Annual Financial Audit Services

Posted At:Mon, Dec 16, 2024 12:32 PMSealed Bid Process:Yes (Bids Sealed / Pricing Sealed)Private Bid:No

The County of Solano is requesting proposals from qualified firms of certified public accountants to audit its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 2026, and 2027. These audits are to be performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS), the standards set forth for financial audits by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Government Auditing Standards. Also, with the provisions of the federal Single Audit Act of 1984 (with amendment in 1996) and requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance).

The County intends to enter into a three-year initial contract period, beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, with the option by the County to renew for two (2) additional one (1) year terms, and a total contract term of no more than five (5) years, provided that the County notifies the Contractor in writing of its intention to do so at least ninety (90) days prior to the contract expiration date.

Solano County is a general law county with a population of 446,426 as of May 1, 2024, and has an annual budget of $1.759 billion for FY 2024/25. The governing body is an elected five-member Board of Supervisors (Board). The Board is responsible for the executive and legislative activities of the County. A County Administrative Officer is appointed by, and reports to, the Board. The County's fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30.

An organizational chart and a list of key officials are included in the Adopted Budget (see Appendix A).

Organizational units of the County government are under the direction of elected officials or appointed department heads.

The Auditor-Controller, an elected official, is the chief financial officer of the County. Accounting records and financial statements are maintained by the Auditor-Controller.

The financial statements of the County include the financial activities of the County and all agencies and special districts under the control of the Board of Supervisors. Their financial operations are closely related, and the Board of Supervisors has continuing oversight responsibility over all of these entities.

In addition, the County contracts with the Workforce Development Board (WDB), a private, non-profit 501(c) (3) organization, to administer the programs of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). WDB is included as a discretely presented component unit of the County’s basic financial statements.

The Solano County Fair (Fair) is another a discretely presented component unit in the County’s basic financial statements. The Fair Association is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization established to conduct the annual County Fair and oversee the day-to-day operations of the county’s fairgrounds property. The Fair Association operates under a contract with the county as a self-supporting enterprise fund.

The County of Solano is organized into 19 departments and agencies. The accounting and financial reporting functions of the County of Solano are centralized.

More detailed information on the government and its finances can be found in the Adopted Budget – Fiscal Year 2024/25 and the County’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2023 (see Appendix E).

Fund Structure:

The County of Solano uses the following fund types and account groups in its financial reporting type:	Number of Funds Individual	Number with Legally Adopted Annual Budgets
General Fund	1	1
Special Revenue Funds	43	43
Debt Service Funds	4	4
Capital Projects Funds	3	3
Permanent Funds	N/A	N/A
Enterprise Funds	2	2
Internal Service Funds	4	4
Private Purpose Funds	3	1
Investment Trust Funds	223	N/A
Pension (and other employee benefits trust funds)	N/A	N/A
Custodial - External Investment Pool	40	N/A
Custodial - Other	85	N/A

Budgetary Basis of Accounting:

The County of Solano prepares its budgets on a basis consistent with generally accepted accounting principles.

Federal and State Awards:

The Federal and State awards programs received by the County of Solano are identified and listed in the (audited) Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2023 (see Appendix E).

Pension Plans:

The County is a plan member in the Public Agency portion of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), an agent multiple-employer plan administered by CalPERS, which acts as a common investment and administrative agent for participating public employers within the State of California. A menu of benefit provisions as well as other requirements is established by State statutes within the Public Employees’ Retirement Law. The County selects optional benefit provisions from the benefit menu by contract with CalPERS and adopts those benefits through County ordinance. CalPERS issues a separate annual comprehensive financial report. Copies of the CalPERS annual financial report can be obtained from the CalPERS Executive Office, 400 Q Street, Sacramento, CA 95811.

The actuarial methods and assumptions used to determine the County’s annual contribution to fund pension benefits are those adopted by the CalPERS Board of Administration.

Component Units:

The County of Solano is defined, for financial reporting purposes, in conformity with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board's Codification of Governmental Accounting and Financial Reporting Standards, Section 2100. Using these criteria, component units are included in the County of Solano's financial statements (i.e., Statement of Net Assets and Statement of Activities).

The management of the County of Solano identified the following component units for inclusion in the County of Solano's financial statements:

Solano County Fair Association (SCFA) – a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization established to conduct the annual Solano County Fair and operate the fairgrounds property to provide a year-round, multi-purpose venue that celebrates the wide variety of resources and activities available to the County’s diverse communities. The SCFA year end is December 31. The SCFA is audited by the Association’s independent auditors. The audit report and financial statements of the SCFA can be obtained from the Association.

Workforce Development Board of Solano County (WDB) – exists through statutory requirement of the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA). A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the County and WDB establishes WDB as the administrative entity that oversees and administers the WIA-funded programs. Funding is primarily through the U.S. Department of Labor. The WDB fiscal year end is June 30.

Magnitude of Finance Operations:

The Auditor-Controller’s Office is headed by Sheila Turgo, Acting Auditor-Controller, and consists of forty-two employees. The principal functions performed, and the number of employees assigned to each is as follows:

• • • Administration (3)
    • General Accounting (9)
    • Financial, Reporting/Training (4)
    • Property Tax (6)
    • Payroll and Payroll Systems (15)
    • Internal Audits (5)

Computer Systems:

The County Auditor-Controller uses the following systems/applications:

• • • Finance Enterprise Accounting System (FE) software. The FE runs on a cloud-based/SaaS platform and is the primary accounting software used in the County.
    • PeopleSoft HRMS for payroll accounting. The HRMS runs on a cloud-based/SaaS platform that interfaces to the FE.
    • Intellitime – The IntelliTime Virtual Timecard Interface (VTI) is a web-based timekeeping solution which incorporates the County’s numerous Memorandums of Understanding with various employee unions. VTI provides electronic signatures and automated workflow of documents. In addition, the County uses the IntellItime Dynamic Scheduler which provides shift scheduling and staffing tools for the Public Safety departments, County Library, and Health Services.
    • Aumentum - Solano County Integrated Property System is a custom application developed and maintained by the Property systems Division of the Department of Information Technology. The system supports the functions of the Assessor, Auditor, and Tax Collector in appraising, tax bill issuance, bill collection, and tax apportionment for Solano County.

Internal Audit Function:

The County of Solano maintains an internal audit function. The internal audit function reports to Sheila Turgo, Acting Auditor-Controller, and is staffed by five (5) employees.

Availability of Prior Audit Reports and Working Papers:

Interested proposers who wish to review the prior years' audit reports and management letters should contact the RFP Coordinator or visit our website at www.solanocounty.com .

The County of Solano will use its best efforts to make prior audit reports and supporting working papers available to proposers to aid their response to this request for prposals.