TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF NOVEMBER 17, 2011
COMMITTEE ON PROCUREMENT
Mr. David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Title
Issue purchase orders and enter into agreements for Contract 11-RFP-14 Legal Services for Workers’ Compensation Defense, with Noble & Associates, P.C. in an amount not to exceed $120,000.00, Neuson Law, P.C. in an amount not to exceed $120,000.00, and Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, P.C. in an amount not to exceed $60,000.00, Account 101-30000-601170. Requisition 1332102, 1332103, 1332104
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Dear Sir:
Authorization is requested to issue purchase orders and enter into agreements with Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, P.C. (SGLH&F), Dennis Noble & Associates, P.C., and Neuson Law, P.C. for legal services for workers’ compensation defense. Upon award of the contract by the Board of Commissioners and execution of an agreement, the contract term for the Workers’ Compensation Program shall be for a two-year period that will run from January 1, 2012, through December 31, 2013, with an option to extend through December 31, 2014.
The terms of the Request for Proposal require the firms to provide “professional legal services to the Claims Section of the Law Department.” The successful bidders must have substantial experience in workers’ compensation litigation defense including practice with the Chicago area office of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission as well as appellate litigation experience.
The Request for Proposal 11-RFP-14 was advertised on April 13, 2011. One hundred seventy-five firms were notified and twenty firms requested proposal documents. The District received proposals from nine firms on May 6, 2011, as indicated below:
Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary
Dennis Noble & Associates, P.C.
Nyhan, Pfister, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry, P.C.
Keefe, Campbell & Associates, LLC
Parrillo, Weiss & O’Halloran
Neuson Law, P.C.
Law Office of Robert Martier
Greene & Letts
Menges & Molzahn, LLC
Six of the firms submitting bids were interviewed by a panel of District representatives. The panel solicited information about each firm’s background, expertise, and minority/women participation. The proposals were evaluated in accordance with the criteria outlined in the Request for Proposal 11-RFP-14, including cost. SGLH&F, Dennis Noble & Associates, P.C, and Neuson Law, P.C. were selected as the firms best suited to provide the required professional services. All three firms have attorneys on staff with extensive defense litigation experience before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission in Chicago, and the firms demonstrated a clear understanding of the services being requested in 11-RFP-14.
Both John Magiera of SGLH&F and Dennis Noble of Dennis Noble & Associates, P.C. have extensive experience and success in defending the District both at the Commission level as well as at the Appellate level. Bridget Neuson of Neuson Law, P.C. has also been successful in representing the
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District, and as Ms. Neuson is both a nurse and an attorney, she provides a level of medical knowledge that is crucial in defending the District.
Inasmuch as the firms SGLH&F, Dennis Noble & Associates, P.C., and Neuson Law. P.C. possess a high degree of professional skill, record of past success, competitive pricing, as well as innovative strategies to help the District embrace the recent legislative changes, it is recommended that the Director of Procurement and Materials Management be authorized to issue purchase orders and enter into agreements per Section 11.4 of the Purchasing Act to Noble & Associates, P.C. in an amount not to exceed $120,000.00, Neuson Law, P.C. in an amount not to exceed $120,000.00, and Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary in an amount not to exceed $60,000.00. The total amount of the two- year contract is not to exceed $300,000.00.
Funds are contingent on the Board of Commissioners’ approval of the District’s budget in Account 101-30000-601170 in 2012 and 2013.
Requested, Ronald M. Hill, General Counsel, RMH:LAG:EW:nm
Recommended, Darlene A. LoCascio, Director of Procurement and Materials Management
Respectfully Submitted, Barbara J. McGowan, Chairman Committee on Procurement
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for November 17, 2011