified Court System (UCS) is to deliver equal justice
under the law and to achieve the just, fair and timely resolution of all matters that come before
our courts.
The UCS Judiciary Civil Legal Services (JCLS) program provides grant funding to non-profit
legal services organizations to enhance the administration of justice by increasing access
among low-income individuals to legal representation, advice, information and related services
that promote just outcomes in civil legal matters.
II. PROGRAM INFORMATION
This Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks proposals from not-for-profit legal service providers to
address the unmet needs of low-income New Yorkers for civil legal services in matters involving
the essentials of life which include, but are not limited to: housing matters (e.g., evictions,
foreclosures, and homelessness); family matters (e.g., domestic violence, children, and family
stability); access to health care and education; and subsistence income (e.g., wages, disability
and other benefits, and consumer debts).
The funding is structured as general operating support for organizational administration, staffing,
facilities, infrastructure, and technology. Resulting contracts contemplate that awarded
organizations have multiple funding sources (such as local/municipal funding, federal grants, the
New York State Interest on Lawyer Account Fund (IOLA), or the Legal Services Corporation,
for example). This approach recognizes that in many instances the UCS is one among many
funders supporting an organization's civil legal services program.
Applicants may propose direct legal representation services in a broad array of civil case types.
Applicants may also propose services that target specific, underserved communities or provide
specialized legal services (e.g., services for domestic violence survivors, elderly, or non-English
speakers). Applicants may also propose related legal assistance services that promote access to
the civil justice system such as information and referral, new technology (e-filing tools, remote
access), alternative dispute resolution services for civil matters, volunteer lawyer mobilization,
and other legal assistance services.
Funding will be awarded for direct civil legal representation services and related legal assistance
initiatives. Applicants may submit proposals that encompass one or both types of services.
Persons eligible to receive legal services funded by this RFP are limited to those whose
incomes do not exceed 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.

OCA-DGCP-084 Judiciary Civil Legal Services, Statewide
Issued October 9, 2026 Due November 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Key Bid Dates (Note: OCA reserves the right to modify any Key Bid Date as it may deem
appropriate.)
EVENT DATE
Bid Issue Date Friday, October 9, 2026
Question Due Date Friday, October 23, 2026 at 2:00PM Eastern
Bid Submission Deadline Date Friday, November 20, 2026 at 2:00PM Eastern
Estimated Contract Start Date March 1, 2027
III. AVAILABLE FUNDING AND TERM
Funds to support the JCLS program are appropriated in the state judiciary budget. The UCS
intends to make multiple awards to support Project Services (hereinafter defined) in every
county of the state. UCS anticipates a total of up to $176.5 million will be awarded in the initial
annual period. All funding awarded hereunder is subject to appropriation by the State of New
York.
Awarded applicants1 will receive an initial award based on a 12-month operating budget and
will be invited to enter into a contract with UCS. If the awarded amount differs from the amount
requested in the proposal, UCS will require the applicant to adjust the budget and program plan
accordingly.
Contracts awarded pursuant to this Request for Proposals will have a five (5) year term of
March 1, 2027 - February 29, 2032, (the "Contract Term"), subdivided into budget periods
The initial period of the contract will be one (1) month: March 2027, with allocations
representing one twelfth (1/12) of the initial annual award plus reasonable startup costs, as
further outlined in Article VII, Proposal Instructions, below.
The next budget period will be 12 months: April 1, 2027 - March 31, 2028, with an anticipated
allocation equal to the initial annual award (subject to available FY28 appropriations). For
budget periods 3, 4, and 5, also subject to available annual fiscal year appropriations, the
allocation will be based on the initial annual award plus reasonable inflationary increases
(determined by and at the discretion of the UCS) of up to five percent (5%) over the prior
period. For the 6th and final period, April 1, 2031 - February 28, 2032, the allocation will be
pro-rated for 11-months.
For the purposes of this RFP, New York State's sixty-two (62) counties are grouped into
fourteen (14) Judicial Districts (for administrative purposes, the 10th Judicial District is divided
into two separate districts: 10th Nassau and 10th Suffolk). The $176.5 million of anticipated
JCLS funding is proportionately divided among districts based on the share of the state
population living in its counties with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.
1 Throughout this RFP, the terms bidder, proposer, vendor and applicant are used interchangeably, as are RFP, bid
and solicitation.

OCA-DGCP-084 Judiciary Civil Legal Services, Statewide
Issued October 9, 2026 Due November 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time
The aggregate total awards in the respective districts will not exceed the stated allocation for
the district as outlined in Exhibit 1: Funding by Judicial District. UCS anticipates making
multiple awards in each judicial district.
If the proposals received in each district do not adequately address the service needs, including
the strategic priority to have services provided in every county, UCS reserves the right to
withhold all or part of that district's allocation from the award(s) and conduct additional
procurements to address those service gaps.
IV. PROJECT SERVICES
Funding under this RFP may be used to support a wide array of civil legal representation and
related services that address the "essentials of life" (see Section II, Project Description).
Examples of the types of services that may be included in proposed program plans include, but
are not limited to (collectively, "Project Services"):
* Direct legal assistance provided by staff attorneys
* Direct legal assistance provided through referral to pro-bono attorneys
* Direct assistance by trained non-attorney staff (e.g., paralegals), supervised by
attorneys
* Direct assistance by law students or recent graduates, supervised by attorneys
* Comprehensive representation
* Representation in appeals or other complex matters
* Representation in court or administrative hearings
* Limited advice and counsel
* Training or education that supports pro se litigants
* Provision of legal information (e.g., distribution of materials, help desk resources, and
other general informational support)
* Referral to other civil legal services or social service providers
* Mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution
* Use of community volunteers and paraprofessionals to provide legal assistance
* Assistance completing forms or applications
* Online access to self-help materials via the organization's website, or completion of
forms using online tools
* Other services that promote access to the justice system and resolution of civil legal
matters (must be fully described in the proposal narrative)
Awarded applicants will be required to provide reports in a form and manner prescribed by UCS.

OCA-DGCP-084 Judiciary Civil Legal Services, Statewide
Issued October 9, 2026 Due November 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time
V. ELIGIBILE APPLICANTS
Applicants must be not-for-profit corporations, organized and existing under the New York State
Not-for-Profit Corporation Law, with a current certificate of incorporation on file with the
Department of State. New York State Law requires that charitable and nonprofit organizations
that receive contributions from New York State in excess of $25,000 must register or apply for
an exemption with the New York State Attorney General's Charities Bureau. Applicants must
submit proof of charities registration or an exemption from the Attorney General Charities
Bureau with their application.
All applicants must also submit proof of tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code.
The following organizations and individuals are ineligible for contract awards:
* Individuals or organizations listed as ineligible on the federal System for Award
Management due to suspension or debarment
* Individuals or organizations listed as ineligible on the NYS Office of General Services
database of debarred entities.
VI. AWARD SELECTION CRITERIA AND METHOD OF AWARD
Tier I: Minimum Qualifications (Threshold Pass/Fail)
The Awarded Contractor(s) must be considered an Eligible Applicant, as outlined in Article V.
Tier II: Evaluation and Scoring
Proposals that pass the Tier I threshold review will advance to Tier II. Proposals that receive a
score of at least 70 points (average score among evaluators) will advance to Tier III.
Each proposal will be reviewed and rated by a qualified team of UCS staff.
Organizational Capacity and Program Plan scores are based on the responses to the narrative
questions in the Proposal Document (Form 1). Reasonableness of cost is based on the evaluation
of the proposed program budget and budget narrative. The scores of the three categories will be
summed and the average of the evaluators' scores will result in a Final Composite Score for each
Applicant. Points will be awarded as follows:
Scoring Criteria Maximum Points
Organizational Capacity 25
Program Plan (including borough-specific plans, if applicable) 55
Reasonableness of Cost 20
Maximum Points 100

OCA-DGCP-084 Judiciary Civil Legal Services, Statewide
Issued October 9, 2026 Due November 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Tier III: Final Evaluation
In Tier III, the amounts awarded to responsible applicants that meet the minimum final
composite score will be determined based on consideration of some or all the following: Tier II
scoring, strategic priorities, available funding and best overall value to New York State.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein obligates UCS to approve awards or funding for
any applicant.
Please see the criteria set forth in the paragraph headed "Rejected and Unacceptable
Bids/Proposals" in Section XI General Specifications and Attachment III-Vendor Responsibility
Questionnaire: Instructions, regarding responsibility review and the criteria necessary and
reasonable to establish an applicant's responsibility.
VII. PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS
New York City applicants may submit a single proposal, even if proposing services in multiple
NYC boroughs.2 If services in more than one borough are proposed, the application must include
supplemental, borough-specific narratives for each borough to be served.
Outside of New York City, a separate proposal must be submitted for each Judicial District to be
served.
Applicants seeking funding for joint proposals among two or more organizations must be
submitted by one lead applicant. Organizations receiving funding in a joint program with a lead
applicant must also meet the eligibility criteria in Section V and will be required to enter into a
written subcontract with the lead applicant if awarded.
Each proposal must include the following:
A. Proposal Document - Form 1
Applicants must respond to all questions included in the Proposal Document (Form 1).
Narrative submissions must be single-spaced with one-inch margins using a 12-point font.
Pages should be numbered. The Proposal Document includes the following sections:
a. Proposal Cover Sheet
b. Program Plan Description (including NYC borough-specific questions)
c. Organizational Capacity
d. Budget Narrative
B. Line-Item Budget - Form 2
2 In NYC, the terms Judicial District, County and Borough are synonymous. The terms may be used
interchangeably in this RFP.

OCA-DGCP-084 Judiciary Civil Legal Services, Statewide
Issued October 9, 2026 Due November 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Each application must include a line-item budget for the initial 12-month period. This 12-
month budget should include initial annual operational costs. The 12-month operational
budget will be evaluated and scored. An Excel spreadsheet is included as Form 2, Proposal
Budget for this purpose. An additional Form 2 must be submitted for any proposed sub-
contract with an annual value of $100,000 or more.
Applicants must also submit a line-item budget for the initial one-month (March 2027)
period of the contract. This one-month budget should include operational costs based on 1/12
of the anticipated annual funding request plus up to an additional five percent (5%) of the
annual funding request for reasonable startup costs and/or expenses that enhance the
program's capacity to deliver services over the five-year term: personnel onboarding costs,
administrative support, initial training, equipment and technology, furniture, facilities
readiness, professional services, marketing and communication costs (i.e., branding, website
updates, etc.), community engagement, and evaluation and data infrastructure setup. Please
note: any funding requested in this one-month budget must be expended or obligated prior to
March 31, 2027, and must be liquidated prior to July 15, 2027. This one-month budget will
not be evaluated or scored. A second worksheet is included for this purpose in Form 2,
Proposal Budget.
In developing expense budgets, applicants should reference the UCS Financial Planning and
Control Manual, Part IX, Chapter 2.000: Contracts with Not-For-Profit Providers, found
here: Financial Planning and Control Manual - Contracts with Not-for-Profit Organizations
which defines budget categories and outlines allowable costs.
Please note that there shall be no other charge, cost, reimbursement, or expense of any kind
payable by UCS in connection with or arising from the performance of Project Services.
Applicant shall be solely responsible for all costs and expenses incurred in connection with
the performance of Project Services that are not expressly included in its budget and
approved by UCS. Budget allocations for each period during the Contract Term are subject to
the availability of appropriations and will be determined by UCS, based on fiscal and
programmatic considerations.
C. Annual Projections Chart - Form 3
An annual workload projection must be submitted with each proposal. The workload
projections must reflect the aggregate work of the organization supported by all funding
sources (not limited to work supported by UCS funds under this RFP). An Excel spreadsheet
is included as Annual Workload Projection Chart (Form 3) for this purpose. Choose the
worksheet within the spreadsheet for the district where services are proposed.
Enter the estimated number of cases to be handled and/or individuals to be served in each
county within the district for the period 4/1/27 - 3/31/2028.
Funding Request. Estimate of the amount of UCS funds that will be allocated to provide
services in each county for which services are offered in the initial 12-month period. The
total should match the amount listed on the proposal cover sheet in the Proposal Document

OCA-DGCP-084 Judiciary Civil Legal Services, Statewide
Issued October 9, 2026 Due November 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time
(Form 1).
Cases to be Handled. Estimate the total number of matters in which direct legal assistance
will be provided to eligible clients. Direct legal assistance refers to full or limited
representation of an eligible client within an attorney-client relationship in an actual or
anticipated legal matter. This includes all matters in which specific legal advice and counsel
is provided. This category does not include other non-case-specific assistance.
Other Legal Services - Individuals to be Served. Estimate the total number of individuals
who will be provided with legal assistance that does not fall under "cases to handled".
D. Document Enclosure Checklist and Verification - Form 5
Applicants must submit all documents and forms listed in the Document Enclosure Checklist
and Verification (Form 5). An authorized agency representative must sign the form. Failure
to provide all documents in the manner prescribed may result in disqualification of an
applicant's proposal.
VIII. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL
Applications must arrive either via online submission OR at the address below no later
than Friday, November 20, 2026, 2:00 PM Eastern Time ("Bid Submission Deadline
Date").
Any application received after this deadline will be declared late and may be disqualified.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a late application may be accepted by UCS in its sole discretion
if: (i) an insufficient number of timely applications meeting the requirements of this RFP are
received; or (ii) the applicant has satisfactorily demonstrated to UCS that the late application was
caused solely by factors outside the control of the applicant. However, in no event shall UCS be
obligated to accept a late application, and in making such determination, UCS will consider
whether accepting a late application would materially benefit or disadvantage a particular
applicant. It is recommended that applicants allow several extra days for mailing or file uploads
to meet the deadline.
1. Online Submission (Preferred Method)
Online submissions must be in PDF format. Compile all required documents into a single .PDF
with the file name: "RFP 084 JCLS, Applicant Organization Name - x Judicial District
Proposal" where x is the name of district that is the subject of the proposal.
Online submissions must be uploaded to a UCS SharePoint site. Applicants must request
credentials for access to the site in advance by sending an email to Alina Zielinski at
azielins@nycourts.gov with the subject line: Judiciary CLS RFP SharePoint User
Name/Password Request. Include the name of the person requesting access, their email
address, and the name of the applicant organization. Requests for credentials should be

OCA-DGCP-084 Judiciary Civil Legal Services, Statewide
Issued October 9, 2026 Due November 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time
submitted no later than November 6, 2026. Late requests may not be granted.
Once the request for access credentials is processed, applicants will receive a reply email
containing their username, password, and the SharePoint uniform resource locator (URL),
colloquially known as a web address, and detailed instructions for uploading files to the
site. If you do not receive a reply within one week of your request, please reach out to the
Designated Contact.
2. Paper Submission
Applicants submitting proposals by hand delivery or mail must submit one (1) signed, hard copy
original complete proposal. To facilitate scanning, do not permanently bind documents.
Proposals submitted via paper must be clearly addressed and submitted to the following
Designated Contact:
NYS Unified Court System
Division of Grants, Contracts & Procurement
2500 Pond View, Suite 104
Castleton-on-Hudson, New York 12033
ATTN: Alina Zielinski
All envelopes/cartons must also be labeled on the outside with the following information on two
sides, visible to the Designated Contact upon receipt:
"Deliver immediately to Alina Zielinski"
"Sealed Application - Do not open"
"RFP # OCA-DGCP-084 Judiciary Civil Legal Services, Statewide"
Due November 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern"
3. Amendment of Proposals
Proposers may only amend submitted proposals prior to the Bid Submission Deadline Date.
Amended proposals must be submitted electronically or in packaging which clearly indicates
"Amended Proposal for RFP # OCA-DGCP-084." Amended proposals must be signed by an
individual who is duly authorized to amend the bidder's original proposal. Amended proposals
must be submitted in the same manner as original proposals described herein. Amended
proposals received by UCS after the Bid Submission Deadline Date will be rejected for lateness.
4. Withdrawal of Proposal Prior to Bid Submission Deadline Date
A proposal may be withdrawn at any time prior to the Bid Submission Deadline Date. If multiple
proposals are submitted by the same bidder, the bidder must clearly indicate to which proposal
the withdrawal applies.
5. Bidder Confidential/Proprietary Information