Project Information

Bid Title

RFP Professional Legal Defense of Tax Assessment Appeals Notice

Issuing Agency

Lackawanna County

Location

Pennsylvania

Published Date

Apr 6, 2026

Closing Date

Apr 30, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

Notice

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

RFP Professional Legal Defense of Tax Assessment Appeals Notice

Professional Legal Defense of Tax Assessment Appeals Notice RFP

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a fair and open process, The Lackawanna County Commissioners are soliciting sealed proposals from qualified law firms and attorneys to provide professional legal services for the defense of real property tax assessment appeals.

All inquiries must be directed solely in writing to Pat Tobin, Director of Assessment, at TobinP@lackawannacounty.org. Emailed questions must be submitted by April 27, 2026, 4 p.m. Contact with any other county official or employee may result in disqualification.

Proposals must be received no later than April 30, 2026 at 4 p.m.

Attachment Preview

LACKAWANNA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

PROFESSIONAL LEGAL DEFENSE OF TAX ASSESSMENT APPEALS NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a fair and open process, The Lackawanna

County Commissioners, are soliciting sealed proposals from qualified law firms and

attorneys to provide professional legal services for the defense of real property tax

assessment appeals. This is a Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) procurement. Pricing

will be negotiated only with the highest-ranked Offeror(s) after qualification ranking.

Submissions will be received by the County of Lackawanna (the “County”) Board of

Commissioners at its offices at 123 Wyoming Ave, 6th floor, Scranton, Pennsylvania 18503,

by the deadline for submission of proposals, Thursday April 30, 2026, by 4:00 P.M. EST.

PROCUREMENT STATEMENT

Although Lackawanna County is not required by law to solicit these professional services

through a competitive Request for Proposals process, the County has elected to do so

voluntarily in order to attract the most highly qualified providers and to achieve the best

value for its taxpayers. Any updates or amendments to this request shall be posted to the

county website.

https://cms8.revize.com/revize/lackawanna/government/departments/rfp_rfq.php

It is the responsibility of the proposers to check the website for changes.

BACKGROUND

Lackawanna County completed its first county-wide reassessment since 1968 utilizing

Tyler Technologies. The new assessed valuations became effective for the 2026 tax year.

This reassessment has produced a substantial increase in taxpayer appeals filed with the

Lackawanna County Board of Assessment Appeals, with the potential for de novo appeals

in the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas. The County requires experienced

outside appraisers to defend the assessed valuations and uphold the integrity and

uniformity of the assessment roll.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

Services will be provided on an as-needed basis via written Task Orders issued by the

County Solicitor or designee. Services include, but are not limited to:

• Representation and defense of the County before the Board of Assessment Appeals

and in de novo proceedings before the Court of Common Pleas.

LACKAWANNA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

PROFESSIONAL LEGAL DEFENSE OF TAX ASSESSMENT APPEALS NOTICE

• Preparation of pleadings, discovery, motions, trial preparation, expert coordination,

and post-trial work.

• Legal strategy and advice on uniformity, common-level ratio (CLR), presumption of

correctness, and STEB matters.

• Settlement negotiations (subject to County approval).

• Coordination with the County’s panel of appraisal experts.

TERM OF CONTRACT AND COMPENSATION

The successful Offeror(s) will provide the requested professional services to Lackawanna

County on an “as-needed” basis pursuant to individual written Task Orders or Assignments

issued by the County Solicitor or the Director of Assessment (or their designees).

Compensation shall be based solely upon hourly rates. Offerors must submit, as part of

their proposal, a detailed rate schedule listing hourly billing rates for each classification of

personnel (e.g., Partner/Senior Attorney, Associate Attorney, Paralegal). Rates submitted

will be considered during the qualifications-based evaluation and will be finalized through

negotiation with the highest-ranked Offeror(s). All work must be pre-authorized by a written

Task Order that may include a not-to-exceed amount for that assignment. Monthly invoices

shall include detailed time entries, descriptions of services performed, and supporting

documentation. Contingent fee arrangements of any kind are strictly prohibited.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Proposals must be received no later than April 30, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. EST.

Email the complete proposal (PDF) to Traci Harte, Deputy Chief of Staff at

hartet@lackawannacounty.org (mailto:hartet@lackawannacounty.org) with a hard copy

and/or USB drive to follow at:

Lackawanna County Government Center

123 Wyoming Avenue, 6th Floor

Scranton, PA 18503 Clearly mark the envelope and subject line: “ Professional Legal

Defense of Tax Assessment Appeals Notice.”. All inquiries must be directed solely in writing

to Pat Tobin, Director of Assessment, at TobinP@lackawannacounty.org. Emailed

LACKAWANNA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

PROFESSIONAL LEGAL DEFENSE OF TAX ASSESSMENT APPEALS NOTICE

questions must be submitted by April 27, 2026, 4:00PM EST. Contact with any other County

official or employee may result in disqualification.

EVALUATION CRITERIA (QBS – 100 points)

1. Experience defending PA counties/municipalities in real-property tax assessment

appeals (35 points)

2. Qualifications, experience, and availability of proposed attorneys and staff (25

points)

3. Demonstrated familiarity with Lackawanna County procedures and PA assessment

law (15 points)

4. Capacity to handle anticipated volume of appeals (10 points)

5. References from similar engagements (10 points)

6. Proposed hourly rate schedule and approach (5 points)

REQUIRED PROPOSAL CONTENTS

(Must include the following in this exact order):

• Firm history and overview, including number of years in business, organizational

structure, and relevant experience providing legal defense services to Pennsylvania

counties or other governmental entities in tax assessment appeals.

• Resumes and qualifications for all attorneys and support staff who will perform

services, including Pennsylvania bar admission dates, years of relevant experience,

and professional affiliations.

• Sample pleadings, briefs, or written summaries of prior tax assessment appeal

cases (Board and/or Court level).

• Conflict of interest disclosure statement (Offerors must affirm that neither the firm

nor any proposed attorney has represented taxpayers in Lackawanna County

LACKAWANNA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

PROFESSIONAL LEGAL DEFENSE OF TAX ASSESSMENT APPEALS NOTICE

assessment appeals within the last five (5) years and agrees not to do so during the

contract term).

• Insurance certificates evidencing minimum coverage of Two Million Dollars

($2,000,000) in Professional Liability / Legal Malpractice insurance (plus general

liability and workers’ compensation as required by County policy).

• Completed Non-Collusion Affidavit (using the County’s standard form).

• List of at least three (3) professional references from similar ad-valorem or tax

appeal engagements (preferably other Pennsylvania counties), including contact

information.

• Proposed hourly rate schedule (detailed by personnel classification).

• Any other standard county attachments or forms required by the County

STANDARD TERMS

The County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, not to select any Offerors or

make any award, to award contracts to multiple firms, to waive any informalities or

irregularities, and to select the Offeror(s) deemed to be in the best interest of the County.

Proposals shall remain valid and irrevocable for six (6) months following the submission

deadline. The successful Offeror(s) will be required to execute a Professional Services

Agreement containing the County’s standard terms and conditions, including (but not

limited to) indemnification and hold-harmless provisions, insurance requirements,

termination for cause or convenience, compliance with the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know

Law and all other applicable laws, data security and confidentiality obligations, and non-

discrimination clauses. Final award and contract execution are subject to approval by the

Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners.

COMMUNICATION WITH COUNTY OFFICIALS: All inquiries must be directed solely in

writing to Pat Tobin, Director of Assessment, at TobinP@lackawannacounty.org. Any firm that

makes any effort to communicate with any other official of Lackawanna County, either

directly or indirectly, during this process will be EXCLUDED from consideration.

LACKAWANNA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

PROFESSIONAL LEGAL DEFENSE OF TAX ASSESSMENT APPEALS NOTICE

RESERVATION OF RIGHTS: The Board of Commissioners reserves the right to reject any and

all submissions, in whole or in part, and to waive any immaterial defect or informality in any

proposal as may be permitted by law.

Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541110Offices of Lawyers
• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
• NAICS 541990All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

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