RFP Assessors - FY26~1.docx

TOWN OF BLANDFORD

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Property Tax Assessment Services

A. General Information

1. The Town of Blandford (“Town” hereafter) seeks proposals from qualified firms to provide professional property tax assessing services.

2. A detailed scope of services can be found in Attachment A.

3. Services are expected to be needed from October 2025 through September 30, 2026, with opportunity for up to two (2) annual extensions, subject to availability of funding.

4. The Town will be the awarding and contracting authority and reserves the right to award the contract up to the maximum amount of funds made available through the Town’s local appropriation.

5. A proposal must remain valid until the award date of the contract for services herein sought.

6. The Town may cancel this RFP, in whole or in part, at any time whenever such an act is deemed in its best interest.

7. The Town will not be responsible for any costs incurred by a proposer in preparing and submitting a proposal in response to this RFP.

8. Proposals are due by September 30, 2025, per Proposal Submission Requirements outlined in Section D.

B. Program Description

The Town is seeking price proposals from qualified firms to provide the Town with property tax assessment services. Through this procurement process under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 30B, Section 6, the Town will evaluate the experience of the submitting contractor and his or her ability to carry out the Town’s mandate of fair and equitable taxation. Property tax assessment is an important component of the Town's overall financial health. Therefore, it is important that the Town have the ability to select the most advantageous proposal on the basis of both technical expertise in these areas as well as cost.

C. Minimum Qualifications

All applicants must possess the following minimum qualifications in order to be considered "responsive" to the RFP and therefore eligible for further rating based on the comparative evaluation criteria. If the proposer does not meet the minimum criteria, their proposal will be rejected without further review. The Town must answer YES or NO to each question below when evaluating in order for the consultant to move to the next evaluation round.

The minimum qualifications are:

1. documentation of the ability to provide adequate staffing throughout the entirety of the contract Comment by Christopher Dunne: Dave: these are the qualifications used for the FY20 procurement. With the staffing issues for firms in this field, not sure they'll be as easily attainable this time around. Let me know your thoughts and if we should relax of this.

2. all staff of the proposer must have successfully completed the Massachusetts Department of Revenue Course 101 on property tax administration

3. principal/supervising assessor will have at least ten years’ experience as a principal assessor or equivalent within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and have worked simultaneously in five (5) 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, have successfully completed no less 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)

4. associate assessor will have at least three (3) years’ experience as a mass appraiser, hold a real estate appraisal license or certification, hold a bachelor's degree, and have successfully completed no less than 80 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)

5. all staff of the proposer must have at minimum two years’ experience plus two years general town revaluation experience with the CAMA system or equivalent systems.

6. Must have prior to signing of the contract:

a. Bonded and insured in a minimum amount of $500,000

b. Workers’ Compensation insurance in accordance with all applicable state laws

D. Proposal Submission Requirements

1. The submission and review of such proposals must comply with the provisions of Chapter 30B of the Massachusetts General Laws and any other applicable State and Federal regulations. Acceptance of any proposal to provide such services is subject to the continued availability of funds through the Town.

2. IMPORTANT: Proposals must be divided, with pricing information submitted separately from the balance of the proposal. A sealed envelope should clearly identify the party submitting the proposal and indicate that it contains either the pricing or non-pricing information for the proposal. An original and five (5) copies of both the pricing and the non-pricing information must be contained in your submission. Both envelopes should be submitted to:

Town Offices 1 Russell Stage Road Blandford, MA 01008

ATTN: Dave Hopson

3. Proposals must be received no later than Thursday, September 30, 2025 by 3:00pm. Proposals may be changed or withdrawn prior to but not subsequent to this date, by submission of such change in writing in a sealed envelope, identifying the submitting party and indicating that it contains a correction of the pricing or non-pricing section for the Property Tax Assessment Services.

4. The contents of proposals will be kept confidential until the evaluation process is completed. However, at the time the non-price proposals are opened, a register of proposals, including the name of each proposer and the number of proposal modifications submitted by each proposer, will be made available to the public.

E. Submission Requirements

1. Each proposal submitted should contain the following:

a) Table of Contents

b) A section with narrative responses to the Comparative Evaluation Criteria, explaining how each is met. The Criteria are listed in Section F, below

c) A list of at least three (3) references from cities or Towns serviced either directly or through an intermediary

d) A list of projects including a brief description of all similar projects completed within the past five (5) years within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

e) A project staffing plan, including the name, title (if any), and role of all those who will be assigned to provide services

f) A completed Price Proposal Submission Form (Attachment B)

g) A completed Compliance Certification (Attachment C)

h) Plan of Services. A detailed plan of service describing the method undertaken to provide requested services out lined in the Scope of Services described in Attachment A.

2. If any part of the scope of services under this RFP is to be completed by a subcontractor, the proposer will provide a complete description of the services to be subcontracted for along with a complete description of the qualifications and capabilities of the subcontractor. As part of the contract award for services, the Town reserves the right to approve or disapprove any and all such subcontractors and to revoke any approval previously given.

F. Comparative Evaluation Criteria

Each competing firm or individual must provide a brief narrative indicating if and how they meet the following Comparative Evaluation Criteria. Responses to each of these criteria will be judged in four rating categories:

Highly advantageous Advantageous Not advantageous Unacceptable To what extent are the following met?

1. Relevant experience of primary staff to be assigned to this project. Provide qualifications, including dates.

a. Primary project staff person, serving as Principal.

2. Plan of Services

3. Number of similar services provided within the past five (5) years within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by the staff to be assigned to this project. Provide service descriptions and dates of services rendered.

4. Completeness of proposal

5. References

6. Interviews

G. Rule for Award Proposals will be evaluated, and ranked by the Town:

1. Price and non-price proposals will be separated.

2. Non-price proposals will be evaluated according to the Comparative Evaluation Criteria specified in Section F of this RFP. Evaluations will be in writing and will indicate the rating given for each criterion, the reasons for the rating, a composite rating of each proposal, and the reasons for the composite rating.

3. References will be conducted and subject to the results, the proposal evaluation will be modified and ratings adjusted as necessary.

4. If deemed necessary, those proposers receiving a rating of "A" and above will be interviewed. Upon completion of interviews, the proposal evaluations will be modified and ratings adjusted as necessary.

5. After the non-price proposals have been fully evaluated and ranked, price proposals will be opened. Price proposal comparisons will be based on the total fee proposal submitted inclusive of all tasks in the Scope of Services listed in Attachment A. The best price shall be the lowest total price for year one (1) services. Continuation of year two (2) and year three (3) services will be at the discretion of the Town.

6. Finally, the most advantageous proposal will be recommended by the Town to the Town Administrator based on a combination of price and non-price proposals. The Town Administrator will evaluate the recommendation and make a determination on the issuance of a Notice of Award and recommendations for the Town to enter into a contract. The Town will contract with the identified most advantageous proposer. The selection will be based on weighting both qualifications and price as well as the following factors:

a) Whether or not the submission procedures and requirements as set forth in this RFP have been met

b) Whether or not the minimum requirements as set forth in this RFP are met;

c) Whether or not the firm’s or individual’s references are satisfactory

d) The merits of the proposed plan of services

e) Results from personal and/or telephone interviews, if conducted

f) The comparative evaluation ratings and

g) The price submission.

As previously noted, the Town reserves the right to reject any proposal which, in its judgment, fails to meet the requirements of this RFP or which is incomplete, conditional, or obscure; or which contains additions or irregularities; or in which errors occur; or if it is determined to be in the best interests of the Town.

The Town reserves the right to waive minor discrepancies or permit a competing firm to clarify such discrepancies and so conduct discussions with all qualified competing firms in any manner necessary to serve the best interests of the Town. The Town reserves the right to award the contract up to forty (40) days after the proposal due date. The Town also reserves the right to award a contract based upon written proposals received without prior discussions or negotiations. The Town will be the awarding and contracting authority.

ATTACHMENT A

SCOPE OF SERVICES

Consultant Services Property Tax Assessment Services

Reporting to the Board of Assessors, the Consultant(s) shall, in general, provide the following contractual services to the Town:

· Assist with the recruitment, training, and mentoring of an Administrative Assessing Assistant to be hired by the Town

· Provide in-person office support a minimum of 7 hours per week (two half days) until at least January 1 of Year 1

· Provide in-person office support a minimum of 3.5 hours per week (one half day) until at least April 1 of Year 1

· Provide in-person office support for Board of Assessor meetings until at least June 30 of Year 1

· Investigate real estate and personal property tax abatement applications, conducting inspections as required, researching market data, and preparing recommendations for the Board of Assessors

· Prepare abatement decision response letters

· Annually process personal property forms of list and conduct inspections as necessary

· Annually inspect properties under a building permit to construct new dwellings and improvements, capture new photographs, and data-enter changes into the system

· Meet with taxpayers about their abatement decisions as requested

· Conduct periodic property data verifications in keeping with the Department of Revenue (DOR) mandate that all improved properties be reviewed at least once every ten (10) years. Such work will conform to new standards that will be published in the fall of 2026

· Review charitable exemption applications (Form 3ABC) and advise the Board of Assessors on their decisions relative to granting or denying exemption requests

· Monitor Appellate Tax Board (ATB) cases, taking necessary measures to meet with Appellants, advise the Town on recommended courses of action, negotiate settlement, and if necessary, appear before the court to defend the Town’s valuation

· Research recorded land divisions, process splits, and create new Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) accounts

· Monthly process recorded deeds by changing assessment records to reflect new ownership

· Administer chapter lands by reviewing annual applications, preparing liens and releases, calculating penalty taxes, and advising the Board of Assessors, taxpayers, and attorneys on all such matters

· Prepare public utility assessments per latest DOR directives, and enter this information into CAMA system

· Serve as the Town’s consultant on solar and other Payment-In-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) agreements Comment by Christopher Dunne: Dave: do we want to just leave "solar" out of it? We have PILOTs with the state, Springfield Water, and soon probably some marijuana establishments. RRG handled all of these in the past.

· Serve as the Town’s consultant on Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and other tax incentive agreements

· Conduct the Town’s annual revaluations including the fifth (5th) year full revaluation with DOR certification.

· Create real estate and personal property preliminary billing files, assisting with bill file uploads

· Prepare Fiscal Year New Growth estimates

· Assist other departments and consultants tasked with managing the finances of the Town as needed

· Update Town website with new assessment information

· Respond to Town and taxpayer inquires on issues not able to be handled by the office’s Administrative Assessing Assistant

· Provide such other personnel off-site or as needed on-site to carry out the Scope of Services as herein detailed, such personnel to include a chapter land specialist, solar specialist, mass property appraisers, trainers, and senior assessors

· Meet periodically with the Board of Assessors, either via videoconferencing software or in-person.

· Meet with other departments and consultants tasked with managing the finances of the Town on a monthly basis, via videoconferencing software The contracting firm will be responsible for all costs of employment including Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA), unemployment taxes, health insurance, property/casualty and liability insurance, workers compensation, retirement, training, and mileage.

ATTACHMENT B:

PRICE PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FORM

Consultant Services Property Tax Assessment Services

Property Tax Assessment Services

TOTAL

This price proposal is inclusive of all labor, overhead, indirect and direct costs.

SUBMITTED BY:

Name/Title:

Signature:

Date:

ATTACHMENT C:

COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATIONS

Certificate of Non Collusion The undersigned certifies under penalties of perjury that this bid or 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, partnership, corporation, union, committee, club, or other organization, entity, or group of individuals.

Non Discrimination and Affirmative Action The Contractor agrees to comply with all applicable Federal and State statutes, rules and regulations prohibiting discrimination in employment, including but not limited to, the Americans with Disabilities Act 42 USC 12101, 28 CFR Part 35, or as amended; 29 USC S.791 et. seq.; Executive Orders 227, 237, 246; MGL C. 151B; and MGL C. 272, S. 92A, S98 et.seq., or any amendments to these provisions. Pursuant to Executive Orders 227 and 246, the Contractor is required to take affirmative actions designed to eliminate the patterns and practices of discrimination including providing written notice of its commitment to non-discrimination to any labor association with which it has an employment agreement, and to certified minority and women-owned businesses and organizations or businesses owned by individuals with disabilities. The Town shall not be liable for any costs associated with the consultant's defense of claims of discrimination.

Public Contracts Debarment In connection with this bid and all procurement transactions, by signature thereon, the respondent certifies that neither the company nor its principals are suspended, debarred, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from the award of contracts, procurement or non-procurement programs from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States Federal Government, and the Town. "Principals" means officers, directors, owners, partners and persons having primary interest, management or supervisory responsibilities with the business entity. Vendors shall provide immediate written notification to the municipalities at any time during the period of the contract of prior or prior to the contract award if the vendor learns of any changed condition with regards to the debarment of the company or its officers. This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance will be placed when making the business award. If at any time it is determined that the vendor knowingly misrepresented this certification, in addition to other legal remedies available to the municipalities, the contract will be cancelled and the award revoked.

Qualifications The Contractor represents that it is qualified to perform the services required under this contract and possesses or shall obtain all requisite licenses and permits.

Tax Compliance Certification Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 62C, §49A, I certify under the penalties of perjury that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, I am in compliance with all laws of the Commonwealth relating to taxes, reporting of employees and contractors, and withholding and remitting child support.

Employment Security Contributions and Compulsory Workers' Compensation Insurance Pursuant to MGL C.151A, S.19 and MGL C.152, the Contractor certifies with all laws of the Commonwealth relating to payments to the Employment Security System and all Commonwealth laws relating to required worker's compensation insurance policies._______________________________ Signature Name of Person Signing Proposal Name of Business Date image1.jpg