Financial Audit Services

The Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD) is seeking proposals from qualified certified public accounting firms to provide comprehensive financial auditing services for three fiscal years ending in June 2026 through June 2028, with a potential three-year extension option. The procurement involves conducting financial audits, single audits of federal awards, preparing the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), evaluating internal control systems, and providing accounting consultation. Proposers must be California CPA-licensed and demonstrate independence from the District. The evaluation criteria include engagement team qualifications (25 points), engagement understanding and approach (25 points), performance on similar engagements (25 points), billing rates (15 points), and organizational resources (10 points). Key deadlines include questions due by January 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM PT, and proposals due by January 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM PT, with anticipated board award in March 2026. Proposals must be submitted electronically through the WRD Procurement Portal, limited to 25 single-spaced pages as a searchable PDF with bookmarked sections.

The solicitation does not specify specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises. No subcontracting is permitted for this engagement. Proposers must meet strict insurance requirements, including $2,000,000 in combined general liability coverage and $1,000,000 in professional liability insurance. The District operates with an approximate $102 million budget for fiscal year 2026 and currently exceeds the $750,000 federal awards threshold, necessitating single audit compliance. Compensation will be based on fully-loaded hourly billing rates, with all direct and reimbursable expenses incorporated into those rates. The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and will negotiate with the highest-ranked proposer, proceeding to the next-ranked proposer if initial negotiations fail. Successful proposers must be prepared to accept the District's standard Professional Services Agreement without exceptions.