Independent Auditor for Healthy School Meals for All Program

The Colorado Department of Education is requesting proposals for an independent auditor to conduct financial and performance audits of the Healthy School Meals for All Program under RFP DAAA 2026-0237, with proposals due August 3, 2026 at 2:00 PM Mountain Time. Offerors must be Colorado CPA firms registered or authorized to practice in Colorado with a minimum of five years in practice and a supervising CPA licensed or authorized in the state; an intent to bid notification is due July 24, 2026 at noon Mountain Time.

The audit scope covers reimbursements under the Healthy School Meals for All Program and two grant programs—local food purchasing and wages and stipends for kitchen staff—across up to 194 participating School Food Authorities. Deliverables include raw data collection from SFAs, development of audit processes and methodologies, and submission of draft and final performance and financial audit reports for each program area. Audits must be completed by December 1 of each year. Offerors must hold relevant experience through at least three similar financial and performance audits of state-level programs and must designate a supervising CPA. Data collection and storage must comply with the Student Data Transparency Act and FERPA. Offerors proposing to sample SFAs rather than audit all 194 must justify their sampling methodology.

The contract term runs January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027, with four renewal options for biennial periods extending through 2035. The maximum budget is $400,000 per contract year; offerors must submit firm, fixed pricing fully inclusive of all costs—administrative support, travel, lodging, mileage, meals, parking, training, insurance, overhead, and profit. Proposals remain binding for 180 days. Offeror interviews are estimated for the week of August 24, 2026, and award notification is anticipated for the week of August 31, 2026. Vendor inquiry deadline was July 9, 2026 at noon Mountain Time. Questions due date and pre-proposal conference details are not specified in the source materials provided.