Proposal for Agreed Upon Procedures (AUP) Engagement - CPRIT Grant Compliance Assessment

The University of Houston-Downtown has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP 784-25-2413) seeking a Certified Public Accountant to conduct an Agreed Upon Procedures (AUP) engagement for evaluating compliance with Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) grant requirements for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2024. The selected firm must be licensed by the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy with a minimum of three years of experience in grant evaluations. Specific deliverables include a comprehensive compliance assessment that must be completed within 60 days of the start date, with the final report required by May 31, 2025. The evaluation criteria are structured to award points across four key areas: experience and qualifications (30 points), approach and timeliness (25 points), references and past performance (25 points), and proposal cost (20 points). Proposals are due on February 24, 2025, at 3:00 PM CST, with questions accepted until February 12, 2025, at 3:00 PM CST. The contract term is initially two years, with an option for one additional one-year renewal, potentially extending the engagement to a maximum of three years.

While no specific set-aside designations are explicitly mandated, there is a preference for Texas-based providers. The RFP indicates that a HUB Subcontracting Plan is not required, as subcontracting was determined to be improbable for this contract. The University currently has one active CPRIT grant valued at $991,308 over three years, with a total of 22 grants received in fiscal year 2024 worth $2,973,976. Contractors must maintain at least $1 million in Commercial General Liability insurance and will be evaluated using a best-value approach for cost considerations. Although a specific budget range is not disclosed, the CPRIT program has the authority to issue up to $3 billion in general obligation bonds for cancer research and prevention grants. The engagement will be funded through CPRIT, with an indirect cost rate of 5% and a $225,000 salary cap for individuals funded by the grants. Respondents are encouraged to submit a HECVAT questionnaire, which may be required during the contracting stage.