SECTION ONE: BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The City of Harrah (the “City”) is soliciting proposals from qualified law firms to provide legal services to the City. The City will consider proposals for providing a variety of legal services. Preference will be given to those submittals demonstrating experience in municipal law. The successful applicant(s) shall possess sufficient resources to ensure that the demands for the City’s legal needs will be met on a timely basis. The relationship would be on a consulting or contractual basis, as opposed to a staff position. The City will be awarding a one-year contract, with two
(2) one-year renewal options for these services. It is anticipated that services will begin on September 21, 2026.
In order to ensure a fair review and selection process, firms submitting proposals are specifically requested not to make contacts with City staff or City Council members regarding these proposals. Failure to comply with this request may result in disqualification of the proposal. If there are questions regarding this process, they should be directed to Beth Anne Childs at (918) 521-3092, or by e-mail at bethanne@thechildsfirm.com. Responses to questions will be shared with all interested responders who have requested an RFP.
Proposals received after the deadline will not be accepted. The City of Harrah reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, to waive irregularities and informalities, to request additional information from all respondents, and further reserves the right to select the proposal(s) which further the best interests of the City. Respondents should be aware that any records submitted to the City may be public records. Proposals shall be provided to Beth Anne Childs at bethanne@thechildsfirm.com, by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. It is anticipated that a committee will review the proposals on Friday, August 21, 2026, and interviews will take place during the week of August 24, 2026. It is also anticipated that the proposals will be considered by the City Council in their regularly scheduled meeting of Thursday, September 3, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.
SECTION TWO: REQUIRED GENERAL INFORMATION
- Title Page: Show the RFP subject, the name of the firm, address, telephone number, e-mail, name of contact and the date.
- General Information: Provide a brief background history of the firm and number of attorneys. Designate the primary contact and identify those attorneys who will be working on City projects.
- Curriculum Vitae: Provide a current curriculum vitae or resume for each attorney who will be providing services to the City.
- Attorney Availability: Provide an assessment of the availability of any attorneys assigned to a contract with the City. Please include information on the availability of back-up attorneys in case of illness, turnover, or other loss of personnel.
- Malpractice Insurance Coverage: Provide information on professional malpractice coverage including the name of the carrier, limits of liability and any exemptions.
SECTION THREE: REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
Provide information demonstrating knowledge and experience of the following areas:
- General state and federal laws relating to municipal government
- Development law, including zoning, planning, annexation, platting, land development, and land use.
- Eminent domain.
- Economic development activities, including development and redevelopment.
- Municipal finance, including tax increment districts, general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, tax exempt bonds, and other bonding and financial processes.
- City Charter and code issues.
- Contract law and complex transactions.
- Environmental law.
- Franchise law, including interpretation of cable television franchise authority.
- Water, wastewater, electric and other municipal utilities, including laws and regulations.
- Municipal leases.
- Municipal litigation.
- Labor law.
- Drafting resolutions, ordinances, and other related documents for Council and Board approval.
SECTION FOUR: SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
Provide information on any areas of specialty, as well as knowledge and experience, that relates to municipal law.
SECTION FIVE: REFERENCES
Provide two (2) references, including contact information. Particular attention will be given to references focusing on municipal law issues.
SECTION SIX: FEES
Provide the hourly rate to be charged by the firm and firm attorneys. Please note that the City does not pay retainers and all fees will be paid on an invoice basis. The City further requires detailed monthly billing statements that show the date of service, the attorney, the time spent for each service or activity by tenths of an hour, and a detailed description of the services performed.
SECTION SEVEN: CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Provide information on the following conflicts or potential conflicts of interest:
- Whether your firm currently represents, or has represented any client where representation may conflict with your ability to provide legal services to the City.
- Whether your firm currently represents any real estate developers doing business with or anticipating doing business with the city.
- Whether you currently represent any other local units of government or rural water districts having jurisdiction within or contiguous to the City.
- What procedures your firm would use to identify and resolve conflicts of interest.
SECTION EIGHT: SELECTION PROCESS/PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND CONTRACT AWARD
The City intends to award a contract to the respondent(s) best qualified to perform legal work for the City, considering experience, cost, and other factors. The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, to waive irregularities and informalities, to request additional information from all respondents, and the right to select the proposal which furthers the best interests of the City.
The approval of the firm selected and the contract award will be made by the City Council with input from the City Manager. A contract will be developed based on the information in this RFP.