Fiscal Note
Funds are available in the City Attorney's Operating Budget. Savings resulting from this new contract will be recognized in future years' budgets.
Title
Authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a contract with LexisNexis for online legal research services, through 2014.
Body
WHEREAS, the Office of the City Attorney (OCA) has a contract with Thomson West ("Westlaw") for the provision of online legal research services used by attorneys, paralegals, law clerks as well as attorneys in other city departments and this contract expires on December 31, 2011; and
WHEREAS, the City Attorney has solicited quotes for a new contract from Westlaw and as its competitor, LexisNexis; and
WHEREAS, there are no other competing companies providing comparable legal research tools; and
WHEREAS, LexisNexis has proposed a contract for online legal research services which will result in a savings of approximately $44,000 over the lifetime of the contract when compared to the previous contract with Westlaw. The new contract pricing proposed by LexisNexis is as follows:
Remainder of 2011 - $300
2012 - $18,000
2013 - $18,540
2014 - $19,092
WHEREAS, the provision of such services are essential to the operation of the OCA and the other attorneys employed in other city departments;
WHEREAS, under MGO 4.26(3), service contracts with a term of more than 3 years must be authorized by the Common Council; and
WHEREAS, under MGO 4.26(4)(b), if the total cost for services will exceed $25,000 over the lifetime of the contract and a competitive bidding process was not used, the Common Council must authorize the contract by resolution. A full "Request for Proposals" was not used to select LexisNexis because there are only two viable online legal research services available, one which the OCA currently uses and the other is LexisNexis. The OCA solicited quotes and fully evaluated the services, pricing and
value of both prior to selecting LexisNexis;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that a contract with LexisNexis, a division of Reed-Elsevior, Inc., for online legal research services for the duration and at the prices noted above is approved in such form as is agreed to by the City Attorney; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor and City Clerk are authorized to sign the necessary contract document(s) with LexisNexis.