RFP082817-01 for Auditing and Finacial Services

1. Why the Authority currently going out for proposals?
   The current contract was for 3 years with 2 1 year extensions. We have now finished the contract
2. Is your current audit service provider eligible to / been asked to respond to this RFP?
   Yes and Yes
3. How long have you been with your current service provider?
   5 years
4. What do you see as the Authority’s greatest challenge in the next year?
   Winning the Award for Distinguished Budget Presentation and possibly for our PAFR
5. What do you see as the Authority’s greatest challenge in the next 5 years?
   Refining our non-existent CIP. This year we will start with our first Capital Budget and progress from there.
6. What do you like best about your current audit service provider?
   Their thoroughness. Our previous 2 auditors sign off on our financials with an unqualified opinion when there was a 1.8 million dollar fixed asset discrepancy and about a 100k inmate fund discrepancy.
7. What, in your opinion, is the most important service that your audit provider can / should provide outside of their audit opinions and related required correspondence?
   Be a resource to use when developing new fiscal policies, achieve new levels of excellence, and being a partner not a vendor or supplier. Being a resource for enhancing our organization through aiding in writing new fiscal policies, helping us attain more awards for excellence in areas like budgeting and the popular annual financial report, guiding us on new GASB pronouncements, and being a partner not a supplier or vendor.
8. Is the Authority completely satisfied with its current auditors and level of service?Are there any areas in which you would like to see changes/improvement or additional service offerings? Yes we are very happy with our current auditors but would like to be able to have them assist us in awards for excellence in areas like budgeting and the popular annual financial report
9. Please provide us with how many days (interim and final) auditors were on site for field work during the FY 2017 audit and what level of audit personnel was on sight for those time frames?
   4 days on site 3 people one senior, one with a couple of years, and one brand new auditor. No idea how many days they have or will work in their office but should have AJEs this week and they were here on-site 8/21 – 8/24
10. What is a typical timeline for audit performance and delivery of drafts and final reports, interim and final work?
    I am trying to have the field work done the third week of August and final CAFR by the middle of October
11. Please tell us how many audit adjustments were required for the FY 2017 audit with a brief description of the nature of such adjustments.
    I have not received them yet but I anticipate based on discussions that there will be 2. One to reclassify due to improper posting 4 payables invoices and one to conform with GASB 68 pronouncements on pension plans
12. Were any bookkeeping or additional services provided in conjunction with the audits? If so, please provide a brief description of these services. Also, was the Authority charged additional fees for these services and, if so, what fees were charged?
    n/a
13. Please confirm that you have more than $ 750,000 in federal expenditures and will thus require a compliance audit as indicated in your RFP and that pricing for such an audit should be included in our fee estimate.
    We are a vendor for the United States Marshall Service – Norfolk Office and do hold some of their inmates. We do not receive grants or any other funds from the federal government and therefore are not subject to a single audit as described in the Yellow Book.
14. If applicable, do you anticipate that the Authority’s federal expenditures will remain fairly constant during the terms of this contract – 2018-2022, necessitating a single audit?
    Please clarify – on page 2, under the CAFR heading, you say that the auditor assembles and formats information provided by Management for their annual submission to the GFOA to obtain the Award for Excellence in Financial reporting, but, later in the RFP, bottom of page 3, Report Preparation section, you say the Authority shall be responsible for preparation, editing and printing of the CAFR. Please clarify which parts of the CAFR preparation are the responsibility of the auditors. The auditors provide us the completed CAFR and they do all the formatting and printing. We supply the transmittal letter and the appropriate supplemental statistical information for inclusion.
15. Does the Authority require an Examination engagement as required by the APA for entities participating in VRS? If so, should that be included (as a separate) item of our fee estimate?
    Yes
16. Please provide a copy of the following documents or directions to where these documents can be obtained online related to the FYE 6/30/17 audit:
    • Audited financial statements and SEFA (if applicable, compliance audit was necessary)
    • Comprehensive Management letter (SAS 114 letter)
    • If applicable, prior year APA / VRS Examination report
    • Any other formal correspondence received from your audit service provider in conjunction with the 2017 audit. Again our fiscal year ended 6/30/2017 so we have not completed the audit. You can find our previous 2 year’s CAFRS on our website www.wtrj.org under the About Us tab and then Financial information
17. What was the Authority’s prior year fee for each audit services, including single audit and APA /VRS examination engagements, if applicable? Also, were any additional services requested from your audit service provider and if so, what was the nature of it.
    $22,600
18. Does the Authority anticipate any significant operational or financing changes during the term of this contract (current and future contract year? If so, please describe such changes.
    No
19. Has the Authority experienced any changes in key personnel, financing or funding during the current fiscal year? If so, please describe such changes.
    NoAs a side note, we have completely restructured the chart of accounts to conform to purpose like all inmate medical expenses are in the 60000-00-00 to 60999-00-00 range and utilities are 64000-00-00 to 64999-00-00. All financial reports have been revised and are accurate. We tie all sub ledgers for AP, AR, FA, Payroll, and Bank Recons to the GL monthly. We have a report that calculates the vacation and sick accrual based on our policies which includes both FICA & Medicare. We have 1 major fund, the Operating Fund, 1 minor fund, the Canteen fund, and 2 fiduciary funds for work release and inmates. Our financials are very clean and everything is organized and systematic. Both myself and my procurement officer are VCA holders and my fiscal officer is completing her VGFOA certificate program and I have completed it and am sitting for my 3rd CPFO exam in October. The team here is very strong and knowledgable.
20. What were the audit fees for 2016?
    please see Item 18 above
21. Did the Jail receive a management letter which includes recommendations on improvement on internal controls or other items? If so, please provide.
    see attachments in this section
22. Please provide a copy of the letter to those charged with governance at the conclusion of the audit. Please provide a copy of all audit adjustments from the 2016 audit, if any.
    see item 11 above
23. What was the general timing of preliminary and final fieldwork in the past (i.e. 3rd week of August)?
    see above
24. How many auditors were on-site for fieldwork and how long were the auditors generally in the field?
    see above
25. Hello Mr. Wertheimer, I am responding to your request for proposals and have a few questions.1) Do we mail them to the address on the front of the RFP?Yes they must be in my hands by the date and time on the RFP2) Can we send the electronic copy to this e-mail? If not how do we send it?Per the RFP no they must be sent or delivered with the RFP

    3) What is a redacted copy and how do we send it?

    A redacted copy has all confidential information removed and meets the requirements to be released per the FOIA laws

26. By the natur eof our questions and the the lack of CPA in your title, make sure you are qualified to issue an audited opinion and you understand the requirements of a CAFR before submitting a proposal.

Awarded: Robinson, Farmer, Cox & Asscoiates

Applications:

Company Name: RFC Redacted Proposal: PDF icon RFC Western Tidewater Regional Jail Proposal-Redacted.pdf

Company Name: CB Redacted Proposal: Cherry Bekaert Redacted Proposal_WTRJA-RFP 082817-Financial Auditing Services.pdf

Company Name: BE Redacted Proposal: Brown Edwards Western Tidewater Regional Jail Proposal - Final Redacted.pdf

Company Name: GACS Redacted Proposal: GACS Red Ink Redacted Doc GACS Tidewater (1).pdf