02. Addendum #1.pdf

March 19, 2026

Addendum No. 1: Inquiry Responses and Submission Form

RFP # FN-26-001 PRE-AUDIT SERVICES

Issuance Date: March 5, 2026 Inquiries Deadline: March 12, 2026 at 10:00 AM, EST Addendum Release: March 19, 2026 Due Date: March 30, 2026 at 2:00 PM, EST

This addendum details responses from the City of Bristol, Virginia (“the City”) to questions submitted by the inquiry deadline designated in the Request for Proposal (RFP) mentioned above. Responses from the City are indicated in red text following questions submitted. This addendum becomes part of the contract document between the City and any awarded Offeror.

This addendum includes the Submission Form which requires a signature to confirm the receipt of this Addendum. The Submission Form is included on page 4 of this document. The complete Submission Form should be included in the Offeror’s five (5) required complete sealed proposals to be submitted to the City which is due to the City on March 30, 2026.

QUESTIONS

1. Can the City please clarify why certain terms in the General Terms and Conditions reference contracting with the Commonwealth of Virginia?

a. As a public body within the Commonwealth of Virginia, the City follows guidance set forth in the Agency Procurement and Surplus Property Manual (APSPM), which establishes policies and procedures for procurement and contract administration.

2. What accounting system/ERP does the City use, and in what format will trial balances and schedules be provided (Excel, exports, read-only system access)?

a. The City uses Bright Associates, Inc. (commonly known as BAI) for it’s accounting system. Trial balances and schedules will be provided in Excel.

3. Are there known problem areas or recurring audit adjustments from prior years that the City wants addressed early?

a. There are none known at this time.

Purchasing Department

(276) 645-7328

CITY OF BRISTOL VIRGINIA

300 Lee Street, Bristol, Virginia 24201

4. What is the desired timeline for completion of the audit-ready trial balances?

a. The timeline varies from year to year, but is required by September 30th each year.

5. Is on-site work required, preferred, or optional?

a. The awarded firm should be prepared to complete work in any necessary environment that is feasible, so long as the tasks at hand are complete and accurate. This may include a combination of work environments such as on-site, remote or hybrid.

6. Can you please provide additional details on the additional assistance that may be expected for GASB 87, GASB 96, and GASB 101?

a. Additional work may be required to ensure that the City is in compliance with these standards.

7. Please confirm that printed copies are required even if a proposal is submitted electronically via the eVA procurement platform. If printed copies are necessary in additional to an electronic copy, is a postmark of March 30th sufficient or do the printed copies need to be received by the 2 p.m. EST deadline on March 30, 2026?

a. As stated in the RFP, printed copies are required, no matter if an electronic copy is submitted via eVA. Printed copies must be received by March 30, 2026 at 2:00 PM, EST. Submissions received beyond that point could not be considered.

8. The proposal is requesting bids from Certified Public Accounting firms. Are you open to accepting proposals from consulting firms that also can provide audit readiness services to municipalities and local governments and has a history and track record of doing so in other states and Virginia?

a. Per the RFP, the City is seeking proposals from Certified Public Accounting firms.

9. Is this the first year you have outsourced these services? If no, in past years how many staff and hours has it typically taken to close the books and ready the City for audit? If yes, what is the reason to outsource this activity for the next two years?

a. This is not the first year that these services have been outsourced. They have been outsourced since 2017. The number of staff and hours varies from year to year.

10. Are the supporting records and files available electronically?

a. Some supporting records and files are available electronically, whereas some are paper records.

11. Will the proposer be asked to work onsite during the project or can a hybrid model be used with system access?

a. The firm should prepare to work in whatever environment allows them to complete the tasks at hand in a timely and efficient manner. This will likely require a combination of both.

12. When is the general ledger/fund trial balances ready to begin the pre-audit prep work?

a. They are ready on or around August 20th each year.

13. When do the external auditors expect to begin year-end field work?

a. They begin on or around October 1st each year.

14. Who within the City of Bristol possesses the skills, knowledge and experience to review the pre-audit work prepared by the successful proposer?

a. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and other Finance staff.

15. We typically prepare the accrual and/or correcting entries during the preaudit readiness work but ask that our clients review and approve and post the entries to the system. What is your current process?

a. The City reviews and approves all journal entries and final fund balances.

16. Are you requesting the bidder to prepare the government-wide cross walk entries for the funds to the ACFR and the reconciliation schedules?

a. No, the City is not requesting this.

17. Who prepares the RSI including pension schedules for the ACFR?

a. Preparation of the RSI including pension schedules is not a requirement of this

RFP.

18. What is the City's current status with implementation of GASBs 96 and 101?

a. The City has implemented both GASB 96 and 101.

19. Regarding the above-referenced RFP, should we include the proposed award amount in our proposal? I ask because at the federal level, they're sometimes separate submissions.

a. No, the City is not asking for amounts.

20. Could you please confirm whether proposals are limited to CPA firms only, or if an accounting firm that performs pre-audit services is also eligible to bid?

a. Per the RFP, the City is seeking proposals from Certified Public Accounting firms.

21. What accounting system does the City use?

a. The City uses Bright Associates, Inc. (commonly known as BAI).

22. Has the City historically contracted for pre-audit services?

a. The City has utilized these services since 2017.

SUBMISSION FORM

THE COMPANY/INDIVIDUAL OF:

Address:

FEIN

Hereby proposes to provide the requested services as defined herein.

I understand that the omission of any items listed below from this proposal may be cause for rejection of the proposal as non-responsive. I have ensured that I have received and acknowledged Addendum No. 1.

Person to contact regarding this RFP:

Title: Phone:

E-mail:

Name and title of person authorized to bind the Firm:

Name: Title:

Signature: Date:

By signing and submitting a proposal, your firm acknowledges and agrees that it has read and understands the RFP documents and has resolved any questions and discrepancies to their satisfaction.

We Acknowledge receipt of:

Addendum No. 1 Signature

Purchasing Department

(276) 645-7328

CITY OF BRISTOL VIRGINIA

300 Lee Street, Bristol, Virginia 24201