Athletic Officiating Services

INVITATION FOR BID

IFB#: 017-47

For the provision of:

Athletic Officiating Services Annual Contract

Hall County, Georgia, Board of Commissioners (herein “County”), is seeking qualified vendors to provide athletic officiating services (herein “Services”). The County seeks to award one (1) contractor to perform all the Services.

Schedule of Events:

Bid Post Date:   05/14/2026

Pre-Bid Meeting: N/A

Bidders’ Questions Due:   05/20/2026

Response to Bidder Questions Due:  05/21/2026

Bid Due Date: 05/28/2026

Bidding Process: Hall County is now accepting sealed bids from qualified contractors for the provision of the Services in the County’s Purchasing Division, located on the fourth (4 ^th ) floor of the Hall County Government Center, 2875 Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA 30504 until 2:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, May 28 ^th , 2026. All bid packets must be sealed and time and date stamped by the Hall County receptionist located on the 4 ^th floor to be considered.

General Qualifications: Bidders must be in the regular business of providing similar Services. Bidders must be licensed, insured, and bonded in the State of Georgia.

Pre-Bid Meeting Address: N/A

Questions: All communications must be directed solely to Mike Hawkins, Issuing Officer, at For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. for questions or clarifications of the IFB requirements.

Addenda: If needed and in the best interest of the County, the Purchasing Division may make an extension of the bidding period by a formal written addendum and publicly posted on the County website. All addenda must be signed by the Bidder and returned with the bid packet.

Proposal Documents: Bidders may obtain all submittal documents at no cost via the County’s website at https://www.hallcounty.org/Bids.aspx ,then scroll down and click the link for Athletic Officiating Services and download all required documents under “Related Documents”. Any addenda will also be posted at the bottom of the webpage as needed. Bidders are responsible for checking for addenda. Addenda must be signed and returned along with the bid packet.

Bid Response: Each Bidder must provide a total of three (3) hard paper copies of its bid, including any addenda, with one (1) marked “Original” and two (2) marked “Copy”. Submit all three (3) hard paper copies in a sealed envelope(s).

Each Bidder must provide one (1) hard paper copy of Exhibit C – Cost Proposal Worksheet. Prices quoted on Exhibit C – Cost Proposal Worksheet shall be fixed and firm for the duration of the contract.

Electronic signatures on bid documents are acceptable; however, hard copies of the bid response are required, as stated above.

Bidders must also provide their responses on one (1) USB drive.

Public Reading: Bid openings are open to the public and to Bidders. Bidders are not required to attend but may do so. The Issuing Officer named herein, or another Purchasing team member, will open and publicly read all Bidder’s company names, their locations, and proposed costs on the date, time, and at the address above.

Evaluation and Selection: The County will evaluate all submittals in accordance with the Official Code of Hall County, Georgia 3.10, and as further detailed herein.

Award Process: The County reserves the right to reject any or all bids, in whole or part, or to select any Bidder, without liability on part of the County to the Bidder to complete the described work. The County intends to award the contract to one (1) company that it deems to be the lowest cost, responsible and responsive Bidder to perform all the work described herein. Lead times and length of time to complete the work may also be a factor in award.

Bid Retention: Bidders may not withdraw their bid after the bid opening. Bids must be valid for one hundred twenty (120) calendar days. All forms, documents, and exhibits attached hereto must be completed and returned with the bid. The County reserves the right to retain all bids submitted and use any idea(s) in a bid regardless of award. The County shall have the right to waive any informality or irregularity of immaterial deviation in any bid received.

Bidders must sign Exhibit B – Contract for Services. Bidders may submit redlines and exceptions to Exhibit B – Contract for Services to the Issuing Officer prior to submitting their bids. Redlines and exceptions to the contract must be submitted by the Bidders’ Questions Due Date listed above.

Legally Binding Agreement: The County and the awarded Bidder shall enter into a formal agreement; substantially in the form of the attached Exhibit B – Contract for Services. Contracts are only valid if they are signed by the County’s Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, or his/her designee, and the awarded Bidder. Bidders must sign the Exhibit B – Contract for Services and submit it with their bid responses. All questions regarding the contract, redlines, and exceptions must be submitted in writing to the Issuing Officer prior to the Bidders’ Questions Due Date listed above. If there are no written objections or exceptions, then the County will understand this as an affirmative acceptance of the Scope of Work as it is presented.

Bonds: A bid bond equal to five percent (5%) of the bid amount is not required; however, all Bidders must include in their bid submissions a letter of bondability. The County will only accept surety companies licensed to do business in the State of Georgia. The awarded Bidder must produce a performance and payment bond that are both equal to 100% of the face value of the awarded amount. Performance and payment bonds must be received by the County before a Notice to Proceed is issued.

Non-Collusion Clause: Bidders must have no contact of any nature with any other Bidders, County staff members (except the Issuing Officer named herein), its elected officials, nor Commissioners, during the evaluation process. The County will deem such as collusion and thus render the submission in violation of the Official Code of Hall County and thus the County may render the proposal as non-responsive and not evaluate the proposal for an award.

By submitting a proposal, the Bidder represents and warrants that no official or employee of Hall County Government has, in any manner, an interest, directly or indirectly, in the proposal or in the contract which may be made under it, or in any expected profits to arise there from.

County Consultants: From time to time, the County may select an outside consultant at its own discretion who will act under the direction of County’s Project Manager. The consultant will have full authority to act on behalf of the County; however, the consultant may not solicit goods and services on behalf of the County without prior written approval from the County. Contractors MUST follow all specification sections prepared by the County’s consultant, and Contractors MUST allow the consultant to inspect the work.

Taxes: The County is exempt from State of Georgia Local Sales and Use Tax. The Bidder understands and acknowledges that it is responsible for any sales and use taxes it may incur. The Bidder will not charge or invoice the County any sales and use tax as a separate line item. The Contractor may request a copy of the County’s Georgia Sales and Use Tax Exemption Certificate.

Table of Contents

1.0       INTRODUCTION

2.0       GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

3.0       SCOPE OF WORK

4.0       SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

5.0       IFB RESPONSE PREPARATION

6.0       SELECTION PROCESS

7.0       STEPS TO AWARD

1.0    INTRODUCTION

The County desires to award one (1) company for the Services described herein and is soliciting sealed bids for this Invitation for Bid (herein “IFB”) for the Services. Bidders must be in the regular business of athletic officiating services

2.0       GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. The County reserves the right to conduct any review it may deem advisable to assure services conform to the specifications.
2. Prospective firms, including all officers, must not be, or have been, barred by any Federal, State, or Local authority.
3. A Bidder must not be, or have been, in any legal suit for negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, or otherwise malpractice charges.
4. A Bidder must be legally able to conduct business in the State of Georgia.
5. A Bidder must not have abandoned a project or an engagement or otherwise been terminated for non-performance or subpar performance
6. A Bidder must not be under an enforcement action for related investigation pending by a professional or regulatory group.

3.0       SCOPE OF WORK

Contractor agrees to provide the service to the County as described in this IFB#: 017-47 and the bidder’s response.  The selected Contractor will be asked to perform all operational responsibilities associated with this service on an annual basis.  This Contract shall have a one (1) year initial term, with four (4) additional one (1) year optional renewals, based on the approval of both parties.  Hall County reserves the right to reject all proposals.

3.1   CONTRACTOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES

1. GENERAL

The vendor is to provide and schedule qualified officials to officiate league games for the following sports:  youth basketball, youth baseball, youth softball, adult softball, and adult basketball. Games may be scheduled at any of the following parks: Alberta Banks Park, Butler Park, Cool Springs Park, East Hall Community Center and Park, Hog Mountain Sports Complex, Laurel Park, Mulberry Creek Community Center, Murrayville Park, North Hall Community Center and Park, Platt Park, Sardis Park, Spout Springs Sports Complex, and other facilities used for league play as determined by the Owner.

Interested vendors are to provide pricing for officials for each sport and age division, experience and references, qualifications (professional certifications of all key personnel, chart describing their roles, and the specific contributions that you expect them to make as part of your proposal), and service delivery (written method of approach to describe how you manage the staffing, training, scheduling, monitoring, evaluating, and other necessary services related to officiating recreational athletic leagues). The specific services requested are outlined in detail in the scope of services within this request for proposal.

2. BACKGROUND

Hall County Parks & Leisure Services (“HCPL”) offers youth and adult athletic leagues in the fall, winter, spring and summer seasons. The leagues and estimated number of participants per league based on participation information for leagues offered during Fiscal Year 2027 (July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027) are noted below:

SUMMER:

* Adult Basketball: Ages 18+ - 48-64 players: 6-8 teams

* Adult Softball: Ages 18+ - 80-120 players; 8-12 teams

FALL:

* Youth Baseball: Age 6 to 16 – 500 players; 50 teams

* Youth Softball: Age 8 to 12 – 150 players; 15 teams

* Adult Softball: Ages 18+ - 80-120 players; 8-12 teams

WINTER:

* Youth Basketball: Ages Kindergarten to 8th Grade – 1300 players; 150 teams

SPRING:

* Youth Baseball: Age 5 to 16 years – 650 players; 55 teams

* Youth Softball: Age 8 to 12 years – 250 players; 25 teams

3. STATEMENT OF WORK

The HCPL athletics program is expected to include approximately 3,200 or more children and adults from the local community. The number of league games per sport/season is based on the total number of teams and is estimated to be as follows:

SUMMER (June-August)

* Adult Basketball: 30-40 Games

* Adult Softball: 40-60 Games

FALL (September-October):

* Youth Baseball: 250 Games

* Youth Softball: 75 Games

* Adult Softball: 40-60 Games

WINTER (November-February):

* Youth Basketball: 750 games

SPRING (March-May):

* Youth Baseball:  275 games

* Youth Softball:  125 games

NOTE: HCPL reserves the right to add a league during the term of the contract if there is a demand to do so.

Games will be held primarily on weeknights with some younger divisions playing primarily on Saturdays. Other leagues may play on weekends (including Sundays) if needed due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather, field maintenance/repairs, etc. Some leagues may offer end-of-season tournament play, which could increase the number of games estimated above.

HCPL expects that a typical game for most sports will involve a two (2) person crew who will officiate one (1) to three (3) games per day.   Weekend schedules may require up to six (6) or more games per day, per facility if needed.  All baseball and softball games are expected to have one (1) umpire positioned behind home plate with protective gear and one (1) official positioned in the field of play.

A preseason meeting will be scheduled for each sport by the HCPL. The authorized representative and booking agent for the selected Contractor are required to attend all preseason meetings with staff at no charge to HCPL. All officials who may work one of the games are encouraged to attend at no charge to HCPL.

All officials will be expected to pass a basic rules knowledge test of 90% or higher prior to the first scheduled games for each sport and season in order to officiate games for the current season. The tests will be administered by HCPL staff.

The selected Contractor is expected to provide officials that are competent and familiar with, and operate within, standard governing bodies for sports rules plus local supplemental league rules. Examples of standard governing bodies for sports rules may include but are not limited to the following: Georgia High School Association (“GHSA”), National Federation of High Schools (“NFHS”), National Softball Association (“NSA”), Amateur Softball Association (“ASA”), etc.

TRAINING: The selected Contractor will conduct a minimum of one (1) internal training meeting per sport per season for which attendance will be mandatory for Contractor’s officials. HCPL expects officials to attend these meetings at no charge to HCPL. HCPL will also have an open invitation to attend these training meetings to address any concerns directly.

The selected Contractor will provide mandatory training of their officials both in the classroom and on the court/field. The Contractor or other approved/accredited organization may conduct the training. League rules will be distributed by HCPL to the Contractor prior to the start of each sport’s season. The Contractor should distribute rules to all officials affiliated with the Contractor. The Contractor will maintain a signature sheet for each official confirming review of the rules. HCPL will provide training facilities to the Contractor free of charge once per sport per season per the term of the agreement for the purpose of training officials and/or subcontractors.

MINIMUM EXPECTATIONS OF HCPL: The selected Contractor will be required to adhere to the following minimum expectations of HCPL regarding their performance and the performance of their officials during the life of the agreement.

1. The Contractor will provide HCPL with a weekly schedule of assigned officials for each game scheduled during the following week.

2. All officials will be required to wear standard uniforms for the sport that they are officiating. Uniforms are subject to HCPL approval.

3. Officials must arrive at a game site at least fifteen (15) minutes prior to the scheduled game time to check the safety and condition of the playing facility. Financial penalties for late arrivals and no-shows will apply.

4. Make-up games are generally scheduled on game days, but occasionally games may be made up on other days. Make-up days will be scheduled as needed to complete the playing season. Make-up or tournament dates may extend beyond the initial season conclusion date provided on the original schedule.

5. The Contractor will instruct all officials to cooperate with assigned HCPL staff in any incident/accident situations. Officials will provide any/all information necessary for proper documentation by HCPL staff.

6. HCPL will not be held responsible for any accident or injury sustained by the Contractor’s officials.

7. Contractor must provide proof of background checks and pertinent information for all affiliates prior to the commencement of HCPL athletic events and games. HCPL has the right to request an annual criminal background check on all Contractor’s officials/sub-contractors. If requested by HCPL, the Contractor must provide a completed background check and pertinent information for each official to HCPL for review.

8. Officials will treat program customers, volunteers, other officials, and HCPL employees with courtesy and respect.

9. HCPL will have the right in its sole discretion to require Contractor to remove an official from the HCPL officiating schedule.

10. HCPL will eject from the premises any coach, participant, or spectator who touches an official in an attempt to forcibly detain, accost, or harm her/her. The official and/or Contractor will determine if he/she will press criminal charges and will notify HCPL in writing as soon as possible if such action is taken.

11. Any official reported to HCPL for inappropriate behavior will be suspended pending a complete investigation by HCPL staff. HCPL reserves the right to suspend and/or restrict any official for inappropriate behavior before, during or after any scheduled game. The results of any investigation may be forwarded to the appropriate state and national association.

12. Any official physically attacking a coach, player, spectator or HCPL staff before, during, or after a game shall be suspended indefinitely from all programs and reported to the appropriate state and national association.

13. The Contractor and all officials/sub-contractors will comply with the Owner’s Drug Abuse Policy, and will comply with all applicable Federal, state, county, and local laws, ordinances, regulation, and codes in performance of the agreement.

14. The Contractor will obtain and maintain, at its own expense, during the term of the agreement commercial general liability insurance from a responsible insurance company legally licensed and authorized to transact business in the state of Georgia. The minimum limits for general liability insurance, which must include personal liability coverage will be $500,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence for bodily injury and $500,000 per occurrence for property damage.

15.  The Contractor shall attend all preseason, mid-season, postseason, coach's meetings, and rules and input meetings as set forth by HCPL.

16. The Contractor will ensure that each official enforces safety rules for coaches and participants. Officials will be responsible for ensuring that players and coaches have and utilize proper equipment and for keeping players and coaches in the appropriate locations during the game.

17. The Contractor and shall not be considered an agent or employee of HCPL.

18. Ejections; officials must submit in writing, an accident report when a participant or spectator is ejected or removed from the event. The report needs to be submitted to HCPL within 24 hours of the incident.

19. The Contractor will invoice HCPL each week of the sport’s season, in accordance with the agreed upon payment information and process.

20. The Contractor will provide an invoice indicating the number of games weekly to the HCPL Athletic Division staff member assigned as League Commissioner who verifies and approves it for payment.

21. Officials reporting to game site after the official game start time will be considered late and will be penalized 50% of the specified game fee.

22. The Contractor will not charge for games cancelled or postponed by HCPL Athletic Division.

SCHEDULE: HCPL will schedule all games through the Contractor’s booking agent or officials’ assignor, as designated by the Contractor. Completed season schedules will be provided to the booking agent a minimum of one (1) week prior to the first scheduled game of each season per sport. Schedules will provide distinctions among games by age groups. Contractor will acknowledge that circumstances may arise during the course of the season that require games to be canceled and/or rescheduled. HCPL will provide as much notice as is reasonably possible regarding any schedule changes. No compensation will be provided for any games that are canceled and not rescheduled.

DELIVERABLES: Based on the results of the statement of work required, the following deliverables are required during the term of the agreement between the County and the Contractor.

Task 1: Weekly Schedule of Assigned Officials

1. Prepare and submit weekly schedule of assigned officials for each sport for each game scheduled during the following week. The reports will be required via email to HCPL staff.  These schedules should be submitted to HCPL staff no later than noon on Monday for the current week.

Task 2: Preseason Meetings

1. Contractor and booking agent are required to attend pre-season meetings with pertinent HCPL staff, to discuss league rules and plans at no charge to HCPL.

2. Encourage all officials who may work one of the games for that sport to attend pre-season meetings at no charge to HCPL.

Task 3: Training

1. Contractor will provide training for officials both in the classroom and on the field/court at least once per sport per season.

2. Contractor will notify HCPL of all scheduled training programs.

Task 4: List of Qualified Officials

1. Prepare and submit a list of qualified officials for each sport at least one (1) week prior to the start of the season. List all certifications held by each official.

Task 5: Criminal History Request Forms

1. Upon request by HCPL, Contractor must provide a completed Criminal History Check Form for each official to HCPL for review. Officials who do not successfully pass the County’s Criminal History Check will not be permitted to officiate games for HCPL. A copy of the Criminal History Check policy will be provided to the Contractor upon request.

PAYMENT INFORMATION AND PROCESS: Contractor will invoice County each week of the sport’s season, in accordance with the agreed upon schedule of fees. The County will review and process payment to the Contractor once the invoice information has been verified and approved by HCPL Athletic Division staff as complete and accurate. Contractor will receive payment of properly submitted and approved invoices in the form of a check. Contractor may pick up check in person or County will mail payment for approved properly submitted invoices to Contractor within thirty (30) days or receipt of invoice. Upon the Contractor’s written election, the County shall endeavor (but shall not be obligated) to have checks issued and made available for pick up by the Contractor sooner than thirty (30) days of receipt of invoices.

PAYMENT OF SUBCONTRACTORS The Contractor is obligated to take one of the two following actions within seven (7) days after receipt of amounts paid to the Contractor by HCPL for work performed by any subcontractor under this Agreement:

A. Pay the subcontractor for the proportionate share of the total payment received from the County attributable to the work performed by the subcontractor under this Agreement; or

B. Notify HCPL and the subcontractor, in writing, of the Contractor's intention to withhold all or a part of the subcontractor's payment with the reason for nonpayment.

RENEWAL AND AWARDED BIDS

No less than ninety (90) days prior to the expiration of a contract period, HCPL will evaluate its future needs and the Contractor’s performance to determine the necessity for continuing these services. HCPL’s decision, relative to contract continuation, is final and will be provided to the Contractor, in writing.

HCPL anticipates making a single award; however, it reserves the right to make multiple awards should it deem in the best interest of the County.

4.0       SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

1. The County requests that Bidders submit proposals addressing all items listed below. Failure to include any of these documents may result in disqualification. All responses must be in hard copy format. Bidders should submit a total of three (3) hard paper copies of the technical proposal: one (1) copy of marked “Original” and two (2) marked “Copy”. Each Bidder must also provide one (1) hard paper copy of Exhibit C – Cost Proposal Worksheet. Bidders must also provide their responses on one (1) USB drive.
2. Bidders must submit their response in a sealed envelope clearly marked with “IFB#: 017-47 – Athletic Officiating Services” on the outside. The submittal must be signed. Faxed or emailed bids will not be accepted.
3. It is mandatory that the following documents be completed and included in the bid response.

Exhibit A – Bid Response Form

Exhibit B – Contract for Services

Exhibit C – Cost Proposal Worksheet

Exhibit D – W-9 Form

Exhibit E – E-Verify Affidavit

Exhibit F – Ethics Affidavit

Exhibit G – Mandatory Questions

Any Addenda

Copy of Business License

Certificate of Insurance

Copies of professional licenses or certifications

1. Bidders are responsible to review and comply with any addenda regarding this IFB that will be posted on the County website. Bidders must sign as acknowledged and return all addenda with the bid package response.
2. All bids must be sealed.
3. If a Bid Bond is required then it must be included in the bid response.
4. Any alternate options of additional services or deductions thereof may be included in the response; however, Bidders must complete the cost worksheet as provided and enclose in the bid response.
5. Delivery. Bidders must submit bids to the following address by the deadline date and time. All deliveries must be date and time stamped. The County is not responsible for late bids due to mailing delays.

Hall County Government Center

Mike Hawkins, Issuing Officer

Purchasing Division – 4 ^th Floor

2875 Browns Bridge Road

Gainesville, Georgia 30504

5.0       IFB RESPONSE PREPARATION

1. The Bidder bears all responsibility for all expenses incurred in responding to this IFB.
2. The County will not accept joint proposals unless otherwise noted herein.
3. Of the services listed in the Scope of Work, indicate which one(s), if any, your firm would be unable to provide. If there is another service that your firm could provide instead, please elaborate.

6.0       SELECTION PROCESS

1. The County’s Project Manager will review each proposal with regard to demonstrated breadth of service, experience, financial stability, personnel, rates, references, lead times, and other related criteria.
2. The successful Bidder will be required to submit acceptable evidence of compliance with professional liability insurance coverage requirements as outlined in Exhibit B – Contract for Services.
3. Bidders are encouraged to submit clear and concise responses. Excessive length or extraneous information is discouraged.
4. Bidders must complete all exhibits to this IFB and submit with their bids. Bidders failing to do so may result in their bid to be deemed non-responsive and thus not evaluated. Bidders are also encouraged to check Hall County’s website for addenda, attachments, and other supplemental documents for this IFB during the bidding period.

7.0       STEPS TO AWARD

The County’s Project Manager will recommend award of the contract to the lowest Bidder. In the unlikely event of a tie, the County may enter into negotiations of terms and conditions. Upon approval of the Board of County Commissioners, the County will issue to the awarded Bidder a Notice of Award, a Purchase Order, and a Notice to Proceed.

1. The County reserves the right to request clarification or additional information provided by any Bidder.
2. The Purchasing Division will rank the Bidders on a bid tabulation summary.
3. The County’s Project Manager may schedule interviews with any Bidder at his/her discretion. Any costs associated with an interview will be at the expense of the proposing Bidder.
4. Based upon the results of the proposals, references, and the interviews, the Purchasing Division along with the County’s Project Manager may negotiate with the lowest Bidder in an attempt to reach an agreement. If negotiations with the lowest Bidder are unsuccessful, the County may negotiate with the next lowest Bidder, and so on until reaching a satisfactory agreement.