Author: edmondsb
Last saved by: Naunihal Sigh Gumer
Company: Microsoft

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
OPC-T-2027-1

Provide Legal Services Pertaining to General Utility Matters  

 
Sponsored by the
Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia

 
RFP Issue Date:    				 September 11, 2026 

Proposal Due Date:   			 September 24, 2026

RFP No. OPC-T-2027-1

SECTION 1 - SCOPE OF WORK

I. Introduction 
 
The mission of the Office of the People’s Counsel (“OPC” or “Office”) is to advocate for safe, reliable, high-quality utility service and equitable treatment at rates that are just, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory; assist individual consumers in disputes with utility providers; provide legal assistance, education, and outreach to consumers and ratepayers, community groups, associations, and the Consumer Utility Board; and provide legislative analysis and information to the Council of the District of Columbia on matters relating to utilities. The Office’s mission further includes consideration of the District’s economy and the promotion of its environmental sustainability. 
 
II. Background 
 
The Office of the People’s Counsel is seeking a contractor to provide legal conductive services on utility matters pertaining to general utility issues. These services will be required on an ongoing basis until September 30, 2027   

Scope of Work: 
 
The law firm or firms will provide legal advice and recommendations to the People’s Counsel and the Litigation Service Department on a variety of utility-related matters before the DC Public Service Commission and FERC, including assistance in responding to inquiries from the District Council and other critical stakeholders that require prompt response. 

SECTION 2 – INDEPENDENT CAPACITY; NON-ASSIGNABILITY
 
The successful offeror and any agents and employees thereof shall, in the performance of work under the proposal and this RFP, act in an independent capacity and not as officers or employees of the District of Columbia government. The successful offeror shall not assign nor transfer any interest under the contract resulting from this RFP without the prior written consent of OPC. 
 
SECTION 3 – INDEMNIFICATION
 
The successful offeror agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Office of the People’s Counsel and the District of Columbia government, its officers, employees, and agents, from any and all claims and/or losses arising from or accruing to persons, firms, or corporations that may be injured or damaged by the successful offeror in the performance of its duties and responsibilities under the proposal accepted by OPC, and from and against any liability, including costs and expenses, for violation of proprietary rights, copyrights, or rights of privacy or confidentiality arising out of the publication, translation, reproduction, delivery, performance, use, or disposition 
of any data furnished pursuant to this engagement or based on any libelous or otherwise unlawful matter contained in such data. 
 
SECTION 4 – ACCESS TO RECORDS
 
The successful offeror agrees that OPC, through its authorized agents and employees, shall have the right to examine and audit such books, records, and other documents in the possession or control of the successful offeror as necessary to verify the fees, charges and expenses billed to the Office under this engagement.  
 
SECTION 5 – CONFIDENTIALITY OF PROPOSALS,
WORK PAPERS AND MATERIALS
 
The proposal submitted in response to this RFP shall be considered a public document and will be available for public inspection upon receipt by OPC.  The successful offeror agrees that the Office shall own and have unlimited right to all interim and final written reports, documents and prepared analysis, and that the successful offeror shall not assert any rights or establish any claim under existing copyright, patent, or data law as to such material or processes. The successful offeror further agrees that upon request it will submit to the Office original or legible copies of all work papers created by the successful offeror in support of its documents, prepared analysis, or reports during the course of this engagement. 
 
SECTION 6 – TERMS AND CONDITIONS
 
This RFP does not bind or otherwise commit OPC to enter into a contract or to pay any cost incurred in the preparation of a proposal in response to this request. OPC reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received, to negotiate with all qualified sources, or to cancel or modify this RFP in whole or in part. OPC reserves the right to request additional written data, information, oral discussion, or presentations in support of any written proposal or portion thereof, which is deemed necessary to clarify any aspect of a proposal. 

SECTION 7 – TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT
 
It is understood and agreed that if, through any cause or for any reason, the successful offeror fails to fulfill in a timely and professional manner the obligations under the successful proposal, or violates any of the terms of this RFP or contract entered into pursuant to this RFP, the Office shall have the right to terminate the contract by giving written notice of termination. In the event of such termination, all finished or unfinished documents, data, studies, testimony, exhibits, or other material prepared or being prepared pursuant to this engagement shall, at the option of the Office, become OPC’s property and the successful offeror shall be entitled to receive just and equitable compensation for any reasonably satisfactory work performed. 

SECTION 8 – TIMING/DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
 
The times stated in this document refer to Eastern Standard Time (EST). The closing date for proposals is no later than 4:00 p.m. EST by September 24, 2026. Please submit an electronic (email attachment) copy to: 

 
Naunihal Singh Gumer 
Director, Regulatory Finance  
Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia 
655 15th Street, N.W. Suite 200 
Washington, D.C. 20005 
ngumer@opc-dc.gov 
 
SECTION 9– ELIGIBLE OFFERORS
 
To be eligible, the offeror must demonstrate legal capabilities, competence, and resources to perform the duties as delineated in the Scope of Work in Section 1 of this RFP. 
 
SECTION 10 – PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
 
Proposals submitted in response to this request must meet the following conditions to be considered for selection. Faxed proposals will not be accepted under any circumstances. 
 
PROPOSALS MUST BE WRITTEN ENTIRELY ON 8½” x 11” PAPER. PROPOSALS MUST INCLUDE ALL NECESSARY APPENDICES AND ATTACHMENTS.  
 
Proposals must be accompanied with a cover page that clearly states the name of the offeror and the name and address of the firm or individual, as well as the telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of the person who may be contacted directly regarding the proposal. Proposals must be signed by a principal, officer or partner authorized to bind the offeror contractually. A proposal must be submitted in the format outlined herein. Pages of the proposal must be numbered. 
 
SECTION 11 – LIST OF ATTACHMENTS
 
Attachment A   Special Provisions 

ATTACHMENT A

SECTION A: PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
 
A.1. List of Required Documentation 
 
Offerors will be required to submit the following information with their proposals: 
 
a. An executive summary that provides an overview 
b. A statement of the offeror’s experience 
c. A list of area (s) of expertise 
d. A list of years of experience 
e. A detailed cost and price proposal 
 
A.2 Work Plan(s) 
 
Offerors must clearly and specifically describe their proposals for carrying out the responsibilities associated with the Scope of Work in Section 1 of this RFP. Additionally, offerors should be prepared to clearly and completely describe their proposals in detail as soon as 
possible after the contract award, including a timeline for all deliverables. The timeline must identify the key milestones, tasks, activities, and events outlined in the Scope of Work. 
 
A.3 Prior Experience and Qualifications 
 
Offerors must describe their prior experience and qualifications with respect to their knowledge and experience for the tasks outlined in Scope of Work in Section I of this RFP. 
 
A.4  Personnel 
 
Offerors must identify the individuals who will perform the tasks outlined in the Scope of Work set forth in this RFP and provide a detailed resume for each individual that describes the qualifications applicable to the tasks for which the individual will be responsible. Please include an organizational chart showing the reporting relationships of team personnel. OPC must be notified of any personnel changes if individuals assigned to work on this project(s) are relieved of their responsibilities or reassigned. Offerors must designate one individual as the project manager, and that individual shall be responsible for project management, reporting, coordination, and accountability for the entire project. 
 
A.5  Budget 
 
Offerors must justify all costs in terms of activities and objects of expenditure to ensure the costs 
are reasonable and necessary to the project as outlined in the Scope of Work in this RFP. Financial resources must be adequately and appropriately allocated among cost categories in a cost-effective and prudent business manner to accomplish the RFP objectives and activities. Services to be purchased from other agencies; subcontractors; consultants; and others must be specified. 

Proposals must provide the total charges to be provided for the services rendered in the following format listing the hourly rate for every person. 
 
NAME  		BILLING RATE  	  HOURS	 EXPENSES        TOTAL 
 
Partner/Principal 
 
Project Manager (if any) 
 
All others (by name) 
 
All other fees or expenses 
 
Each proposal must contain the following statement: 
 
The Office of the People’s Counsel shall pay (offeror) as full compensation for all authorized work performed and accepted including all costs, fees and expenses, an amount not to exceed $ ____________.
 
The Office reserves the right to disallow expenses charged for this engagement if OPC determines such expenses are unreasonable. The successful offeror must make every effort to minimize the cost of hotels, meals and transportation. 
 
A.6  Statement Regarding Potential Conflicts of Interest 
 
Each offeror must identify any relationships between itself or its employees and the companies under the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia, or any parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of such companies. The extent, nature, and time aspects must be identified. If there are or have been no such relationships, a statement to that effect shall be included in the proposal. Failure to provide the statement on potential conflicts of interest will automatically disqualify the offeror.