26-P003R Audit Services

Location:	South Carolina
Posted:	Jan 12, 2026
Due:	Feb 12, 2026
Agency:	City of Charleston
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	R - Professional, Administrative and Management Support Services
Solicitation No:	26-P003R
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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The City of Charleston

Procurement Division

2 George Street, Suite 3600

Charleston, South Carolina 29401

P) 843-724-7312 F) 843-724-7354

www.charleston-sc.gov

Proposal Number: 26-P003R Proposals will be received until: February 12, 2026 @ 11:00am

Proposal Title: Audit Services

Mailing Date: January 12, 2026

Direct Inquiries to: Robin B. Robinson

Vendor Name:

FEIN/SS#:

Vendor Address:

City – State – Zip:

Telephone Number:

Fax Number:

Authorized Signature: _____________________________ Title: __________________________

Date: _________________________

I certify that this bid is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm, or person submitting a bid

for the same materials, supplies, equipment or services and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud. I agree to abide by all

conditions of this bid and certify that I am authorized to sign this bid for the bidder. This signed page must be included with bid

submission.

IMPORTANT

1. This solicitation seeks proposals responding to the Scope of Work for Audit Services.

This solicitation does not commit the City of Charleston to award a contract, to pay any

costs incurred in the preparation of applications submitted, or to procure or contract for

the services. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any, all or any part of any

proposal received as a result of this Solicitation, or to cancel in part or in its entirety this

Solicitation if it is in the best interest of the City to do so. The City shall be the sole

judge as to whether proposals submitted meet all requirements contained in this

solicitation.

2. Offeror may mail, or hand-deliver response to the Procurement Division. Do Not Fax in

the proposal response. Please show the solicitation number on the outside of any mailing

package. The City of Charleston assumes no responsibility for unmarked or improperly

marked envelopes. If directing any other correspondence to the Procurement Division

not related to the solicitation, please do not include the solicitation number on the

envelope. If the Bidder chooses not to respond to this solicitation, it is recommended to

return the “No Proposal Response Form” to our office.

3. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF OFFER: Any proposal or offer received after

the Procurement Director or his designee has declared that the time set for opening has

arrived, shall be rejected unless the offer has been delivered to the designated purchasing

office or the governmental bodies’ mail room which services that purchasing office prior

to the proposal opening.

4. Questions regarding this solicitation must be submitted in writing to Robin B.

Robinson no later than 2:00pm on January 22, 2026. Questions may either be faxed

to 843-724-7354 or emailed to Robin B. Robinson, robinsonr@charleston-sc.gov.

GENERAL INFORMATION

INTRODUCTION

The City of Charleston, South Carolina (hereafter the “City”) is requesting proposals m qualified

independent accounting firms for its annual audit for the year ending December 31, 2025, with

the option of extending the resulting agreement for each of the four (4) subsequent fiscal years at

the City’s sole discretion.

PROCUREMENT PROCESS

The RFP (Request for Proposal) is not a bid. In the event the City elects to negotiate a contract

with the successful Vendor, any contract shall contain, at a minimum, the term and conditions (or

substantially the same term and conditions) as hereinafter stated. The City reserves the right, in

its sole discretion, to reject all submissions, reissue a subsequent RFP, terminate, restructure or

amend this procurement process at any time. The final selection and contract negotiation rests

solely with the City.

QUESTIONS

Every effort has been made to insure that all information needed by the Offeror is included

herein; however, questions are allowed and encouraged to clear up any information as described

herein, etc. The City will not accept telephone calls or visits regarding this RFP. All questions

shall be in writing and addressed to: Robin B. Robinson, City of Charleston, Procurement

Division, 2 George Street, Suite 3600, Charleston, South Carolina 29401, or email to:

robinsonr@charleston-sc.gov. Written Questions may also be faxed to: 843-724-7354. All

questions must be received before 2:00pm on January 22, 2026. No interpretation shall be

binding upon the City unless in writing from the City’s Corporate Counsel.

ORAL STATEMENTS

No oral statement of any person shall modify or otherwise change, or affect the terms, conditions

or specifications stated in the resulting contract. The City of Charleston shall not be legally

bound by any amendment or interpretation that is not in writing.

NON-ENDORSEMENT

If a Proposal is accepted, the successful Offeror shall not issue any news releases or other

statements pertaining to the award or servicing of the agreement that state or imply the City’s

endorsement of the successful Offeror’s product or services.

PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

If an Offeror does not desire proprietary information in the Proposal to be disclosed, the Offeror

shall identify all proprietary information in the Proposal. This identification will be done by

individually marking each page with the words “Proprietary Information” or “Confidential” on

which such proprietary information is found. If the Offeror fails to identify proprietary

information, it agrees that by submission of its Proposal that those sections shall be deemed non-

proprietary and made available upon request through the Freedom of Information Act.

UNAUTHORIZED COMMUNICATIONS

Respondents’ contact regarding this RFP with employees or officials of the City of Charleston

will result in disqualification from this procurement process. Any oral communications are

considered unofficial and non-binding with regard to this RFP. The only authorized contacts for

this procurement are any designated Procurement staff.

CONTRACTOR SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR PERFORMANCE

Vendor shall be responsible for the performance of the services required by the contract. Vendor

is an independent contractor and does not act as the City’s agent or employee.

DISQUALIFICATION OF OFFERORS

Offerors may be disqualified for any of the following reasons:

• Reason to believe collusion exists among the Offerors

• The Offeror is involved in any litigation against the City

• The Offeror is in arrears on any existing contract or has defaulted on a previous

contract with the City

• Lack of financial stability

• Failure to perform under previous or present contracts with the City

• Is currently debarred by the State of South Carolina Procurement Services

SUSPENSION AND DEBARMENT

The Offeror certifies, by submission of this proposal, that neither it nor its principals are

presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily

excluded from participation in this transaction by any federal, state or local agency. Where the

Offeror is unable to certify to any of the statements in this certification, such Offeror shall attach

an explanation to this proposal.

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

The City will rank, based upon the evaluation criteria, all responsible and responsive Vendors.

The City will begin negotiations with the top ranked Vendors and will continue with negotiation

down the ranking until a satisfactory contract with the City is finalized, if any. The terms and

conditions of the contract will be no less advantageous than the provisions of this RFP or the

Vendor’s proposal. The City reserves the right to make a partial award or to split the award at its

sole discretion.

CONTRACT TERMS

The initial term of the Agreement shall be for one year. The City reserves the right to extend the

Agreement if the City determines the extension is in its best interest; said extension will be on an

annual basis and shall not exceed four (4) additional one (1) year periods.

VENDOR’S DUTY TO INSPECT & ADVISE AND DECLARE ALL COSTS

Each Vendor shall become fully acquainted with the City’s requirements and the scope of

commodities and/or services to be provided. Vendor shall have a duty to request any

information from the City as it deems necessary to prepare the RFP. No change order will be

granted or additional compensation permitted if based upon information the Vendor knew or

should have known as part of the Vendor’s duty to become acquainted with the City’s

circumstances and requirements.

RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

Proposals must be submitted to and received by the City no later than the date and time specified

within this RFP. Offerors mailing proposals should allow a sufficient mail delivery period to

insure timely receipt (February 12, 2026 @ 11:00am) of their proposal by the City. Proposals

received after the scheduled due date and time will not be considered. Proposals must be

completed and delivered in sufficient time to avoid disqualification for lateness due to

difficulties in delivery. The time and date stamp clock in the City Procurement Division is the

official clock for determining whether submittals are submitted on time. The City of Charleston

is not responsible for delays in the delivery of mail by the U.S. Postal Service or private couriers.

It is the responsibility solely of the Offerors to ensure that its proposal reaches the City of

Charleston Procurement Division, by the designated date and time. Proposals received after the

scheduled due date and time will not be considered.

Late Proposal documents will not be accepted under any circumstances.

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

To assure similarity in proposal presentation and allow the Selection Committee to easily

compare competing proposals, Offerors shall include, in the order described, the material

indicated below. It is not the intent of the City of Charleston to constrain Offerors with regard to

content, but to assure that the specific requirements set for in this RFP are addressed in a uniform

manner amenable to Evaluation and Selection Committee review. Offerors may include

additional information sections or appendices if desired, to present additional pertinent

information. Offerors should submit information in a concise and responsive manner for every

requirement. Non-responsive or incomplete submittals or inability to meet City requirements set

forth may lead to disqualification of the Offeror’s submittal.

Only information presented in the Proposal will be used to evaluate the submittals.

Responses shall be completed in accordance with the requirements in the RFP. Statements

made by an Offeror shall be without ambiguity, and with adequate elaboration, where

necessary, for clear understanding.

Specific Requirements

Proposals should be as thorough and detailed as possible so that the City may properly evaluate

the Offeror's capabilities to provide the required services. Offerors are required to submit the

following items as a complete proposal:

➢ Complete response to RFP, signed, completed and submitted as required with a

detailed outline and description of all requested information in the Scope of Work

➢ The submission of the Price Proposal

➢ Sealed package marked on the outside with the Offeror's name, address, and the solicitation

number.

➢ All submittal forms.

PROPOSAL FORMAT

Proposals are to be prepared in a manner design to provide the Selection Committee with a

straightforward presentation of the capability to satisfy the requirements of this RFP.

All documentation submitted with the proposal shall be in a single volume. Documentation must

be on 8 ½ x 11 pages.

Include the following items:

o List of lead contact(s) for the City

o List of Qualifications and References: provide at least (4) clients as requested in the Scope of

Work. References are to be provided with accurate and up-to-date contact information.

*Reference form is provided.

o Acknowledgement of any issued Addenda

o Proposal must be signed by an official authorized by the vendor’s company to contractually

bind the vendor.

RESPONSE FORMAT AND ORGANIZATION

To assure similarity in proposal presentation and allow the evaluation team to easily compare

competing proposals, Offerors shall include, in the order described, the material indicated below.

It is not the intent of the City to constrain Offerors with regard to content, but to assure that the

specific requirements set forth in this RFP are addressed in a uniform manner amenable to

Evaluation and Selection Committee review. Offerors may include additional sections or

appendices if desired, to present additional pertinent information. Offerors should submit

information in a concise and responsive manner for every requirement and every question. Non-

responsive or incomplete answers to information requests and/or City requirements may lead to

disqualification of the Offeror’s submittal.

REQUIRED FORMS AND SIGNATURE PAGES

Offerors shall include as an appendix, all ancillary forms required in this Request for Proposal

(RFP). Required forms include, but are not limited to the following:

• RFP Cover Page

• Certificate of Familiarity

• Any Addenda

COMPLETION OF REPONSES

Only information presented in the Proposal will be used to evaluate the services requested by the

City in this RFP.

Responses shall be completed in accordance with the requirements of this RFP. Statements

made by an Offeror shall be without ambiguity, and with adequate elaboration, where necessary,

for clear understanding.

QUANTITY AND IDENTIFICATION OF PROPOSALS SUBMITTED

Each vendor must submit the following:

o One (1) original un-bound, single-sided Proposal labeled as “ORIGINAL”

o Five (5) bound, double-sided Proposals

o One (1) electronic copy on a flash drive. Please have submittal on flash drive divided

into two documents: 1) the proposal; and 2) the cost.

o The Vendor must mark on the envelope or box containing the proposal the follow

information: “26-P003R Audit Services”

o Note the RFP identification number on the outside of the envelope or box

o All Proposals, including original, copies and the flash drive, shall be submitted together

in one envelope or box

o Proposals must be submitted by mail or hand delivered to City of Charleston,

Procurement Division, 2 George Street, Suite 3600, Charleston, SC 29401, ATTN: 26-

P003R

No more than one proposal may be submitted by any Vendor.

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

Bid Number:	26-P003R
Bid Title:	26-P003R Audit Services
Category:	Procurement Bids
Status:	Open