Request for Proposals
Forensic Accounting Audit Services
PURPOSE: The City of Bristol, Virginia is accepting
proposals from qualified, Virginia licensed firms for Forensic Accounting Audit
Services related to The Falls development, a capital project, in accordance
with the requirements set forth in the request for proposals. The successful
firm must be independent of the City of Bristol, Virginia in all respects. The
original proposal and five (5) copies must be received by the issuing office by
not later than September 15, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. eastern time. Offerors shall
provide one (1) additional copy with all information considered proprietary
redacted and suitable for public inspection in accordance with Section 2.2-4342
of the Code of Virginia. Proposals must
be sealed, addressed and clearly labeled as follows:
Mr. Don
Quesenberry, Procurement Manager
City Hall, Room
208
300 Lee Street
Bristol,
Virginia 24201
“Proposal for Forensic
Accounting Audit Services”
Due date and time – September
15, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
Questions
regarding requirements set forth in the request for proposals must be submitted
in writing to Mr. Randall Eads, Interim City Manager/City Attorney at no later
than one (1) week prior to the due date.
PROJECT
SCOPE: The audit shall include forensic audit services associated with all
phases of The Falls development, a capital project, beginning in 2010 through
current year expenditures as well as prior years if necessary. This will
include identifying areas of fraud and misconduct and transaction mapping from
original project inception through transaction completion cycle. The audit
shall include, but not be limited to disbursement of funds, development of
contracts and incentive agreements. Upon completion of fieldwork a report of
findings will be delivered to the Interim City Manager/City Attorney. The
auditors may work in conjunction with any legal audit team retained by the City
if the scope of work involves similar transactions. The City Attorney has the
authority to compel the production of documents from third parties if
additional documentation is required to cover the scope of services.
TERM: The
term of the agreement will be for one (1) year with the option to renew for two
(2) additional one (1) year periods, negotiated annually.
COMPETITIVE
NEGOTIATION: The successful firm will be selected by Competitive Negotiation
pursuant to Section 2.2-4302.2.4 of the Virginia Public Procurement Act for
Professional Services – the public body shall engage in individual discussions
with two or more offerors deemed fully qualified, responsible and suitable on
the basis of initial responses and with emphasis on professional competence, to
provide the requested services. Repetitive informal interviews shall be
permissible. The offerors shall be encouraged to elaborate on their
qualifications and performance data or staff expertise pertinent to the
proposed project, as well as alternative concepts. In addition, offerors shall
be informed of any ranking criteria that will be used by the public body in
addition to the review of the professional competence of the offeror. The
Request for Proposal shall not, however, request that offerors furnish estimates
of man-hours or cost for services. At the discussion stage, the public body may
discuss nonbinding estimates of total project costs, including, but not limited
to, life-cycle costing, and where appropriate, nonbinding estimates of price
for services. In accordance with Section 2.2-4342, proprietary information from
competing offerors shall not be disclosed to the public or to competitors. At
the conclusion of discussion, outlined in this subdivision, on the basis of
evaluation factors published in the Request for Proposal and all information
developed in the selection process to this point, the public body shall select
in order of preference two or more offerors whose professional qualifications
and proposed services are deemed most meritorious.
Negotiations
shall then be conducted, beginning with the offeror ranked first. If a contract
satisfactory and advantageous to the public body can be negotiated at a price
considered fair and reasonable, the award shall be made to that offeror.
Otherwise, negotiations with the offeror ranked first shall be formally
terminated and negotiations conducted with the offeror ranked second, and so on
until such a contract can be negotiated at a fair and reasonable price.
INSTRUCTIONS
for PREPARING PROPOSALS: Please submit a written proposal addresses the
following:
1.
Provide information descriptive of firm’s
qualifications and experience with similar projects.
2.
Discuss the qualifications of key staff to be
assigned to the project.
3.
Provide references of five (5) current or former
clients, to include contact person and telephone number.
4.
Provide proof of financial stability to perform
the requested services.
EVALUATION
CRITERIA:
1.
Firm’s experience with similar projects.
2.
Qualifications and expertise of key staff.
3.
Availability of firm to meet deadlines and
complete the project in a timely manner.
4.
Completeness of proposal.
5.
Nonbinding cost estimates discussed.
EMPLOYMENT
DISCRIMINATION, DRUG FREE WORKPLACE, IMMIGRATION LAWS:
By accepting
an award to provide the requested services the firm must acknowledge, in
writing, compliance with the following provisions of the Virginia Public
Procurement Act:
Section
2.2-4311 – Employment discrimination by contractor prohibited; required
contract provisions – All public bodies shall include in every contract of more
than $10,000.00 the following provisions:
1.
During the performance of this contract, the
contractor agrees as follows:
a.
The contractor will not discriminate against any
employee or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, sex,
national origin, age, disability or other basis prohibited by state law
relating to discrimination in employment, except where there is a bona fide
occupational qualification reasonably necessary to the normal operation of the
contractor. The contractor agrees to post in conspicuous places, available to
employees and applicants for employment, notices setting forth the provisions
of this nondiscrimination clause.
b.
The contractor, in all solicitations or
advertisements for employees placed by or on behalf of the contractor, will
state that such contractor is an equal opportunity employer.
c.
Notices, advertisements and solicitations placed
in accordance with federal law, rule or regulation shall be deemed sufficient
for meeting the requirements of this section.
2.
The contractor shall include the provisions of
the foregoing paragraphs a, b and c in every subcontract or purchase order over
$10,000.00, so that the provisions will be binding upon each subcontractor or
vendor.
Section
2.2-4312 – Drug-free workplace to be maintained by contractor; required
contract provisions – All public bodies shall include in every contract over
$10,000.00 the following provisions:
During the performance of this
contract, the contractor agrees to (i) provide a drug-free workplace for the
contractor’s employees; (ii) post in conspicuous places, available to employees
and applicants for employment, a statement notifying employees that the
unlawful manufacture, sale, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of a
controlled substance or marijuana is prohibited in the contractor’s workplace
and specifying the actions that will be taken against employees for violation
of such prohibition; (iii) state in all solicitations or advertisements for
employees placed by or on behalf of the contractor that the contractor
maintains a drug-free workplace; and (iv) include the provisions of the
foregoing clauses in every subcontract or purchase order over $10,000.00, so
that the provisions will be binding upon each subcontractor or vendor.
For the purposes of this
section, “drug-free workplace” means a site for the performance of work done in
connection with a specific contract awarded to a contractor in accordance with
this chapter, the employees of whom are prohibited from engaging in the
unlawful manufacture, sale, distribution, dispensation, possession or use of
any controlled substance or marijuana during the performance of the contract.
Section
2.2-4311.1 Compliance with federal, state and local laws and federal
immigration law; required contract provisions.—All public bodies shall provide
in every written contract that the contractor does not, and shall not during
the performance of the contract for goods and services in the Commonwealth,
knowingly employ an unauthorized alien as defined in the federal Immigration
Reform and Control Act of 1986.
INSURANCE
REQUIREMENTS:
The
successful firm, and any of its subcontractors, shall, at its sole expense,
obtain and maintain during the life of the resulting contract the insurance
policies and/or bonds required. All such policies and/or bonds shall be
effective prior to the beginning of any work under the resultant contract.
Professional
Liability: The successful firm is required to carry, at a minimum, a
$1,000,000.00 (one million dollars) professional liability policy and provide
additional coverages as may be described in any resulting contract. In any
case, the City of Bristol, Virginia shall be listed as an additional insured in
the policy.
COOPERATIVE
PROCUREMENT:
The City of
Bristol, Virginia authorizes other municipalities, whether located in the
Commonwealth of Virginia or not, to use the contract resulting from this
procurement transaction. Interested agencies shall deal directly with the firm
selected to provide the requested services.
PROPRIETARY
INFORMATION:
Trade
secrets or proprietary information submitted by the offeror shall not be
subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, unless
otherwise required by law or court. However, the offeror must invoke the
protection of Section 2.2-4342(F) of the Code of Virginia, in writing, either
before or at the time the data or other material is submitted. The written
notice must specifically identify the data or materials to be protected and
state the reason why protection is necessary. The proprietary or trade secret
material submitted must be identified by some distinct method such as
highlighting or underlining and must indicate only the specific words, figures
or paragraphs that constitute trade secret or proprietary information. The
classification of an entire proposal document, including any proposal prices as
proprietary, or trade secrets, is NOT ACCEPTABLE and may result in the REJECTION
of the proposal.
Considering
this is a Request for Proposals, no information regarding the proposal records
or the contents of responses will be released except in accordance with Section
2.2-4342 of the Code of Virginia. Once an award has been made, all proposals
will be open to public inspection subject to the provisions set forth above.