Notice is hereby given that the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Burlington, New Jersey, is issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and requesting responses from qualified attorneys duly licensed and in good standing in the State of New Jersey, from which the County will create a qualified pool to award one year contracts for Attorney Contract Referee/Hearing Officer for employee disciplinary and grievance matters as assigned by the Division of Human Resources. The pool will be current for a three year period from April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2026. Contracts will be awarded to the successful attorney/law firm for the term April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2024.

Responders must meet the minimum years of experience requirements and other specific experience, knowledge and practical qualification requirements as set forth in the RFQ.

Responses must be submitted to the Burlington County Solicitor's Office Office, 49 Rancocas Road, Room 225, P.O. Box 6000, Mount Holly, New Jersey 08060. Responses are scheduled to be opened on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. at which time all responses will be opened. Any responses received after said opening, whether by mail or otherwise will be returned unopened. No responses will be accepted after the above referenced date. Qualifications must be submitted in sealed envelopes with the name of the RFQ clearly marked on the outside of the envelope. Responses may not be e-mailed, faxed or transmitted over the telephone.

It is recommended that each response be hand delivered to the Burlington County Solicitor's Office. The County assumes no responsibility for delays in any form of carrier, mail or delivery service causing the Qualifications to be received at the Burlington County Solicitor's Office later than the above-referenced scheduled opening. Nothing herein is intended to exclude any responsible qualified attorneys/law firm or in any way restrain or restrict competition. All responsible qualified attorneys/law firms are encouraged to submit Qualifications.

The Board of County Commissioners reserves the right to accept or reject any or all responses submitted in the best interest of the County and the Board further reserves the right to waive any defect or informality in any Qualifications should it be in the best interest of the County.

Responders are required to comply with the requirements of N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27 and submit a Conflict of Interest Certification.

This RFQ is being solicited through a fair and open process in accordance with N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.4, et seq. The RFQ does not constitute a bid and is intended solely to obtain competitive responses from which the County may choose attorneys/law firms that best meet the County's needs. It is the County's intent that no statutory, regulatory, or common law bidding requirements apply to this Request for Qualifications. The County intends to award any contracts for these services pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:11-5(1)(a)(i).