REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
FOR LEGAL SERVICES
I. General Information:
A. Purpose. The Town of Hideout (“Hideout”) is a growing city of the fifth class located in Wasatch
and Summit Counties, a few minutes from Park City. Hideout has a six-person Mayor and City
Council form of government, with the Mayor acting as the chief administrative officer. Hideout
has a Town Administrator and contracts professional services in engineering, planning and legal.
B. Who May Respond. In order to facilitate efficiency, quality and coordination of multiple and
often simultaneous legal matters, the Town is seeking the services of a single law firm which
employs multiple Utah licensed attorneys capable and experienced in each of the following areas:
1. Interpretation and application of Utah municipal law, including but not limited to advising
Utah municipalities on compliance with State laws and rules including but not limited to
OPMA, LUDMA, GRAMA, administrative and legislative matters and related processes,
conducting public meetings, drafting and enforcing Utah municipal laws/codes, negotiating
and drafting Utah municipal land development agreements, municipal contracts, planning and
general Utah municipal advice, guidance, and prudent risk management;
2. Utah litigation, including but not limited to land use, regulation and related matters, contracts,
municipal advice, guidance, and prudent risk management
3. General legal compliance with Utah State laws and administrative rules
4. Strategies to minimize legal costs and expenses.
Desired, but not required: Experience with Utah water law, use, regulation, and planning.
C. Instructions on Proposal Submission.
1. Closing Submission Date. Proposals must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on January
20, 2026.
2. Inquiries. Inquiries concerning the RFP should be emailed to:
Jan McCosh, Town Administrator
jmccosh@hideoututah.gov
3. Conditions of Proposal. All costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal responding to this
RFP will be the responsibility of the Proposer and will not be reimbursed by the Town of
Hideout.
4. Instructions to Prospective Contractors. Your proposal should be addressed as follows:
In the subject line of email reference “RFP Response Legal Counsel.”
5. Right to Reject. Hideout reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received in
response to this RFP. A contract for the accepted proposal will be drafted based upon the
factors described in this RFP.
6. Notification of Award. It is expected that a decision selecting the successful proposal will be
made within one (1) week of the closing date. The Town Council must give its advice and
consent to the hiring. Upon conclusion of final negotiations regarding the successful
proposal, all other Proposers will be informed of the name of the successful Proposer. It is
expected that the contract shall be a three-year contract.
II. Scope of Services. The Proposer shall be readily available to act as counsel on topics
enumerated above in Section B.
III. Proposal Contents. The Proposer shall as a minimum, include the following:
A. Legal Experience. The Proposer should describe its experience related to municipal land
use and contract claims.
B. Organization, Size, Structure, and Areas of Practice. The Proposer should describe its
organization in terms of the following:
Size
Structure
Areas of practice
Office location(s)
C. Attorney Qualifications. The Proposer should separately attach a description of the
qualifications of attorneys to be assigned to the representation. Descriptions should
include:
a. Professional and education background of each attorney.
b. Overall supervision to be exercised.
c. Prior experience of the individual attorneys with respect to the required
experience listed above. Include resumes only of attorneys likely to be assigned
to the representation. Education, position in firm, years and types of experience
will be considered.
D. Price. The Proposer’s proposed price should include information on the hourly billing
rates of each attorney or other legal staff who are expected to work on this representation
and charges for expenses, if any, such as legal research, copies, and electronic
communication. Also include a retainer amount that would be charged to advise Hideout
on routine matters that could be handled over the telephone or otherwise without
extensive research or other legal work. Hideout reserves the right to negotiate with the
Proposer on the structure of the billing and/or retainer fee.
IV. Proposal Evaluation.
A. Evaluation Procedure and Criteria. Hideout’s proposal committee will include the mayor,
town attorney, appropriate staff and council members and make recommendations to the
Hideout Town Council for final approval. A committee member may request a meeting
with some qualified Proposers prior to final selections.
Proposals will be reviewed in accordance with the following criteria:
1. Proposed approach to litigation.
2. Level of experience of the individual(s) identified to work on the matter.
3. The Proposer’s experience with similar clients and legal matters
4. Cost.
5. Interviews, if conducted.
B. Format for Proposals. All proposals should be emailed.
V. Proposal Timeline.
During the period from your organization’s receipt of this Request for Proposals and until a
contract is awarded, your organization shall not contact any employee of Hideout for
additional information except in writing directed to Jan McCosh at
jmccosh@hideoututah.gov.
VI. Questions.
Questions for the purpose of clarifying the RFP must be submitted in writing by email and
must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on January 19, 2026.
VII. General Information.
A. Contract Award Hideout reserves the right to award the contract in a manner deemed to
be in the best interests of Hideout.
B. Amendment or Cancellation of the RFP. Hideout reserves the right to cancel, amend,
modify, or otherwise change this RFP at any time if it deems it to be in the best interests
of Hideout.
C. Proposal Modifications. No additions or changes to any proposal will be allowed after
the proposal due date, unless such modification is specifically requested by Hideout.
Hideout, at its option may seek Proposer retraction and clarification of any discrepancy or
contradiction found during its review of proposals.
D. Erroneous Awards. Hideout reserves the right to correct inaccurate awards. This
includes revoking the awarding of a contract to a Proposer and subsequently awarding the
contract to a different Proposer. Such action shall not constitute a breach of contract on
the part of Hideout because the contract with the initial Proposer will be deemed voided
as if no contract were ever in place.
E. Ownership of Proposals. All proposals shall become the property of Hideout and will not
be returned.
F. Oral Agreement or Arrangements. Any alleged oral agreements or arrangements made by
Proposers with Hideout will be disregarded in any proposal evaluation or associated
award.
G. Not a Contract. This RFP is not a contract and, alone, shall not be interpreted as such.
Rather this RFP serves only as the instrument through which proposals are solicited.
Hideout will pursue negotiations with the highest scoring proposal. If for some reason,
Hideout and the initial Proposer fail to reach consensus on the issues relative to a
contract, the Hideout may commence contract negotiations with other Proposers. The
selected Proposer will be required to sign a formal contract.
H. Subcontractors. Hideout must approve any and all subcontractors utilized by the
successful Proposer prior to any such subcontractor commencing any work.
I. Insurance. The Service Provider shall procure and maintain for the duration of the
Agreement, insurance against claims for injuries to persons or damage to property which
may arise from or in connection with the performance of the work hereunder by the
Service Provider, their agents, representatives, employees, or subcontractors as follows:
1. General Liability insurance written on an occurrence basis with limits no less
than One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) per occurrence.
The Service Provider shall increase the limits of such insurance to at least the amount of
the Limitation of Judgments described in Section 63G-7-604 of the Governmental
Immunity Act of Utah, as calculated by the state risk manager every two years and stated
in Utah Admin. Code R37-4-3.
2. Workers compensation insurance with limits as required by statutory law. Service
Provider shall submit with the signed Provider Service Agreement a certificate of
insurance evidencing this coverage to the Town.
3. Auto liability insurance with limits as required by statutory law.
4. Professional Liability (Errors and Omissions) insurance (if applicable) with
annual limits no less than One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) per occurrence. Service
Provider agrees to continue to procure and maintain professional liability insurance
coverage meeting these requirements for the applicable period of statutory limitation of
claims (or statute of repose, if applicable) after the project completion or termination of
this Agreement.
5. If written on a claims-made basis, the Service Provider warrants that the
retroactive date applicable to coverage precedes the effective date of this agreement; and
that continuous coverage will be maintained for an extended reporting period
endorsement (tail coverage) will be purchased for a period of at least three (3) years
beginning from the time that work under this agreement is complete.
6. Should any of the above described policies be cancelled before the expiration
date thereof, Service Provider shall deliver notice to the Town within thirty (30) days of
cancellation. The Town reserves the right to request certified copies of any required
policies.
7. The Service Provider’s insurance shall contain a clause stating that coverage shall
apply separately to each insured against whom claim is made or suit is brought, except
with respect to the limits of the insurer’s liability.