RFP-523-2600000438-1 | DJJ- Legal Services- Hearing Officers FY 27

The Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice is soliciting legal services for qualified attorneys to serve as hearing officers in administrative proceedings involving detained youth, including probable cause hearings and supervised placement revocation hearings, under the terms of a personal service contract spanning July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028, with potential for renewal in two-year increments. Offerors must demonstrate compliance with statutory requirements under KRS 605.090, KRS 635.100, and 505 KAR 1:090, and must be licensed to practice law in Kentucky with good standing before the Kentucky Bar Association, certified in administrative hearing officer training by the Kentucky Attorney General’s office, and able to provide services across required jurisdictions. Proposals are evaluated on a 400-point scale, with 200 points allocated to technical merit—assessed by availability to meet statutory timelines, professional references from government or juvenile service contexts, and regional coverage—100 points to cost, scored inversely against the lowest bid, and up to 100 points to an optional oral presentation. Failure to meet mandatory requirements, such as licensure, training certification, or submission of required references, results in automatic disqualification. The contract requires specific insurance coverages including commercial general liability, automobile liability, and professional liability each at $1,000,000 per occurrence, with insurers holding an AM Best rating of B+ or higher, and mandates the Commonwealth be named as an additional insured on all policies. Contractors must also affirm compliance with Kentucky conflict-of-interest laws, campaign finance regulations, and labor and tax statutes, and disclose any violations within the past five years under designated KRS chapters. Foreign entities must provide a Certificate of Authority from the Kentucky Secretary of State, and all offerors must submit notarized affidavits to claim resident or qualified bidder status. Proposals must be submitted electronically through the Kentucky Vendor Self Service portal by 2:00 p.m. ET on May 29, 2026, in three clearly labeled documents totaling no more than 65 MB each, in Word, Excel, or PDF format, with no embedded links or hyperlinks permitted. Payment is processed through a designated contact at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Frankfort, Kentucky, and invoicing must follow forms established by the Legislative Research Commission’s Government Contract Review Committee. The award will be made based on the highest