AUDITING SERVICES

Tempe Elementary School District #3 in Arizona is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for auditing services to procure a qualified Certified Public Accountant firm to conduct annual financial audits for five consecutive fiscal years ending June 30, 2026 through June 30, 2030. The District seeks comprehensive audit services including financial transaction reviews, accounts audit, completion of the Uniform System of Financial Records (USFR) Compliance Questionnaire, and issuance of separate audit reports in accordance with Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200 (Uniform Guidance). Required qualifications include proper CPA licensure, compliance with Government Accounting Standards independence requirements, no record of substandard audit work within the past three years, current external quality control reviews conducted every three years, and continuing education of 80 hours every two years with at least 24 hours in government-specific subjects. Key deliverables include preliminary draft reports with exit conferences completed by December 10th each year and final reports submitted by December 15th each year. Evaluation criteria weight technical experience at 40%, staff qualifications at 25%, proposal responsiveness at 20%, cost at 10%, and firm size and structure at 5%. The proposal deadline is March 3, 2026, at 2:00 pm with electronic submission required through OpenGov, contract award expected by April 1, 2026, and audit work commencing upon Auditor General approval with an effective contract period from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031.

The RFP does not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to particular organization types such as disadvantaged enterprises. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available documentation. The District maintains substantial financial operations with adopted expenditure budgets of $249,088,047 and $246,628,299 for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 respectively, approximately 1,500 employees, and $175,067,603 in outstanding bonds, with federal and state financial assistance including Title I LEA funds ($3,957,496), IDEA Basic Entitlement ($2,383,894), and Title II funds ($412,610). Pricing proposals must include hourly rates stratified by staff level (principal, director/manager, senior, associate, and clerical), out-of-pocket expenses, and a 5% technology and client support fee with separate not-to-exceed amounts for each fiscal year; however, the specific budget range or award value is not explicitly stated in the available materials. The District reserves the right to suspend contract provisions for any year in which federal expenditures fall below the qualifying threshold established under Uniform Guidance, and no contract extensions are permitted without Governing Board and Auditor General approval.