C2022734_AccountingServices_RFP.pdf

OBDD RFP No. C2022734 OregonBuys Open Market Bid S-12300-00004686

Request for Proposals:

Financial Statements and Accounting Services

Proposal due date: October 31, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time

Single Point of Contact (SPC):

Mr. Devon Thorson, Contracts Officer Oregon Business Development Department (Business Oregon) 775 Summer St., NE, Suite 200 Salem, OR 97301-1280 Telephone: (971) 600–4484 Email: Devon.T.Thorson@biz.oregon.gov mailto:Devon.T.Thorson@biz.oregon.gov

1.0 SOLICITATION INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS

1.1 GENERAL INFORMATION

Oregon Business Development Department (“Business Oregon”, or “Department”) is issuing this Request for Proposals for an accounting firm that can create financial statements and disclosures for the Department’s grant and loan programs. This work will include completing FY22 financial statements, calculate current portion of bonds payable/reverse, and processing disbursements.

Business Oregon is the state's economic development agency. The Business Oregon Commission oversees the agency's activities to ensure a coherent, integrated approach to economic development and a continuous policy direction that can transcend changes in executive and legislative leadership. Over the last three years, Business Oregon’s Fiscal and Budget team has experienced significant turnover in staffing and management, and the Department’s CFO position is currently vacant. The purpose of this RFP is to assist the agency in evaluating as-is accounting processes vs best practices, prepare FY22 financial statements and disclosures, and provide coaching/training to the seven-member Accounting Team.

Business Oregon’s anticipates awarding one contract from this solicitation over an approximate six-month timeline.

Contractor may have access to State of Oregon accounting systems but not to a subsidiary system called Portfol where loan information is stored.

1.2 DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES & EXPERTISE NEEDED \ PROPOSED STATEMENT

OF WORK

The selected accountant or accounting firm (“Contractor”) will perform the following services on behalf of Business Oregon’s accounting department:

Task 1. Financial Statements and Disclosures o Complete Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Special Public Works Fund (SPWF) and Waste Water Fund

(WWF) Financial Statements and disclosures.

o Document how financial statements and disclosures are completed.

Task 2. Bonds o Provide assistance and direction to allow staff to record current portion of bonds payable/reverse.

o Document how to calculate current portion of bonds payable/reverse, amortization of bond deferred loss/gain and premium discount.

o Provide assistance with developing process on how to validate that the usage of bonds is consistent with the bond restrictions.

o Assist in helping forecasting bond bank issuances.

Task 3: Disbursements Processing o Work with accounting team to establish and document a current process for disbursements.

o Provide assistance by researching and developing a process to track outstanding disbursements.

Task 4: Federal Subrecipient Monitoring

• Work with Accounting team to establish and document a process to perform audit agency responsibilities for assigned subrecipients per Oregon Accounting Manual (OAM) 30.40.00. This includes:

o Coach Accounting team in how to identify and document different compliance deficiencies that may occur.

o Work with Accounting team to establish process of notifying subrecipients of OBDD’s assignment as audit agency and document that process.

o Coach Accounting team to develop and document a reconciliation process between subrecipients Schedule of Expenditure of Federal Awards (SEFA), Portfol and list obtained from Department of Administrative Services (DAS).

o Work with Accounting team to establish process of notifying Statewide Accounting and Reporting Services at DAS that subrecipient monitoring duties have been completed by September 30th of each year and document said process.

Contractor will conduct a review of best practices for financial accounting, including referencing the Oregon Accounting Manual and GASB, and compare the findings of that review to current OBDD practices. Contractor will provide recommendations for OBDD to meet the best practices of state accounting work.

In addition to completion of Tasks 1-4, Contractor will train the accounting manager and six accounting staff how to perform each task. Contractor will work closely with the accounting manager and other accounting staff to train accounting team on the related tasks and document each task with a desk manual.

Additional Considerations Proposers should provide a recommended timeline as well as recommended milestones and describe how the milestones will achieve the goals of this project. The timeline should include an interim deadline of April 2023 for SPWF and WWF Financial Statements.

The Department anticipates that most of this scope of work will be accomplished on a virtual, remote basis. However, Proposers should anticipate occasional in-person meetings at the Department’s Salem office.

1.3 QUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

The Single Point of Contact (SPC) for this RFP is identified on the Cover Page, along with the SPC’s contact information. All inquiries, whether relating to the RFP process, administration, deadlines, award, or to the intent or technical aspects of the services must be submitted in writing (email preferred; mail or fax are acceptable) to the SPC. All inquiries should reference the RFP number; identify Proposer’s name and contact information; and refer to the specific area of the RFP being questioned (i.e. page, section and paragraph number if applicable).

All questions must be received not later than (7) calendar days prior to the Proposal due date specified on the title page of this RFP.

Substantive questions and answers will be issued as official addenda to this RFP. Changes or modifications to this RFP shall be binding on Department only if in the form of written addenda issued by Department.

The Department will provide addenda by posting them to Oregon Buys, and on the Department’s website at https://www.oregon.gov/biz/programs/homeareas/contracts/. In addition, the Department may directly provide addenda to directly solicited firms. Anyone who has received a copy of this RFP from a source other than Department is responsible for checking with the SPC or online postings. Department is not responsible for sending addenda to any unknown potential Proposers.

Department may require any clarification it needs to understand a Proposal.

1.4 NO RFP PROTESTS

As an Intermediate Procurement, no protest opportunity is required or allowed.

1.5 DUE DATE

Proposals must be received by October 31, 2022, on or before 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Absolutely no Proposals will be accepted after this date and time. Department relies on the state of Oregon email system clock to determine the correct time and is not responsible for any delays or difficulties experienced in the transmission of any Proposal. Please do not wait until the last minute to email your Proposal; it will be too late to correct any problems.

1.6 ELECTRONIC RESPONSES BY EMAIL ONLY

Only electronic proposals sent by email are acceptable. Proposals sent by fax, regular mail, and physical deliveries are not acceptable. The email subject or reference line for all submittals should include the RFP title and RFP number.

Proposals will be received only at the following email address: devon.t.thorson@biz.oregon.gov The Department will accept Proposals in electronic files compatible with Microsoft Office applications.

The signed cover sheet required by section 1.9 must be submitted as a .PDF file. Files in excess of 15 megabytes must be submitted incrementally. Proposals must not be submitted as .zip, .exe, or .com files.

Alternatively, the Department will also accept links to web pages where proposal documents can be downloaded – a Proposer must deliver an email by the due date and time.

1.7 NO LATE OR MISDIRECTED SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

The Department relies on the state of Oregon email clock. Submittals that are late or misdirected will be considered non-responsive, without exception. The Department is not responsible for errors of any kind involved with electronic submission, nor for notifying Proposers of complete or incomplete receipt of a Proposal.

1.8 FORMAT AND PAGE LIMIT FOR PROPOSALS

The Department will accept Proposals in electronic files compatible with Microsoft Office applications.

The signed cover sheet required by section 1.9 must be submitted as a .PDF file. Files more than 15 megabytes must be submitted incrementally. Proposals must not be submitted as .zip, .exe or .com files.

Proposers may choose how to allocate pages between any sections, within the overall page limit. The Proposal must not exceed 10 pages total (excluding the Cover Sheet (Attachment A)). Department will consider the pages up to that allowable number and discard all pages in excess of the allowable number. One (1) page is defined as: one side of a single 8-1/2" x 11" page, with 12-point minimum font size for the substantive text. Proposers may use their discretion for the font size of other materials (e.g., graphics, charts). Any page or partial page with substantive text, graphics, charts, resumes, etc., will be counted as one (1) page.

https://www.oregon.gov/biz/programs/homeareas/contracts/ mailto:devon.t.thorson@biz.oregon.gov

1.9 COVER SHEET

The Department must receive a completed Cover Sheet (substantially in the form of Attachment A), signed by a duly authorized representative of the Proposer empowered to bind the Proposer.

1.10 PUBLIC RECORDS

This RFP, and one copy of every proposal accepted in response to it, will be kept by Department and made a part of its records. All accepted Proposals will become part of the public file without obligation to Department. If a Proposal contains any information that may be exempt from disclosure under the Oregon Public Records Law, ORS 192.410 through 192.505, the Proposer must clearly designate that portion of its Proposal it considers to be exempt, along with a justification and citation to the authority relied upon. Application of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (UTSA), ORS 646.461 and 646.475, and the Oregon Public Records Law will determine whether any information is actually exempt from disclosure.

Identifying an entire Proposal as exempt from disclosure is not acceptable and will not be effective to exempt the Proposal or any part of it from disclosure. Failure to identify the portion of the Proposal claimed as exempt from disclosure, and to specify a justification and the authority relied upon, will be deemed a waiver of any future claim based on disclosure of that information.

1.11 TERMS AND CONDITIONS

By submitting its Proposal, the selected Proposer agrees to be bound by the terms and conditions of a standard state of Oregon Personal/Professional Services Contract, including requirements for insurance as determined by Department. Any Proposal that is conditioned on Department’s acceptance of any other terms and conditions or rights to negotiate will be rejected as non-responsive.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION CHECKLIST FOR USE BY PROPOSERS - INFORMATION ONLY

Due Date Met Proposal Addressed Correctly Proposal in Acceptable Electronic File Type(s) Proposal Format and Page Limit Requirements Met Signed Cover Sheet (Attachment A) Included List of References (Attachment B) Included Proposal Does Not Include Conditional Language About Terms and Conditions Public Records Disclosure Exemption Statement Included (If Applicable)

2.0 INFORMATION REQUESTED FROM PROPOSERS; SCORED CRITERIA

The combined responses to the criteria in each subsection of this Section 2.0 must not exceed the total allowable page limit described in Section 1.8. The Department will consider the pages up to that allowable number and discard all pages in excess of the allowable number.

2.1 PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES

Proposers must fill out and submit RFP Attachment B, listing applicable references. References will not be scored but are mandatory as a responsibility check for the Department.

2.2 SCORED INFORMATION

A) Project Approach 40 Points maximum

1.) Provide a description of the techniques, approaches and methods that you believe are most applicable for our public agency and critique the proposed statement of work in section 1.2 with your confirmations, potential risks, and recommended changes or optional tasks to include. More specifically, please address the following:

a. Describe any unique attributes or approaches that you utilize in your work that will result in successful completion of this effort.

b. Discuss your strategy to engage Business Oregon staff and providing the necessary training.

c. Discuss any potential issues, challenges, or opportunities associated with this project and how you would address them.

B) Qualifications 40 Points maximum

Please submit answers to the following prompts:

1.) Name the person or people who would conduct the work described above and briefly describe their qualifications and relevant individual experiences.

2.) Explain any knowledge or past experiences specific to similar accounting projects that would contribute to your success with this project.

3.) Provide your recommended timeline as well as recommended milestones and describe how the milestones will achieve the goals of this project.

C) Price and Value 20 Points maximum

1.) Please list billing rates for the team members listed, and any other costs.

3.0 EVALUATION PROCESS

The selection process will be administered in accordance with the authority and procedures in ORS 27B.070, and OAR Chapter 123, Division 6 and OAR 137-047- 0270. Proposals received on time will be reviewed against any Pass/Fail criteria. Proposals meeting those criteria will be forwarded to an evaluation committee that will independently score each Proposal according to the scored criteria set forth in Section 2.1.

Without limiting the possibilities allowed under OAR 137-047-0270, the Department may, at any time in its sole discretion, (a) provide notice to a Proposer of selection for Contract negotiation and possible award; (b) gather more information for evaluation, (c) provide notice to a Proposer(s) of non-selection;

or (d) provide notification to Proposer(s) that the RFP is cancelled (and either that the RFP may be resolicited or that Department intends to take no further action with respect to the RFP).

The Department reserves the right to employ any of the procedures allowed by Oregon Administrative Rule 137-047-0270, such as additional competitive steps or Proposals, modified or additional selection criteria, interviews, competitive simultaneous discussions or negotiations, etc. Information or issues revealed by a Proposer’s questions or Proposal, may, in the Department’s sole discretion, trigger such modifications or further steps. If there are further steps beyond the initial Proposal and scoring, the scoring results from the first step and any subsequent step will be added together.

Department reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals for good cause if it is in the public interest, and is not liable for any costs a Proposer incurs while preparing or presenting its Proposal or during further evaluation stages.

4.0 NEGOTIATIONS

The Department, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to negotiate all terms and conditions in the standard State of Oregon contract to the extent allowed by law.

If negotiations with the top ranked Proposer are not successful, Department may terminate negotiations and begin negotiating with the next highest ranked Proposer.

Contract Services/C2022734_AccountingServices_RFP.docx ATTACHMENT A Page 1

RFP ATTACHMENT A - COVER SHEET & CERTIFICATIONS

STATEMENT OF PROPOSAL to Oregon Business Development Department

__________________________________________ (Legal Name of Proposer) accepts all the terms and conditions contained in the Financial Statements and Accounting Services RFP, and a standard State of Oregon contract (as they may have been modified or reserved for negotiation).

Corporation Professional Corporation Partnership Limited Partnership Ltd. Liability Company Ltd. Liability Partnership Sole Proprietorship Other __________

Mailing Address

Type name of contact/authorized representative Email address Telephone Other Type name of person(s) authorized to sign Contract

Affirmative Action, Nondiscrimination: Department is an equal-employment-opportunity employer and values diversity in its work force. It also requires Proposers to have an operating policy as an equal employment opportunity employer, and to follow good faith diversity efforts when subcontracting.

We certify that we have a formal statement of nondiscrimination in employment policy and have an affirmative action program if over 50 employees. (Firms of 50 people or less do not need a formal program, but must have a policy). Does your firm have 50 or more employees? Yes No We also certify that we have not and will not discriminate against a subcontractor in the awarding of a subcontract because the subcontractor is a minority, women or emerging small business enterprise certified under ORS 200.055, and will follow good faith efforts in ORS 200.045 during any subcontracting.

Responsibility Certifications Has your company ever been declared in breach of any contract to provide services for unperformed or defective work?

Yes No If “yes,” explain.

Has any employee or agent of your company been convicted under state or federal law of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, receiving stolen property or any other offense indicating a lack of business integrity or business honesty?

Yes No If “yes,” explain.

Has your company or any employee or agent of your company been indicted under state or federal false claims or antitrust laws, or charged with any other criminal offense arising out of obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public or private contract or subcontract? Yes No If “yes,” explain.

During the last ten years, has your firm changed majority ownership or been the debtor in a bankruptcy case? Yes No

Contract Services/C2022734_AccountingServices_RFP.docx ATTACHMENT A Page 2

If “yes,” explain.

Does your firm have any outstanding judgments pending against it? Yes No If “yes,” explain.

During the last ten years, has your firm been a party to litigation, arbitration or mediation where the amount in dispute exceeded $10,000? Yes No If “yes,” explain. (Include court, and party names.)

Conflicts of Interest: Please select (only) one of the following three options:

Our firm has no current, known actual, potential, or reasonably perceived, financial or other interest in the outcome of the services described in this RFP.

Our firm has a potential or reasonably perceived financial or other interest in the outcome of the services described in this RFP as described here: ___________________. Our firm proposes to mitigate the potential or perceived conflict according to the following plan: ___________________________.

Our firm has an actual financial or other interest in the outcome of the services described in this RFP as described here: ___________________.

What does “financial interest” mean?

If your firm, or employee of your firm working on the project (or a member of the employee’s household), will/may or may be perceived to receive or lose private income depending on government business choices based on your firm’s services, findings or recommendations, this must be listed as a financial interest. An example would be ownership in physical assets affected by government business choices related to these services. The possibility of contracting for further consulting services is not included in this definition and is not prohibited.

What does “other interest” mean?

If your firm, or employee of your firm working on the project (or a member of the employee’s household), will/may or may be perceived to have political, legal or any other interests that will affect what goes into your firm’s services, findings or recommendations, or will be/may be, or may be perceived to be, affected by government business choices related to these services, this must be listed as an other interest.

Tax Information and Tax Compliance: The undersigned certifies and swears under penalty of perjury that: I am authorized to act on behalf of Contractor, I have authority and knowledge regarding Contractor’s payment of taxes, , Contractor is not subject to tax withholding, and Contractor is not in violation of any Oregon tax laws, including but not limited to a state tax imposed by ORS 320.005 to

320.150 and 403.200 to 403.250 and ORS chapters 118, 314, 316, 317, 318, 321 and 323 and the elderly rental assistance program under ORS 310.630 to 310.706 and local taxes administered by the Department of Revenue under ORS 305.620. Contractor shall continue to comply with the tax laws of this state or a political subdivision of this state during the term of the public contract.

Signature of Authorized Representative certifying the truth of all statements:

[Signature] [Type name] Date

Contract Services/ ATTACHMENT B Page 1

RFP ATTACHMENT B - LIST OF REFERENCES

Department may check to determine whether these references support Proposer’s ability to comply with the requirements of this RFP. Department may use references to obtain additional information, or verify any information needed. Department may contact any reference (submitted or not) to verify Proposer’s qualifications.

Proposer must provide at least three references from current or former client for similar projects performed within the last four years. References must be able to verify the quality of that related work.

1. Reference Entity Name: __________________________________________

Reference Contact Name: __________________________________________

Contact Telephone Number: __________________________________________

Contact Email Address: __________________________________________

2. Reference Entity Name: __________________________________________

Reference Contact Name: __________________________________________

Contact Telephone Number: __________________________________________

Contact Email Address: __________________________________________

3. Reference Entity Name: __________________________________________

Reference Contact Name: __________________________________________

Contact Telephone Number: __________________________________________

Contact Email Address: __________________________________________