CRITERIA FOR SUBMISSION OF QUALIFICATIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL CONTRACTS FOR THE YEAR 2027 UNDER THE FAIR AND OPEN PROCESS

Description: Issued: November 5, 2026 Responses Due: December 2, 2026 at 11:00am Borough Attorney Labor Attorney Borough Planner Bond Counsel Borough Auditor/Certified Municipal Accountant Special Counsel for Affordable Housing Special Counsel for Development and Land Use Special Counsel for Procurement Special Counsel for Tax Appeals Special Engineering Services Stormwater Management Services Waste Water/Water Operator Grant Writing Consultant SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL INFORMATION 1.1. Introduction and Purpose. The Borough of North Caldwell is soliciting Qualification Statements from interested individuals/firms for the following positions, as described below. Through a Request for Qualification (RFQ) process described herein, persons interested in assisting the Borough with the provision of such services must prepare and submit a Qualification Statement in accordance with the procedure and schedule in this RFQ. The Borough will review Qualification Statements only from those individuals/firms that submit a Qualification Statement which includes all the information required to be included as described herein (in the sole judgment of the Borough). The Borough intends to award a contract to the most qualified person(s) who, (a) possesses the professional, financial and administrative capabilities to provide the proposed services, and (b) will agree to work under the compensation terms and conditions determined by the Borough to provide the greatest benefit to the taxpayers of the Borough of North Caldwell. Professional services qualifications for the following positions are hereby requested: 1. Borough Attorney - The Borough Attorney acts as legal advisor to the Mayor, Council and Borough Administrator and attends all normally scheduled meetings and special meetings, prepares and/or approve contracts, renders legal opinions, prepares and/or approves resolutions and ordinances, and provides all such other legal services or special projects as the Borough may request. The Borough Attorney shall also perform any and all legal services with regard to the prosecution and defense of all tax appeal actions on behalf of or against the Borough or other legal assignments which may be mutually agreed to. 2. Labor Attorney - The Labor Attorney represents the Borough in all labor and employment matters assigned by the Borough or its representatives, including court appearances, arbitrations, conferences, negotiations, meetings, research, investigations, correspondence, telephone calls, preparation and drafting of pleadings and other legal documents, trial preparation, related work and other matters assigned by the Borough. 3. Borough Planner - The Borough Planner provides the Borough and Boards with professional planning services, including preparation of studies, reports, proposals and technical specifications, and appearances at public meetings and hearings. 4. Bond Counsel - Bond Counsel advises the Borough with regard to matters involving public finance including, but not limited to the financing of various capital projects through the adoption of appropriate bond ordinances and the issuance of bonds and/or bond anticipation notes. Bond Counsel provides professional services to the Borough in connection with matters of public finance and other matters as directed by the Council. 5. Borough Auditor/Certified Municipal Accountant - The Borough Auditor provides the Borough of North Caldwell with financial auditing, accounting and related services and shall serve as Certified Municipal Accountant. 6. Special Counsel for Affordable Housing - Special Counsel assists the Borough and its legal counsel in helping the Borough address its responsibilities with respect to its affordable-housing obligations in any proceeding involving a New Jersey court of competent jurisdiction and/or the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing (COAH). 7. Special Counsel for Development and Land Use - The Borough of North Caldwell may require the services of specialized counsel to represent the Borough's interests in development and land use matters. The Special Counsel on Development and Land Use may be called upon by the Borough to review and negotiate development matters, associated developer agreements, etc. if and where directed by the Mayor and Council. 8. Special Counsel for Procurement/Contracting - Review and provide oversight in the preparation of bid documents, development of requests for proposals and requests for qualifications, ensure compliance of bids with all applicable regulations and statutory requirements, defend and prosecute bid challenges and protests, provide counsel during contract performance. 9. Special Counsel for Tax Appeals - To render any and all legal services the Borough requires to perform with regard to the prosecution and defense of all tax appeal actions on behalf of or against the Borough. 10. Special Engineering Services - To provide services relevant to the administration and operation of the roads, parks, municipal buildings, stormwater, water and sewer systems as well as provide general assistance to all Borough departments and functions. The Applicant should demonstrate knowledge and the technical capabilities to provide administration, design, oversight, inspection, and monitoring as needed to assure the proper performance of all responsibilities associated with the Engineering Department. The Consultant will coordinate with the Borough Administrator and the Borough Engineer/Director of Public Works on all major activities relating to engineering services. The Borough reserves the right to obtain specialized engineering services as needed separate from the selected engineer, and may continue to use existing consulting engineers currently under contract with the Borough to complete current projects. Scope of work may include surveying; street, sidewalk, curb design; obtaining necessary permits from regulatory agencies; construction management and inspection as required; attend Borough Council meetings, public hearings as required; assist Borough staff as needed or required. The Consultant may be directed to undertake specific projects for the Borough that have a finite scope of work, are relatively larger in scale, or for any other reason the Borough wishes to assign the work on a task-basis to the consultant. 11. Stormwater Management Services - To provide stormwater services including permitting, mapping, inspections, reporting, and consulting in support of the Borough Engineering/Public Works Departments as needed. 12. Waste Water Operator/Water Operator - The Operator ensures that sites are operated in accordance within the laws and requirements as set forth by the NjDEP and all other governing agencies. This shall include, but not be limited to, monthly inspections of the site, checking conditions of pumps, control systems, monthly lab reports and usage monitoring reports to the NJDEP. 13. Grant Writing Consultant - The Grant Writing Consultant shall provide professional grant writing and consultation services to the Borough but such services shall only be provided at the Borough's request and the grant writing consultant shall not assume any grant writing or consultation responsibilities prior to consent from the Borough. 1.2. Procurement Process and Schedule The selection of Qualified Respondents is not subject to the provisions of the Local Public Contracts Law, N.J.S.A. 40A:11-1 et The selection is subject to the "New Jersey Local Unit Pay to Play" Law, N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.4 et seq., however. The Borough has structured a procurement process that seeks to obtain the desired results described above, while establishing a competitive process to assure that each person is provided an equal opportunity to submit a Qualification Statement in response to the RFQ. All communications concerning this RFQ or the RFQ process shall be directed to the Borough's Designated Contact Person, in writing. Designated Contact: Borough Administrator Borough of North Caldwell 141 Gould Avenue North Caldwell, New Jersey 07006 Qualification Statements must be submitted to, and be received by Borough Administrator by mail, via hand delivery or courier service, or in person by 11:00am prevailing time on December 2, 2026. Proposal documents may be examined and obtained at the office of the Borough Administrator, 141 Gould Avenue, North Caldwell, NJ 07006 by appointment between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm. Subsequent to issuance of this RFQ, the Borough (through the issuance of addenda to all individuals/firms that have received a copy of the RFQ) may modify, supplement or amend the provisions of this RFQ in order to respond to inquiries received from prospective Respondents or as otherwise deemed necessary or appropriate by and in the sole judgment of the Borough. TABLE 1 ANTICIPATED PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE 1. Issuance of Request for Qualifications November 5, 2026 2. Receipt of Qualification Statements No later than December 2, 2026 at 11:00am 3. Analysis of Qualification Statements To be advised 4. Designation of Qualified Respondent To be advised SECTION 3 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS The Qualification Statement submitted by the Respondent must meet or exceed the professional, administrative and financial qualifications set forth in this Section 3 and shall incorporate the information requested below. Required administrative documents include, but are not limited to: Letter of Qualification (Appendix A); Letter of Intent (Appendix B); Proposed Fees/Rates of Service; documentation of years of experience; affirmative action compliance evidence; disclosures of judgments or bankruptcy as applicable; confirmation of appropriate federal and state licenses; Non-Collusion Affidavit (Appendix C); Stockholder or Partnership Disclosure Statement (Appendix D); Business Entity Disclosure Certification (Appendix E); Form W-9 (Appendix F); New Jersey Business Registration Certificate; Affirmative Action Compliance (Appendix G); Certificate of Insurance evidencing Professional Malpractice Insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate; Disclosure of Investment Activities in Iran (Appendix H). SECTION 4 INSTRUCTION TO RESPONDENTS 4.1 Submission of Qualification Statements. Respondents must submit one (1) original hard copy and one (1) electronic copy of their Qualification Statement to: Name: Borough Administrator Address: Borough of North Caldwell 141 Gould Avenue North Caldwell, New Jersey 07006 Qualification Statements must be submitted to, and be received by the Borough Administrator by mail, via hand delivery or courier service, or in person upon appointment by 11:00am on December 2, 2026. Qualifications Statements received after this time will not be considered. The Borough will not bear responsibility for delays for any reason. With respect to the electronic copy: together with each written Qualification Statement, the Borough must receive a CD/DVD or USB Drive which contains a secure copy of the complete Qualification Statement in .PDF, WordPerfect, or Microsoft Word Format. All submitted digital media shall become the property of the Borough. In the event of any discrepancy between a written Qualification Statement and the information contained on the digital media, the information contained in the written Qualification Statement shall be presumed to be the accurate information upon which the Borough will rely in its evaluation. The Borough may choose to rely on the written Qualification Statement or on a combination of the written Qualification Statement and the digital media. In the event that the digital media is not submitted with the written Qualification Statement, the Borough may demand that a digital copy be submitted within three (3) business days of the demand. The Borough may also waive the submission of the digital media. SECTION 5 EVALUATION Qualification Statements will be evaluated by the Borough on the basis of the most advantageous submission, all relevant factors considered, including experience and reputation in the field; knowledge of the Borough and the subject matter; availability to accommodate required meetings; familiarity with current Borough issues; and familiarity with the form of government under which the Borough operates. SECTION 6 COST AND EXPENSES AND DUTIES A Qualified Respondent who is awarded a contract by the Borough of North Caldwell Mayor and Council shall perform duties and receive compensation based on hourly rates and schedules of fees submitted with the proposal or as negotiated with the Borough. Any services not included as part of any resulting contract scope of services must be approved and authorized by the Borough before such work is initiated.