MPA 503 OE Internal/Performance Auditing/Financial Statement Analysis Services

The State of Rhode Island's Office of Internal Audit and Division of Purchases is seeking qualified certified public accounting firms to provide internal and performance auditing and financial statement analysis services through an Open Enrollment Technical (OET) Master Price Agreement (MPA). This solicitation, numbered OET25004871, will establish a qualified vendor list for statewide use by political subdivisions, higher education institutions, municipal/state schools, and quasi-public agencies. The initial contract period will run approximately five years from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2028, with the potential for three additional 12-month renewal periods based on vendor performance and funding availability. Vendors must submit comprehensive technical proposals electronically through the Ocean State Procures eProcurement system, with no specific single submission deadline but rather an ongoing review process. The evaluation will be conducted by a technical evaluation committee focusing on the qualitative merits of proposals, with no guaranteed minimum purchase amounts. When specific projects arise, agencies will issue mini-bids to qualified vendors and request price quotes, potentially giving preference to vendors with the lowest rates.

The solicitation strongly emphasizes Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women Business Enterprise (WBE), and Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE) participation, requiring vendors to submit an MBE Participation Acknowledgment Form and mandating that at least one quote for specific projects come from a certified minority, women, or veteran-owned business when possible. Vendors must maintain specific insurance coverages, including $1 million in general liability, workers compensation, automobile liability, and $2 million in professional liability coverage. A 1% contract administrative fee will be assessed on all purchase orders to support the state's eProcurement system. Vendors who previously responded to a related solicitation (OET 25004682) are not required to submit a new response. While no specific contract value is mentioned, the open-ended nature of the MPA suggests flexibility in project scope and potential significant opportunities for qualified accounting firms. The state reserves the right to make single or multiple awards and to remove vendors from the qualified list at its discretion.