Outside Legal Counsel 2026

Agency:	Hillside township
State:	New Jersey
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	541110 - Offices of Lawyers 541199 - All Other Legal Services
Posted Date:	Nov 13, 2025
Due Date:	Dec 10, 2025
Original Source:	Please Login to View Page
Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
Bid Documents:	Please Login to View Page

Attachment Preview

TOWNSHIP OF HILLSIDE

COUNTY OF UNION

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR VARIOUS

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

OUTSIDE LEGAL COUNSEL

FAIR AND OPEN PUBLIC SOLICITATION PROCESS

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: DECEMBER 10, 2025 AT 11:00 A.M.

TOWNSHIP OF HILLSIDE

PUBLIC NOTICE

FOR THE SOLICITATION OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, in accordance with N.J.S.A. 19:44-20.5 et seq. through a fair and open process

that sealed submissions will be received by the Township of Hillside, County of Union, State of New Jersey

December 10, 2025 at 11:00 am, prevailing time, in the Municipal Courtroom, located at the Township of

Hillside Municipal Building, 1409 Liberty Avenue, Hillside Township, NJ 07205 then publicly opened and

read aloud for the following:

1. Outside Legal Counsel (General Litigation/Appellate Practice, Labor/Employment and Human

Resources, Redevelopment, Bond/Public Finance, Environmental Law, Tax Appeal, Land Use

(Planning & Zoning) and Alcoholic Beverage Control)

2. Engineering Services (Township Engineer, Environmental Engineer and Land Use (Planning &

Zoning)

3. Professional Planner

4. Township Auditor

5. Grant Writing Services

6. Financial Advisor

7. Insurance Brokerage Services

8. Animal Control Officer and Shelter Services

9. Real Estate Appraisal Services

10. Title Insurance Services

Proposals/Submissions will be received by the Township Clerk’s Office on the date and time noted above. Firms

do not need to be present and may mail or deliver proposal package to the attention of Hope M. Smith, Business

Administrator at the above address prior to date and time above. Envelopes/packages must be

conspicuously marked RFP for “specify category.” Standardized submission requirements and selection

criteria are on file and available on the Township website www.hillsidenj.us and in the Clerk's Office during

regular business hours, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Addenda will also

be posted on the Township website.

All professional service contractors are required to comply with the requirements of N.J.S.A. 52:32-44

(Business Registration of Public Contractors), N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27 et seq. (Contract

Compliance and Equal Employment Opportunities in Public Contracts).

Submissions by Corporations and Partnerships shall include a completed Disclosure of Ownership form

(N.J.S.A. 52:25-24.2) and shall include a completed Non-Collusion Affidavit.

The Township reserves the right to reject any or all submissions due to any defects or waive informalities and

accept any submissions that in their judgment will be in the best interest of the Township. The Township shall

award the contract or reject all submissions no later than 60 days from receipt of same.

TOWNSHIP OF HILLSIDE

SOLICITATION OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACTS

UNDER THE FAIR AND OPEN PROCESS

STANDARDIZED SUBMISSION RULES AND INSTRUCTIONS

1. The Township of Hillside is soliciting proposals for the provision of professional services to the

Township for the contract period January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026. Proposals will

be accepted for the specific professional services set forth in the Public Notice, a copy of which

is attached hereto.

2. The applicant understands and agrees that its proposal is submitted on the basis of the

requirements prepared by the Township. The applicant accepts the obligation to become

familiar with these requirements.

3. Applicants are expected to examine the requirements with care. Ambiguities, errors or

omissions noted by applicants should be promptly reported in writing to the Township. In the

event the applicant fails to notify the Township of such ambiguities, errors or omissions, the

applicant shall be bound by its proposal.

4. No oral interpretation of the meaning of the specifications will be made to any applicant. Every

request for an interpretation shall be in writing, addressed to the Township Clerk. In order to be

given consideration, written requests for interpretation must be received at least five (5) days

prior to the date fixed for receipt of the proposals. Any and all such interpretations and any

supplemental instructions will be in the form of written addenda to the specifications and will be

distributed to all prospective applicants in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40A:11-23. All addenda so

issued shall become part of the contract documents and shall be acknowledged by the applicant

in the proposal. The Township's interpretations or corrections thereof shall be final.

5. The proposal shall be addressed to the Township Clerk’s Office at the Township of Hillside, 1409

Liberty Avenue, Hillside, New Jersey 07205 and shall be received in the Clerk’s Office no later

than December 10, 2025 at 11:00 A.M. Respondents must submit an ORIGINAL responsive

submission, ONE (1) unbound copy of the responsive submission and ONE (1) copy on CD in

pdf format.

6. The proposal form shall be submitted in a sealed envelope bearing the name and

address of the applicant written on the face of the envelope with the RFP category

listed.

7. It is the applicant's responsibility to see that proposals are presented to the Township on the

hour and at the place designated. Proposals may be hand delivered or mailed; however, the

Township disclaims any responsibility for proposals forwarded by regular or overnight mail. If

the proposal is sent by overnight mail, the designation in paragraph 6 above must also appear

on the outside of the delivery company envelope. PROPOSALS RECEIVED AFTER THE

DESIGNATED TIME AND DATE WILL BE RETURNED UNOPENED.

8. All proposals shall include, at a minimum, the name, address and all contact information of the

person or firm making the proposal; a statement of qualifications, including all applicable

professional licenses held; a statement of experience in rendering such professional services

to public entities; references; and a proposal for compensation or a schedule of fees to be

charged for such professional services.

9. All proposals will be evaluated by the Evaluation Team of the Township of Hillside.

10. Proposals will be evaluated by the Evaluation Team of the Township of Hillside on the basis of the

proposals deemed to be most advantageous, price and other factors considered. The evaluation

may consider:

(a) Experience and reputation in the field of professional services;

(b) Knowledge and experience with the Township’s form of government which is Mayor-

Council Plan of the Optional Municipal Charter Law (N.J.S.A. 40:69A- 1 et seq.);

contract;

(d) Availability to accommodate any required meetings;

(e) Ability of the firm to perform the services on a timely basis, including staffing and

familiarity with the subject matter;

(f) Compensation proposal;

(g) References; and

(h) Other factors, if determined to be in the best interest of the Township of Hillside and its

agencies.

11. Any applicant successfully awarded a contract must agree to indemnify and hold the Township

harmless from any liability to subcontractors and suppliers concerning payment for work

performed or goods supplied and must also add the Township of Hillside as a named insured to

any applicable insurance policies.

12. The successful respondent will be notified of the award of contract upon a favorable

decision by the governing body.

13. Certificate of Professional Liability Insurance in a minimum of $1,000,000 to be submitted

with the proposal submission.

BACKGROUND

The Legal Department “Department” of the Township of Hillside (“Township”) is seeking Request for

Proposals from Respondents interested in serving as outside legal counsel to the Township of Hillside in

a variety of practice areas.

The mission of the Department is to effectively represent and promote the Township’s legal interests in

order to actively assist the Township in accomplishing its goals. In addition to providing legal

representation in various aspects of law, including all litigation, the Department acts as legal advisor to

the Mayor and Township Council. In accomplishing its work, the Department periodically requires

assistance from Outside Counsel to complement its existing capabilities and address fluctuations in

workload. As a result, the Township seeks to establish a List of Qualified Outside Counsel (“List”) from

which future work may be assigned in an efficient and timely manner that also recognizes the Township’s

goals related to standardizing its contract procurement processes and diversifying the pool of firms.

Respondents who meet the qualifications established in this RFP will be placed on the List and may be

offered engagements to provide service on a periodic, AS-NEEDED basis, as determined by the

Township Attorney. As the Township Attorney identifies the need for Outside Counsel, Engagement

Letters will be issued with the specific requirements and terms of the engagement. Engagements will be

assigned at the discretion of the Township Attorney as determined to be the best interests of the

Township, based on the correlation between the type/complexity of the work required and the areas of

specialization/expertise of the Respondents on the List. As such, the Township cannot guarantee any

minimum volume of work, if any, for Respondents selected from the RFP process. Also, the Township

reserves the right to engage Outside Counsel not on the list in accordance with Local Public Contracts

law, if in the opinion of the Township Attorney, it is necessary to retain such Outside Counsel. Further,

the engagement of Respondents will be limited to the specific provision of services to be set out in the

Engagement Letter.

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

Outside Legal Counsel 2026

Attachment Preview

Sign-up for a Free Trial, Government Bid Alerts

See Also