The City Attorney and the Chief Procurement Officer recommend City Council pass an ordinance approving and authorizing a task order professional services agreement between the City of Houston (“City”) and Olson & Olson LLP (“Firm”), with a maximum contract amount of $400,000.00. The Firm will be engaged to provide counsel on complex torts and civil rights litigation.
Through SPD, under RFQ No. S67-Q26565, the Legal Department engaged in an extensive procurement process to identify law firms to serve as outside counsel for the City, when needed, in a variety of practice areas based on several criteria, including qualifications, experience, and the provision of benefits to the City, such as controlling costs. The Firm was chosen to represent the City in areas including, but not limited to, administrative regulatory law and commercial litigation, civil rights litigation, negotiating and drafting contracts, eminent domain, environmental law, federal and state law, general municipal law, labor and employment law, real estate law, tort litigation, and other legal services requested by the City Attorney.
The Firm’s practice is primarily in the areas of representation of cities and other units of local government in southeast Texas. The Firm’s attorneys have significant experience in local government law.
The City Attorney and Chief Procurement Officer recommend engaging the Firm to represent the City’s interests because the Firm and its attorneys are pre-eminent in the representation of governmental entities in litigation matters.
Hire Houston First: This procurement is exempt from the City’s Hire Houston First Ordinance based on the department’s determination that compliance with the ordinance would unduly interfere with contract needs.
Pay or Play: The agreement requires compliance with the City’s Pay or Play ordinance regarding health benefits for employees of City contractors. The Firm will provide health benefits to eligible employees in compliance with City policy.
MWBE Information:
The RFQ was issued with a 24% goal for MWBE participation. The following is the MWBE participation designated by the Firm:
|
Subcontractor
|
Amount
|
Percentage
|
| Bernardo S. Garza & Associates, PLLC |
$96,000.00
|
24%
|
Fiscal Note: Funding for this item is included in the FY2022 Adopted Budget. Therefore, no Fiscal Note is required as stated in the Financial Policies.
________________________
Arturo G. Michel, City Attorney
________________________
Jerry Adams, Chief Procurement Officer
|
Estimated Spending Authority
|
|
DEPARTMENT
|
FY2022
|
OUT YEARS
|
TOTAL
|
|
Legal Department
|
$185,000.00
|
$215,000.00
|
$400,000.00
|