George Mason University Cobblestone #GMU-DR0709-25-11

Civil Rights Compliance Investigation Services

The government buyer is George Mason University, a public institution of higher education and agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, located at 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA. The awarded vendor is Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, a law firm located at 2001 K Street, NW, Suite 400 South, Washington, DC 20006. The contract is for providing investigative services, conducting hearings and appeals, and trainings related to Civil Rights compliance and human resource employment concerns for the Office of Access, Compliance and Community (OACC) of George Mason University. The services include external investigations of Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, ADA compliance, and related employment discrimination matters, as well as hearing officer and adjudicator services, and training on civil rights and employment-related issues. The contract pricing includes hourly rates for investigators ranging from $385 to $450 per hour, hearing officers/adjudicators from $400 to $460 per hour, and legal advice/consulting services from $500 to $600 per hour. Travel expenses are reimbursed only if travel is beyond a 50-mile radius of the Fairfax campus and must be pre-approved. The contract term is two years from the effective date with four successive two-year renewal options. The contract includes strict confidentiality and data security requirements, including compliance with FERPA, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and other applicable laws. The vendor must perform comprehensive background checks on personnel and maintain cyber liability insurance. The contract allows cooperative procurement by other public bodies and educational institutions. The contract administrator is Thomas Bluestein, Associate Vice President, OACC, Title IX and ADA Coordinator. Invoices are submitted to George Mason University Accounts Payable with net 30 payment terms. The contract prohibits the vendor from providing legal advice or acting in a legal capacity without written appointment from the Virginia Office of the Attorney General. The vendor agrees to provide semi-annual usage reports and cooperate with audits related to University Data security. The contract emphasizes trauma-informed, neutral, and unbiased investigative and hearing processes. The vendor is Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, which has extensive experience in higher education civil rights compliance, with key personnel including Stephen Vaughan (Partner), Sarah Ann Lannom (Senior Counsel), Gerard M. Clodomir (Of Counsel), and others. The place of performance is primarily George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. No products are awarded; the contract is for professional services related to civil rights compliance investigations and hearings.

Description

The contract is for Civil Rights Compliance Investigation Services provided by Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP for George Mason University. The contract includes investigative services, hearings and appeals, and trainings related to Civil Rights compliance and similar human resource employment concerns for the Office of Access, Compliance and Community (OACC) of George Mason University. The contract term is two years from May 20, 2026, with four successive two-year renewal options, expiring finally on May 19, 2036. Pricing includes hourly rates for investigators, hearing officers/adjudicators, and legal advice/consulting services. Travel reimbursement is allowed under specific conditions. The contract prohibits the contractor from providing legal advice or acting in a legal representative capacity without written appointment from the Virginia Office of the Attorney General.

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