902779 Countywide Audit Services

It is the intent of these specifications, terms, and conditions to describe countywide audit services being requested by the County.

The County intends to award a three-year contract (with the option to renew for two years) to the Bidder selected as the most responsive and responsible Bidder whose response conforms to the RFP and meets the County’s requirements.  

Background

The audit services required to assist the County of Alameda in meeting its statutory responsibilities for examining the financial operations of the County, its officers, and its departments, and to provide the County with a single, organization-wide financial and compliance audit in accordance with the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996, California Government Code Section 25250, and applicable requirements of the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

The County of Alameda is a charter county with a workforce of approximately 9,600 employees. The governing body is an elected five-member Board of Supervisors, which is responsible for the executive and legislative functions of the County. A County Administrator is appointed by and reports to the Board of Supervisors. Organizational units of the County government are under the direction of elected officials or appointed department/agency heads.

The County Charter requires the Board of Supervisors to also employ a certified public accountant to examine the books, records, and reports of the County. California Government Code Section 25250 requires the Board of Supervisors to examine and audit the accounts of all officers having responsibility for the care, management, collection, or disbursement of money belonging to the County or money received or disbursed by them under authority of law. The contract will also include an audit of the County's federal financial assistance programs conducted pursuant to the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 and applicable OMB Circulars. To avoid duplication of effort and costs, the County will engage the same firm for both the Basic Financial Statements Audit (aka Annual Comprehensive Financial Report) and the Single Audit.

The County Auditor-Controller/Clerk-Recorder, an elected official, maintains the central accounting records and prepares an Annual Comprehensive Financial Report covering the County's financial operations. The County has received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for its financial report since 1984.

The accounting transactions are recorded and reported within the following funds:

1. General Fund
2. Special Revenue Funds
3. Capital Projects Fund
4. Debt Service Funds
5. Internal Service Funds
6. Trust and Agency Funds (including Pension Trust)

Information regarding the County's accounting system may be obtained from the Auditor-Controller/Clerk-Recorder.

The County Auditor-Controller/Clerk-Recorder maintains an internal audit staff to perform internal control reviews, performance and compliance audits. Bidders must not contact the internal audit staff, nor must they contact any persons in the employ of Alameda County for assistance in preparing bids. Copies of audit reports issued by the internal auditors during the audit year will be made available to the successful Bidder as requested.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 902779
• Department: General Services Agency-Procurement
• Department Head: Detra Dillon (Purchasing Administrator)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-08-08T00:00:00.000Z
• Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2026-08-06T17:00:00.000Z — https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/214455141811676?p=dMvh5DK3Y3jdvscyAB

Evaluation Criteria

• Completeness of Response (1 pts) —

  Responses to this solicitation must be complete.  Responses must address all the requirements identified within this solicitation and all related documents, including any Addenda. Failure to meet the Bidder Minimum Qualifications may also be considered an incomplete response and may result in the disqualification of the Bidder.

• Debarment and Suspension (1 pts) —

  Bidders, its principal, and named subcontractors are not identified on the list of Federally debarred, suspended, or other excluded parties located at www.sam.gov/SAM.

• Cost (100 pts) —

  The points for Cost will be computed by dividing the amount of the lowest responsive and responsible bid received by each Bidder’s total proposed cost.

  Cost evaluation points may be adjusted by considering:

  1. Reasonableness (i.e., how well does the proposed pricing accurately reflect the Bidder’s effort to meet requirements and objectives?).
  2. Realism (i.e., is the proposed cost appropriate to the nature of the products and/or services to be provided?).
• Technical Capability / Proposed Services: (100 pts) —

  In each area described below, an evaluation will be made of the probability of success of and risks associated with the proposal response:

  1. Proposed Services - A comparison will be made of the proposed audit services required by the Board of Supervisors, which includes, but is not limited to: vendor staff integration, scope of services to be provided and the proposed services as they relate to covering all of the County’s specifications for audit services required by the Board of Supervisors.  How well has the proposer identified pertinent issues and potential problems related to the project?
  2. Resources - How well does the Bidder demonstrate that it has sufficient qualified personnel, resources, and organizational capacity to successfully perform the required audit services?
  3. Breadth of Services - How well does the Bidder demonstrate that its proposed audit services meet the requirements of this RFP, including the qualifications and experience of its staff, the scope of services offered, and the ability to provide services as needed?
  4. Ancillary Services - How well does Bidder demonstrate its ability to provide responsive, convenient, and technically proficient support services that enhance the overall delivery of the required audit services?
  5. How well does the proposer demonstrate an understanding of the County's audit requirements, objectives, and regulatory environment (e.g., Government Auditing Standards, Single Audit requirements, and California Government Code)?
  6. How comprehensive and effective is the proposed audit methodology, including planning, risk assessment, internal control evaluation, testing procedures, and reporting?
  7. To what extent does the proposal demonstrate the ability to identify risks, communicate findings, and provide practical, value-added recommendations that strengthen the County's financial management and internal controls?
  8. How well does the proposer describe its quality assurance and quality control processes to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant audit deliverables?

  I. To what extent does the proposer leverage technology, data analytics, or other innovative approaches to improve audit efficiency, effectiveness, and value to the County?

• Relevant Government Audit Experience: (125 pts) —

  Proposals will be evaluated against the RFP specifications and the questions below:

  1. How extensive is the Bidder’s experience performing financial statement audits and Single Audits for counties or similarly large and complex governmental entities?
  2. How relevant is Bidder’s experience with organizations that have multiple funds, decentralized departments, and significant federal grant funding?
  3. How successfully has Bidder demonstrated its ability to complete comparable audit engagements on schedule and in compliance with applicable auditing standards?
  4. How well does the Bidder demonstrate experience identifying significant audit issues and providing actionable recommendations that improved financial reporting or internal controls?

  E. How well has the Bidder consistently delivered high-quality audit services and maintained positive client relationships?

• Project Management & Staffing Plan (100 pts) —

  Proposals will be evaluated against the RFP specifications and the questions below:

  1. How well does the proposed staffing plan demonstrate that the engagement team has the appropriate qualifications, experience, and capacity to successfully perform the required audit services?
  2. How effective is the Bidder’s project management approach for planning, coordinating, communicating, and completing the engagement within required timelines?
  3. How well does the Bidder demonstrate continuity of key personnel, including strategies for staff retention, succession planning, and minimizing turnover during the contract term?
  4. How clearly does the Bidder define the roles, responsibilities, and level of involvement of the engagement partner, manager, supervisors, and audit staff throughout the engagement?

  E. How well does the Bidder demonstrate its ability to collaborate with County staff, provide knowledge transfer, and effectively integrate the County's assigned staff into the audit process?

• Reference (75 pts)
• Small Local Emerging Business Preference (ADMIN SCORING) (25 pts) —

  Points equaling 5% of the Bidder’s total score for the above Evaluation Criteria will be added.  This will be the Bidder’s final score for purposes of award evaluation.

• Local Preference (ADMIN SCORING) (25 pts) —

  Points equaling 5% of the Bidder’s total score for the above Evaluation Criteria will be added.  This will be the Bidder’s final score for purposes of award evaluation.

Submission Requirements

• Submit Bid Response and Bid Form (required) —

  Please confirm that both your response and the Bid Form have been uploaded here.

• Submit Bid Response (required) —

  Please confirm that your response has been uploaded here.

• Has your response addressed all the requirements identified within the solicitation and all related documents, including any addenda? Failure to meet the Bidder Minimum Qualifications may also be considered an incomplete response and may result in the disqualification of your bid. (required)
• Your company, its principal, and named subcontractors are not identified on the list of Federally debarred, suspended, or other excluded parties located at www.sam.gov/SAM. (required)
• I certify that I have read, understood and agree to the terms in this solicitation, and that I am authorized to submit this response on behalf of my company. (required)
• Pricing (required) —
  • Choose Option 1 when you have set line items, for example:
    • This is a quote for goods or commodities.
    • This is a public works bid, with a pricing table that can be uploaded into OpenGov Procurement from an Excel spreadsheet.
    • Seeking services for hourly rate schedules.
  • Choose Option 2 when you need vendors to provide you with the line items. 
• Evaluation Committee? (required) —

  Will there be an evaluation committee to review the proposals and score them based on weights and multiple criteria?

• Procurement and/or Project Contact (required) —

  Select the information you would like display.