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Purchasing Agent: email: greenawr@taylorcountytexas.org
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS TITLE: INDEPENDENT AUDIT SERVICES NUMBER: R. F. Q. 2008-01 OPENING DATE: AUGUST 7, 2008 OPENING TIME: 2:00 P.M. CONTACT PERSON: BRIDGET MCDOWEL TAYLOR COUNTY AUDITOR PHONE: (325) 674-1252 FAX#: (325) 674-1372
Terms and ConditionsThe Taylor County Commissioners’ Court is soliciting qualifications for furnishing the services of an independent outside auditor which are set forth in this Request for Qualifications.
All qualifications must be received in the Taylor County Purchasing Office, 2nd floor, Taylor County Courthouse, 300 Oak Street, Abilene, Texas, 79602, no later than Thursday, August 7, 2008. Public Opening of the Request for Qualifications will be held in the 2 nd floor Conference room, Taylor County Courthouse, at that time. All Request for Qualifications which are mailed, shipped, etc. should be addressed as follows: Taylor County Purchasing Department 300 Oak Street Abilene, Texas, 79602
All Request for Qualifications must be in sealed envelopes clearly marked with Request for Qualification Number and Title. Completed Request for Qualifications must contain one (1) original and four (4) copies. Original Request for Qualifications must be clearly marked “ORIGINAL” and contain all original signatures.
The Taylor County Commissioners’ Court reserves the right to reject in whole or in part any or all Request for Qualifications, waive minor technicalities, and award to the vendor which best serves the interest of Taylor County. Late Request for Qualifications will be returned to the Vendor unopened. Taylor County will not be responsible for un-marked, or improperly marked Request for Qualification or any delivered to the wrong location.
Request for Qualifications may be withdrawn at any time prior to the official opening. Alterations made before opening time must be initialed by the Vendor to guarantee authenticity. After the official opening, Request for Qualifications may not be amended, altered, or withdrawn without the recommendation of the County Auditor and the Purchasing Agent and the approval of the Taylor County Commissioners’ Court. All Requests for Qualifications become the property of Taylor County and will not be returned to the Vendor. Taylor County is exempt from Federal excise and sales tax; therefore, tax must not be included.
The Vendor agrees, if this Request for Qualification is accepted, to furnish any and all services upon which prices are offered, at the price(s) and upon the terms and conditions contained in the Request for Qualifications. The period of acceptance will be thirty (30) calendar days (minimum) unless the Vendor notes a different period.
Request for Qualifications must be submitted on the requested format. By returning the information the vendors certify that: 1. Invoices shall be sent directly to Taylor County, Auditor’s Office, 300 Oak Street, Abilene, Texas, 79602. Payments will be processed within 30 days after receipt of the invoice or acceptance of final audit, whichever is later. 2. Payment shall not constitute an acceptance of the service(s) offered nor impair the County’s right to inspect or any of its remedies. 3. Hours of delivery/service shall be between 8:00a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, unless otherwise stipulated. 4. All prices are to be firm for the length of the contract, unless stated differently in the Specific Contract Information. 5. Pricing should be lump sum priced. Purchase will be made on a cash basis. Award will be on a lump sum basis. 6. The price to be paid by the County shall be that contained in the Vendor’s offer. The Vendor warrants being no higher than Vendor’s current prices for contracts of the kind and specification covered by this agreement for similar quantities under similar or like conditions and methods of purchase. 7. Vendors shall provide in the Request for Qualifications a list of at least three references for which vendor has performed similar services. 8. Any offers not conforming to the specifications shall be rejected. It will be the responsibility of the Vendor to conform to the specifications unless deviations have been specifically cited by the vendor and acceptance made on the basis of the exception. 9. The Commissioners’ Court will award the Request for Qualifications, which will be followed by the issuing of a Purchase Order or a letter noting the award. The purchase order or letter of award, together with the signed Request for Qualifications Worksheet will be construed as the contractual agreement. Taylor County may sign a contract provided by the successful vendor, however any part of vendor’s contract which contradicts any part of the terms, conditions and specification requirements of this Request for Qualifications shall be considered null and void. 10. Taylor County reserves the right to select evaluation methods deemed most appropriate. Each Request for Qualification will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, regardless of any previous evaluation method. 11. All insurance requirements, including Workers’ Compensation, as outlined in the Texas State Statutes shall be met prior to any delivery and shall remain in effect during the life of this contract. Workers’ Compensation Affidavit has to be completed, signed and returned with the Request for Qualification Worksheet. 12. Whenever an article or material is defined by describing a proprietary product or by using the name of a manufacturer, the term “or equal” if not inserted shall be implied. The specific article or material shall be understood as descriptive, not restrictive. 13. Continuing non-performance of the vendor in the terms of this Contract shall be a basis for the termination of the contract by the County. Taylor County shall not pay for work, equipment, services or supplies that are unsatisfactory. Vendor will be given a reasonable opportunity before termination to correct deficiencies. This, however, shall in no way be construed as negating the basis for termination for non-performance. 14. Either party upon sixty- (60) day’s written notice prior to cancellation may terminate the contract. 15. Vendor shall provide the defense for and indemnify and hold harmless Taylor County from all claims, suits, causes or action, and liability arising out of the execution of this contract or in connection with Vendor’s use of the premises thereunder. Venue for any cause of action under this contract shall be in Taylor County, Texas. 16. The Vendor shall not limit or exclude any express, written, or implied warranties and any attempt to do so shall render this contract voidable at the option of Taylor County 17. In accordance with Section 262.030 of the Texas Local Government Code all Request for Qualifications shall be opened so as to avoid disclosures of content to competing vendors and kept secret during the process of negotiation. All Requests for Qualifications that have been submitted shall be available and open for public inspection after the contract is awarded, except for trade secrets and confidential information contained in the Request for Qualifications and identified as such. After award, the public may inspect the Request for Qualifications in the Taylor County Clerk’s Office.
GENERAL
SPECIFICATIONS R.F.Q.
2008-01 INDEPENDENT AUDIT SERVICES
The
County is limiting its solicitation to those CPA firms, which have substantial experience
in auditing complex municipal/county governments. As
a matter of principle, the County is extremely sensitive to the cost of the services;
however, the County’s primary concern is to obtain the best possible service at a
level comparable to that rendered by firms to their other major municipal and commercial
clients. A
completed Request for Qualifications consists of the answers and responses to the
information requested, certifications and enclosures herein and responses to the technical
section and signed by an authorized official. Clarification
desired by a vendor or relating to definition or interpretation of this Request for
Qualifications shall be requested in writing and with sufficient time to allow a timely
response before submission of Request for Qualifications.
Oral explanations or instructions shall not be considered binding on behalf
of the County. All questions should be
directed to: BRIDGET
MCDOWELL, AUDITOR (325)
674-1252 GENERAL
INFORMATION: Approximately 60 departments, headed by elected and appointed officials. Approximately
475 employees The combined budgets for all funds as follows: 38 funds approximate 2005 Approximately $38.5 million 2006 Approximately $39 million 2007 Approximately $48 million
Financial
Aspects of County a. Banking arrangements with
Chase JP Morgan.
1. Number and type of accounts – one operation
controlled disbursement
account and one departmental
controlled disbursement account. 2.
Departmental
checking accounts 3.
Registry
accounts 4.
Textpool
Accounts b. Investment policy – All
funds are invested in accordance with the Public Funds Investment Act and the Taylor
County Investment Policy. c. Ledgers and working papers
to be provided by d. Computer Systems for
financial application operate on an onsite mainframe. e. Property taxes collected by
the Central Appraisal District f. Federal financial
assistance programs including, but not limited to, Purchase
of
Juvenile Services, Homeland Security Pricing: Vendors will
be required to record their proposed prices on the Bid Worksheet for audit year 2008, 2009
and 2010. Also give a proposed billable
hourly rate for any other necessary additional work.
SERVICES TO BE RENDERED This
section defines the particular auditing services to be included in the scope of all
Request for Qualifications rendered to ANNUAL
FINANCIAL REPORT
Statements
to be audited Performance
of a financial and compliance audit of the County’s Financial Statements and related
financial system for the Fiscal Years Ending September 30, 2008, 2009 & 2010. The
statements to be audited are similar in nature and detail to those presented in the County’s
Annual Financial Report for the year ended September 30, 2007. Copies of the September 30, 2007 Annual Financial
Report will be available upon request. Audit
Scope and Opinion The
audit work is to be conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and
Government Auditing Standards. The
Firm’s scope must also be sufficient to permit the firm to prepare and issue a report
on the County’s compliance with the terms and conditions of the various grants
received by the County and the adequacy of the County’s internal control system as
contemplated in OMB Circular A -133. Additional
Audit Reports The
Independent Auditing Firm will audit and provide a separate report on the Juvenile
Probation grants as required by the Texas Juvenile Probation commission on TJPC Funds. Copies of the TJPC audit requirements are
available. Availability
of Working Papers The
working papers must be available for review by the REQUIREMENTS AND CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THE AUDIT WORK IS TO BE PERFORMED This
section outlines the requirements imposed upon the Firms solicited and the conditions
under which the Firms will conduct the audit. All
requirements and conditions are to be considered mandatory.
Firms in their respective Request for
Qualifications will acknowledge acceptance of these requirements and conditions. Non-acceptance or alternative means of achieving
the listed items must be clearly identified. Firms
are encouraged to add any items deemed appropriate. Experience and Local PresenceFirms
are to possess substantial experience in governmental auditing and accounting, and must
have access to the resources necessary to address technical issues that may arise during
the course of the engagement. Working
papers, ledgers, reports, etc., cannot be removed to the Firm’s office. Therefore, Firms must assign sufficient staff to
conduct the audit in Firms
must also provide or assign staff to answer questions and work with Key
Personnel Prior
to beginning work, Firms will designate the personnel and commit to using these
individuals to perform the County’s audit. Audit
partner, manager, and site supervisor shall be specifically identified. Staffing
Patterns and Assignments The
overriding consideration in making staff assignments to the County’s audit should be
to assign those individuals whose skills best fit the audit requirements. However, in making assignments, Firms should
utilize the same standards of quality in terms of skill and expertise afforded to its
other large municipal/county and commercial clients. COUNTY’S ACCOUNTING SYSTEMAND WORK TO BE PERFORMED BY THE COUNTYThis
section describes the County’s accounting system and details the responsibilities of
the County in preparing audit schedules. Accounting
System Accounting
Software Preparation
of Audit Schedules The
The
PROPOSED
AUDIT SCHEDULE The
following is a proposed schedule of events that the County plans to follow, conditioned on
county providing independent auditors with all necessary information, in conducting this
solicitation as well as closing-out the fiscal year, preparing records for audit, having
those records audited, and issuing of the annual report. 1. Issuance
of Request for Qualifications
July
22, 2008 2. Request
for Qualification Submission
August
7, 2008 3. Request
for Qualification Award
August
19, 2008 4. County Provides Schedules and Adjusted Working Trial balances November 17, 2008 5. Completion of Audit Field Work February 27, 2009 6. Issue Audit Opinion, Annual Financial Report **February 27, 2009
for Juvenile
Probation
for **IT
IS IMPERATIVE THAT THESE DATES BE MET FOR EACH REQUIRED OPINION
EVALUATION
CRITERIA
The
Request for Qualifications will be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria: Technical
Criteria
1. Technical
experience of the firm.
a. Auditing
of the type under consideration.
b. Auditing
local governments.
c. Auditing
similar entities.
2. Qualifications
of staff, including consultants, to be assigned to the audit. Education,
position in the firm, years and types of experience will be considered. This will be determined from the resumes submitted.
a. Qualifications
of the audit team.
b. Supervision
to be exercised over the audit team by the firm’s management. 3. Responsiveness
of the Request for Qualifications in clearly stating an understanding of the work to be
performed. a. Audit
Coverage b. Realistic time estimates of each major segment of the work plan and the estimated number of hours for each staff level (including Consultants) assigned.
4. The
ability to complete the audit within the time prescribed. Cost
Criteria
1. Cost of
the Audit
INFORMATION
TO BE PROVIDED BY THE VENDOR RETURN THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AND THE WORKSHEETIn
order to simplify the review process and obtain the maximum degree of comparison, Request
for Qualifications must be organized in the manner stated below. Title
Page Show
the R.F.Q. number, the name of the firm, local address, telephone number, name of the
contact person, and the date. Table
of Contents Include
a clear identification of the material by section and by page number. Letter
of Transmittal A
statement that the Firm will perform the work stated in these specifications and that the
services provided will conform in all aspects to the requirements stated within this
Request for Qualifications. State
the names of the persons who will be authorized to make representations for the Firm,
their titles, addresses, and telephone numbers. State
that the person signing the letter will be authorized to bind the contract. Profile
of the Firm State
the location of the office from which the work is to be done, including the location from
which assigned staff will be forthcoming. Describe
the range of activities performed by the firm such as auditing, accounting, tax service,
or management services. Provide
a list of governmental audits performed by firm’s partner, manager and staff to be
assigned to perform this audit.
Mandatory
Criteria Affirm
that the Firm is a properly licensed Certified Public Accountant entity to do business in
the State of Affirm
that the Firm meets the Independent standards of the GAO Standards for Audit of
Governmental Organizations, Programs, Activities and Functions. Affirm
that the Firm has completed external quality review with unqualified opinion. Summary
of the Firm’s qualifications Identify
the Partner and Manager who will work on the audit, including Staff. Resumes including relevant experience for each
supervisory person to be assigned to the audit should be included. Provide
a list of references of clients that the Firm has performed similar services. Firms should include at least three clients as
references. A
statement responding to the reasonableness of the audit schedule listed in these
specifications and any proposed exceptions.
BID WORKSHEET
R.F.Q.
2008-01 INDEPENDENT AUDIT SERVICES Provide
a statement of the total estimated cost. Firms
will need to propose three cost figures and they are listed below: COST: TAYOR
AUDIT
YEAR 2008:
$
AUDIT
YEAR 2009
$
AUDIT
YEAR 2010
$
BILLABLE HOURLY RATE FOR $
OTHER
ADDITIONAL WORK COST: AUDIT
REPORT ON JUVENILE PROBATION GRANTS AUDIT
YEAR 2008:
$
AUDIT
YEAR 2009
$
AUDIT
YEAR 2010
$
BILLABLE HOURLY RATE FOR $
OTHER
ADDITIONAL WORK
PRICES
ARE TO BE FIRM FOR THE THREE- (3) YEAR PERIOD. The
undersigned affirms that they are duly authorized to execute this Request for
Qualifications on behalf of their company and, that this Request for Qualifications has
not been communicated to any other vendor prior to the official opening. The undersigned affirms that the Company they
represent agrees to the terms, conditions and specification requirements of this Request
for Qualifications and if awarded the Request for Qualifications will be construed as the
contractual agreement. Name
and Address of Firm
All unsigned Request will be disqualified
Signature:
Name:
Title:
Phone No:
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION AFFIDAVIT STATE
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