RFP - External Audit Services

The City of St. Marys, Georgia has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for External Audit Services, seeking a Certified Public Accountant to conduct comprehensive financial and compliance audits for a five-year contract period beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, and continuing through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2031. The selected auditor must be registered as a Public Accountant in the State of Georgia and provide a list of 10 current Georgia clients. Key deliverables include conducting audits at the individual fund level across sixteen governmental-type funds and four enterprise-type funds, preparing reports in compliance with Government Auditing Standards, federal and state regulations, and the Single Audit Act. Evaluation criteria will focus on technical factors such as proposal responsiveness, firm experience, staff qualifications, and prior performance, with cost being significant but not the dominant factor. The proposal submission deadline is August 26, 2025, at 2:00 PM EST, with the contract including two potential one-year renewal options subject to annual review and appropriation availability.

The RFP demonstrates a local preference policy that allows vendors within city limits to match competitive bids within 5% of the lowest proposal for contracts between $1,000 and $50,000. The City utilizes Tyler Technology's Incode for accounting management and has a total budget of $79,770,831 for the audit period. While no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises are explicitly mentioned, the procurement appears open to qualified Certified Public Accounting firms that can meet the specified requirements. The financial statements are prepared on a cash basis during the year and adjusted to a modified accrual basis at year-end, which will require detailed accounting expertise. Compensation for the selected auditor will be based on the fee schedule submitted in the proposal, with the expectation of providing comprehensive financial reporting and compliance services across multiple fund types.