Request for Qualifications for Comprehensive Legal Services

RFQ
NOTICE
Kirkwood School District
Request for Qualifications
Comprehensive Legal Services
Issue Date: September 22, 2026
RETURN RESPONSE NO LATER THAN:
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 @ 12:00 PM, CDT
RETURN RESPONSE AND ADDENDA TO:
Kirkwood School District
ATTN: Mr. Scott Cook
Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations
1099 Milwaukee Street, Suite 260
Kirkwood, MO 63122
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Certification Form Part II: Instructions to Respondents
1) Certification
Part I: Introduction and Process 2) Summary of Respondent's Qualifications
1) Purpose Award
2) General Conditions 3) Contract
3) Timeline for Process 4) Payments
4) Review Process 5) Other
6) Scope of Services
7) Federal Work Authorization Program (E-
Verify) Addendum
8) Federal Work Authorization Program Affidavit
Part III: General Conditions-Responses and
Subsequent Contracts
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School District Request for
Qualifications Comprehensive
Legal Services
CERTIFICATION FORM
The Kirkwood School District will accept separate sealed proposals for the services of Comprehensive
Legal Services provider as described in the attached request. Qualified organizations
(Respondents) are required to submit four (4) physical copies, and one (1) digital copy of a
proposal as described herein.
PROPOSALS SHALL BE LABELED AND ADDRESSED AS FOLLOWS:
SEALED PROPOSAL-COMPREHENSIVE LEGAL SERVICES
Kirkwood School District
ATTN: Mr. Scott Cook
Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations
1099 Milwaukee Street, Suite 260
Kirkwood, MO 63122
PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY:
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 @ 12:00 PM, CDT
The Respondent hereby declares understanding, agreement and certification of compliance to
provide the items and/or services, in accordance with all terms and conditions, requirements and
specifications of the original Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and as modified by any addenda
thereto. Respondent is required to complete, sign and return this form with the proposal.
SIGNATURE REQUIRED
Authorized Signature Date
Printed Name Title
Company Name
Mailing Address
City, State, Zip
Mobile Phone #: E-Mail Address
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PART I: INTRODUCTION AND PROCESS
1. PURPOSE
The Kirkwood School District is inviting submittals for: Comprehensive Legal Services.
Specifications, terms, and conditions are included within this document. The initial period of the
contract shall be one year beginning on the date of award. The District reserves the option to
renew the contract for a total of four (4) additional years on an annual basis or a portion thereof.
Annual renewals thereafter shall be based solely on the determination of the District as to the
performance, costs and general quality of the services provided by the successful vendor or
vendors selected.
The District reserves the right to accept or reject any or all submittals or any part thereof, and to
waive any minor informalities in any submittal not deemed to be in the best interest of the
District. Companies interested in performing Comprehensive Legal Services for the District are
invited to submit proposals. The timeline supports a recommendation to the Board of Education
on October 20, 2026.
2. GENERAL CONDITIONS
The Board of Education of the Kirkwood School District (hereafter "District") will receive
submittals from qualified law firms for providing Comprehensive Legal Services.
The purpose of this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is to establish the requirements for
Comprehensive Legal Services, and to solicit submittals from reputable, licensed law firms
or individuals (hereafter "Company") who are members of, and in good standing with, The
Missouri Bar for providing such legal services. The RFQ requests a great amount of detail to
avoid delays, misunderstanding, and to simplify the evaluation of the submittals. The
Company is requested to respond to each specification.
The Company must submit a complete submittal covering all requirements identified in this
RFQ package in order to be considered. All submittals will be scrutinized to ensure that such
requirements can be met. Submittals submitted must be the original work product of the
Company.
Four (4) physical copies and one (1) electronic copy (via USB drive or encrypted PDF email
attachment) of the submittal shall be sealed and plainly marked on the envelope with the
name "Comprehensive Legal Services Submittal" and delivered to:
Mr. Scott Cook
Kirkwood School District
1099 Milwaukee St.
Kirkwood, MO 63122
scott.cook@kirkwoodschools.org
Submittals will be received until 12:00 PM, October 7, 2026. Electronic or facsimile offers
will not be considered in response to this RFQ, nor will modifications by electronic or
facsimile notice be accepted.
Submittals may be modified or withdrawn by written notice or in person by the Company or
its authorized representative, provided its identity is disclosed on the envelope containing the
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submittal and such person signs a receipt for the submittal, but only if the withdrawal is made
prior to the deadline.
The information presented in the RFQ is not to be construed as a commitment of any kind on
the part of the District. There is no expressed or implied obligation for the District to
reimburse responding firms for any expenses incurred in preparing submittals in response to
this request.
All submittals must be submitted on the District forms as attached with this specification.
Submittals submitted on forms other than the enclosed may be rejected. No alternate
submittals that significantly deviate or modify the concept and ultimate objectives of this
submittal will be considered. Non-compliance with RFQ specifications will disqualify
submittals from further consideration.
Any explanation or statement that the Company wishes to make must be contained with the
submittal but shall be written separately and independently of the submittal proper and
attached thereto. Unless the Company so indicates, it is understood that the Company has
proposed in strict accordance with the RFQ requirements.
The District reserves the right to reject any or all submittals and to waive informalities and
minor irregularities in submittals received. The District, in its sole discretion, will determine
whether an irregularity is minor.
All submittals shall be deemed final, conclusive and irrevocable and no submittal shall be
subject to correction or amendment for any error or miscalculation. No submittal shall be
withdrawn without the consent of the District after the scheduled closing time for the
receipt of submittals.
Submittals, terms and conditions shall remain firm for a period of ninety (90) days from the
due date for submittals or until that time when the District takes official action on the
submittals.
The Company is responsible for its own verification of all information provided to it. The
Company must satisfy itself, upon examination of this RFQ, as to the intent of the
specifications. After the submission of the submittal, no complaint or claim that there was
any misunderstanding will be entertained.
No oral interpretation will be made to any Company as to the meaning of the RFQ. Any
oral communication will be considered unofficial and non-binding on the District.
Unauthorized contact by the Company with other District employees or Board members
regarding the RFQ may result in disqualification.
Requests for interpretation must be made in writing to the Chief Financial Officer of the
Kirkwood School District no later than 4:00 PM on Tuesday, September 29. Any information
given to a Company concerning the RFQ will be furnished to all Companies as an addendum
to the RFQ if, in the District's sole discretion, such information is deemed necessary to all
Companies in submitting submittals on the RFQ, or the lack of such information would be
prejudicial to uninformed Companies. The Company should rely only on written statements
issued by the District in the form of an addendum to the RFQ.
Submittals may contain data that the Company does not want used or disclosed for any
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purpose other than evaluation of the submittal. The use and disclosure of such data may be
so restricted, provided the Company marks the cover sheet of the submittal with the
following legend: "Technical data contained on pages and in this submittal furnished
in connection with the Request for Qualifications of the Kirkwood School District
shall not be used nor disclosed except for evaluation purposes, provided that, if a
Contract is awarded to this Company as a result of or in connection with the
submission of this submittal, Kirkwood School District shall have the right to use or
disclose technical data to substantiate the award of a Contract."
The above restriction does not limit the District's rights to use or disclose without the
Company's permission any technical data obtained independently from another source.
Submittals shall not contain any restrictive language different from the above legend.
Submittals submitted with restrictive legends or statements which differ from the above will
be treated under the terms of the above legend. The District assumes no liability for
disclosure or use of unmarked technical data and may use or disclose the data for any
purpose.
The District may accept one part, aspect or phase, or any combination thereof, of any
submittal unless the Company specifically qualifies its offer by stating that the submittal
must be taken as a whole.
The District may award a contract based upon the initial submittals received without
discussion of such submittals.
The District may, at its option, conduct interviews after receipt of the submittal.
The District reserves the right to negotiate to clarify and qualify terms of any submittal.
The District reserves the right to negotiate final contract terms with any Company, regardless
of whether such Company was interviewed or submitted a best and final submittal.
The District may accept any submittal as submitted whether or not negotiations have been
conducted between the parties.
Neither the commencement nor cessation of negotiations shall constitute rejection of the
submittal or a counteroffer on the part of the District.
The Company shall not, under penalty of law and immediate disqualification of the
submittal, offer or give any gratuities, favors or anything of monetary value to an officer,
employee, agent, or Board of Education member of the District for the purpose of
influencing favorable disposition toward a submitted submittal or for any reason while a
submittal is pending or during the evaluation process.
No Company shall engage in any activity or practice, by itself or with other Companies, the
result of which may be to restrict or eliminate competition or otherwise restrain trade.
Violation of this instruction will result in immediate rejection of the Company's submittal.
In the event of a conflict between the submittal and the RFQ, the District shall resolve any
inconsistency in favor of the RFQ. Additionally, the District shall in good faith decide all
inconsistencies and/or disputes pertaining to the RFQ and the submittal. The Company
agrees to abide by the decisions of the District.
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The District, in its discretion, may terminate any Agreement resulting from the Company's
submittal, in whole or in part at any time, whenever it is determined that the successful
Company has failed to comply with or breached one or more of the terms and conditions of
the Agreement or specifications incorporated therein and the successful Company has failed
to correct such failure or breach to the District's satisfaction within a period of 15 days after
receiving written notice thereof from the District. In the event of the partial or total
termination of the Agreement, it is hereby agreed that the District shall only be obligated to
pay in accordance with the terms of the Agreement for materials and services, which have
been accepted by the District.
The District may terminate any Agreement resulting from the Company's submittal without
cause by notifying the successful Company in writing thirty (30) days prior to the effective
date of termination. The successful Company shall not incur new obligations after the
effective date of termination and shall cancel as many outstanding obligations as possible.
In the event the Board of Education of the District fails to approve the appropriation of
funds sufficient to provide for the District's obligations under the Agreement, or if the
funds are not appropriated due to federal, state or local action, the District shall have the
right to terminate the Agreement by providing written notice to the successful Company
and the District will thereby be relieved from all further obligations under the Agreement.
The District may terminate the Agreement immediately without further cost or liability in the
event of the occurrence of any of the following: insolvency of successful Company;
liquidation or dissolution of successful Company; the institution of any voluntary or
involuntary bankruptcy proceeding by or against the successful Company; assignment by
successful Company for the benefit of creditors; or the appointment of a receiver or trustee to
manage the property of the successful Company.
Initial submittals may not be withdrawn for ninety (90) calendar days from the due date for
submittals except with the express written consent of the District. If a submittal is accepted as
submitted, the negotiated final Agreement shall consist of the Agreement, this RFQ, plus any
addenda thereto, and the Company's submittal.
In the event the Agreement initially awarded by the District is terminated for any reason
within one-hundred twenty (120) days of the due date for submittals, the District reserves the
right to negotiate and accept any other submitted submittal.
The District shall not be responsible for any pre-Agreement expenses of any Company,
including the successful Company, incurred prior to the commencement of the Agreement.
The submission of a submittal will indicate the Company has read the general and specific
instructions, that the Company understands the requirements and can supply the services
specified.
No alterations, erasures or additions are to be made in the typewritten or printed matter,
unless initialized in ink.
All information required by the submittal except the signature should be typewritten and
must be legible. Signatures must be handwritten. Illegible or vague submittals will be
rejected. Submittals not properly signed will be considered non-responsive.
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The initial period of the contract shall be one year beginning on the date of award. The
District reserves the option to renew the contract for a total of four (4) additional years on an
annual basis or a portion thereof. Annual renewals thereafter shall be based solely on the
determination of the District as to the performance, costs and general quality of the services
provided by the successful Company or Companies selected.
3. TIMELINE FOR PROCESS
The timeline listed below is the District's estimation of time required to complete the process.
Interviews, if determined necessary by the District, are tentatively scheduled for the week of
October 12-16. Following its review of the written submissions, the District may interview some,
all, or none of the responding firms. The District reserves the right to select based solely on the
written submissions, to request additional information, or to take no action and retain its current
legal counsel. Submission of a response does not guarantee an interview or selection. All efforts
shall be made to abide by this schedule; however, changes may occur if necessary.
Request for Qualifications Issued September 22, 2026
Bidder Questions due to District September 29, 2026
Proposals Due October 7, 2026
Interviews, if applicable week of October 12-16, 2026
Recommendation to Board October 20, 2026
Notice to Proceed October 21, 2026
4. REVIEW PROCESS
Following the submittal deadline, the selection team shall evaluate the proposals. Firms will be
evaluated according to their response to the Request for Qualifications. The team will determine
if any company(s) may be invited to provide a presentation to the team.
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PART II: GENERAL AND SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
FOR COMPLETING THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
I. CERTIFICATION
By submission of this submittal the Company certifies:
A. That the Company has not paid nor agreed to pay any person, other than a bona fide
employee, a fee or brokerage resulting from the award of this contract.
B. That the Company is duly licensed to perform the work requested in this submittal and is in
good standing with the Missouri Bar Association. The Company agrees to comply with all
applicable legal provisions as set forth in the Missouri Revised Statutes, to include all
federal, state and county regulations and understands these provisions are part of any
contract awarded to the Company.
C. That the Company agrees to keep the information related to all Board issues in strict
confidence. Other than the reports submitted to the Board, the Company agrees not to
publish, reproduce or otherwise divulge such information in whole or in part in any manner
or form, or authorize or permit others to do so, taking such reasonable measures as are
necessary to restrict access to the information to those employees on its staff, Board's staff
or the District's staff who must have the information on a "need to know" basis.
II. SUMMARY OF RESPONDENT'S QUALIFICATIONS
The Company must describe the qualifications of their firm and the staff to be assigned to the
Board. Descriptions should include:
a. law education and experience (include specific references to the experiences of providing
services on the topics outlined in the Scope of Services section of this RFQ;
b. prior experience working with similar organizations;
c. prior experience of the individual attorney who will be assigned to the Board, including
education, position in firm, years and types of experience, continuing professional
education, and state(s) in which licensed as an attorney.
The Company must describe its understanding of work to be performed, and demonstrate substantial
knowledge and experience in the interpretation of state and federal laws as they relate to political
subdivisions of the State, and to school districts in particular.
The Company must describe prior legal experiences including the names, addresses, contact
persons and telephone numbers of organizations represented. Experience should include prior
experience providing legal services to similar organizations (i.e., school districts and/or other
political subdivisions of the State).
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GENERAL AND SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
FOR COMPLETING THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
III. AWARD
A. The award will be made as will best promote the public interest, taking into consideration
the qualifications of the firm submitting the submittal; the responsiveness of the submittal
in meeting the requirements and specifications; contractual requirements and any additional
specific criteria for evaluation included in the RFQ. Only the District is in a position to
determine its own best interest; therefore, the District shall be the sole judge in determining
the quality and appropriateness of the services proposed. The District's decision shall be
final.
B. Unless the Company states otherwise, or unless otherwise provided within the RFQ, the
District reserves the right to award by individual line item, by group of line items, or as a
total, whichever is deemed most advantageous to the District.
C. The District reserves the right to make awards at any time within ninety (90) days after the
date of the opening, during which period submittals may not be withdrawn unless
authorized by the District.
D. Each Company shall retain all books, accounts, reports, files and other records relating to the
acquisition and performance of the contract for a period of five (5) years after completion of
the contract. This requirement includes any subcontractors.
IV. CONTRACT
A. The issuance of a formal contract to the successful Company will be considered sufficient
notice of acceptance of contract. This contract shall bind the Company to furnish services
specified in, and in accordance with the conditions of this RFQ. If the Company will require
the District to sign an additional contract, then a copy of the contract MUST be included with
the submittal. In the event of a conflict between the requirements of this RFQ and the
proposed contract, the terms and conditions of the RFQ will take precedence.
B. Non-performance of contract will give sufficient cause for the District to cancel the contract.
Non-performance shall be construed to include, but is not restricted to, failure of successful
firm to deliver in the time specified, or in the manner required. Cancellation of contract for
any reason may result in the removal for an indeterminate time of the successful Company's
name from the vendor list on future submittals.
C. The District may, by written notice to the Company, immediately terminate this contract if
the District determines that employment or gratuity was offered or made by the Company
or a representative of the Company to any officer or employee of the District for the
purpose of influencing the outcome of the procurement or securing the contract, an
amendment to the contract, or favorable treatment concerning the contract, including the
making of any determination or decision about contract performance.
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GENERAL AND SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
FOR COMPLETING THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
D. Any contract entered into as result of this solicitation is for the convenience of the
District and as such, may be terminated without default by the District by providing a
written thirty (30) day notice of termination.
V. PAYMENTS
A. Payment will be made only after submission of proper invoices as required by the District and
within applicable state law. The invoice must identify the nature of the services performed,
hours worked at contract rates and individuals performing the services.
B. Payment of any invoice shall not preclude the District from making claim for adjustment on
any item or service found not to have been in accordance with general conditions and
specifications.
VI. OTHER
A. The successful Company shall not be held responsible for any losses resulting if the
fulfillment of the terms of the contract shall be delayed or prevented by wars, acts of
public enemies strikes, fires, floods, acts of God or any other acts not within the control of
the successful Company and which by the exercise of reasonable diligence the Company
is unable to prevent.
B. Unless otherwise provided for in the specific instructions or specifications, it is mutually
understood and agreed that the successful Company shall not assign, transfer, convey,
sublet or otherwise dispose of this contract or his right, title or interest therein without prior
written approval of the District.
C. Periods of time, stated as number of days, shall be in calendar days.
D. Registration with Missouri Secretary of State: Contract awards are contingent upon the
Company providing the District, prior to the execution of the contract, a current Annual
Registration Report from the Missouri Secretary of the State's Office, showing the
Company is in good standing to conduct business in Missouri.
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