EXECUTIVE SEARCH SERVICES FOR OHA ADMINISTRATOR

State of Hawaii
560 North Nimitz Highway, Suite 200
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
June 19, 2026
Request for Quotes ("RFQ") No. BOT 2026-022
EXECUTIVE SEARCH SERVICES FOR OHA ADMINISTRATOR
To All Interested Parties:
Notice is hereby given that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (hereinafter "OHA") will be accepting
quotes from qualified executive search firms and consultants to conduct an executive recruitment
campaign for the position of the OHA's Administrator.
The term of this Contract shall be for three (3) months and sixteen (16) days from the anticipated
commencement date of July 15, 2026 through and including October 30, 2026 subject to the
availability of funds and with the option to extend.
Quotes must be received through the HIePRO website by 2:00 p.m. HST on Friday, June
26, 2026. Please visit https://hiepro.ehawaii.gov/solicitation-notices.html.
Pursuant to HAR 3-122-75, considering the criteria, including but not limited to quality,
warranty, and delivery; the award shall be made to the lowest responsive, responsible offeror.
When the award to the lowest responsive, responsible offeror is not practicable, awards shall be
made to the offeror whose quote provided the best value to the OHA.
The OHA reserves the right to reject any or all quotes and to accept the quotes in whole or part in
the best interest of the OHA.
Vendor Questions must be received through the HIePRO website by 4:00 p.m. HST on
Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
OHA's responses to vendor questions will be posted through the HIePRO website by 4:00
p.m. HST on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.
Please visit https://hiepro.ehawaii.gov/solicitation-notices.html.
Scope of Services
RFQ No. BOT 2026-022 EXECUTIVE SEARCH SERVICES FOR OHA ADMINISTRATOR
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A. The Successful Offeror shall provide and perform the executive recruitment campaign
services required in a satisfactory and proper manner as determined by the OHA. The
services shall include, but may not be limited to, the following:
1. Solicit input from the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees (hereinafter "BOT"),
the BOT, the Interim OHA Administrator or an appointed sub-committee thereof,
through meetings and/or interviews to understand the role, responsibilities,
qualifications, knowledge, skills, and appropriate experiences needed for the
OHA Administrator position.
2. Act as an unbiased party in facilitating, with the BOT, the design, communication
and execution of a fair and equitable recruitment process.
3. Assist in ensuring the position's job description, compensation and
responsibilities are relevant and current in terms of the needs of the OHA and
related market(s).
4. Assist in developing the job description of the OHA Administrator in accordance
with the needs of the OHA.
5. Provide a diverse, equitable and inclusive recruitment strategy specifically
designed to attract a pool of highly qualified and competitive candidates to lead
the OHA in alignment with its mission, vision, and values.
6. Draft and publish a timetable for completion of the work in consultation with the
BOT and/or sub-committee appointed thereof and the organization's
communications function.
7. Conduct outreach recruiting through a number of different channels including
advertising in nationally recognized publications likely to attract qualified
candidates and proactively reaching out to candidates in the marketplace who may
not be actively seeking the position locally or on a national or global level.
8. Screen potential applicant's qualifications against those required in the job
description, identify those meeting minimum qualifications, and follow up with
telephone interviews to clarify each applicant's credentials.
9. Depending on the applicant pool size, prepare a written summary of five (5)
candidates with the most promising qualifications for the position, including
summary reporting of the applicant pool demographics (e.g., total number,
geographic location, minimum qualifications).
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10. Conduct in-depth reference checks (minimum 3) to include background checks
and verify specific credentials for each potential candidate such as educational
background, and also conduct criminal, financial, media, social media and civil
litigation checks, when identified in the process. Through these reference checks,
ascertain the candidate's strength in personal dimensions identified by the job
description as well as the contractor's interview with stakeholders.
11. In the event politically sensitive or potentially embarrassing issues arise from the
candidate's background, conduct in-depth interviews with the principal parties to
clarify the issues and clearly present to the OHA a description of the event and the
impact, if any, on the continuation of the individual(s) in the process.
12. Identify application, statement of interest, resume, references, assessments and
any other writing sample document or presentation to be provided by applicants.
13. Select qualified candidates for presentation to the BOT.
14. Draft, provide, and train the BOT in the use of the evaluation tools, rubric and/or
scoring system(s).
15. Facilitate scheduling of interviews, including presentations, if applicable, with
prospective candidates and participate in a process with the OHA for interviews
and coordinate candidates' participation in interviews.
16. Debrief with the OHA following interviews and identify additional candidates if
necessary.
17. Notify non-selected candidates as soon as the offer letter has been signed by the
selected candidate.
18. Assist with the preparation and/or review of public announcement(s), statements,
or releases of the selected candidate.
19. In the event that the selected candidate leaves employment with the OHA before a
period of one (1) year from the start of his/her employment date, an additional
recruitment and selection process will be conducted at no cost to the OHA.
20. Attend BOT meetings as required by the BOT.
B. The OHA Contract Administrator shall act as the contract monitor and principal liaison
between the Offeror and the OHA. The OHA Contract Administrator shall assist in
resolving policy questions, expediting decisions, and the review of the work performed.
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General Requirements
A. Prior to submitting a quote through HIePRO, the Offeror must be registered in HIePRO in
order to respond to a solicitation. Please register by going to SPO's website:
https://hiepro.ehawaii.gov/vendor.html.
B. All local, national or international Offerors must be compliant with the State of Hawaii in
order to be awarded. If you are not compliant, please register by going to Hawaii
Compliance Express' (hereinafter "HCE") website:
http://vendors.ehawaii.gov/hce/splash/welcome.html
C. The Offeror must complete the W-9 form (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf) upon
notification of award.
D. The Offeror must submit a current copy of a Certificate of Liability Insurance upon
notification of award and shall, at its own expense, at all times during the term of the
Contract, maintain insurance coverage with the minimum limits as follows:
Coverage Limits
Commercial General Liability $2,000,000 per occurrence; $2,000,000 general
(including personal injury, death, aggregate per policy year; $2,000,000 products
and property damage) and completed operations aggregate limit per
policy year.
Personal and Advertising $1,000,000 each occurrence.
Injury
Umbrella Liability $2,000,000 aggregate.
Automobile Insurance covering all Bodily injury liability limits of $1,000,000 each
owned, non-owned, and hired person and $1,000,000 per accident; property
automobiles damage liability limits of $1,000,000 per
accident. Or $2,000,000 combined single limit.
Workers Compensation as Insurance to include Employer's Liability. Such
required by laws of the State of coverage shall apply to all employees of the
Hawaii CONTRACTOR and (in case any sub-contractor
fails to provide adequate similar protection for
all its employees) to all employees of sub-
contractors.
Professional Liability (Errors and $1,000,000 per claim
Omissions) $ 2,000,000 annual aggregate
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1. The State of Hawai'i, the OHA, its elected and appointed officials, employees, and
volunteers shall be named added as additional insured with respect to occurrences
during or in connection with the performance of this Contract. Before the effective
date of this Contract, the CONTRACTOR agrees to provide the OHA with
certificate(s) of insurance necessary to satisfy the OHA that the insurance provision
of this Contract have been complied with and to keep such certificate(s) on deposit
with the OHA during the entire term of this Contract. The minimum insurance
required shall be in full compliance with the Hawaii Insurance Code throughout the
entire term of the Contract, including supplemental contracts, and shall be written by
a company authorized to do business in the State of Hawaii and rated no less than an
AM Best rating of A-VIII. CONTRACTOR and its carriers agree to waive their
rights of subrogation with respect to any claims covered, or which should have been
covered, by valid and collectible insurance, including any deductibles or self-
insurance maintained thereunder. Upon request by the OHA, the CONTRACTOR
shall furnish a copy of the policy or policies that satisfy the Insurance Requirements
of this Contract.
2. Failure of the CONTRACTOR to provide and keep in force such insurance shall be
regarded as a material default under this Contract, entitling the OHA to exercise any
or all the remedies provided in this Contract for default of the CONTRACTOR.
3. The procuring of such required policy or policies of insurance shall not be construed
to limit the CONTRACTOR'S liability hereunder or to fulfill the indemnification
provisions and requirements of this Contract. Notwithstanding said policy or policies
of insurance, the CONTRACTOR shall be obliged for the full and total amount of
damage, injury, or loss cause by negligence or neglect connected with this Contract.
4. To satisfy the minimum coverage limits required by this Contract, the Successful
Offeror may use an umbrella policy in addition to the mandatory insurance policies
(e.g, general liability insurance, automobile Insurance, and workers' compensation)
provided that the OHA approves, and the umbrella policy follows the underlying
coverage forms.
5. The CONTRACTOR shall notify the OHA in writing of any cancellation or
substantive change in insurance at least thirty (30) calendar days prior to the effective
date of such cancellation or change.
6. The OHA is a self-insured semi-autonomous state agency. The CONTRACTOR'S
insurance shall be primary. Any insurance maintained by the State of Hawai'i and
OHA shall apply in excess of and shall not contribute with insurance provided by the
CONTRACTOR.
The Successful Offeror shall comply with HRS, Chapter 103D, as amended, and all State,
Federal, and County requirements.
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The Successful Offeror shall also comply with the OHA General Terms and Conditions
appended hereto as Attachment 1 and which by reference is incorporated herein and made part of
this RFQ. Additionally, the Successful Offeror shall also comply with any Special Conditions
that the OHA may require. The OHA also reserves the right to make appropriate modifications to
the quantity of items or reporting requirements contingent upon unforeseen conditions.
The solicitation may be cancelled when it is determined to be in the best interest of the OHA. If
you have any questions, please contact Alison Roney, Procurement Agent at alisonr@oha.org.
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