To: Board of Supervisors
From: Monica Nino, County Administrator
Report Title: Contract for State Advocacy Services
?Recommendation of the County Administrator ? Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the County Administrator, or designee, to execute a contract with Nielsen Merksamer for State Legislative Advocacy Services, with an initial term of three (3) years, with two (2) one-year options for extension, with a three-year payment limit of $587,640. (100% General Fund)
FISCAL IMPACT:
The initial three-year contract term will include a payment limit of $587,640. (100% General Fund)
BACKGROUND:
The County currently contracts with Nielsen Merksamer to provide State advocacy services and related lobbying compliance services in Sacramento. The firm has served as the County's State advocates since 2002. The current state advocacy contract currently expires on June 30, 2025.
In compliance with the County's purchasing policies, and in an ongoing effort to ensure competition for the best value for services, a Request for Qualifications was issued under the direction of the Legislation Committee in April 2025 in order to ensure continuous representation.
The calendar of major events related to the RFQs is below:
Event
Date/Location
Request Issued
April 16, 2025
Written Questions Due
by 12:00 p.m. (noon) on April 28, 2025
Response Due (initial)
by 12:00 p.m. (noon) on May 6, 2025
Response Due (extended)
by 12:00 p.m. (noon) on May 12, 2025
Interviews
Week of May 19, 2025 via Zoom
Legislation Committee Recommendation
June 12, 2025
Board Award Date
June 24, 2025
Contract Start Date
July 1, 2025
On Monday, May 12, 2025 at noon, the requests for qualifications (RFQs) for state and federal Legislative Advocacy Services closed, following a one-week extension provided in an effort to receive additional responses.
Two separate RFQs were posted to BidNet: one for State services, and one for Federal. The two RFQs were posted to BidNet...
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