TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Laura Thezine, Interim Finance Director
THROUGH: Neal de Jesus, Interim City Manager
DATE: November 19, 2019
Title
RESOLUTION NO. 117-19 TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION OF AWARD AND AUTHORITY TO NEGOTIATE AN AGREEMENT WITH CALER, DONTEN, LEVINE, COHEN, PORTER & VEIL, P.A FOR EXTERNAL FINANCIAL AUDITING SERVICES FOR THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT (RFP NO. 2019-043)
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Motion to approve Resolution No. 117-19 approving the recommendation of award and authority to negotiate to negotiate an Agreement with the highest-ranked qualified firm, Caler, Donten, Levine, Cohen, Porter and Veil, P.A. for the annual financial auditing services; authorizing the City Manager to execute the Agreement and take all actions necessary to effectuate this Agreement and exercise any and all renewal options, contingent upon the appropriation of funds.
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Background:
On August 20, 2019 (Resolution No. 143-19), pursuant to Section 218.391 of the Florida Statutes, City Commission established an Auditor Selection Committee (“Committee”) consisting of Mayor Shelly Petrolia and two other members to assist the governing body in selecting an external auditor to conduct the City’s annual financial audit and compliance audit of the City, Police Officers’ Retirement System and Firefighters’ Retirement System.
On August 28, 2019, the City advertised RFP No. 2019-043 for Financial Auditing Services. The solicitation was viewed by forty-one (41) potential suppliers and on September 20, 2019, the City opened and tabulated five (5) proposals.
The Committee independently evaluated the proposals based upon the criteria disclosed in the solicitation, including compensation as one of the factors, of the factors, in accordance with Florida Statute 218.391. In a publicly noticed meeting held on October 15, 2019, the Committee revealed and discussed its scoring. The scores were tabulated by the Purchasing Department to arrive at the final score for each firm and the final overall ranking.
The proposals were ranked as follows:
Rank 1: Caler, Donten, Levine, Cohen, Porter & Veil, P.A.
Rank 2: Marcum LLP
Rank 3: Caballero Fierman Llerena & Garcia LLP (CFLG)
Rank 4: Antonio J. Grau, CPA PA d/b/a Grau & Associates
Rank 5: The EFPR Group, CPAs, PLLC
The Committee’s recommendation is to award the contract to Caler, Donten, Levine, Cohen, Porter & Veil, P.A., as the highest-ranked qualified firm.
In accordance with Florida Statute 218.391, if compensation is one of the evaluation factors, the governing body shall select the highest-ranked qualified firm with whom to negotiate a contract or must document in its public records the reason for not selecting the highest ranked qualified firm. The Statute further provides that the City Commission may delegate to City staff the authority to negotiate the contract. Should negotiations fail with the first-ranked firm, staff shall undertake negotiations with the second-ranked firm, and so on until a contract is successfully negotiated. With approval of this Motion, staff will proceed in negotiating the Agreement with Caler, Donten, Levine, Cohen, Porter & Veil, P.A., as the highest-ranked qualified firm.
The Agreement will begin on the date it is fully executed by all parties and shall terminate six (6) years from that date, with the option to renew the Agreement for two (2) additional, two-year periods.
The estimated Contract values are provided below:
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Estimated Contract Values: |
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Initial Term (six years) - FY 2019 thru FY 2024 |
$999,870 |
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Renewal Term 1 (2 years) - FY 2025 thru FY 2026 |
$333,290 |
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Renewal Term 2 (2 years) - FY 2027 thru FY 2028 |
$333,290 |
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TOTAL POTENTIAL CONTRACT VALUE: $1,666,450 |
This motion is in accordance with the City Code of Ordinances, Section 36 and City Policies and Procedures.
City Attorney Review:
This item has been reviewed and approved by the legal department.
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
Funding is available in Accounting and Auditing Fees in various funds.
Timing of Request:
This is a time sensitive request to ensure that an external auditing firm is engaged to conduct timely financial audits, as required by Florida Statute.