REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AUDIT SERVICES TOWN OF ARLINGTON, VERMONT
INTRODUCTION
The Town of Arlington, Vermont, is requesting proposals from qualified firms of Certified Public Accountants to provide monthly review and oversight of Town of Arlington financial accounts for the 2021 calendar year, with a mutual option to renew for up to 3 more years.
Proposals are to be submitted by 2:00 PM on April 30, 2021 to: Nick Zaiac, Town Administrator PO Box 304 Arlington, VT 05250
All proposals shall take the form of a flat hourly rate or flat annual fee based on expected hours worked. The Town of Arlington reserves the right to reject any or all proposals. Proposals will be evaluated by the Town based on firm experience and reputation, understanding of Town requirements, which services the firm is willing to provide, and cost for service. During the evaluation process, the Town reserves the right, where it may serve in the Town’s best interest, to request additional information or clarification from proposers. At the discretion of the Town, firms submitting proposals may be requested to make oral presentations as part of the evaluation process. Please direct all questions regarding this request for proposals to Nick Zaiac, 802-379-9916 or nick.zaiac@arlingtonvermont.org
NATURE OF SERVICES REQUIRED The Town of Arlington seeks an individual(s) or firm(s) to engage in the following activities. Work may be completed remotely. The town may award components of the work to different firms or individuals.
- Regular monthly reconciliation of Town of Arlington accounts
- Review of the Trial Balance of all funds for inconsistencies and discuss/resolve with Treasurer or other Town of Arlington staff
- Perform spot check of payments to vendors and receipts to make sure that the town is following proper procedure for approval and posting
- Review journal entries and sign off on said entries
- Complete and report any findings to the Select Board and Town Administrator
- Provide advice on internal controls and Town of Arlington financial practices
- Work with the awardee of the separate, state-required annual audit to ensure this audit is successfully produced in a timely manner
DESCRIPTION OF THE GOVERNMENT The Town of Arlington has a population of approximately 2,500 people. The Town provides the following services to its citizens: Highways and streets, public safety provided via a volunteer fire department and a contract with the Vermont State Police, park and recreation, public improvements, planning and zoning, and general administrative services that include a town administrator, town clerk, town treasurer, select board assistant, land use administrator and listers.
The Town uses the following fund types in its financial reporting:
General Fund, Capital Reserve Funds, Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund, Audit Fund
The Town prepares its financial statements using the modified cash basis of accounting for governmental funds and the accrual basis of accounting for proprietary funds.
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS Interested firms shall submit proposals separated into two sections: the technical proposal and the cost proposal. The purpose of the technical proposal is to demonstrate the qualifications, competence and capacity of the firms seeking to undertake the work of the Town of Arlington in conformity with the requirements of this request for proposals. The technical proposal should demonstrate the qualifications of the firm and of the particular staff to be assigned to this engagement.
The technical proposal shall provide the necessary information in the following sequence:
Background of the firm: The proposer should state the size of the firm, the size of the firm’s governmental auditing staff, and the number and nature of the professional staff to be assigned to this engagement.
Partner, supervisory and staff qualifications and experience: The proposer should identify the principal supervisory and management staff assigned to the engagement and disclose each person’s government auditing experience.
Which services the firm is willing and able to provide: The proposer should identify which items under “Nature of Services Required” they are seeking to provide, and which services they are not, such that the Town may make a second contract award to a second individual or firm to acquire all services needed.
Similar engagements with other government entities: If the firm has had similar engagements in the past, list up to 3 with a description that would help the town evaluate the relevance of the experience.
Cost breakdown shall include:
This is an up to 4 year engagement; one year with mutual renewal options through the fourth year.
Total all-inclusive maximum fee for the engagement for the year ending December 31, 2021, and for each of the four subsequent engagement years for which the Town has the option of continuing in this contract.
Billable hourly rates for any staff assigned to the engagement
Expense-inclusive maximum aggregated hourly rate for monthly audit work: Maximum hourly rate which the firm will charge for one hourly unit of financial oversight and reconciliation work. This is the expense-inclusive hourly work rate on which firms shall be compared on a like-for-like basis.
Out-of-pocket expenses included in the total all-inclusive maximum price and reimbursement rates.
Unit pricing for non-audit services that are in compliance with independence standards should those be required.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The final selection of an audit firm will be based on two criteria: technical qualifications and cost of service. The technical qualifications will compare each proposer’s expertise and experience in providing quality audit services to government entities and the quality of the firm’s professional personnel who would conduct the audit.
There is no expressed or implied obligation on the part of the Town of Arlington to reimburse responding firms for any expenses incurred in preparing or presenting proposals in response to this request. The Town of Arlington reserves the right to retain all of the proposals and to use any ideas in a proposal regardless of whether the proposal is selected. Submission of a proposal indicates acceptance by the firm of the conditions contained in this RFP, unless clearly stated to the contrary and specifically noted in the proposal submitted and confirmed in the contract between the municipality and the selected firm. The Town of Arlington reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal, at their sole discretion, and to award a contract based solely on their determination of the best proposal considering all of the circumstances.