For more information, please visit our online supplier portal, located at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct

City of Meriden

Purchasing Department

142 East Main St. Room 210

Meriden, CT 06450

RFP027-31 MOTOR VEHICLE AUDIT

Project ID: RFP027-31

RELEASE DATE: October 9, 2026

RESPONSE DEADLINE: October 30, 2026, 11:00 am

Please refer to the project timeline in this document for all important deadlines.

Request For Proposal #RFP027-31

Title: RFP027-31 Motor Vehicle Audit

Table Of Contents

1. LEGAL NOTICE

2. INFORMATION TO PROPOSERS

3. SCOPE OF SERVICES

4. EVALUATIONS/QUALIFICATIONS

5. VENDOR SUBMISSION FORMS

Attachments:

A - Professional Services- Sample Agreement

LEGAL NOTICE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The City of Meriden is accepting electronic proposals for:

RFP027-31 Motor Vehicle Audit

The City of Meriden is soliciting proposals for retaining a qualified external vendor for the purpose of capturing lost revenue from motor vehicles not registered for local tax.

Proposals shall be submitted as electronic responses per specifications obtained via the City eProcurement Portal: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct and on the State of Connecticut

Department of Administrative Services website (https://webprocure.proactiscloud.com).

Proposals may be received up to but not later than 11:00 am, Friday, October 30, 2026 via the City eProcurement Portal located at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct. The City eProcurement

Portal Clock is the official clock for the determination of all deadline dates and times. Without exception, responses will not be accepted after the submission deadline regardless of any technical difficulties. Please submit electronic responses via the City eProcurement

Portal: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct by way of the eProcurement Portal, responses will be locked and digitally encrypted until the submission deadline passes.

The Consulting firm will be evaluated and selected based on and technical competence, the capacity and capability to perform the work required, past record performance, knowledge of Federal, State, and Municipal procedures and proposed rates and fees. Firms responding to this request should be of adequate size and sufficiently staffed to perform the assignments briefly described herein.

The right is reserved to reject any or all proposals, in whole or in part, to award any item, group of items, or total proposal, and to waive informality or technical defects, if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the City of Meriden. No proposer may withdraw its proposal within ninety (90) days of the date of the opening.

The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and may waive any informality.

The City of Meriden is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Disadvantaged, minority, small, and women business enterprises are encouraged to respond.

Rawle Dummett Purchasing Officer City of Meriden, CT 06450-8022 Dated: October 13, 2026 https://procurement.opengov.com/po1tal/meridenct https://webprocure.proactiscloud.com/

INFORMATION TO PROPOSERS

1. SUMMARY

Meriden is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to conduct a comprehensive audit of vehicles operating within its municipal borders that are registered out-of-state, or have failed to register locally, in violation of

Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) §12-71 and §14-12a. The primary goal of this initiative is to identify non-compliant vehicles legally subject to municipal property tax, establish fair assessments, and recover lost tax revenue for the municipality.

The City desires an external firm to audit out-of-state license plates of motor vehicles owned by residents of

Meriden to determine their validity and to find and collect taxes on vehicles that are kept in town but registered elsewhere. Municipalities have the authority to add unregistered or out-of-state vehicles to their local grand tax lists as registering a vehicle out of state while residing in Connecticut to avoid local property taxes is considered tax evasion and is illegal under Connecticut state law.

The objective of this audit is to identify non-compliant vehicles, update municipal grand lists, and issue appropriate tax assessments. This includes vehicles registered outside Connecticut, unregistered vehicles, and any other taxable vehicles omitted from the Grand List.

2. TIMELINE

Release Project Date: October 9, 2026

Question Submission Deadline: October 23, 2026, 4:00pm

Response Submission Deadline: October 30, 2026, 11:00am

3. PROPOSAL PROCEDURES

The City will only be accepting electronic submissions of proposals. Please submit electronic responses via the

City eProcurement Portal: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct. By way of the eProcurement

Portal, responses will be locked and digitally encrypted until the submission deadline passes. Proposals are due for submission no later than 11:00 am, Friday, October 30, 2026.

4. PROPOSALS/QUALIFICATIONS

A. Proposals shall be submitted in two sealed parts: Qualifications; Part A and Fees/Proposal; Part B.

B. Proposals must be made out and signed in the corporate, or other, name of Proposer, and must be fully and properly executed by an authorized person.

C. Proposals received later than the time and date specified will not be considered.

D. Amendments to or withdrawal of Proposals received later than the date and time set forth in the proposal opening will not be considered.

5. EXAMINATION OF DOCUMENTS

Proposers are to examine all documents and visit the site in order to make a thorough examination of the conditions so that they may familiarize itself with all of the existing requirements, conditions, and difficulties that will affect the execution of the work in order to determine the amount of work necessary to carry out the true intent of the specifications and work shown on the drawings.

The City of Meriden and its agents do not have any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or sufficiency of any proposal document obtained from any other source other than from the City eProcurement Portal:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct. Obtaining documents from any other source(s) may result in obtaining incomplete and inaccurate information. Obtaining documents from any other source may also result in failure to receive any addenda, corrections, or other revisions to the documents that may be issued.

No request shall be honored if such request is made less than seven (7) calendar days prior to the date fixed for the opening of proposals. Any and all such interpretations, and any supplementary instructions, will be in the form of a written addenda to the specifications which, if issued, will be made available via the City eProcurement Portal, located at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct for addenda. Failure of any proposals to receive any such addenda shall not relieve any proposals from any obligations under its proposal as submitted.

Proposers shall submit all inquiries regarding this proposal via the City eProcurement Portal, located at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/meridenct. Please note the deadline for submitting inquiries. All answers to inquiries will be posted on the City eProcurement Portal. Proposers may also click “Follow” on this document to receive an email notification when answers are posted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to check the website for answers to inquiries.

6. AWARD OF CONTRACT

The Purchasing Officer reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or parts thereof for any reason, to negotiate changes to proposal terms and to waive minor inconsistencies with the RFP. The Purchasing Officer reserves the right to make a selection on the basis of qualifications, experience in providing similar services elsewhere, the proposal’s responsiveness to the Request For Proposal requirements; and to negotiate a contract with the Consultant(s).

The contract will not be awarded to any corporation, firm, or individual which/who is in arrears to the City of

Meriden by debt or contract, or who is in default as security or otherwise by any obligation to the City of

Meriden.

The right is reserved to reject any or all proposals, in whole or in part, to award any item, group of items, or total proposal, and to waive informality or technical defects, if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the City of Meriden.

7. TAXES

The City of Meriden is exempt under Connecticut General Statutes from the payment of the excise taxes imposed by the federal government and the Sales and Use Tax of the State of Connecticut; such taxes should not be included in the proposal price. Upon request, exemption certificates will be furnished to the successful

Proposer.

8. FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES

The Contractor shall agree that neither it or its subcontractors, except in the case of a bona fide occupational qualification or need, to refuse to hire or employ or to bar or to discharge from employment any individual or to discriminate against such individual in compensation or in terms, conditions or privileges of employment because of the individual's race, color, religious creed, age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, present or past history of mental disability, intellectual disability, learning disability, physical disability, including, but not limited to, blindness or status as a veteran. The aforementioned terms are obtained from Connecticut General Statutes Section 46a-60, et seq., entitled “Discriminatory employment practices prohibited,” as amended.

9. NON-COLLUSION STATEMENT

Each proposer submitting a proposal to the City of Meriden for any portion of the work contemplated by the documents on which bidding is based shall execute and attach thereto the sworn Non-Collusive Statement, to the effect that the proposal has not colluded with any other person, firm, or corporation in the submission of the proposal/qualifications.

10. FORM OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF MERIDEN AND CONSULTANT

The Agreement for the work will be via Purchase Order and Standard Professional Service Agreement.

11. CITY OF MERIDEN CODE OF ETHICS

The City of Meriden has adopted a Code of Ethics located in Chapter 21 of the Code of the City of Meriden, sections 21-1 through 21-15, inclusive, which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. The terms of the

Code of Ethics shall constitute a part of any contract or agreement entered into by the City of Meriden as a result of this proposal as if those terms were fully set forth in such contract or agreement.

Proposers are specifically advised that the Code of Ethics prohibits public officers and employees, as well as their immediate families and businesses, with which they are associated from participating in any transaction which is incompatible with the proper discharge of official duties or responsibilities. Proposers are also advised that the Code of Ethics contain provisions with respect to paid contractors and former employees and officials.

PROPOSERS SHOULD NOTE THAT PROPOSALS, CONTRACTS, AND AGREEMENTS ENTERED

INTO OR AWARDED IN VIOLATION OF THE CODE OF ETHICS ARE VOIDABLE BY RESOLUTION

OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MERIDEN.

Copies of the Code of Ethics may be obtained from the office of the City Clerk or may be found online on the

City of Meriden’s website.

12. ASSIGNMENT OF CONTRACT

No contract may be assigned without the written consent of the Purchasing Officer or designee.

13. PRICE AND PAYMENT

The City of Meriden is exempt from the payment of the excise taxes imposed by the Federal government and the Sales and Use Tax of the State of Connecticut under Connecticut General Statutes; accordingly, such taxes shall not be included in the pricing.

The City of Meriden, unless stated otherwise in the documents or Contract, will make payment to the

Contractor not less than thirty (30) days following completion of services.

14. INSURANCE

The successful consultant shall be required to provide a Certificate of Insurance denoting general liability, automobile liability, workers compensation liability, and other coverage required by the City’s Risk Manager.

15. LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

The successful firm(s) shall ensure that any appropriate licenses or certifications required by the State of

Connecticut are maintained for the duration of the project. The firm must meet all municipal, state and federal affirmative action and equal employment opportunity practices.

16. LENGTH OF CONTRACT

The initial contract will be for one (1) year with up to four (4) one-year extensions, for a total contract term not to exceed five (5) years.

17. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The selected consultants must have the capability to provide the City of Meriden with expertise in performing other functions, such as, but not limited to, preparation of permit applications, liaison functions and clerical assistance. The following are some potential services which the selected Consultant may be required to provide.

It is also understood that the selected consultant will be required to complete all direct or indirect responsibilities associated with the assigned task so that the intent and desired goal of the City can be achieved.

These services may include, without limitation, reviewing drawings and specifications, providing individuals or sub-consultants with specialized knowledge, assisting in the preparation of legal proceedings, appearance before

Courts or Commissions, providing expert opinions, or conclusions as well as performing investigations of technical matters.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

PROJECT DETAILS

1. Project Information/Expectation

The selected vendor will provide an end-to-end identification, verification, and reporting solution.

The selected vendor shall provide all personnel, equipment, software, databases, and investigative services necessary to perform the work.

The scope includes, but is not limited to, the following core tasks:

The Contractor shall, at a minimum:

1. Collect and analyze data from available public and proprietary sources to identify potentially taxable motor vehicles.

2. Investigate potential cases and develop sufficient documentation to support the Assessor's determination that a vehicle is taxable by the City.

3. Maintain a database of all investigated vehicles and provide information in a format acceptable to the

City and compatible with its administrative software, Quality Data Services.

4. Prepare correspondence for issuance by the Assessor and receive, review, and respond to taxpayer inquiries regarding investigations.

5. Review taxpayer documentation, conduct additional investigation when appropriate, and provide recommendations to the Assessor regarding each case.

6. Provide assessment support, including all information necessary for the Assessor to prepare

Certificates of Correction or other assessment adjustments.

7. Assist with appeals and legal proceedings, including providing investigative reports, documentation, and testimony when requested.

8. Coordinate regularly with the Assessor and other designated City officials regarding project status, procedures, and investigation priorities.

9. Provide monthly progress reports summarizing investigations completed, assessments recommended, taxpayer responses, and estimated tax revenue generated.

10. Maintain all investigative records in accordance with applicable Connecticut laws, including Freedom of Information and records retention requirements, and provide all records to the City upon request or at the conclusion of the contract.

The Assessor shall retain sole authority for determining whether a vehicle is taxable and whether an assessment shall be added to the Grand List.

The Contractor shall perform all services in a professional, impartial, and timely manner using qualified personnel familiar with Connecticut motor vehicle assessment laws.

2. Deliverables & Assessor Review Interface

The vendor must deliver actionable data to the Assessor’s office through a secure, user-friendly system.

o The Audit Portal: Provide a secure online dashboard or portal for the Assessor and staff to review pending accounts, look at photographic evidence, and track compliance status.

o The Audit File: Deliver a structured monthly or quarterly data export (compatible with the municipality's assessment software, e.g., Quality Data Service/QDS or Vision) containing:

▪ Out-of-state plate number and registering state.

▪ Vehicle Make, Model, and Year.

▪ Estimated National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) / J.D. Power clean retail value for assessment mapping.

▪ Name of the presumed local owner/operator.

▪ Verified local residential or business address.

▪ Dates, times, and geo-locations of all recorded sightings.

3. Compensation Structure

The municipality wishes to align fiscal incentives with successful tax recovery. Vendors should propose pricing based on one of the following models, or a hybrid:

o Contingency-Based Fee: The vendor receives a flat percentage of the actual tax revenue collected by the municipality directly resulting from the audit's findings.

o Per-Validated-Vehicle Fee: A flat rate paid to the vendor for every vehicle added to the Grand List that successfully passes the Assessor's validation and appeals process.

4. Project Timeline & Performance Metrics

• Contract Duration: An initial 12 month term with an option for annual renewals based on performance.

• Performance Milestones:

o Initial data collection framework operational within 30 days of contract award.

o First batch of verified non-compliant accounts delivered within 90 days.

o Quarterly review meetings with the Tax Assessor to refine targeting parameters and assess data accuracy.

5. Proposal Requirements

• Company background and experience

• At least five Connecticut municipal references

• Description of investigative methodology and software

• Staffing plan and project schedule

• Compensation proposal (percentage fee and any maximum fee OR flat rate fee)

• Sample reports

• Proof of insurance

EVALUATIONS/QUALIFICATIONS

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Qualifications of the Individual or Firm.

Points Based 25 (25% of Total)

2. Fee Proposal Points Based 25 (25% of Total)

3. Demonstrated ability to meet project deadline. Proposed work schedule. Timeframe for delivery of service.

Points Based 20 (20% of Total)

4. Demonstrated ability of key personnel and management experience.

Points Based 15 (15% of Total)

5. References of past clients. Points Based 15 (15% of Total)

VENDOR SUBMISSION FORMS

1. NON-COLLUSIVE STATEMENT/AFFIDAVIT*

Please download the below documents, complete, and upload. MUST BE Notarized and Stamped/Sealed.

• Non-Collusive_Bid_Statement...

*Response required

2. REQUEST FOR STATUS AS A MERIDEN BASED BUSINESS - If Not Applicable, PLEASE indicate*

Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Meriden_Based_Business.pdf

*Response required

3. PROPOSAL*

Do NOT provide pricing information here!

*Response required

4. COMPENSATION PROPOSAL*

*Response required

5. Any Additional Information https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/196784/702c7dfa-5aaa-4f75-8268-1eb67e4e69da_Non-Collusive_Bid_Statement.pdf https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/196784/60b23b20-a60b-4e90-92cc-9994338c3ba2_Meriden_Based_Business.pdf