Title
Possible Approval of Contract for General Services, Agreement No. AGR 25-38 with Cogent Strategies LLC in the Amount of $750,000 plus Applicable Gross Receipts Tax over 5 years, for the Purpose of Federal Lobbyist Services and Budget Revision 2026-14
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve agreement no. AGR 25-38 with Cogent Strategies LLC in the amount not to exceed $750,000 plus applicable gross receipts tax, for the purpose of Federal Lobbyist Services and, I, further move, that Council approve Budget Revision 2026-14 as summarized in Attachment B and that the attachment be made part of the minutes of this meeting.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council approve this Contract for General Services as requested.
Body
The Los Alamos County Council has enjoyed the support of its federal lawyer in providing additional services in the past that supplemented the County's advocacy efforts. Given both the preference of the federal lawyer and the increasingly complex federal agenda, a full time federal lobbyist firm Request for Proposals (RFP) was executed and released to the public in early July 2025. Eleven firms submitted proposals. The evaluation committee's top ranked choice remained the top choice through several clarifying questions asked of all nine offerors and a clarifyng session with the top ranked offeror based on their ability to execute the scope of work, their experience, and strong network.
The proposed agreement is shown in Attachment A. The term of the contract is five years. Each year the cost is the same, $150,000 not including GRT. The Scope of Work includes coordination with the Intergovernmental Affairs Manager, working with the County Manager(s), advising and supporting the County Council Federal Working Group including work on the Federal Priorities, reporting to the Full Council, dialoging with the Department of Energy (DOE) as directed and other duties.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Plann...
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