Agenda Item
b. RFP 26-730 Bond Counsel Legal Services/Agreements with Law Firms (Not to Exceed $850,000)
Summary: Presented by: Mr. H. Eric Hilton, Chief Legal Officer, Division of Legal Services
Request: It is requested that the DeKalb County Board of Education (“Board”) approve the contract Award for RFP 26-730 for the following law firms, in a not-to-exceed amount of $850,000.
Holland & Knight LLC; and
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP
Why: The DeKalb County School District (“District”) requires sound legal advice on various issues related to public finance transactions. Therefore, it is prudent for the District to retain a panel of law firms that are available to represent the District on an as-needed basis and based on the specific legal needs of the District. The approval of bond counsel legal service providers will enable the District to continue the efficient provision of legal services for bond matters on an as-needed basis.
Details: This request is pursuant to the District’s Request for Proposal (“RFP”) 26-730, entitled Bond Counsel Legal Services. That RFP noted that the selected law firms will be expected to provide advice to the District, during business and non-business hours, in the area of Bond Counsel. The RFP stated that various issues arise during the course of business involving matters that will require guidance and advice from legal counsel. Because such services, at times, represent emergency situations, legal counsel will be expected to return a telephone call, or email, to the District without undue delay.
With the approval of the District’s Procurement Department, RFP 26-730 was properly posted to required sources and provided to a number of local legal associations. The additional sourcing efforts for RFP 26-730 were as follows:
1. Posted to IonWave on February 26, 2026;
2. Advertised in the Champion Newspaper on February 26, 2026, and March 5, 2026;
3. Electronic notification sent to 67 vendors from the DCSD Vendor Bid List;
4. Electronic notification sent to 458 vendors through the State of GA Procurement Registry; and
5. Electronic notification sent to 782 vendors through IonWave.
In response to the solicitation, three (3) proposals were received by the March 26, 2026, deadline, and two (2) proposals were deemed responsive. These responsive proposals were:
1. Holland & Knight, LLC; and
2. Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, LLP;
RFP 26-730 provides that the contract for legal services will contain four (4) one-year extension options. Therefore, an evaluation committee was formed to review the proposals. The members of the evaluation committee met on May 1, 2026, and May 12, 2026, to discuss the law firms that submitted proposals, score each law firm and recommend legal service vendors to provide employment matter legal services to the District. After discussion, the evaluation committee recommended that the following law firms be approved to provide employment matter legal services to the District on an as-needed basis:
1. Holland & Knight, LLC; and
2. Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, LLP
Financial impact: Not to Exceed Amount for Employment Matter Legal Services of $850,000.
The account code from which the expense will be paid is 100.2300.530002.00011.7080.9990.8010.080.0000.
Contact: Mr. H. Eric Hilton, Chief Legal Officer, Division of Legal Services, 678.676.0159
Mr. Glinton R. Darien, Jr., Director of Legal Affairs, Division of Legal Services, 678.676.0403
Effective: Upon Board Approval and a fully executed retainer agreement with each law firm
Status: Approved by the Office of Legal Affairs
Bond Counsel Legal Services
Final Evaluation Form - RFP No. 26-730
EVALUATION
FIRM'S RELEVANT EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE
FIRM'S OVERVIEW/COMPANY PROFILE
PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES TOTAL EVALUATION SCORE EVALUATION RANKING
SCOPE OF SERVICES COST OF SERVICES
Bond Counsel Legal Services
RFP 26-730
APPLICANTS POINTS AVAILABLE 100 175 100 50 75 500
Holland & Knight LLP Score 92 175 100 28 63 458 1st
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP Score 96 161 96 24 75 452 2nd
American Technologies
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