RFP - Legal Services

The City of Westbrook, Maine, hereby solicits proposals from individual attorneys and/or law firms to represent the City as City Solicitor in the following areas: land use, real estate, elections, Maine Freedom of Access Act, ordinance drafting and review, contract drafting and review, property tax and assessing matters, litigation, and other general municipal legal services. The City currently has legal counsel for environmental, labor and employment, tax increment financing and bond matters, and does not anticipate a need for those services at this time. Qualified attorneys or firms must have experience in representing municipalities similar in size and organization to the City of Westbrook and have the capacity to serve the legal needs of the City as outlined herein. The selected attorney or firm will be subject to appointment by the Mayor, with the bid to be awarded by City Council, and shall serve on an ongoing basis at the discretion of the Mayor.

Proposals must be received by the City Clerk via hardcopy delivered to Westbrook City Hall, 2 York Street, Westbrook, Maine no later than Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 9:00 am EDT. Proposals submitted after this time will not be considered.

Each proposal must be submitted in sealed hardcopy and clearly marked “Proposal for Legal Services for the City of Westbrook.”

All proposals shall be signed by an authorized official of the bidder and shall include the enclosed “Proposal for Legal Services – Cover Page”. Proposals shall remain valid, binding and subject to acceptance for no less than sixty (60) calendar days after the submission deadline.

Proposals submitted shall become official records of the City and may be subject to public disclosure under Maine’s Freedom of Access Act.  Each bidder assumes any and all risk associated with the submission of a proposal in response to this request for proposals and the City shall not be liable for the disclosure of information contained within the proposal or any claimed loss or damage that may result from any such disclosure.

All questions shall be sent in writing at least five (5) business days prior to the proposal submission deadline specified above and shall be directed to the attention of Angela Holmes, Assistant City Administrator, at For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. . Questions received after this time or submitted to other City officials will not be addressed. All responses from the City to questions posed shall be in writing. Any responses offered verbally shall not be binding on this Request for Proposal criteria or process. Responses from the City to questions received that substantially alter this Request for Proposals will be published as a written addendum available to all prospective bidders.

The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals not prepared and submitted in accordance with these provisions or for any other reason, to waive any formality of the submission requirements, and to negotiate with any bidder that submits a proposal in response to this request for proposals. The City further reserves the right to investigate the references provided as well as other sources of information related to the bidder.

The City of Westbrook services approximately 20,400 residents utilizing a strong Mayor form of government and includes seven (7) City Councilors. The executive powers of the City are vested with the Mayor. The daily operations are overseen by a City Administrator. There are currently 192 full-time staff, 140 part-time staff & per diem staff, and with an annual operating budget of $36,709,036.

The selected legal services provider shall be appointed City Solicitor by the Mayor and shall perform the duties of that position as outlined in § 68-13 of the Westbrook Code of Ordinances. The City’s legal services provider shall advise and represent the Mayor, City Council, Administrative Officers and all appointed boards and commissions of the City.

All attorneys or law firms responding to this request for proposals must be attorneys licensed to practice in the State of Maine.

The proposal shall include the following services: land use, real estate, elections, Maine Freedom of Access Act, ordinance drafting and review, contract drafting and review, property tax and assessing matters, litigation, and other general municipal legal services.

The attorney or law firm selected to represent the City in the foregoing areas shall be required to demonstrate substantial training, experience and expertise in providing counsel and representation to municipal officials and municipal officers in the specific areas of practice within the scope of this request for proposals.

The services to be provided may also include attendance at City Council meetings and other meetings as needed in connection with the attorney or law firm’s counsel to the City.

The City currently has legal counsel for environmental, labor and employment, tax increment financing and bond matters, and does not anticipate a need for those services at this time. Proposals may identify these areas to the extent the bidder is qualified and willing to provide such services, but the City reserves the right to continue working with its current counsel on these matters at its discretion.

The selected attorney or law firm shall be required to carry Professional Liability Insurance and General Liability Insurance with limits of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $1,000,000 in the aggregate. Proposals must include the name of the insurance carrier and the policy limits. Upon award of the bid for legal services, a certificate of insurance shall be provided to the City and shall include provision that coverage shall not be cancelled without thirty days’ prior notice to the City.

Proposals shall be organized into the following sections that correspond with the individual criteria listed below:

1. Qualifications/Prior Experience
   A brief description of the attorney(s) and/or law firm and its experience in providing the services outlined within the scope of this request for proposals to similar sized municipalities, including examples of specific work that illustrates this experience. A description of the personnel to be assigned to the City, including a resume for all such personnel, and identification of a lead attorney who will be the primary contact for inquiries and attendance at meetings.
   
2. Capacity and Availability of Staff
   A brief description of the attorney(s) and/or law firm’s capacity to provide legal services to the City, and a brief description of the capacity of primary personnel to perform such services, including any backup for primary personnel assigned to the City if available.
   
3. Proposed Fees
   A fee schedule or description of hourly rates for all personnel who will provide services to the City (e.g., attorneys, paralegals, etc.)., including any variation in rates for specialty services. A brief description of the method of billing for time, as well as expenses such as travel, mailing, filing fees, or other expenses related to the performance of legal services.
   
   The City anticipates payment on an hourly basis. However, alternate proposals will be entertained including a lump sum retainer, a lump sum/not to exceed, payment on an hourly basis with an upper limit, or any combination thereof. If the proposals is for “lump sum/not to exceed” billing, it must state the maximum fee to be charged annually for the services provided and identify any exclusions from such services and amount.
   
4. References from other municipalities
   A listing of at least four (4) municipal client references including a contact name, title, email address and phone number, along with a brief description of the legal services provided to each reference.

The City will review all proposals for completeness based upon the submission criteria outlined in the proposal requirements outlined above. If a proposal is determined not to be complete or responsive to the criteria set forth in this request for proposals, the proposal may be rejected and will not be considered.

The Mayor, City Administrator and staff will review the proposals for completeness and may select attorneys or firms to interview. Any award of bid would be presented to City Council for approval. It is understood that the City shall incur no costs as a result of an interview, nor bear any obligation in further consideration of the proposal. The quality of each proposal and oral presentations during selection interviews will be considered when evaluating proposals. Alternatively, the City may award the bid of legal services to an attorney or firm based solely on the proposals submitted.

Selection of an attorney and/or law firm to provide legal services to the City shall be based on the City’s determination as to which complete and responsive proposal demonstrates that the attorney or law firm has the experience, expertise, and capacity to perform the services outlined in the proposal and is deemed to be in the best interests of the City.

The City reserves the right to select more than one attorney or law firm to provide some or all of the services outlined in the attorney’s or law firm’s proposal, and to negotiate directly with the attorney and/or law firm(s) selected for such scope of work.

Additional details and cover sheet may be found in the below link:

RFP for Legal Services Full Proposal Details