RFP - Assessing for Harvard 4.15.25.pdf

TOWN OF HARVARD MASSACHUSETTS

Request for Proposals

For

Property Tax Administration Services

OVERVIEW AND BID FORMAT

The Town of Harvard (hereafter “the Town” or “Harvard”) is seeking service proposals, resumes, sample contracts and price proposals from qualified individuals to provide the Town with property tax administration services; such services to be described below. Due to the technical nature of the services required under the proposed contact, the Town has determined that this procurement is best served by using the RFP process under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 30B, Section 6. Such a process will enable the Town to evaluate the experience of the contractor and his or her ability to carry out the Town’s mandate of fair and equitable taxation. Because property tax administration is an important component of the town’s overall financial health, it is important that the town have the ability to select the most advantageous proposal on the basis of both cost and technical expertise.

The Town reserves the right to postpone or cancel the awarding of a contract for any and all reasons, but especially if price bids exceed available funding.

DUE DATE FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSALS IS Monday May 19, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.

Bidders shall submit two (2) hardcopies, each of their non-price and price proposal in SEPARATE sealed envelopes. All envelopes must be clearly labeled as to their contents, whether Non-price Proposal or Price Proposal. Proposals must be delivered no later than the specified time to:

Allyson Mitchell Town of Harvard 13 Ayer Road Harvard, MA 01451

Late proposals will not be accepted and will be returned unopened. Proposed prices must be firm for 90 days from the date the proposal is due.

RFP for Property Tax Administration Services

There will be no public opening of proposals. Resumes and proposed contracts will not be made public until after the Town has completed its evaluation. Price proposals will be securely kept by the Chief Procurement Officer and not disclosed to the selection panel until it has completed evaluation of the proposed contracts.

Questions concerning the RFP should be submitted in writing before Monday May 19, 2025 to Allyson Mitchell, amitchell@harvard-ma.gov (13 Ayer Road, Harvard MA 01451).

Written responses to any questions that the Town determines are relevant to all, will be emailed to all individuals that received the RFP. The Town shall not be responsible for proposals arriving late due to couriers, deliveries to wrong locations, express mailing services etc. or any reason whatsoever. Postmarks will not be considered.

Any proposal may be withdrawn on written request received prior to the time fixed for the submission of proposals. The successful proposer shall comply with all federal, state and local laws and regulations pertaining to the performance of the contract.

mailto:amitchell@harvard-ma.gov

Scope Reporting to the Finance Director and the Town Administrator, the selected individual or firm will provide part-time, contractual services to the Town. The services to be provided are as follows:

1. Oversee the day-to-day operations of the Assessors’ Office, and on-site at least 18 hours per week over

3 days, between the hours of 8am and 4:30pm.

2. Prepare an annual assessment calendar detailing the various assessment tasks to be carried out by the office with proposed completion dates.

3. Provide staff training and supervision.

4. Prepare or oversee the preparation of all Department of Revenue (DOR) reports, surveys, and data submittals including the annual tax recapitulation.

5. Process preliminary and actual tax bill files for real estate and personal property billing using Munis

Financial Software.

6. Conduct an annual assessment-to-sale ratio study to determine the level and uniformity of standing assessments, and revise CAMA tables to keep assessments in compliance with DOR regulations.

7. Be responsible for the successful completion of the triennial certification process and interim year revaluations.

8. Ensure that records of the office, including maps and CAMA system records are maintained and current.

9. Interface with the public and provide higher order assistance to same.

10. Review all real estate and personal property abatement requests.

11. Prepare for and represent as the Town Assessor at all Appellate Tax Board hearings, serving as the

Town’s expert on property tax valuation matters.

12. Meet with other financial officers of the Town to effectively coordinate and facilitate the Town’s financial affairs.

13. Review all land divisions and set up new real estate accounts.

14. Conduct inspections of all building improvements under building permit, as well as conduct periodic inspections of all other properties.

15. Process all personal property forms of list, as well as conduct annual audits of businesses subject to personal property taxation.

16. Process Income & Expense reports from request through reporting.

17. Assist the Town in such other capacities as the Finance Director may approve.

18. Administer the Acts of 2018, Chapter 412 authorizing the Town of Harvard to establish a cap on property taxes for means tested seniors, to include the development of forms and deadlines for the application process, the review of forms and supporting documentation to determine eligible seniors, as well as complete oversight of the process.

19. Provide the services of an associate assessor specifically assigned to Harvard, and such other staff required to fulfill the above scope of services.

Minimum Qualifications Harvard seeks an individual or firm with considerable tax assessment and administration experience to oversee the operations of the Assessors’ Office. The proposer and their contracting staff will possess these minimum qualifications and demonstrate same on their submitted resume:

have successfully completed the Massachusetts Department of Revenue Course 101 on property tax administration;

with respect to the principal assessor: have at least ten years of experience as a principal assessor or equivalent within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;

have worked simultaneously in two or more communities and demonstrated success in managing the affairs of multiple offices;

hold a Bachelor’s degree in business administration, real estate, economics, or similar field of study;

with respect to the principal assessor: successfully completed no fewer than 300 hours of specialized valuation and tax administration coursework through either the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) or the Massachusetts Association of Assessing Officers (MAAO).

demonstrate considerable experience in one or more Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal Systems (preferably VISION);

demonstrate considerable experience in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Criteria for review In accordance with MGL 30B, the proposals submitted will be reviewed and rated on a scale consisting of non-advantageous, advantageous and most advantageous. The proposal that receives the largest number of ‘most advantageous’ ratings will be considered the successful proposal. Any proposal that receives a non-advantageous rating in any of the following criteria will not be considered for further review by the Town.

A. Massachusetts business/resident:

• Non-advantageous – Lives or business office outside of Massachusetts

• Advantageous – Lives or business office within 60 miles from Harvard

• Most advantageous – Lives or business office within 30 miles from Harvard

B. Experience in Massachusetts as an Assessor/Principal Assessor:

• Non-advantageous – Less and equal to five years.

• Advantageous – More than five and less than ten years.

• Most advantageous – Ten or more years.

C. Experience working with multiple communities:

• Non-advantageous – No experience working with multiple communities.

• Advantageous – Experience working with 2 to 3 communities at one time.

• Most advantageous – Experience working with more than 3 communities at one time.

D. Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal Systems knowledge and experience:

• Non-advantageous – No experience with Vision Appraisal Systems

• Advantageous – At least 5 years working with CAMA systems with some experience working with Vision Appraisal Systems

• Most advantageous – At least 10 years working with a CAMA system with some experience working with Vision Appraisal Systems

E. Geographic Information System experience and knowledge:

• Non-advantageous – One to three years’ experience

• Advantageous – Four to seven years’ experience

• Most advantageous – Over seven years’ experience

F. Continuing Education criteria:

• Non-advantageous – Less than three courses offered by either the MAAO or the IAAO

• Advantageous – 3 to 6 courses & hold certificates for each either from MAAO or IAAO

• Most advantageous – 7 or more courses & hold certificates for each from MAAO or IAAO

G. Conducted Residential and Commercial/Industrial Revaluations:

• Non-advantageous – Conducted one or fewer revaluations of residential properties and not commercial/industrial revaluations.

• Advantageous – Conducted 2 to 3 residential revaluations and at least one complete commercial/industrial revaluation.

• Most advantageous – Conducted 4 or more residential revaluations and 2 or more commercial/industrial revaluations.

H. Prepared cases for and represented a municipality before the Appellate Tax Board:

• Non-advantageous – Prepared for and represented municipalities in 3 or less Appellate Tax Board hearings.

• Advantageous – Prepared for and represented municipalities in 4 to 10 Appellate Tax Board hearings, with at least 3 cases being commercial or industrial properties.

• Most advantageous – Prepared for and represented municipalities in 10 or more Appellate Tax Board hearings, with at least 5 cases being commercial or industrial properties.

Proposed Contract The proposal will include a sample contract covering all the substantive issues addressed in this RFP as well as the non-Collusion Statement, Tax Compliance Statement and cancellation clause as required by municipalities.

The Town reserves the right to develop its own contract for final signing. The successful bidder’s non-price and price proposals will become an addendum to the contract. Important – the draft contract should not state the bid price but provide appropriate blanks for same. Remember, the price proposal is to be provided under separate cover.

The contract is for a three-year period commencing July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2028. Annual compensation amounts for FY26, FY27 & FY28 should be listed in the price proposal.

References The proposer should provide resumes for all staff members who would be responsible for servicing the contract, as well as at least one staff member being from a community where they served as an assessor. Also provide the names and contact information for each community that you have experience working with to support Criteria C (page 4 of 10).

Price Proposal

Assessing Services as defined in Scope, page 3 of 7:

Fiscal Year 1 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026):

Fiscal Year 2 (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027):

Fiscal Year 3 (July 1, 2027 – June 30, 2028):

Total Contract Price:

Signature Page

The applicant hereby certifies that:

The applicant has not given, offered, or agreed to give any gift, contribution, or offer of employment as an inducement for, or in connection with, the award of contract for these services.

No consultant to, or, subcontractor for the applicant has given, offered, or agreed to give any gift contribution, or, offer of employment to the applicant, or, to any other person, corporation, or entity as an inducement for, or, in connection with, the award of the consultant or subcontractor of a contract by the applicant.

That no person, corporation, or, other entity, other than a bona fide full-time employee of the applicant has been retained or hired to solicit for or in any way assist the applicant in obtaining the contract for services upon an agreement or understanding that such person, corporation, or entity be paid a fee or other compensation contingent upon the award of the contract to the applicant.

I hereby attest with full knowledge of the penalties for perjury, as in accordance with Massachusetts GL C.7, S.38E, which all information provided in this application for services is correct.

Firm

Signee (Typed)

Signee (Written)

Title

Date

CERTIFICATE OF TAX COMPLIANCE

Pursuant to M.G.L. c.62C, Section 49A, I certify under the penalties of perjury that the applicant named below has complied with all laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts relating to taxes, reporting of employees and contractors, and withholding and remitting child support.

Social Security Number Name of Applicant or Federal Identification Number

Address of Applicant by:

(Name and Title)

This form must be submitted by all applicants.

CERTIFICATE OF NON-COLLUSION

The undersigned certifies under penalties of perjury that this proposal has been made and submitted in good faith and without collusion or fraud with any other person. As used in this certification, the word “person” shall mean any natural person, business, joint venture, partnership, corporation, union, committee, club, or other organization, entity or group of individuals.

Name of Applicant

Address of Applicant by:

(Name)

(Title)