RFSQ - 234121 - Arbitrage

The City of Little Rock, Arkansas, issued Request for Supplier Qualifications (RFSQ) 234121 on May 8, 2026, seeking qualified firms to provide professional arbitrage rebate compliance and related consulting services for the municipality's tax-exempt and tax-advantaged debt issuances. The procurement requires comprehensive services encompassing arbitrage rebate calculations, compliance monitoring, reporting and documentation, IRS filing support, consulting and advisory services, audit and regulatory assistance, and staff training. Qualified vendors must demonstrate a minimum of five years of experience providing municipal arbitrage rebate compliance services, possess expertise with tax-exempt municipal bond issues and IRS arbitrage regulations, and maintain availability of qualified personnel. Evaluation will employ a weighted scoring system with technical proposals assessed across three categories: Experience of Vendor (30 percent), Capability of Vendor (35 percent), and Methodology (35 percent), with proposals required to achieve a minimum weighted score of 700 to advance in the bid process. Vendors must provide proof of current Arkansas business license, company background and experience documentation, staff qualifications and resumes, organizational charts, and references from at least three governmental or municipal clients. The vendor questions deadline is May 22, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time, with proposals due by May 29, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time, followed by a bid opening meeting via Microsoft Teams on May 29, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Central Time. The anticipated contract term is three years with two one-year optional renewal periods, subject to City approval, funding availability, and satisfactory vendor performance, with pricing to be negotiated following the selection process.

This procurement contains no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises; however, the City of Little Rock encourages minority and women-owned business partnerships through its Joint Venture Affidavit provisions, with minority-owned businesses defined under Arkansas Act 554 of 1977 and women-owned businesses defined under Act 1080 of 2017. All responding vendors must comply with the City's Combined Certifications for Contracting requirements, which include boycott of Israel certifications for contracts valued at $1,000 or greater, illegal immigrant employment certifications for contracts valued at $25,000 or greater, and boycott of energy, fossil fuel, firearms, or ammunition industry certifications for contracts valued at $75,000 or greater. Out-of-state businesses are exempt from business licensing requirements when merely submitting bids but must obtain a Little Rock business license if they establish a permanent location within city limits upon contract award. No incumbent vendors or existing contractors are identified in the solicitation documentation, and no specific budget range or award value has been disclosed; pricing will be negotiated with the selected vendor following the evaluation process. All proposals must be submitted electronically via the LRProcure EUNA platform and must comply with both the City of Little Rock Standard Terms and Conditions for Vendors and applicable online EUNA Terms and Conditions, with the City retaining the right to reject all bids and waive any informality or irregularity.