ITN2026-03 Public Accounting Services for University of Central Direct Support Organizations

University of Central Florida Direct Support Organizations
Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) 2026-03NCSA
Public Accounting Services for the University of Central Florida Direct Support Organizations
ITN Issue Date: October 7, 2026
ITN Due Date: November 6, 2026

SECTION 1
STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVE
The objective of this Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) is to enable the University of Central Florida Direct
Support Organizations (DSOs) to obtain the services of an independent certified public accounting firm to
perform the services identified in the table below and in Appendix 1 for each of UCF's DSO's. The
contract will begin on or about March 1, 2028, and continue through February 28, 2033, covering
services beginning with fiscal year '28 audits (July 1, 2027 - June 30, 2028) and continue through fiscal
year '32 (July 1, 2031 - June 30, 2032), with the option of continuing services for up to five subsequent
fiscal years.
Respondents may submit proposals for one, multiple, or all DSOs included in this solicitation.
Respondents must clearly identify each DSO and service for which they are submitting a proposal.
The DSO's shall accept and review proposals from qualified firms who meet the conditions set forth in
this ITN. Proposal(s) should be submitted based upon the structure proposed below. The DSO's will
select the proposal(s) that represent the best interest to the DSO's, after evaluations in accordance with
the criteria in this solicitation. The DSO's reserve the right to make awards by DSO, by service, by
groups of DSO's, or any combination thereof, and may make multiple awards to one or more firms ad
determined to be in its best interest.
UCF DIRECT SUPPORT ORGANIZATION'S
See Chart - Appendix 1
DIRECT SUPPORT ORGANIZATION (DSO) EXTERNAL AUDITOR SELECTION POLICY
https://policies.ucf.edu/documents/2-208.pdf
SECTION 2
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Provide the service listed below in accordance with the respective guidelines and timelines.
Services In accordance with Timelines
Financial Audits Audit in accordance with Interim Work (where applicable)
applicable U.S. GAAS, 2024 April/May
GAGAS, Florida Auditor
General Chapter 10.700, Fieldwork late July/early August
Florida law, BOG/UCF rules,
and the entity's reporting Draft Statements completed
framework. by mid-August
Includes internal- Statements issued by
control/compliance reporting September 15th - October
and all required 15th
communications.

Tax Services - Form 990 Internal Revenue Service related Initial deadline 11/15 with
activities. extensions to 5/15
Prepare/review and Tax information provided
electronically file applicable around mid-October
Forms 990, 990-T, extensions,
state filings, foreign reporting Draft tax return November 1
and related schedules; address
UBIT, taxable
fringe/compensation, private
benefit, transactions with related
entities and governance
disclosures.
NCAA Agreed Upon Procedures Perform current NCAA, Review work
conference, or board-required November/December
agreed-upon procedures and
reporting Due to NCAA January 15th
5500 Report US Department of Labor, Title I March 15 - deadline for
and Title IV of ERISA and Actual Deferral Percentage
under the Internal Revenue and Actual Contribution
Code - reporting required for Percentage testing
both insurance and retirement.
Also requires submittal of form July 31 - deadline for submittal
8955 SSA to DOL (unless extension 5558
filed)
September 30 - Summary
Annual Report due to
participants if 5500 filed by July
31
October 15 - deadline for
submittal to DOL (if
extension filed which we do
every year)
December 15 - Summary
Annual Report due to
participants if 5500 filed by
October 15
403(b) Audit Report US Department of Labor, Title I Interim Work (where
and Title IV of ERISA and applicable) April/May -
under the Internal Revenue primarily a collaboration with
Code - audit report required as Valic Compliance
part of filing the 5500 report
regarding retirement. Fieldwork late July/early August
Statements issued by September
15th - October 15th to Athletics
and Valic for submittal with 5500
reports

2. Auditor may be required to present to each DSO's Board of Directors at a regularly scheduled
meeting.
3. Working Paper Retention and Access to Working Papers
Auditor shall retain engagement documentation for at least seven years following final report
issuance, or longer when required by law, professional standards, award terms, regulatory
direction or a preservation notice. Subject to applicable professional standards and legal
protections, Auditor shall provide timely access to authorized UCF/DSO officials and regulators
and reasonable access to a successor auditor. Routine transition access and secure electronic
export shall be provided without additional charge. Auditor shall protect donor anonymity and
other confidential information as required by law.
4. Independence and nonattest services
Auditor shall maintain independence in fact and appearance under all standards applicable to
each engagement. Before acceptance and at least annually thereafter, Auditor shall provide a
written inventory of financial, business, employment, family, network, affiliate, subcontractor and
nonattest-service relationships relevant to UCF, each DSO and related entities. Auditor shall not
begin any nonattest service without a written description of the service, fee, responsible
personnel, applicable independence analysis, management responsibilities, safeguards and
approval by the authorized governance body. Discovery of a potential impairment shall be
reported promptly and shall not be deferred until audit completion.
5. Key personnel and location
The personnel identified in the proposal are material commitments. Auditor shall not replace the
engagement partner, lead senior manager/manager, tax lead, IT audit lead or other designated
key personnel without prior notice and DSO approval, except for circumstances beyond Auditor's
reasonable control. Proposed replacements must possess equal or greater relevant
qualifications and shall transition at no additional cost. Auditor shall disclose all work performed
outside the United States, by shared-service centers, network firms, subcontractors or automated
agents, and shall not materially change the approved delivery model without written approval.
6. Change of control and firm structure
Auditor shall notify DSO promptly, and when practicable in advance, of a merger, acquisition,
sale, private-equity or other outside investment, material restructuring, change in legal attest
entity, significant network or affiliate change, or transaction that could affect independence,
quality, staffing, data handling, insurance or performance. DSO may require additional
information and safeguards, reassess responsibility and independence, withhold renewal,
reassign services, or terminate as permitted by the contract.
7. Cybersecurity and incidents
Auditor shall maintain administrative, technical and physical safeguards appropriate to the
sensitivity of DSO(s) information, including encryption, multifactor authentication, least privilege,
logging, vulnerability management, secure development and configuration, incident response,
continuity, backup, access termination and subcontractor oversight. Auditor shall notify DSO

within the period specified in DSO's standard terms of any actual or reasonably suspected
incident affecting DSO information or service delivery, preserve evidence, cooperate with
investigation and remediation, and provide required reports without limiting DSO's regulatory or
public-records obligations.
UCF DSO's RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States of America.
2. Design, implementation, and maintenance of internal controls.
3. Provide access to all information that is relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of
financial statements.
4. Provide additional information that may be requested for the purpose of the audit.
5. Unrestricted access to the person(s) within the entity to obtain audit evidence.
6. Include auditor's report in any document containing basic financial statements.
7. Identify and ensure DSO complies with laws and regulations applicable to its activities.
8. Adjust financial statements to correct material misstatements and confirm to auditor the effects
of an uncorrected misstatements aggregated by the auditor during the engagement and
pertaining to the current year's audit are immaterial, both individually and in the aggregate to the
financial statements as a whole.
9. Provide management representation letter confirming understanding of component unit
responsibilities
10. Maintain adequate records, selecting and applying accounting principles, and safeguarding
assets.
SECTION 3
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Listed below are the dates and times by which stated actions should be taken or completed. If UCF
DSOs determine, in its sole discretion, that it is necessary to change any of these dates and times, it may
issue an Addendum to this ITN. All listed times are local time in Orlando, Florida.
Date/Time Action
October 7, 2026 Invitation To Negotiate advertised and released
October 16, 2026 Last day to submit communications and/or inquiries in writing only;
preferably by mail to Nellie Nido; nellie.nido@ucf.edu no later than 3:00
PM
October 21, 2026 Responses to inquiries and Addenda, if any, mailed to Respondents
November 6, 2026 Deadline for Offer submission at 3:00 p.m. EST (ITN opening)

SECTION 4
INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS
Proposers, their agents, and associates must refrain from contacting or soliciting any member of the
university staff, the Board of Trustees, or the DSOs during the selection process. Failure to comply may
result in disqualification.
Additional information may be provided upon request by the proposer and is NOT in any way intended to
relieve the proposer of its responsibility to investigate all relevant or material facts in reaching a decision
with respect to the award. Any communications, questions and/or inquiries from the Respondent
concerning this ITN in any way must be submitted in writing / or by email to the individual identified on or
before October 16, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Written inquiries must be legible and concise and must clearly
identify the Respondent who is submitting the inquiry. All responses to questions will be by posted
addendum(s). All requests for clarification or additional information should be sent via email to:
Nellie Nido
Procurement Services Department
3544 Perseus Loop
Orlando, FL 32816
Email: nellie.nido@ucf.edu
Proposals will be received and opened via UCF's Euna (Bonfire) Web Portal. For additional information,
please refer to Appendix 3 - Submission Instructions for Suppliers. UCF DSOs shall in no way be
responsible for or accept any proposals not uploaded prior to the closing date and time. Telephone,
including facsimile and electronic mail, and telegraphic negotiations and/or amendments to offers shall
not be accepted.
Your submission must be uploaded, submitted, and finalized prior to the closing time on November 6,
2026 @ 3:00 PM. We strongly recommend that you give yourself sufficient time and at least ONE (1) day
before the Closing Time to begin the uploading process and to finalize your submission.
SECTION 5
SELECTION CRITERIA
Proposals will be evaluated using the criteria in the table below:
Evaluation Criteria Max Points
1. Audit quality, independence and responsibility 12
2. Relevant DSO, higher-education and service experience 18
3. Engagement team, capacity and continuity 17
4. Audit approach, risk coverage, schedule and client burden 18
5. Technology, analytics, AI and cybersecurity 10
6. Governance communication, transition and continuous
5
improvement

7. Evaluated five-year price and fee certainty 20
Total 100
SECTION 6
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
To facilitate analysis of its offer, the Proposer is to prepare its offer in accordance with the instructions
outlined in this section. If the Proposer's offer deviates from these instructions, such offer may, at
DSO's sole discretion, be REJECTED.
DSOs EMPHASIZES THAT THE PROPOSER CONCENTRATE ON ACCURACY,
COMPLETENESS, AND CLARITY OF CONTENT. The Proposer is encouraged to use sections and
tabs that are clearly identified and number and label all parts, pages, figures, and tables in its proposal
submittal/offer. Additional tabs may be appended which contain any other pertinent matters that the
Proposer wishes UCF to take into consideration in reviewing the offer. The Proposer's response to
this ITN must be submitted via UCF's Bonfire Web Portal, as listed in Section 4.
1. Audit Quality, Independence, and Responsibility
a. Describe your firm's overall audit philosophy and how it promotes audit quality,
professional skepticism, and objective decision-making.
b. Explain your firm's quality control and quality assurance processes that ensure
compliance with applicable auditing standards.
c. Describe your firm's most recent peer review results and any corrective actions taken as
a result of findings or recommendations.
d. Describe how your firm ensures consistency and quality across engagement teams,
offices, and service lines.
e. Provide a statement affirming your firm's independence and ability to perform the
engagement in accordance with all applicable professional standards.
f. Disclose any current, prior, or potential relationships with the University, DSOs, affiliated
entities, board members, executives, or employees that could create an actual or
perceived conflict of interest.
g. Describe the policies and procedures your firm uses to monitor and maintain auditor
independence throughout the engagement.
h. Explain how your firm addresses situations that may impair independence or objectivity.
i. Describe any disciplinary actions, investigations, sanctions, litigation, or regulatory
findings related to audit services within the past five years.
j. Describe your firm's approach to ethical conduct, accountability, and professional
responsibility.
2. Relevant DSO, Higher-Education, and Service Experience
a. Higher Education and Affiliated Entity Experience: Describe your firm's experience
providing audit services to public higher education institutions and their affiliated
organizations. If currently providing services to any of the DSOs included in the ITN,

please clearly note in your response.
For each entity type listed below that your firm is proposing to audit, describe your
experience and provide representative engagements completed within the last five (5)
years:
i. Research Foundations and Research Organizations
ii. Athletics Associations and Intercollegiate Athletics Programs
iii. Stadium, Arena, Convocation Center, and Auxiliary Operations
iv. Academic Health Systems, Medical Schools, Faculty Practice Plans, and Health-
Related Entities
v. Financing Corporations, Capital Financing Organizations, and Similar Debt-
Issuing Entities
vi. Other affiliated organizations with comparable complexity
For each entity type above include:
i. Client name
ii. Type of organization
iii. Scope of services
iv. Years served
v. Annual revenues, as assets or other measures of size
vi. Applicable accounting framework (GASB, FASB, or both_
vii. Unique accounting, reporting compliance or governance considerations
addressed
b. Accounting and Reporting Standards Experience: Describe your firm's experience
auditing organizations that prepare financial statements under each of the following
standards. Identify the number of current clients and representative engagements for
each category:
i. Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) standards, including public
higher education institutions.
ii. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) standards, including not-for-profit
organizations, foundations, DSOs, research foundations, and affiliated entities.
iii. Organizations with reporting environments requiring coordination between
GASB and FASB financial reporting.
iv. Federal awards subject to Uniform Guidance and Single Audit requirements.
v. State regulatory and oversight requirements applicable to higher education
institutions and affiliated entities.
vi. Governing boards, foundations, athletics boards, healthcare governing bodies,
and other complex governance structures.
Provide examples demonstrating how your firm coordinated audits across multiple
affiliated organizations operating under different accounting standards and governance
structures.

3. Engagement Team, Capacity, and Continuity
a. Identify the proposed engagement partner, engagement quality reviewer, audit manager,
and other key personnel assigned to this engagement.
b. Describe the qualifications, certifications, higher education, affiliated entity audit
experience and relevant expertise of each proposed team member.
c. Explain the role, responsibilities, and anticipated involvement of each proposed team
member.
d. Provide the anticipated level of effort for each key team member, including estimated
hours and percentage of time dedicated to this engagement during planning, fieldwork,
reporting and peak audit periods.
e. Describe your firm's experience working together as the proposed engagement team,
including the length of time team members have served together on similar
engagements.
f. Demonstrate your firm's staffing capacity to support the DSO audit engagements
proposed under this solicitation. Include:
i. Total number of partners, managers, seniors and staff available to support higher
education and governmental audits
ii. Specific personnel your firm commits to the DSO
iii. A staffing matrix showing the resources assigned to each proposed DSO
engagement
iv. Number and nature of other major engagements scheduled during the July
through September audit period.
v. How your firm will manage competing client demands and ensure sufficient
resources remain available to meet DSO deadlines.
vi. Maximum number of concurrent engagements the proposed team typically
manages during peak periods. .
g. Identify backup personnel and contingency resources that would be available if key staff
become unavailable, workload demands increase, or unexpected circumstances arise
during the engagement.
h. Explain how your firm will ensure continuity of service and maintain schedule adherence
throughout the contract term.
i. Provide staff retention statistics for the past three years for partners, managers, and
professional audit staff, and describe your succession planning practices.
j. Explain your process for replacing key personnel. Identify any circumstances under
which substitutions may occur, the qualifications required for replacement personnel and
the DSO's right to review and approve changes to key personnel.
k. Identify any work that will be performed by subcontractors, specialists, shared-service
personnel or offshore resources. Describe their roles, locations, level of involvement and
the quality control and oversight procedures that will be applied.
l. Provide a narrative describing why your firm is confident it possesses sufficient staffing
capacity to successfully audit one, many, or all University engagements within the
required July through September reporting cycle without delays or degradation in service
quality.

4. Audit Approach, Risk Coverage, Schedule, and Client Burden
a. Describe your proposed audit methodology and approach for this engagement.
b. Explain how you develop a risk-based audit plan and determine audit priorities.
c. Describe your approach to evaluating internal controls, financial reporting risks, fraud
risks, information technology risks, and compliance risks.
d. Describe how your audit approach would address risks unique to higher education and
affiliated organizations.
e. Explain how your firm will coordinate work across multiple entities or reporting units
when applicable.
f. Provide a proposed annual audit schedule, including key milestones and deliverables.
g. Describe how your firm manages unexpected issues, emerging risks, or changing
circumstances during an audit.
h. Explain how your firm minimizes disruption to management, faculty, staff, and
operational departments.
i. Describe your request management process and how you reduce duplicate requests for
information.
j. Provide examples of process improvements you have implemented to reduce client
burden while maintaining audit quality.
k. Describe your approach to communicating significant findings, control deficiencies, and
recommendations throughout the engagement.
5. Technology, Analytics, AI, and Cybersecurity
a. Describe the audit technologies, platforms, and tools your firm uses to support audit
planning, fieldwork, testing, and reporting.
b. Explain how data analytics are incorporated into your audit methodology.
c. Provide examples of how analytics have improved audit quality, risk identification, or
efficiency.
d. Describe how your firm uses artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, automation, or
other emerging technologies in the audit process.
e. Explain the governance, controls, validation procedures, and human oversight applied to
AI-enabled audit tools.
f. Describe your firm's cybersecurity program and information security framework.
g. Explain how confidential University and DSO data will be protected throughout the
engagement.
h. Describe your firm's procedures for data encryption, access control, data retention, and
secure data disposal.
i. Provide information regarding any cybersecurity certifications, assessments, audits, or
independent security reviews completed within the last three years.
j. Describe how your firm identifies and addresses technology-related risks that may
impact the audit engagement.
6. Governance Communication, Transition, and Continuous Improvement
a. Describe your approach to communication with management, audit committees,
governing boards, and other stakeholders.
b. Explain how significant findings, emerging risks, and critical issues will be communicated
throughout the engagement.