RFP 2027-05 Financial and Operational Consulting Services.pdf

RFP# 2027-05, FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES

GOOCHLAND COUNTY

Purchasing Department

P.O. Box 10, Goochland, Virginia 23063-0010 Phone : 804.556.5802 Fax : 804.556.5676

Email : tthompson@goochlandva.us

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

DATE OF THIS REQUEST: SEPTEMBER 17, 2026

DESCRIPTION: FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES

QUESTION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 1, 2026, 3:00 p.m. Local Prevailing Time (LPT)

PROPOSAL DEADLINE: OCTOBER 15, 2026, 3:00 p.m. Local Prevailing Time (LPT)

SUBMISSION: One (1) hard copy of the proposal and a digital copy submitted via DemandStar Goochland County Procurement APPENDIX A-Registering DemandStar-Goochland County. The face of the container shall be clearly marked in the lower left corner as follows:

RFP#: 2027-05

RFP FOR: FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES

OPEN: NO PUBLIC OPENING

Proposal must be submitted to:

Tosh Thompson, Purchasing Manager 1800 Sandy Hook Road, Room 352 P.O. Box 10 Goochland, VA 23063

For information relating to this RFP, contact:

Tosh Thompson, Purchasing Manager Ph: 804.556.5802 Fax: 804.556.5676 tthompson@goochlandva.us

Proposals must be submitted by the date and time stated above or they will remain unopened. No allowance will be made for postmark or error in delivery to incorrect address. It is the sole responsibility of the offeror to ensure timely and correct delivery of proposal to the Purchasing Department, Room 352, 3rd floor of the County Administration Building at the corner of Routes 522 and 6.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE NOTE:

Not all overnight delivery services guarantee timely next-day delivery to this location. Please check with the service you use.

mailto:tthompson@goochlandva.us mailto:tthompson@goochlandva.us

Obligation of Offeror: By submitting a proposal, Offeror covenants and agrees that it is satisfied, from its own investigation of conditions to be met, that it fully understands the obligation and that it will not make any claim for, or have right to cancellation or relief from the resulting contract, because of any misunderstanding or lack of information.

Offeror further agrees that conditions herein have been carefully read and this proposal is submitted subject to all requirements stated herein. The undersigned hereby acknowledges and agrees, if this proposal is accepted, to furnish all services agreed upon in strict accordance with the contract.

Name and Address of Firm:

Date:

By:

(Signature in Ink)

Name:

(Please Print)

Title:

(Please Print)

FEI/FIN NO.

State Corporation Commission (SCC) NO.

Phone: ( )

Fax: ( )

Email:

ACKOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF:

Addendum 1 Addendum 2 Addendum 3

SUBMIT WITH PROPOSAL

Certification of Non-Collusion (Attachment A - page ) Reference List (Attachment B – page ) W-9 Form

PURPOSE

Goochland County is seeking to obtain the services of a qualified consulting firm to conduct a comprehensive assessment of Goochland County’s financial operations, policies, procedures, internal controls, and related business processes. The selected consultant will evaluate the effectiveness, consistency, and adequacy of the County’s current financial and administrative practices, identify opportunities for improvement and provide recommendations designed to strengthen governance, improve operational efficiency, enhance internal controls, mitigate operational and financial risk, and promote accountability and transparency.

The engagement will include the review, revision, and development of policies, procedures, and standard operating procedures based on the consultant’s assessment and recommendations. The consultant will work with the County management and designated staff to develop practical, sustainable and clearly document processes that support effective financial management and operations.

BACKGROUND

Goochland County is committed to maintaining effective, efficient, and accountable financial and administrative operations that support the delivery of County services and responsible stewardship of public resources. As part of this commitment, the County recognizes the importance of periodically reviewing its financial operations, policies, procedures, and internal control environment to ensure that established practices continue to meet the County’s operational needs and remain aligned with applicable requirements and recognized governmental best practices.

The County’s financial and administrative functions involve a variety of interconnected processes, including budgeting, financial management, purchasing and procurement, accounts payable and receivable, payroll, cash management, grant administration, contract administration, capital assets, records management, and related internal controls. Effective policies, clearly defined responsibilities, appropriate segregation of duties, and consistent procedures are essential to maintaining strong financial operations and reducing operational and financial risk.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The Successful Offeror shall provide services including, but not limited to, the following. Although the primary focus of this engagement is the County’s financial and administrative operations, the assessment may include other County departments, functions, and business processes where determined appropriate by the County. The Consultant is expected to apply appropriate experience, expertise and industry knowledge and may recommend additional areas of review based on information obtained during the engagement.

A. Project Planning and Assessment

• Conduct an initial project kickoff meeting with County management to confirm project objectives, expectations, priorities, communication protocols, and deliverables.

• Develop and submit a detailed project work plan and schedule identifying major tasks, milestones, information requirements, stakeholder interviews, review activities, and anticipated completion dates.

• Obtain and review relevant County policies, procedures, manuals, ordinances, resolutions, administrative directives, standard operating procedures, organizational charts, financial documentation, and other materials necessary to perform the assessment.

• Identify key departments, functions, processes, and personnel to be included in the review.

• Develop an approach for conducting interviews and gathering information from County management and key personnel.

• Establish a methodology for evaluating risks, internal controls, compliance, operational effectiveness, and opportunities for improvement.

B. Financial and Administrative Operations Assessment The Consultant shall evaluate the County’s existing financial and administrative operations to determine whether processes are effective, efficient, appropriately documented, consistently applied, and adequately controlled.

The assessment shall include, but not be limited to:

• Financial management and reporting

• Budget development, monitoring, and administration

• Revenue forecasting and expenditure projections

• Cash management and cash controls

• Cash receipts and disbursements

• Accounts payable

• Accounts receivable

• Purchasing and procurement

• Contract administration

• Payroll and related processes

• Compensation administration and salary structures

• Grant administration

• Capital asset management

• Records management

• Information technology systems and financial system processes

• Risk management

• Administrative support functions

• Other related financial or administrative functions identified during the engagement

The Consultant shall identify opportunities to improve workflow, eliminate unnecessary or duplicative processes, reduce administrative burden, improve service delivery, and increase the efficient use of County resources.

C. Policy, Procedure, and SOP Review The Consultant shall conduct a comprehensive review of the County’s existing policies, procedures, manuals, and standard operating procedures applicable to financial and administrative operations.

The review shall include, but not be limited to:

• Governance and Administration

• Financial Management

• Budget Preparation and Monitoring

• Cash Receipts and Cash Disbursements

• Purchasing and Procurement

• Accounts Payable

• Accounts Receivable

• Payroll and Human Resources

• Compensation Policies and Salary Structures

• Capital Assets

• Information Technology

• Records Management

• Grant Administration

• Risk Management

• Ethics and Conflict of Interest

• Travel and Expense Reimbursement

• Contract Administration

• Public Records Compliance

• Internal Controls

• Cash Proffers

• Other operational areas identified during the engagement

The Consultant shall evaluate whether existing policies, procedures, and SOPs are complete, current, clearly written, consistently applied, and adequately address the County’s operational and financial risks.

The Consultant shall identify:

1. Policies and procedures that are outdated or no longer reflect current operations.

2. Gaps where policies or procedures are needed but do not currently exist.

3. Conflicting, duplicative, or inconsistent policies and procedures.

4. Areas where responsibilities, authority, or approval requirements are unclear.

5. Procedures that rely on informal practices or institutional knowledge rather than documented processes.

6. Opportunities to standardize processes across departments where appropriate.

7. Policies or procedures that may create unnecessary administrative burdens or inefficiencies.

8. Areas where additional internal controls or documentation requirements are warranted.

The Consultant shall provide recommendations regarding which policies and procedures should be retained, revised, consolidated, replaced, or discontinued. Where appropriate, the Consultant shall develop or revise policies, procedures, and SOPs in accordance with the findings and recommendations of the assessment.

D. Compliance Assessment

The Consultant shall evaluate the County’s policies, procedures, and applicable business processes for alignment with applicable requirements, including, as appropriate:

• Federal laws and regulations

• Commonwealth of Virginia statutes and administrative requirements

• Local ordinances and resolutions

• Grant and funding agency requirements

• Applicable governmental accounting and financial reporting standards

• Applicable internal control frameworks

• Recognized governmental and industry best practices

The Consultant shall identify areas where existing policies or procedures may be inconsistent with, insufficient to address, or outdated relative to applicable requirements. The Consultant shall distinguish between mandatory legal or regulatory requirements and recommended practices or best practices.

E. Internal Control and Risk Assessment

The Consultant shall evaluate the design and effectiveness of the County’s internal control environment and identify areas of operational, financial, compliance, and administrative risk.

The review shall include, but not be limited to:

• Segregation of duties

• Authorization and approval processes

• Access controls

• Documentation and supporting records

• Review and reconciliation procedures

• Payment and disbursement controls

• Cash handling and cash management controls

• Purchasing and procurement controls

• Payroll controls

• Financial reporting controls

• Monitoring and oversight activities

• Fraud prevention and detection controls

• Conflict-of-interest controls

• System and information access controls

• Cash Proffers

• Continuity of operations and backup processes

The Consultant shall identify significant control weaknesses, potential single points of failure, and areas where the County may be dependent upon individual employees, undocumented knowledge, or informal processes. The Consultant shall recommend appropriate redundant systems, cross-training, documentation, backup procedures, or other measures designed to reduce operational dependency and improve continuity of operations.

F. Organizational Processes and Operational Efficiency

The Consultant shall evaluate selected financial and administrative processes from initiation through completion to identify opportunities for improvement.

The assessment shall consider:

• Process efficiency

• Workflow and approval structures

• Duplication of effort

• Manual processes

• Unnecessary steps or approvals

• Bottlenecks and delays

• Communication between departments

• Use of technology and automation

• Staffing and workload considerations

• Opportunities for standardization

• Opportunities to consolidate or eliminate ineffective practices

The Consultant shall identify practices that no longer provide sufficient operational value and recommend whether such practices should be modified, consolidated, automated, or discontinued ("strategic abandonment"). Recommendations should consider the anticipated benefit, implementation requirements, resource needs, and potential risks associated with each proposed change.

G. Compensation and Salary Structure Review

The Consultant shall review the County’s current compensation policies and salary structures to evaluate their effectiveness, consistency, and alignment with the County’s organizational and operational needs.

The review shall consider, as applicable:

• Compensation policies and practices

• Salary structures and pay grades

• Position classifications

• Internal equity and consistency

• Relationship between classifications and compensation

• Salary progression practices

• Market competitiveness

• Administrative processes related to compensation

• Policies governing adjustments, promotions, reclassifications, and other compensation changes

The Consultant shall identify opportunities for improvement and provide recommendations for adjustments to compensation policies and/or salary structures where warranted. Where recommendations are made, the Consultant shall clearly explain the methodology, supporting rationale, anticipated impacts, and implementation considerations.

H. Stakeholder Interviews and Process Validation

The Consultant shall conduct interviews, meetings, and/or working sessions with County management and key personnel as necessary to understand how financial and administrative processes operate in practice.

The Consultant shall use stakeholder input to:

1. Understand current practices and workflows.

2. Identify challenges, inefficiencies, and operational risks.

3. Validate documented policies and procedures against actual practices.

4. Identify undocumented processes and institutional knowledge.

5. Evaluate the effectiveness of existing controls.

6. Obtain input regarding opportunities for improvement.

7. Identify areas requiring additional review.

The Consultant shall maintain an objective approach throughout the interview and assessment process.

I. Policy, Procedure, and SOP Development and Revision

Based upon the findings of the assessment, the Consultant shall author, develop, revise, and/or replace policies, procedures, and standard operating procedures necessary to establish a comprehensive and sustainable financial and administrative policy framework for the County.

The Consultant shall:

1. Revise existing policies and procedures that are outdated, incomplete, inconsistent, or otherwise require modification.

2. Develop new policies and procedures where gaps are identified.

3. Develop SOPs for processes that require detailed operational guidance.

4. Consolidate duplicative or overlapping policies and procedures where appropriate.

5. Establish clear roles, responsibilities, authority, and accountability.

6. Incorporate appropriate segregation of duties and other internal controls.

7. Establish standardized processes and documentation requirements.

8. Ensure policies and procedures are consistent with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

9. Incorporate recognized governmental best practices.

10. Ensure that newly developed policies and procedures are practical and capable of being implemented by County staff.

Policies, procedures, and SOPs shall be written in clear, understandable language and shall be sufficiently detailed to provide employees and management with practical guidance for performing the applicable function.

J. Recommendations and Implementation Planning

The Consultant shall develop practical, actionable recommendations based upon the findings of the assessment. Recommendations shall be prioritized based upon factors such as:

• Risk

• Legal or regulatory requirements

• Financial impact

• Operational impact

• Urgency

• Implementation complexity

• Available resources

• Potential efficiency or service improvements

The Consultant shall provide an implementation roadmap identifying recommended actions, suggested priorities, responsible functions or departments, and anticipated implementation considerations.

The Consultant shall also provide recommendations for maintaining, periodically reviewing, and updating County policies, procedures, and SOPs following completion of the engagement.

K. Final Assessment and Reporting

The Consultant shall prepare a comprehensive final report documenting the results of the engagement.

At a minimum, the final report shall include:

1. Executive Summary.

2. Assessment methodology and approach.

3. Summary of areas and functions reviewed.

4. Summary of policies, procedures, and SOPs reviewed.

5. Findings and observations.

6. Risk and internal control assessment.

7. Compliance assessment.

8. Policy and procedure gap analysis.

9. Operational efficiency findings.

10. Compensation and salary structure findings and recommendations.

11. Identification of single points of failure and continuity risks.

12. Specific recommendations for improvement.

13. Prioritized implementation plan.

14. Recommended ongoing policy maintenance and review framework.

15. Final revised and newly developed policies, procedures, and SOPs.

The Consultant shall present the final findings and recommendations to County management and, if requested by the County, to the Board of Supervisors or other designated governing body representatives.

L. Ongoing Coordination and Management Review

Throughout the engagement, the Consultant shall maintain regular communication with the County’s designated project manager and provide periodic updates regarding project status, significant findings, issues requiring management attention, and anticipated changes to the project schedule. The Consultant shall provide County management with reasonable opportunities to review preliminary findings and proposed recommendations before the final report is issued.

Offerors shall include in the Proposal a description of any significant task not listed in the Scope of Services which they know to be necessary either as reimbursable expenses under the Contract or as a service to be contracted for separately by County.

M. Additional Departmental and Related Services

During the term of the resulting contract, the County may request the Consultant to perform additional assessments of County departments, divisions, functions, or business processes that are reasonably related to the services described in this RFP. Additional assessments may include, but are not limited to, financial and administrative operations, policy and procedure reviews, internal control assessments, operational efficiency reviews, process improvement, and development or revision of policies, procedures, and standard operating procedures. Such services may be requested for departments or functions not included in the initial assessment. Additional services shall be performed only upon written authorization by the County and shall be subject to an agreed-upon scope, schedule, and pricing in accordance with the resulting contract. The County does not guarantee that additional services will be requested.

DELIVERABLES

The chosen consultant shall deliver to the County a report including recommendations on the following:

1. Project Work Plan and Schedule – Detailed methodology, work plan, milestones, and anticipated completion dates.

2. Assessment Report – Comprehensive assessment of the County’s financial and administrative operations, including findings, risks, internal control deficiencies, compliance issues, and opportunities for improvement.

3. Policy and Procedure Gap Analysis – Identification of policies, procedures, and SOPs that should be retained, revised, consolidated, replaced, or developed.

4. Revised and New Policies, Procedures, and SOPs – Consultant-authored documents addressing identified gaps and incorporating applicable requirements, recognized governmental best practices, appropriate internal controls, and clearly defined responsibilities.

5. Compensation and Salary Structure Assessment – Findings and recommendations regarding the County’s compensation policies and salary structures, including supporting methodology where adjustments are recommended.

6. Implementation Plan – Prioritized recommendations identifying key actions, implementation considerations, and recommended sequencing.

7. Final Report – Comprehensive summary of the assessment, findings, recommendations, risks, and implementation priorities.

8. Management Presentation – Presentation of final findings and recommendations to County management and, if requested, the Board of Supervisors.

9. Electronic Deliverables – All final deliverables shall be provided in PDF and editable Microsoft Word formats, as applicable. All policies, procedures, and SOPs shall be provided in an editable format.

PRICING AND COST PROPOSAL

Offerors shall provide a detailed cost proposal for the services described in this RFP.

A. Base Services

The Offeror shall provide a lump-sum fee for completion of the Scope of Services and Deliverables identified in this RFP. The proposed fee shall include all labor, travel, materials, meetings, analysis, report preparation, policy and procedure development, and other costs necessary to complete the Base Service.

B. Additional Related Services

Offerors shall provide hourly rates by labor category for additional departmental assessments and related services that may be requested by the County during the contract term.

Additional services may include assessments of departments or functions not included in the initial engagement, as well as related policy, procedure, SOP, internal control, process improvement, and operational consulting services.

The County does not guarantee a minimum amount of additional work. Additional services shall be authorized by the County in writing and shall be performed at the rates proposed by the successful Offeror, subject to the terms of the resulting contract.

Offerors shall clearly identify any assumptions, exclusions, reimbursable expenses, or other costs not included in the proposed lump-sum fee or hourly rates.

The County may consider the proposed pricing for both Base Services and Additional Services as part of the proposal evaluation.

OFFEROR MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Offerors must demonstrate that they have the resources and capability to provide the materials and services as described herein. All offerors shall submit documentation with their proposals indicating compliance with the minimum qualifications. The following criteria shall be met and presented in the Experience/References tab of the written proposal in order to be eligible for this contract:

1. Government Experience – Demonstrated experience providing financial, administrative, operational, internal control, compliance, or related consulting services to state or local government entities.

2. Policy and Procedure Development – Demonstrated experience evaluating, developing, revising, and implementing organizational policies, procedures, and standard operating procedures.

3. Internal Controls and Risk Assessment – Demonstrated experience evaluating internal controls, segregation of duties, operational risks, and opportunities to strengthen organizational controls.

4. Operational Assessment Experience – Demonstrated experience conducting comprehensive assessments of organizational processes and identifying opportunities for improved efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, and risk management.

5. Financial Management Experience – Demonstrated experience evaluating governmental financial operations, including budgeting, purchasing, accounts payable and receivable, cash management, payroll, grants, contracts, and related functions.

6. Compensation Experience – Demonstrated experience evaluating compensation policies, salary structures, classifications, or related organizational compensation practices.

7. Policy/SOP Authoring Capability – Demonstrated ability to independently author and develop clear, practical, and implementable policies, procedures, and SOPs based on assessment findings.

8. Qualified Personnel – The Offeror shall provide appropriately qualified personnel with relevant education, experience, and expertise necessary to perform the services described in this RFP.

9. References – The Offeror shall provide at least three (3) references for similar projects completed within the past five (5) years. At least one reference should be for a state or local government client.

10. Legal and Contractual Eligibility – The Offeror must be legally authorized to conduct business in the Commonwealth of Virginia and must be eligible to enter into a contract with Goochland County.

County may make such reasonable investigations as deemed proper and necessary to determine the ability of Offeror to perform the Work and/or furnish the item(s) and Offeror shall furnish to County all such information and data for this purpose as may be requested. County reserves the right to inspect Offeror’s capabilities. County further reserves the right to reject any proposal if the evidence submitted by, or investigations of, Offeror fails to satisfy County that Offeror is properly qualified to carry out the obligations of the contract and to complete the Work and/or furnish the items contemplated therein.

PROJECT SCHEDULE

The project is expected to be completed within approximately 180 to 270 days from notice to proceed, unless otherwise agreed upon.

PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENT

Proposals should be as concise as possible and include only necessary information, tables, illustrations, photographs, etc. needed to adequately convey the requested information. Proposal shall be limited to a maximum of 30 pages (front and back acceptable and excludes tabs) using no less than a 12 font size.

Proposal content shall contain the following information in a 3-ringed, tabbed binder in the order provided below:

1. Title Sheet. Furnish the information requested on the REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TITLE

PAGE 2 of this solicitation and include it as the first page of your proposal. The name stated on the Title Sheet must be the full legal name of the Offeror and the address must be that of the office which will have the responsibility for the services provided. Acknowledge all addenda, if any.

Offerors shall specify in the introductory cover sheet the section(s) containing trade secrets or proprietary information. Redacted copies, clearly marked for proposals containing proprietary or confidential information shall be submitted with proposals as a separate copy.

2. Management Approach/Methodology

A. Statement by Offeror of its understanding of the work to be performed with descriptions of the approach and illustrations of the procedures to be employed.

B. Discussion of procedures to be employed and additional information to be required of County in connection with the work.

C. Timing of each significant phase of the work.

D. Type of program used (tailor-made, etc.)

E. Use of specialists.

F. Tentative schedule for completing work herein.

G. Typical assistance expected from County staff.

3. References/Experience. State whether the organization is national, regional or local. Identify headquarters and nearest office and identify the office which will serve as the managing office for the work. If subcontractors or special consultants will be used, they should be identified and provide references.

4. Staffing. Provide the names, titles, qualifications, degrees, certifications, resumes and licenses of key employees, consultants, and sub-consultants proposed to be involved in the goods or services to be provided. Include a list of projects recently completed. Show only experience directly related to their assigned duties as related to the goods or services to be provided. Show continuing education for assigned staff. Include in the proposal qualifications of any subcontractors or special consultants to be used for the goods or services to be provided

5. Insurance. A description of insurance carried detailing limits of professional liability insurance.

6. Goochland Businesses. It is the policy of Goochland County to facilitate the establishment, preservation, and strengthening of minority-owned businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, small businesses, women-owned businesses, and businesses located in Goochland County, and to encourage their participation in County’s procurement activities.

These businesses are encouraged to respond to all solicitations. In addition, County strongly encourages Offeror to actively solicit these types of businesses as subcontractors/suppliers for projects. Offeror is asked, as part of its submission, to describe any planned use of such business in fulfilling the requirement of this Request for Proposals.

7. Ethics in Public Contracting. This RFP incorporates by reference any applicable state or federal law related to ethics, conflicts of interest, or bribery, including the Virginia Conflict of Interests Act, the Virginia Governmental Frauds Act, and the Virginia Code. Offeror certifies that its offer is made without collusion or fraud and that it has not offered or received any kickbacks or inducements from any other offeror, supplier, manufacturer, or subcontractor in connection with this solicitation, and that it has not conferred on any public employee having official responsibility for this solicitation any payment, load, subscription, advance, deposit of money, services, or anything of more than nominal value, present or promised, unless consideration of substantially equal or greater value was exchanged. Offerors shall complete and submit the attached Certification of No Collusion (Attachment A), which will constitute material representations and warranties with respect to this Request for Proposals.

8. Other Information. Include other relevant information Offeror deems necessary to describe its qualifications to provide the services needed to successfully complete work described in the Scope of Services or which Offeror deems are relevant to its selection.

Based on the information provided in this Request for Proposals, Offeror should identify all materials and services expected from the County in addition to general assistance.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL SCHEDULE

As a guideline, Goochland County anticipates the following timetable:

Date Activity/Event September 17, 2026, Issue Request for Proposals September October 1, 2026, Deadline for questions is 3:00 p.m. Local Prevailing Time (LPT) October 15, 2026, Proposals due prior to p.m. 3:00 p.m. Local Prevailing Time (LPT) October 30, 2026, Evaluation of proposals completed November 2, 2026, Notify top ranked Offerors November 9, 2026, Interviews with top ranked Offerors (Offerors are asked to reserve this date) December 1, 2026, Award Contract

SELECTION PROCESS

The County will procure this service using competitive negotiations per Sec.11-28 of the Goochland County Code, as follows:

Selection and award. Selection shall be made of two (2) or more Offerors deemed to be fully qualified and best suited among those submitting proposals, on the basis of the factors involved in the request for proposal, including price. Negotiations shall then be conducted with each of the offerors selected.

Price shall be considered but need not be the sole determining factor. After negotiations have been conducted with each offeror so selected, the county shall select the one (1) which, in its opinion, has made the best proposal, and shall award the contract to that offeror. When the terms and conditions of multiple awards are so provided in the request for proposal; awards may be made to more than one (1) offeror. Should County determine in writing and in its sole discretion that only one (1) offeror is fully qualified, or that one (1) offeror is clearly more highly qualified than the others under consideration, a contract may be negotiated and awarded to that offeror.

PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

The proposal review committee will be using a numerical scoring system, and the following criteria to evaluate and rank the proposals submitted:

1. Strength of Overall Proposal - 15%. Proposal preparation and general understanding of the project’s scope of work. Completeness and quality of proposal. Degree to which the proposal specifically addresses the items in County’s Request for Proposals including understanding of County’s objectives, challenges and goals and how Offeror plans to approach and manage the project.

2. Ability and Methodology - 30%. Understanding of each service to be provided in the scope of services. The ability, capacity, and skill of the individual or firm to perform the work described herein for similar scope, size and complexity in a manner consistent with County goals and standards, methodology to be used in performing the work (i.e. approach).

3. Experience/reference – 25%. Experience of the firm, capabilities in providing results on projects of similar scope, size, and complexity. Previous experience and demonstrated successful outcomes of projects of similar size, scope, and complexity.

4. Staffing – 20%. Include all key personnel qualifications and experience of the personnel undertaking the project. Include a list of projects recently completed. The ability, experience, and continuity of the proposed staff/consultants to be assigned to the project including the capability of the required staff and consultants to perform the services.

5. Price – 10% Evaluation of the Offeror’s proposed pricing for the Base Services and Additional Services. Consideration will be given to the reasonableness, completeness, and competitiveness of the proposed lump-sum fee, hourly rates, and identified reimbursable expenses or other costs

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

Proposals must be submitted in a sealed envelope with the outside marked in the lower left-hand corner as follows

RFP# 2027-05

FOR: FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES

DUE: OCTOBER 15, 2026

1. All proposals must remain valid for 90 days from opening date

2. Proposals will be time-stamped upon receipt and kept unopened in a secure location until opening.

3. No consideration will be given to date of postmark.

4. Except as otherwise provided, and in accordance with Virginia Code § 2.2-4342, all proceedings, records, contracts and other public records relating to the County’s procurement transactions shall be open to the inspection of any citizen, or any interested person, firm or corporation, in accordance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Virginia Code § 2.2- 3700 et seq). Proposals shall not be available for inspection by offerors until interviews, if scheduled, are completed. After award, all proposals become a matter of public record and are available for inspection by the general public. Trade secrets or proprietary information submitted by an Offeror in connection with this procurement transaction shall not be subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, but only if Offeror (i) invokes the protections of Virginia Code § 2.2-4342 prior to or upon submission of the data or other materials; (ii) identifies the specific data or other materials to be protected, and (iii) states the reasons 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, line-item prices, and/or total proposal prices as proprietary or trade secrets is not acceptable and will result in rejection of the proposal.

Redacted copies, clearly marked for proposals containing proprietary or confidential information, shall be submitted with proposals.

5. County will assume no responsibility for oral instruction or interpretation. Any question regarding the procurement solicitation shall be in writing (electronic transmission is preferred) and directed to Tosh Thompson, Purchasing Manager. Questions must be received by 3:00 on October 1, 2026 . Questions submitted beyond the time specified above may be left unanswered if sufficient time does not allow a response to all prospective Offerors without causing an unacceptable delay in the process. Any material change will be submitted to all Offerors through issuance of an addendum. Addenda will be posted on the County website at www.goochlandva.us and eVA at www.eva.virginia.gov. Any contact with any County representative concerning this RFP is prohibited, except as outlined above. Such unauthorized contact may disqualify a firm from this procurement.

6. Each Offeror shall be prepared, if so requested by County, to present evidence of its experience, qualifications, and financial ability to carry out the terms of the Contract.

7. Proposals shall be signed by an authorized representative of Offeror. All information requested should be submitted. Failure to submit all information requested may result in County requiring prompt submission of missing information and/or giving a lowered evaluation of the proposal.

Proposals which are substantially incomplete or lack key information may be rejected by County. Mandatory requirements are those required by law or regulation or are such that they cannot be waived and are not subject to negotiation.

8. County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and waive all informalities. In the event County rejects all proposals, County may readvertise or make the purchase on the open market.

9. Each Offeror shall submit a completed W-9 form with its offer. In the event of contract award, this information is required in order to issue purchase orders and payments to the firm. A copy of this form can be downloaded from www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf.

10. Any Offeror organized or authorized to transact business in Virginia pursuant to Title 13.1 or Title 50 of the Code of Virginia MUST include in its bid or proposal the identification number issued to it by the State Corporation Commission. Any Offeror not required to be authorized to transact business in Virginia as a foreign business entity under Title 13.1 or Title 50 of the Code of Virginia or as otherwise required by law MUST include in its bid or proposal a statement describing why Offeror is not required to be so authorized. Any Offeror failing to provide the required information shall not receive an award unless a waiver of this requirement and the administrative policies and procedures established to implement Virginia Code § 2.2-4311.2 is granted by the County Administrator. County may void any contract with a business entity if the business entity fails to remain in compliance with the provisions of Virginia Code § 2.2-4311.2.

11. The Successful Offeror will be required to execute the accompanying Contract. Exceptions to proposed contractual terms and conditions, other than such terms and conditions required by statute, regulation, ordinance, or standards developed pursuant to Virginia Code § 2.2-1132, shall be submitted in writing with the Offeror’s proposal.

12. As used in this RFP, the terms “must,” “shall,” “should,” and “may” identify the criticality of requirements. “Must” and “shall” identify requirements whose absence will have a major negative impact on the suitability of the proposed solution. Items labeled as “should” or “may” are highly desirable, although their absence will not have a large impact and would be useful, but are not necessary. The inability of Offeror to satisfy a “must” or “shall” requirement does not automatically remove Offeror from consideration; however, it may seriously affect the overall http://www.goochlandva.us/ http://www.eva.virginia.gov/ http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf rating of Offeror’s proposal.

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. APPLICABLE LAW. This Contract is made, entered into, and will be performed in Goochland, Virginia, and will be governed in all respects by the laws of Virginia. Venue for any litigation arising out of this Contract will be brought in the courts of Goochland County, Virginia. Offeror shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

2. APPROPRIATIONS. County shall be bound hereunder only to the extent of the funds available or which may hereafter become available for this purpose through appropriation by the Board of Supervisors.

3. CONFIDENTIALITY. In the course of performance, the parties recognize that Contractor may come in contact with or become familiar with information which County may, within the law, consider confidential. This information includes, but is not limited to, information pertaining to personal information of personnel, citizens, or clients. Contractor shall keep all such information confidential in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations.

4. CONTRACT DOCUMENTS. The Contract Documents will consist of County’s contract or Purchase Order, Request for Proposals, all special conditions, all supplemental conditions, any addenda to any of these documents, and the proposal submitted by Offeror. If there is a conflict between any documents, then the order of precedence will be as listed herein.

5. DESIGNATED PERSONNEL. Offeror may not change personnel in key positions designated in the staffing section of its proposal without the permission of County. County will not consent to or accept any substitutions if, in its sole discretion, to do so would increase County’s cost or would result in the reduction of quantity or quality of the services to be provided.

6. ETHICS IN PUBLIC CONTRACTING. This Request for Proposals incorporates by reference any applicable state or federal law related to ethics, conflicts of interest, or bribery, including the Virginia Conflict of Interests Act, the Virginia Governmental Frauds Act, and the Virginia Code. Offeror certifies that its offer is made without collusion or fraud and that it has not offered or received any kickbacks or inducements from any other offeror, supplier, manufacturer, or subcontractor in connection with this solicitation, and that it has not conferred on any public employee having official responsibility for this solicitation any payment, load, subscription, advance, deposit of money, services, or anything of more than nominal value, present or promised, unless consideration of substantially equal or greater value was exchanged. Offerors shall complete and submit the attached Certification of No Collusion (Attachment A), which will constitute material representations and warranties with respect to this Request for Proposals.

7. FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS & NON-DISCRIMINATION. In the solicitation and awarding of contracts, County does not discriminate against faith-based organizations or any other bidder or offeror because of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, status as a service-disabled veteran, or any other basis prohibited by state law relating to discrimination in employment.

8. GOOCHLAND BUSINESSES. It is the policy of Goochland County to facilitate the establishment, preservation, and strengthening of minority-owned businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, small businesses, women-owned businesses, and businesses located in Goochland County and to encourage their participation in County’s procurement activities. These businesses are encouraged to respond to all solicitations. In addition, County strongly encourages Offeror to actively solicit these types of businesses as subcontractors/suppliers for projects. Offeror is asked, as part of its submission, to describe any planned use of such businesses in fulfilling the requirement of this Request for Proposals.

9. INSURANCE. Offeror shall, by a date to be established by County, purchase and maintain, at its own expense, from a company(ies) authorized to do business in Virginia, insurance policies from the following types of coverages and minimum limits of liability, protecting from claims which may arise out of or result from Offeror’s performance of services or provision of goods under this RFP, and also covering anyone directly or indirectly employed by Offeror or for whose acts it may be liable, with respect to the performance hereunder:

A. Comprehensive General Liability, including Premises and Operations, with limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 Total Bodily Injury (including death) $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 Total Property Damage

B. Comprehensive Automobile Liability with limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 Total Bodily Injury (including death) $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 Total Property Damage

C. Employer’s Liability for Participants not covered by workers’ compensation insurance in an amount not less than $100,000.

D. Professional Liability Insurance with limits of not less than $1,000,000 per claim and $2,000,000 in the aggregate. If Offeror’s professional liability coverage is on a “claims-made” basis, then Offeror shall obtain extended reporting (tail) coverage (with the same liability limits) upon expiration of this Contract for at least 3 years following the expiration or termination of the Contract.

Successful Offeror shall obtain and maintain such workers’ compensation coverage as may be required pursuant to the provisions of the Virginia Code and shall require any subcontractor to do the same.

Successful Offeror shall include the provisions of this subsection within each of its subcontracts, so as to bind each subcontractor.

A certificate of insurance shall be submitted to County upon its request and included as part of the Contract.

Successful Offeror shall furnish County a binder adding County as an additional insured on the comprehensive general liability and comprehensive automobile liability policies and include the following language: “The above-described policies shall not be canceled, modified, or amended, or coverage reduced without the issuing company providing 30 days’ advance written notice to Goochland County.”

Should insurance coverage be changed or canceled, Successful Offeror shall furnish a valid binder evidencing the required insurance. Failure to deliver such binder will result in suspension of all payments until the binder is furnished.

All insurance required shall be and remain in full force and effect for the term of the Contract.

No contract shall be binding upon County until all insurance requirements and policies, have been timely obtained by Successful Offeror, approved as to form and sufficiency by the County Attorney, and, if requested, filed with County.

10. TRANSACTING BUSINESS IN VIRGINIA. Offeror must be authorized to transact business in Virginia as a domestic or foreign business entity if so required by Title 13.1 or Title 50 of the Virginia Code or as otherwise required by law. Offeror shall not allow its existence to lapse or its certificate of authority or registration to transact business in Virginia to be revoked or canceled at any time during the Contract Term. County may void the Contract Documents if Offeror fails to remain in compliance with the provisions of this section.

11. WORKPLACE PROVISIONS. During performance of the Contract, Contractor shall abide by the following workplace provisions. If Contractor engages any subcontractor or vendor to provide services hereunder, then Contractor shall include these provisions in every subcontract or purchase order over $10,000:

A. Contractor shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other basis prohibited by law relating to discrimination in employment, except where there is a bona fide occupational qualification reasonably necessary to the normal operation of Contractor.

Contractor shall post in conspicuous places, available to employees and applicants for employment, notices setting forth the provisions of this nondiscrimination clause. Also, Contractor, in all solicitations or advertisements for employees placed by or on behalf of Contractor, will state that it is an equal opportunity employer.

B. Contractor shall: (i) provide a drug-free workplace for 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 Contractor’s workplace and specifying the actions that will be taken against employees for violations of such prohibition; and (iii) state in all solicitations or advertisements for employees placed by or on behalf of Contractor that Contractor maintains a drug-free workplace. For the purposes of this paragraph, “drug-free workplace” means a site for the performance of work done in connection with the Contract awarded to Contractor in accordance with this procurement transaction, where Contractor’s employees 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.

C. Notices, advertisements, and solicitations placed in accordance with federal law, rule, or regulation will be deemed sufficient for the purpose of meeting the requirements of these sections.

ATTACHMENT A

CERTIFICATION OF NO COLLUSION

The undersigned, acting on behalf of , does hereby certify in connection with the procurement to which this Certification of No Collusion is incorporated and attached that:

He/she has the authority to bind the forenamed Offeror, and that this proposal/bid is neither the result of, or…