Assessment RFP 2024.pdf

Request for Proposals

General Reassessment of Real Estate Values

In Northumberland County, Virginia

I. Introduction

A. Intent:

The Board of Supervisors of Northumberland County, Virginia, intends to reassess its real estate values to be effective in calendar year 2026. Work will begin no later than July 1, 2024 and be completed, including any and all review and public hearings, no later than December 31, 2025.

B. Proposal Specifications

The Appraisal Firm’s proposal must indicate that the firm shall provide, carry out, or comply with the following:

1. All appraisals shall be prepared in keeping with recognized appraisal practices.

2. Appraisals shall be based on a thorough study of actual market sales in the County.

3. An extensive study shall be conducted of sales and construction costs within the County.

4. A local manual shall be developed for use during the general reassessment and copies shall be provided to the Commissioner of the Revenue for subsequent use after the assessment is complete.

The manual shall specify, in summary form, the cost and pricing analysis determined in Item 3 above.

5. Each property shall be visited prior to making a market value appraisal.

6. All tax-exempt property shall be appraised on the same basis and in the same detail as taxable property. A summary of tax-exempt County properties and values shall be provided to the County

Administrator and Commissioner of the Revenue.

7. Each property shall be visited by a representative of the appraisal firm qualified to perform real estate market valuations prior to making a market value appraisal. If for any reason during the appraisal, the appraiser’s staff, or any member thereof, is found to be unacceptable by the County, he or she shall be withdrawn from the project.

8. All actual appraisals shall be conducted by a qualified appraiser; however, this does not preclude the use of research assistants or data collectors.

9. All field cards and appraisal cards shall be supplied with a size and design acceptable to the

Commissioner of the Revenue.

10. Sketches of buildings shall be placed on appraisal cards with building exterior measurements.

Where existing cards show sketches these may be transferred to new cards but all measurements must be verified in the field. Where sketches do not exist they shall be developed. Dimensions of buildings shall be indicated on the cards and, where this data does not exist on new or existing structures, it shall be developed by actual measurements. Appraisal cards design, and data on the cards, shall be approved by the Board of Supervisors and Commissioner of Revenue.

11. All existing and newly gathered data shall be entered by the appraisal firm into the county’s computer databases using the current software system for the purpose of generating new reassessment values and records. The County currently uses Concise CAMA (CAMA System).

The appraiser shall list those CAMA software packages with which they are comfortable using.

The selected reassessment vendor shall work with the CAMA software vendor and the

Commissioner of the Revenue in the conversion process.

12. Manufactured homes shall be assessed at 100% fair market value.

13. All notices and appraisal cards shall be furnished, with the county computer system or with the computer service bureau (Business Data of Virginia) printing the cards to show property description, map number, name and address of owner(s) and a notation as to whether buildings or other improvements are presently shown to be on the property.

14. All deed book and plat book references shall be transferred from the current field cards in the

Commissioner of the Revenue’s office to the new field cards to be used in the reassessment.

15. Any information which is discovered that may correct a discrepancy on the County Tax Maps shall be provided to the Commissioner of the Revenue.

16. All personnel shall carry at all times sufficient identification, provided by the appraisal firm, to present themselves as representatives of Northumberland County.

17. When each property is visited, if no one is found on the premises, a doorknob hanger shall be left requesting detailed information necessary to perform the appraisal.

18. If the appraiser is refused admittance to property, it shall be noted on the field cards and the property shall be appraised based on the best information available.

19. Recognizing the importance of good public relations, the contractor shall endeavor to cooperate fully with the County Administrator, the Commissioner of the Revenue, the Board of Supervisors, and all County officials. He and his employees will also conduct themselves in a professional manner in dealing with the general public and endeavor to create good public relations during this reassessment process. While in the field, employees of the contractor shall wear appropriate identification badges. Representative speakers of the appraisal firm shall be provided, at no additional cost or increase in the bid amount, to County groups requesting information on aspects of the reassessment program.

20. After completion of the appraisal work and at a time agreed to by the appraisal firm and the County, public hearings shall be held over a two-week period, and appraisers shall be available at all hearings to provide reviews of appraisals when requested by owners. A minimum of six hearings including evening sessions shall be scheduled.

21. The contractor will provide at least one competent appraiser to assist the Board of Equalization in conducting “public hearings”.

22. If an assessment is appealed to the Courts, appraisal firm shall furnish a competent witness to the

County without additional charge for a period of three years from the last day of the tax year for which the assessment is made.

23. Appraisal firm shall appraise all parcels, approximately 19,100, and shall appraise all additional parcels if the final count exceeds 19,100 without any increase in the total bid amount.

24. All property appraisals shall be at 100 percent of fair market value.

25. Appraisal firm shall at all times during its engagement for services with Northumberland County and during the term of its work on the project be considered an independent contractor. As an independent contractor, the appraisal firm shall carry workers compensation and public liability insurance designed to hold Northumberland County and its officials harmless from all claims, demands, suits, actions, recovered against them by reason of any act by an employee or equipment of the appraisal firm during the reassessment process. Certificate of coverage shall be provided to the County prior to the start of fieldwork.

26. At the time the bid is submitted, resumes shall be provided to the County of all professional appraisers planned to be assigned to work in the County and a discussion shall be provided of the firm’s qualifications and prior experience.

27. Appraisal office work, other than incidental, shall be performed at the office facilities provided in the County, and appraisal personnel shall be generally accessible to the Commissioner of Revenue, County Administrator, and public when necessary.

28. A professional assessor, certified by the Department of Taxation, shall be provided to serve in lieu of a Board of Assessors in accordance with the Code of Virginia, Section 58.1-3275.

29. The appraisal firm must provide photographs, taken by digital camera, of all dwellings and improved commercial properties. Photographs shall be attached to the correct parcel record number.

30. When all of the property has been reappraised, the appraisal firm will return, at no additional cost to the county or increase in bid amount, to reappraise any new construction completed since the appraiser’s first visit.

31. A public hearing will be held prior to the beginning of the fieldwork, at which time the contractor shall explain to the public the reassessment process, the methods used, and be prepared to answer questions from the public.

32. All proposals shall be based on a per parcel cost. A total non-binding estimate should be included in the proposal. The County reserves the right to require a performance bond in the amount of the

Contract. Please include two non-binding estimates, one estimate with costs of covering a performance bond, and a second estimate without the cost of a performance bond from which the

Board of Supervisors can choose.

C. Support Services:

1. Northumberland County will provide the same data and support services to any contractor who is successful in securing the contract for general reassessment services. This data and support services will be as follows:

a. County Tax Maps; and,

b. Tax records, data and information in possession of the Commissioner of the

Revenue pertaining to properties will be made available to the assessor under the direction of the Commissioner of the Revenue. Property record cards will not be removed from the Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office.

D. Anti-Discrimination:

1. By submitting bids or proposals, bidders, offerors or Contractors certify to Northumberland

County that they will conform to the provision of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, the Virginia Fair Employment Act of 1975, as amended, where applicable, the

Virginians With Disabilities Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act and Section 11-51 of the

Virginia Public Procurement Act, which provides:

During the performance of this contract, the contractor agrees as follows:

The Contractor will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, sex, national origin or disabilities, except where religion, sex, national origin or disability 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.

E. Schedule of Work Proposed:

1. Work shall begin no later than July 1, 2024 and be completed, including any and all review and public hearings, no later than December 31, 2025.

F. Terms of Payment Proposed:

1. Invoices shall be submitted to the County Administrator monthly after work is commenced up to 90 percent of the bid amount with a 10 percent retainage as a performance guarantee.

The retainage will be billable and payable upon delivery of all appraisal work and completion of public hearings.

2. Quarterly reports will be submitted indicating the percentage of parcels appraised and the percentage of bid amounts billed to date. If the percentage of billing exceeds the percentage of parcels completed by 10 percent, then monthly payments shall be stopped until the percentage of parcels appraised is brought into alignment with the percentage of bid amount billed.

G. Submission of Proposals:

Each individual/firm preparing a bid for this project shall submit one original and six copies of the proposal. All copies of the proposal shall be submitted in one sealed envelope marked “GENERAL

REASSESSMENT, NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY”. A digital copy shall be submitted with the proposal.

Proposals shall be addressed to:

E. Luttrell Tadlock

County Administrator

Northumberland County Courthouse

P.O. Box 129

72 Monument Place

Heathsville, VA 22473

Proposals must be received by the County no later than 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

H. Instructions to Vendors

Letter of Introduction.

1. Signed by an officer of the firm.

2. Name and address of the firm.

3. Name, address and phone number of authorized contact.

I. Vendor’s Company

1. Description of company organization and staffing.

2. Resumes of key staff

J. Vendor’s Financial Stability

1. Vendor must guarantee, in writing, the financial stability necessary to complete the project.

2. Copy of Dun & Bradstreet report if available.

3. Credit references.

4. Insurance certificate.

K. Qualifications of Vendors

1. Bidders are asked to provide a client list from previously completed tasks of this type.

2. Northumberland County reserves the right to visit the bidder’s work sites.

L. Signatures

1. Submissions shall be submitted with the signatures of appropriate company officers.

2. Corrections and erasures must be initialed by the person signing the proposal or an authorized representative.

M. Proposal Evaluation

Scoring Criteria

1. Vendor’s plan for fulfilling proposal

2. Response time.

3. Cost.

4. Support.

5. Ease of implementation.

6. Vendor’s experience.

7. Performance of designs and vendor at other sites.

8. Vendor’s financial stability & credibility.

9. Vendor’s company organization and staffing.

N. Reserved Rights & Special Requirements

1. Northumberland County reserves the right to reject any or all bids based on noncompliance with the RFP.

2. Northumberland County reserves the right to reject any or all bids based on a decision to postpone initiation of the project.

3. Northumberland County reserves the right to reject any or all bids based on findings related to information requested by this RFP.