RFP 927025 Consultant – Finance and Accounting Department Best Practice and Review

Town of
Michael P. Downes
North Branford Town Manager
Purchasing Department Michael V. Fumiatti, Sr
Purchasing
909 Foxon Road
North Branford, CT 06471
Tel: 203-484-6005
The Town of North Branford ("Town") is accepting sealed
Request for Proposals (RFP) for the following:
Request for Proposal
Project Summary
RFP Title: Consultant - Finance and Accounting Department Best
Practice and Review
RFP #: 927025
Projection Description: The Town of North Branford is soliciting Statements of
Qualifications from qualified firms or individuals with demonstrated
expertise in municipal finance, accounting, governmental financial
management, internal controls, and public-sector administrative
practices.
Department: Town Manager
RFP/Advertise Date: September 6, 2026
RFP Due Date: September 23, 2026 Opening Time: 11:00 AM
Insurance Requirements: Refer to Rider 300 (This Rider is attached)
Pricing Sheet: Respondent Supplied
Responses must be submitted in the form and manner specified in this request.
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Town of North Branford
Table of Contents
Item # Cover Page
RFP Summary
Table of Contents
Instructions to Respondents
1 RFP Documents
2 Internet Access
3 Solicitation Downloads
4 Inquiries for Clarification
5 Addendum to RFP Documents
6 Contract Term
7 Insurance Requirements
8 Certification and Licenses
9 Unit Prices, Bid/RFP Quantities and Tax-Exempt Status
10 Equal Employment Opportunities
11 Alternates
12 Pricing Sheet
13 RFP Process and Submission
14 RFP Protest
15 Award of Contract
16 Execution of Contract
17 Notice to Proceed
RFP SPECIFICATIONS
Town Forms Signature Page
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INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS
1 RFP Documents -
the following documents are hereinafter collectively referred to as "RFP Documents" and each a RFP Document.
RFP Cover Sheet -Invitation with Summary This document need not be returned with your submission
Instruction to Respondents This document need not be returned with your submission
Specifications This document need not be returned with your submission
Attachment to Specifications This document need not be returned with your submission
1 Town Forms Signature Page Required with your Submission
a Certificate of Non- Arrearage
b Non-Collusion Affidavit
c Affirmative Action Statement
d Contractors Wage Certification Form N/A
e Statement of Qualifications
2 Calculation Sheet / Pricing Sheet Required with your Submission
(a) These RFP Documents include a complete set of forms.
(b) Respondent may not qualify or alter the terms of the solicitation's Bid Table. (if Applicable)
(c) Responses must be submitted through the website, no hardcopies accepted.
(d) All costs incurred in the preparation and presentation of this proposal shall be wholly absorbed by the
proposer. Any material submitted by the vendor shall become the property of the Town of North Branford
unless otherwise requested at the time of submission. Any material that is to be considered as confidential
in nature must be so marked.
2. Internet Access
(a) The Town cannot guarantee that equipment involved in RFP Submission and/or solicitation technology will
be available to provide information or receive transmittals. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have
current information and that your Submission is received at the designated location complete and on time.
The Town is not responsible for the confidentiality of information transmitted over the Internet.
(b) Downloading solicitations of any type does not obligate the Town to send you future notifications of
solicitations or addendum updates.
(c) It is the Respondent's responsibility to update your contact information with the Purchasing Department.
3. Solicitation Downloads
(a) This document may be downloaded from our website at no cost to you. If you require a third party
to print the specifications and/or drawings, that cost will be borne by you.
(b) Drawing File Format: PDF
(c) Click on the above link if you don't have Adobe Acrobat and you wish to view the files in PDF
format.
4. Inquiries for Clarification
(a) The Town will not respond to a Respondent's request(s) for oral interpretation and/or clarification of the
RFP Specifications for any reason.
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(b) The Town will respond to a Respondent's written request(s) for interpretation and/or clarification of the RFP
Specifications.
(1) Any written Inquiry for Clarification must be received seven (7) or more business days prior to
the RFP Opening Date and Time. Any request received by the Town after this deadline will
not be given consideration.
(2) Please do not send questions or requests for clarification in a PDF format.
(3) Every interpretation made to a Respondent will be in the form of an Addendum to the RFP
Documents.
5. Addendum to RFP Documents
(a) All Addenda to the RFP Documents shall become part of the RFP. Respondents are required to check the
Website for Addendum. Each Respondent shall be bound by such Addenda whether or not received/viewed
by the Respondent.
(b) Questions are submitted via email to Purchasing@northbranfordct.gov, please include the RFP number and
RFP Title in the subject line.
(c) Addendums regarding Inquires for Clarification will be posted on the Town website, not less than five (5)
calendar days prior to the RFP Opening Date and Time.
(d) Addendums regarding extension of time will be posted on the Town website, any time prior to the RFP
Opening Date and Time.
6. Contract Term - (See RFP Summary for applicability)
(a) The term of the contract as a result of this solicitation shall be as stated in the RFP Summary and/or the
Specifications. If there are any options to renew, all renewals will be at the sole discretion of the Town and
pursuant to the same terms and conditions.
7. Insurance Requirements - see attached Rider
(a) Insurance will be required for the entire term of the contract. COI are to be emailed to your project
contact (see award notice)
(b) Renewal Certificates of insurance should email to your project contact:
8. Certification and Licenses
(a) If the service(s) that you are providing is a service for which a certification, license or other form of
qualification is required, please provide documentation with your statement of qualifications.
9. Unit Prices, RFP Quantities and Tax-Exempt Status
(a) The Unit Prices for each of the RFP items include its pro rata share of overhead so that the sum of the
products obtained by multiplying the quantity shown for each item by the unit price represents the total RFP.
Special attention is called to this section because in the event it is necessary to revise the quantities,
increase or decrease thereof may be made without limit and adjustment and compensation shall be made
on the basis of the Unit Prices for such items.
(b) Unit Prices should not include federal excise or state sales taxes. State Sales Tax is exempt under
Connecticut General State Statute Sec. 12-412. The Town is also exempt from transportation taxes when
goods are consigned to the Town.
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(c) It is understood an agreed that the Unit Prices shall control the Contract award.
(d) The quantities noted in this RFP are approximate (estimated only for use in comparing RFPs); and that the
sums obtained by multiplying the Unit Prices by the estimated quantities, and also the Total of these sums,
are inserted for the purpose of checking this RFP and for the convenience of the Respondent. The Unit
Prices paid are for the actual ordered quantities only.
(e) Shipments should be consigned to the Town in care of the Respondent.
10. Equal Employment Opportunity
The Town will terminate any contract without accepting liability for any incomplete work if it is found that the
Contractor has violated any of the provisions of Executive Orders 11246 and 11374, Connecticut Fair
Employment Practice Act, The Town reserves the right to incorporate into the contract any additional
provisions relating to Equal Employment, including an Affirmative Action Agreement
11. Alternate RFPs
(a) No alternate RFPs will be considered unless alternate RFPs are specifically requested by the Town.
12. Pricing Sheet - (See RFP Summary for applicability)
(a) Please provide your pricing matrix on a page or section of its own. The Town of North Branford must be
readily able to discern your pricing proposal at a quick glance.
13. RFP Process and Submission
(a) RFP Process (Only Digital Responses Accepted)
(1) Early Submittal of RFPs - RFPs received prior to the advertised hour of opening will be securely kept
sealed and unopened.
(2) RFP Opening - At the time and place fixed for the opening of RFPs, the Town will open and publicly
read aloud the name of every RFP respondent that received is by the submission deadline.
Respondents and other interested parties may be present, in person or by representative.
(3) Late Submittals - with the advent of complete digital bidding, no response will be accepted after the
closing date and time
(4) Withdrawal of RFPs - - Response may be withdrawn by you prior to the RFP Closing Date and Time by
you retracting your digital submission.
(5) RFP Rejections - The Town reserves the right to reject any and all RFPs which do not meet the
requirements of a lowest qualified responsible Respondent. Some reasons for rejection include but are
not limited to: altered or qualified Calculation Sheet, a non-Web based Calculation Sheet, non-
conforming Bid Bonds, incomplete or erroneous paperwork, late RFP Submission, Unbalanced High or
Low Unit Pricing, and/or not habitually performing with the Respondent's own forces.
(6) RFP Rejection Notification - Should the Town reject an RFP for any reason, the Respondent shall be
notified. In case of such rejection, the Town will return any Bonds to the Respondent(s). No other part
of an RFP Submission will be returned.
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(b) RFP Submission
(1) Electronic Submissions- (Preferred)
Follow instruction on the website for submission - all required forms are indicated as such.
(2) An RFP must be submitted in a digital format through the procurement website. All blank spaces must
be filled in as noted. RFP responses must give the prices in numerical figures when requested.
(3) The Respondent shall sign their RFP in the blank space provided for this purpose. If the RFP is made
by a partnership or corporation, the name and address of the partnership or corporation shall be
indicated and the RFP Submission and must be acknowledged by a corporate officer as applicable. Any
partner of corporate stockholder owning 25% or more of the business shall also be disclosed.
(4) The Town may consider any RFP not prepared and submitted in accordance with the provisions hereof,
and may, at its option, waive any informalities.
(5) No Respondent may withdraw an RFP within one hundred twenty (120) days after the actual date of the
opening thereof.
14. RFP Protest
(a) Any RFP protest must be submitted in writing. Respondents may file a written protest of the RFP results
with the Town's Purchasing Agent, within 48 hours of the posting of the RFP results on the Town
Website.
(b) A protest must be submitted via email, purchasingassistant@townofnorthbranfordct.com, or Fax, 203-
484-6025.
(c) The Town will acknowledge receipt of written protest. If the Purchasing Assistant or representative has
not acknowledged receipt of the protest by the close of business on the following day, please contact
the Town Managers Office at 203-484-6000.
15. Award of Contract
(a) The Town will endeavor to award a contract for this RFP within one hundred and twenty (120) days after
the date of the RFP opening. All Respondents acknowledge their RFP submittal will be valid for the
duration of the one hundred and twenty (120) days timeframe.
(b) The Town reserves the right to separately RFP or secure pricing from additional contractors that may
relate to the goods and/or services in the instant RFP, whether such goods and/or services are
additional to the quantities stated in the instant RFP.
(c) The Town will not award to any contractor who is ineligible under any of applicable regulations issued
by the Secretary of Labor and United States Department of Labor.
(d) The Town will not award to any contractor who is not qualified under applicable State and local laws and
regulations.
(e) Without limiting the generalities of the foregoing, a contractor will be deemed ineligible if they are not
current with any taxes or other outstanding obligations to the Town of North Branford.
(f) Should a Contract be awarded, it will be awarded based upon the committees scoring of the review
criterion and the appropriate committee/Town Council approval. The requesting department will
convene a committee to review the RFP and provide a recommendation to award or reject all proposals.
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(g) Availability of funds - The awarding of all contracts is contingent upon availability of appropriate funds.
If funding is not available at the time of award and/or execution of the contract the Town reserves the
right to cancel the RFP.
(h) All Bid Bonds (if required) will be returned to all Respondents upon the execution of the contract
documents to the awarded Respondent.
16. Execution of Contract
(a) In executing the Contract, the Awardee will be required to reaffirm and restate any and all
representations made in its RFP Submission.
(b) Subsequent to the notice of award and within ten (10) days after the prescribed forms are presented for
signature, the Awardee shall execute and deliver to the Town the Contract in the form included in the
Contract Documents, in such number of copies as the Town shall require.
(c) The failure of the Awardee to execute such Contract, pay any taxes due, to supply the required bonds
or submit the Certificate of Insurance, all within ten (10) days after the prescribed forms are presented
for signature, or within such extended period as the Town grants based upon reasons determined
sufficient by the Town, shall constitute a default and the Town reserves the right to any remedies
available at law or in equity including pursuit of RFP Bond. The Town may either award the Contract to
the next lowest responsible Respondent or re-advertise for RFPs.
(d) Performance Labor and Material Bonds - (see RFP Summary for applicability)
Having satisfied all conditions of award as set forth elsewhere in these documents, the successful
Respondent shall, within the period specified in paragraph "A" above, furnish a bond in a penal sum not
less than the amount of the Contract as awarded, as security for the faithful performance of the
Contract, and a labor and material bond for payment of all persons, firms or corporations to whom the
Contractor may become legally indebted for labor, materials, tools, equipment, or services of any nature
including utility and transportation services, employed or used by him in performing the work. Such
bonds shall be in the same form as those included in the RFP Documents and shall bear the same date,
or a date subsequent to that of the Contract. These bonds shall be signed and issued by a guaranty or
surety company satisfactory to the Town, authorized and qualified to do business in the State of
Connecticut, and listed in the latest issue of the U.S. Treasury Circular 570, and the penal sum of any
such bond shall be within the maximum specified for such company in said Circular 570. The current
power of attorney for the person who signs for any surety company shall be attached to such bonds.
17. Notice to Proceed
Once a contract is executed the Town department responsible for requesting the work will issue a
Notice to Proceed.
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Municipal Finance and Accounting Department Best Practices
Review
1. Purpose
The Town of North Branford is soliciting Statements of Qualifications from qualified firms or individuals with
demonstrated expertise in municipal finance, accounting, governmental financial management, internal
controls, and public-sector administrative practices.
The purpose of this engagement is to conduct a comprehensive review of the Municipality's
Finance/Accounting Department and provide recommendations for improving operational efficiency, financial
controls, compliance, transparency, organizational structure, and overall financial management practices.
The Town utilizes Tyler Technologies; MUNIS for its accounting software
The selected consultant will be expected to evaluate current practices and compare them with recognized
municipal and governmental best practices appropriate for a municipality of similar size and complexity.
2. Scope of Services
The selected consultant may be asked to perform the following services:
A. Organizational and Operational Review
Review the Finance/Accounting Department's organizational structure, staffing levels, roles,
responsibilities, and workflows.
Evaluate the division of duties and assignment of responsibilities.
Assess workload, staffing capacity, succession planning, and cross-training.
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and service delivery.
B. Accounting and Financial Management Practices
Review accounting policies, procedures, and internal processes.
Evaluate month-end and year-end closing procedures.
Review accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash receipts, payroll, purchasing, and general
ledger processes.
Assess financial reporting practices and management reporting.
Review procedures for bank reconciliations, journal entries, fixed assets, grants, and other applicable
accounting functions.
C. Internal Controls
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Evaluate the Municipality's internal control environment.
Review segregation of duties and authorization procedures.
Assess controls over cash, checks, electronic payments, purchasing cards, payroll, and other
financial transactions.
Identify control weaknesses and recommend appropriate corrective measures.
Review procedures for fraud prevention, detection, and reporting.
D. Budgeting and Financial Planning
Review the annual operating and capital budgeting processes.
Evaluate budget development, monitoring, forecasting, and reporting.
Assess the effectiveness of budget-to-actual reporting.
Review long-term financial planning practices and financial forecasting.
Recommend improvements to support sound fiscal management and decision-making.
E. Policies, Procedures, and Compliance
Review existing financial policies and procedures.
Identify outdated, incomplete, or missing policies.
Evaluate practices for consistency with applicable federal and state requirements and generally
accepted governmental accounting principles.
Recommend updates to policies, procedures, and administrative practices.
F. Technology and Financial Systems
Review the Municipality's accounting/financial management software and related systems.
Evaluate the use of technology, automation, reporting tools, and electronic workflows.
Identify opportunities to reduce manual processes and improve data accuracy, security, and
reporting.
G. Best-Practice Benchmarking
The consultant shall compare the Municipality's practices with recognized best practices in municipal and
governmental finance, including, as applicable, guidance and recommendations from organizations such as
the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), state municipal finance organizations, governmental
accounting standards, and other appropriate professional authorities.
The review should identify:
Current practices that meet or exceed best practices;
Areas requiring improvement;
Recommended changes;
Priority and estimated effort for implementation; and
Opportunities for improved efficiency, accountability, and transparency.
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3. Deliverables
The selected consultant shall provide a written final report that includes, at a minimum:
1. Executive summary;
2. Description of the review methodology;
3. Assessment of current Finance/Accounting Department practices;
4. Comparison to applicable municipal best practices;
5. Identification of strengths, deficiencies, risks, and opportunities;
6. Recommendations organized by priority;
7. Recommended changes to policies and procedures;
8. Recommended organizational or staffing improvements, if applicable;
9. Recommended internal-control improvements;
10. Technology and process-improvement recommendations;
11. Suggested implementation timeline; and
12. A prioritized action plan identifying immediate, short-term, and long-term recommendations.
The consultant will be required to present findings and recommendations to the Town Council.
4. Consultant Qualifications
Respondents should demonstrate substantial experience in municipal or governmental finance and
accounting. Qualifications should include:
Demonstrated experience conducting municipal finance or accounting assessments;
Knowledge of governmental accounting and financial management practices;
Experience evaluating internal controls and financial policies;
Knowledge of municipal budgeting and financial planning;
Familiarity with applicable governmental accounting standards and regulatory requirements;
Experience with municipalities of similar size and organizational complexity;
Strong written and oral communication skills; and
References from comparable municipal or governmental clients.
Preference may be given to firms or individuals possessing relevant professional credentials, certifications,
or specialized governmental finance experience.
5. Statement of Qualifications
Responses should include the following:
A. Firm/Consultant Information
Legal name and address;
Primary contact;
Years in business;
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