Indigent legal services provider information request

Reference #RFI 09/03/26 RA. Department: GSA. Description: 1.1 Introduction/Purpose

The County of Ventura (“County”), through the General Services Agency Procurement Services Division and on behalf of the County Executive Office, is requesting information from qualified attorneys, law firms, non-profit legal services organizations, bar association panel administrators, and other qualified organizations regarding the provision of indigent legal services within the County of Ventura.

The County is constitutionally and statutorily obligated to provide legal representation to persons who are financially unable to retain counsel and who are entitled to appointed counsel. This obligation arises under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution (Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) 372 U.S. 335, and its progeny), Article I, Section 15 of the California Constitution, and California law, including Penal Code sections 987 et seq., Government Code sections 27700 et seq., and provisions of the Welfare and Institutions Code applicable to juvenile justice and civil commitment proceedings.

The purpose of this RFI is to gather information regarding available service delivery models, organizational capacity, professional standards, technology, and cost structures so that the County may evaluate options and, if it elects to proceed, structure a competitive solicitation. The County is particularly interested in conflict and alternate counsel services, administration of assigned counsel panels, and representation in defined categories of cases, as further described in Section 3.0 of this RFI.

Respondents should be aware that this RFI does not constitute a purchasing action by the County, nor does it obligate the County to initiate any purchasing action, issue a Request for Proposal, or award any contract. This RFI is not a determination that the County will alter its current service delivery model. Not responding to this RFI will not disqualify or otherwise prevent an organization from responding to any forthcoming Request for Proposal related to this RFI.

A Respondent's submission of information in response to this RFI is purely informational and does not constitute an offer, bid, or proposal, and creates no obligation, commitment, or right on the part of the Respondent, whether to submit a future proposal, enter into a contract, or otherwise. Respondents are free to decline to participate in any subsequent solicitation regardless of their response to this RFI.

Respondents are asked to be as thorough as possible in responding to the items in Section 3.0. Supplemental information, such as annual reports, performance reports, white papers, sample agreements, or descriptive materials, is welcome and will be used as reference material. Supplemental materials should be uploaded in Bonfire to “Additional Information” as separate attachments.

Questions concerning the subject matter of this RFI should be submitted online at ventura.bonfirehub.com under the “Messages” tab.

1.2 Background

Ventura County has a population of approximately 830,000 residents and is served by the Superior Court of California, County of Ventura, which hears criminal, juvenile justice, and mental health matters primarily at the Hall of Justice in Ventura and the Juvenile Justice Center in Oxnard. Adults in custody are housed at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Ventura and the Todd Road Jail in Santa Paula; juveniles are housed at the County's juvenile facilities in Oxnard.

Primary indigent defense representation is currently provided by the Office of the Public Defender, a County department staffed by County-employed attorneys, investigators, and support personnel. When the Public Defender declares a conflict of interest, is otherwise unavailable, or where multiple co-defendants require separate representation, the Superior Court and County must arrange for alternate/conflict counsel. Conflict and court-appointed representation is presently provided through a contract with a private firm or court-appointed private counsel.

Estimated recent annual workload indicators are provided below for planning purposes only. Respondents should treat these figures as estimates; actual volumes vary year to year and would be refined in any subsequent solicitation. a. Adult felony filings: approximately 2,414 annually. b. Adult misdemeanor filings: approximately 12,094 annually. c. Juvenile felony filings: approximately 182 annually. d. Juvenile misdemeanor fillings: approximately 298 annually. e. Mental health, competency, and civil commitment matters: approximately 540 annually. f. Cases referred to conflict or alternate counsel: approximately 819 annually. g. Total annual expenditures for conflict and court-appointed counsel, including ancillary defense costs: approximately $2,000,000-$5,000,000.

These services are constitutionally mandated and are subject to significant year-over-year variability driven by filing volumes, case severity mix (including homicide and life-exposure matters), legislative changes affecting diversion and resentencing, and investigation and expert costs.

The Office of the State Public Defender publishes guidance (California Standards for Contract & Panel Defense Systems) applicable to contract and panel indigent defense systems, and recent legislative activity has proposed uniform requirements for county indigent defense contracts. Respondents should anticipate that any resulting agreement will be expected to conform to applicable law and recognized professional standards.

1.3 Action Dates

The following is an outline of the anticipated schedule:

Issue Request for Information (RFI) September 4, 2026 Last day for questions September 18, 2026 RFI Responses Due September 25, 2026 Project closes Sep 25, 2026 3:00 PM PDT.