2021 RFP Auditing Services.docx

VILLAGE OF CLINTON

301 Cross Street Clinton, Wisconsin 53525 www.clintonwi.us

(608) 676-5304 Fax: (608) 676-5984

Village of Clinton

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

AUDITING SERVICES

The Village of Clinton is requesting proposals from Municipal Government Accounting and CPA firms with extensive experience in providing municipal financial audit and tax services to Wisconsin municipalities. All interested parties should submit a proposal to Village by September 10, 2021, for consideration. A description of the organization, services needed, and other pertinent information is available by emailing the Village Treasurer at treas@clintonwi.us or calling (608) 676-5304.

Electronic proposal must be submitted by September 10, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. to admin@clintonwi.us or if submitting via mail, an original and three copies must be postmarked by September 10, 2021, and addressed to:

Dan Risse Village Administrator Village of Clinton P.O. Box 129 Clinton, WI 53525-0129

BACKGROUND

The Village of Clinton is located in Rock County, WI near the Wisconsin/Illinois State Border. The Elementary School, Middle School, and High School serving area children are located within the Village limits with education services being provided by the Clinton Community School District. The Village is adjacent to the Town of Clinton and has a 2010 population of 2,097.

FINANCES

Our annual operating budget for 2021: $4,303,000 General Fund: $2,689,600 Water and Sewer Funds: $1,613,400

Debt (end of 2021): GO $3,285,000 and Utilities $2,176,600 General Obligation: 2017A GO and 2019A GO Revenue Bond: 2017B Water, 2019B Water and 2019C Sewer

PERSONNEL

The Village’s $800,000 per annum payroll is run bi-weekly and in-house. Village employees are paid bi-weekly, every other Friday. Village Trustees are paid semiannually and Municipal Judge is paid quarterly. The Village of Clinton has a labor agreement with the Clinton Professional Police Association/Wisconsin Professional Police Association and an employment agreement with the Village Administrator.

Other personnel are governed by the Village Personnel Policy except Library which has its own policy administered by the Village Library Board.

In addition, the Village provides health, dental, life, retirement, paid time-off days (vacation, sick, and holiday). Employees also have the option of participating in a deferred compensation plan, AFLAC, additional life, vision, and disability at their own cost.

ACCOUNTING SYSTEM

The Village maintains all accounting records in-house and uses the basic Cassell Accounting System.

The Village operates on a calendar year with the budget being approved by the 3rd Tuesday of November of each year.

AUDITING SERVICES NEEDED

Prepare and file for the FY 2022 beginning January 1, 2022 and ending December 31, 2022 and for a mutually agreed upon length of service up to five years:

1. Municipal Summary Report(s) as required by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

1. Annual Village audit of all Village books, policies and procedures including management analysis, financial statements, balance sheets, management letter containing comments and recommendations with respect to accounting and administrative controls and efficiency on a yearly basis.

1. Audit of the Village enterprise funds including management analysis, financial statements, balance sheets, management letter containing comments and recommendations with respect to accounting and administrative controls and efficiency on a yearly basis.

1. Audit of all General Obligation Debt of the Village including management analysis, financial statements, balance sheets, management letter containing comments and recommendations with respect to accounting and administrative controls and efficiency on a yearly basis.

1. Prepare a separate audit for each TIF District including management analysis, financial statements, balance sheets, management letter containing comments and recommendations with respect to accounting and administrative controls and efficiency on a yearly basis.

1. Audit of all Revenue Bond Debt of the Village including management analysis, financial statements, balance sheets, management letter containing comments and recommendations with respect to accounting and administrative controls and efficiency on a yearly basis.

1. Financial advice, if needed, during preparation of the annual budget.

1. Financial advice, in needed, on debt, implementation, and its management per Wisconsin Statute.

1. Any other financial documents and reporting CPA deems necessary.

1. Availability throughout the year to provide advice and guidance on financial accounting and reporting issues.

Relationship with Prior CPA Firm Services are provided by Sitzberger CPAs. Please be advised that management will give permission to contact the prior auditors.

Proposal Content In order to simplify the evaluation process and obtain maximum comparability, the Village of Clinton requires all responses to the RFP be organized in the manner and format described below:

A. Executive Summary Describe your understanding of the work to be performed and your firm’s ability to perform the work within the time frame provided.

B. Professional Experience Describe your firm’s resources devoted to municipalities and discuss the firm’s independence with respect to the Village of Clinton.

C. Team Qualifications Identify the specific partners, managers, and in-charge staff who will be assigned to this engagement if you are successful in your bid. Provide their bios specifying relevant experience to the type of services requested. Also discuss commitments you make to staff continuity, including your staff turnover experience in the last three years.

D. Audit Approach Describe how your firm will approach the proposed services, including the use of affiliates or staff from other locations, areas that will receive primary emphasis, and the type of assistance that will be required from Village staff. Also discuss the firm’s use of technology. Finally, discuss the communication process used by the firm to discuss issues with management and the Board.

E. Fees Please provide a firm estimate of fees for the services to be provided. It has been the Village’s practice for management to negotiate a fee for services each year prior to such services being rendered. Please feel free to include the fees for subsequent years if there is a significant differential in cost from year one as well as provide any guarantees that can be made regarding increases in future years.

F. Client References Include a list of the relevant municipalities the firm has served within the past three years and furnish the names and telephone numbers of any references whom we may contact.

Proposal Timetable RFP distributed July 22, 2021 Proposals Due September 10, 2021 Management may contact finalists to schedule presentations Award on September 21, 2021 (tentatively)

Evaluation of Proposals While price is an important factor, Village of Clinton will evaluate proposals on price and the following criteria:

1. Prior experience auditing similar organizations

1. Qualifications of staff to be assigned to the engagement

1. CPA firm’s understanding of work to be performed

1. References

1. Completeness and timeliness of the proposal

Requests for additional information, questions, and coordinating visits to our offices should be coordinated through our Village Administrator, Dan Risse. You may reach him at admin@clintonwi.us or (608) 676-5304.

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