City of Bristol, VA is seeking Pre- Audit Professional Services

The City of Bristol, Virginia is soliciting proposals from Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firms to provide pre-audit professional consulting services through Request for Proposal (RFP) #FN-26-001. The procurement seeks firms to prepare all adjustments required for all municipal funds in preparation for independent audit, including developing accrual entries to convert cash basis trial balances to final trial balances by fund. Services must comply with Generally Accepted Governmental Auditing Standards (GAGAS), the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts' Specifications for Audit of Counties, Cities and Towns, and Government Auditing Standards issued by the Comptroller General of the United States. The successful firm may be required to provide additional assistance related to GASB Statements No. 87, 96, and 101, with the City having already implemented GASB 96 and 101. Proposals will be evaluated on three criteria: Experience (35%), Qualifications and Completeness of Proposal (35%), and overall proposal completeness (30%). The City prefers firms with considerable experience providing pre-audit services for other Virginia localities and requires four recent client references, preferably governmental entities with services provided within the last five years. The inquiry deadline was March 12, 2026 at 10:00 AM EST, with proposals due March 30, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST; five complete sealed copies must be submitted to the City of Bristol Procurement Office at 300 Lee Street, Bristol, VA 24201, with electronic submission via the eVA procurement platform also required.

The procurement is open exclusively to Certified Public Accounting firms, with no apparent set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises identified in the available documentation. The City has outsourced pre-audit services since 2017 and currently uses Bright Associates, Inc. (BAI) as its accounting system, with trial balances and schedules provided in Excel format; the successful proposer must be capable of working within this existing infrastructure. Work may be performed on-site, remotely, or in a hybrid arrangement, with flexibility based on project requirements, and all journal entries and fund balances must be reviewed and approved by the City's Chief Financial Officer and finance staff. The initial contract term covers two fiscal years ending June 30, 2026 and June 30, 2027, with up to three additional one-year renewal options available; either party may terminate the agreement upon sixty days written notice. The RFP does not request cost estimates at the initial proposal stage; however, nonbinding cost estimates may be discussed during the selection process, with pricing to be evaluated as part of the reasonableness determination. Professional liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 aggregate is required, and proposals must remain valid for ninety days.