UH to solicit new bids
for lobbying contractLobbying is currently done by a
D.C. firm for $22,453 a month
The University of Hawaii will seek new bids for a five-year contract to lobby the federal government, a job that is currently done by Washington, D.C.-based Cassidy & Associates Inc.
The firm has been lobbying for UH since 1987 and is paid $22,453 a month to help the university secure federal funds.
UH Vice President for External Affairs Carolyn Tanaka said the university is satisfied with Cassidy & Associates.
The firm, working with Hawaii's congressional delegation, has helped the university get an average of $20 million a year in federal funding, according to a memo from Cassidy.
The university received $34.35 million from Congress in the past year, Tanaka said.
The contract is being rebid because the university has not solicited bids for its lobbying contract since February 1996, Tanaka said.
She said the university is considering splitting up lobbying and awarding separate contracts for lobbying Congress, the administration and federal agencies. Cassidy will be allowed to bid for the contract again.
Cassidy is working with Congress to secure the appropriation of federal funds for the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, Tanaka said.
At a board meeting earlier this month, UH regents approved a six-month extension of Cassidy's contract at a cost of $134,718.
The six-month period will allow the university to draw up a request for qualifications and award the contract by the beginning of next year.