Financial Audit

Stoughton Public Schools is requesting proposals for an Agreed-Upon Procedures financial audit engagement covering the period July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026, with proposals due October 16, 2026 at noon and written questions due October 5, 2026.

Qualified certified public accounting firms must hold a minimum of ten years of experience providing governmental auditing, agreed-upon procedures, or forensic accounting services to Massachusetts municipalities and K-12 school districts; current Massachusetts CPA licensure; and documented expertise in Massachusetts school finance, DESE requirements, and forensic accounting with data-analytics capabilities. These credentials form the primary capability filter.

The engagement encompasses internal controls and compliance review, Massachusetts school finance and regulatory compliance assessment, review of significant and unusual transactions, identification of duplicate or redundant payments, and forensic and fraud-risk review incorporating data analytics and transaction-level analysis. Work is scheduled to begin in December 2026. The District reserves the right to conduct interviews with selected proposers as part of the evaluation process.

Proposals must be submitted in sealed envelopes with one original and five copies of the technical proposal and one original price proposal in a separate sealed envelope, delivered to 31 Pierce Street, Stoughton, Massachusetts. Submissions must include fixed professional fees, hourly rates if applicable, estimated reimbursable expenses, and a proposed payment schedule. No late, incomplete, faxed, or electronically submitted proposals will be accepted.

Evaluation criteria include qualifications and experience of assigned personnel, technical understanding of governmental accounting and applicable laws, forensic and data-analytics capabilities, methodology quality, independence and objectivity, ability to meet the proposed schedule, references, and overall cost-effectiveness. Contract execution is anticipated as soon as possible following selection. The District is conducting this competitive selection as a matter of sound procurement practice, though services performed by CPAs are generally exempt from Chapter 30B competitive procurement requirements.