Financial Advisor Services

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission (MHTC) are soliciting proposals for comprehensive Financial Advisor Services through Request for Proposal (RFP) 605CO18002064. The procurement seeks a qualified financial advisory firm to assist MHTC, MoDOT, and affiliated entities in determining optimal financing mechanisms for ongoing operations, with a specific focus on meeting the MHTC's Debt Management Policy guidelines for state road bond transactions. Required services include advising on municipal bond markets, bond issuances (including tax-exempt, Build America Bonds, and GARVEE bonds), debt management, market conditions, and financial strategy. Proposals will be evaluated across four key criteria: transportation financial advisory expertise of assigned personnel (30 points), firm experience and proposed services (30 points), cost/fees/expenses (30 points), and proposal quality/clarity (10 points). The RFP was issued on April 17, 2018, with proposals due by May 23, 2018 at 3:00 PM CDT. Key dates include a May 1, 2018 deadline for questions, potential interviews from June 11-15, 2018, contract award review by August 1, 2018, and an intended contract effective date of November 1, 2018.

The contract period is three years with two optional one-year renewal periods, and vendors must be registered in the MissouriBUYS system to participate. The RFP encourages Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women Business Enterprise (WBE) participation, with target goals of 10% MBE and 5% WBE through subcontracting, suppliers, joint ventures, or other meaningful participation arrangements. Vendors must maintain specific insurance coverage, including general liability and automobile liability insurance of $500,000 per person and $3,000,000 per occurrence, as well as workers' compensation coverage. Proposers are required to submit firm fixed pricing for bond issuance services and hourly rates for general financial advisory services, with the ability to specify maximum percentage increases for renewal periods. While no specific budget range is explicitly stated, the RFP indicates that the financial advisory services will support substantial infrastructure and transportation financing initiatives, potentially involving significant bond issuances and financial structuring for Missouri's transportation infrastructure.