RFP - Bookkeeping Services

Hamilton County, Tennessee Procurement Department is soliciting proposals under RFP 1026-041 for bookkeeping services supporting eight volunteer fire and rescue departments, with a mandatory pre-proposal meeting on November 3, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and proposals due November 17, 2026 at 2:29 p.m. The solicitation lists Chattanooga City as a jurisdiction. Proposers must attend the mandatory pre-proposal meeting to remain eligible.

Services include adjusting journal entries, annual financial statement preparation, bank account reconciliation, board minutes review, fixed asset management, invoice and receipt review, IRS Forms 941 and 990 preparation, QuickBooks Online transaction entry, State of Tennessee Annual Financial Report preparation, and transaction classification. Requirements vary by department: QuickBooks entry is conditional on each department's practices, Form 941 applies to most departments with conditional exceptions, and bank reconciliation is required only where needed. All eight departments require journal entries, financial statements, board minutes review, fixed asset management, invoice and receipt review, Form 990 preparation, the state annual report, and transaction classification. Mandatory qualifications include five consecutive years of bookkeeping experience with nonprofit organizations and a Certified Bookkeeper or Certified Public Bookkeeper certification, with CPA preferred but not required. Required coverage includes commercial general liability of $2 million per occurrence, professional liability and errors and omissions of $1 million per occurrence, and workers' compensation at Tennessee statutory limits, with business auto liability of $1 million also listed. Hamilton County must be named as additional insured on all liability policies. The apparent successful proposer must be registered with the Tennessee Department of Revenue for sales and use tax collection before contract execution.

The County intends an initial three-year contract with the option to extend for five one-year renewals under the same conditions, subject to ninety-day termination notice. Pricing must remain firm for the initial term, and renewal price adjustments require ninety days' advance notice before the contract anniversary date. The County does not permit sales, use, or federal excise taxes in pricing. Payment terms follow a milestone-based schedule beginning at contract signing. The County may award to a single proposer or multiple proposers.

Evaluation uses a 100-point scale: Experience and References (50 points), Qualifications (30 points), and Cost (20 points).

Key dates are as follows: written questions due November 4, 2026 at 1:00 p.m.; County responses due November 6, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.; proposals due November 17, 2026 at 2:29 p.m., with opening at 2:30 p.m. Submission requires one original hard copy and two flash drives, each containing a single organized PDF of the complete proposal.