Financial Audit Services

AAccccoouunnttiinngg
FFiinnaanncciiaall AAuuddiitt SSeerrvviicceess
RREEQQUUEESSTT FFOORR PPRROOPPOOSSAALLSS
March 26, 2026
RAMP ID #228827

March 26, 2026
Prospective Consultants:
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR FINANCIAL AUDIT SERVICES
The City of Los Angeles Harbor Department (Harbor Department) invites the
submittal of proposals to provide financial audit services. These services shall commence
after a contract is approved by the Board of Harbor Commissioners.
Instructions and forms to be used in preparing the proposal are found in the
information included in the Request for Proposals (RFP).
The schedule for this RFP will be as follows:
Request for Proposals Published Thursday, March 26, 2026
Questions Due Thursday, April 2, 2026 by 3pm
Response Posted Thursday, April 9, 2026
Proposals Due Thursday, April 16, 2026 by 3pm
If your firm cannot agree to the requirements exactly as set forth in this RFP,
please do not submit a proposal.
For questions regarding this RFP, please contact Susana Eldridge, Contract
Administrator by email at Seldridge@portla.org. Questions must be submitted by
Thursday, April 2, 2026. Responses will be posted on the Harbor Department's website
and the Regional Alliance Marketplace for Procurement (RAMP), at www.rampla.org, by
Thursday, April 9, 2026. It is the responsibility of all proposers to review both websites for
any RFP revisions or answers to questions prior to submitting a proposal in order to
ensure their proposal is complete and responsive.
In addition to providing information requested in this RFP, it should be noted that
there are administrative documents that must be submitted with the proposal. Please refer
to the Business Enterprise Programs and Contract Administrative Requirements section of
this RFP. In order for your proposal to be deemed responsive, these documents
MUST be included with your proposal.
All consultants and subconsultants must be registered on RAMP at the time
proposals are due. If selected for award, for-profit companies and corporations must
comply with RAMP's demographic reporting requirements, per the Mayor's Executive
Directive 35.
Sincerely,
TRICIA J. CAREY
Director, Contracts and Purchasing Division
2

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 5
1.1 Brief Overview of the Project ............................................................................................................ 5
1.2 The Port of Los Angeles ................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 Project Scope of Work ...................................................................................................................... 5
2. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................... 9
3.1 Proposal Questions .......................................................................................................................... 9
3.2 Proposal Submission ........................................................................................................................ 9
3.3 Evaluation Process and Selection Criteria ....................................................................................... 9
3.4 Proposal Content ............................................................................................................................ 10
3.5 Checklist for RFP Submittal Requirements .................................................................................... 14
4. STANDARD CONTRACT PROVISIONS ............................................................................... 15
4.1 Affirmative Action ............................................................................................................................ 15
4.2 Small/Very Small Business Enterprise Program and Local Business Preference Programs ........ 15
4.3 Business Tax Registration Certificate ............................................................................................. 16
4.4 Indemnity and Insurance Requirements ......................................................................................... 16
4.5 Conflict of Interest ........................................................................................................................... 20
4.6 Compliance with Applicable Laws .................................................................................................. 21
4.7 Governing Law / Venue .................................................................................................................. 21
4.8 Termination Provision ..................................................................................................................... 21
4.9 Proprietary Information ................................................................................................................... 21
4.10 Trademarks, Copyrights, and Patents ............................................................................................ 22
4.11 Confidentiality ................................................................................................................................. 22
4.12 Notices ............................................................................................................................................ 22
4.13 Termination Due to Non-Appropriation of Funds ............................................................................ 22
4.14 Taxpayer Identification Number ...................................................................................................... 23
4.15 Service Contractor Worker Retention Policy and Living Wage Policy Requirements .................... 23
4.16 Wage and Earnings Assignment Orders/Notices of Assignments ................................................. 23
4.17 Equal Benefits Policy ...................................................................................................................... 24
4.18 State Tidelands Grants ................................................................................................................... 24
4.19 Contract Solicitations Charter Section 470 (c) (12) ........................................................................ 24
4.20 Recordkeeping And Audit Rights .................................................................................................... 25
3

ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS
Exhibit A - Affirmative Action Program Provisions
Exhibit B - Small/Very Small Business Enterprise Program
Exhibit C - Proprietary Small Business Enterprise Application
Exhibit D - Business Tax Registration Certificate (BTRC) Number
Exhibit E - Equal Benefits Ordinance
Exhibit F - RFP Selection Evaluation Form
Exhibit G - City Ethics Commission (CEC) Forms 50 and 55
4

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Brief Overview of the Project
The Accounting Division is soliciting proposals from qualified consultants to provide
financial audit services to the Harbor Department.
The duration of the contract awarded as a result of this RFP is expected to be three
years from the date of execution of the agreement.
1.2 The Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles is America's Port(R), the nation's premier gateway for
international commerce and the busiest seaport in the Western Hemisphere. Located in
San Pedro Bay, 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, the Port encompasses 7,500
acres of land and water along 43 miles of waterfront.
The Port features both passenger and cargo terminals, including cruise, container,
automobile, breakbulk, dry and liquid bulk, and warehouse facilities that manage billions of
dollars' worth of cargo each year. One of the world's busiest seaports and leading gateway
for international trade in North America, the Port of Los Angeles has ranked as the number
one container port in the United States each year since 2000. In 2025, the Port handled a
total of 10.2 million container units.
The Port of Los Angeles is a department of the City of Los Angeles (also known as
the Los Angeles Harbor Department) and is governed by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor
Commissioners, a panel appointed by the Mayor of Los Angeles. Although the Port is a
City department, it is not supported by City taxes. Operating as a landlord port with more
than 200 leaseholders, the Port instead generates its revenues from leasing and shipping
service fees. The Port's jurisdiction is limited to the Harbor District, which includes property
in San Pedro, Wilmington, and Terminal Island.
2.1 Project Scope of Work
Services to be provided by the Consultant:
1. Consultant shall provide audit reports to express opinions on the following financial
statements, schedules, and related note disclosures:
a) Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Port of Los Angeles (Harbor
Department, An Enterprise Fund of City of Los Angeles, California)
i. Report of Independent Auditors on Financial Statements;
ii. Report of Independent Auditors on Internal Control Over Financial
Reporting and on Compliance and Other Matters Based on an Audit of
Financial Statements Performed in Accordance with Government Auditing
5

Standards; and
iii. Review supplemental information required by accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States (US GAAP), including but not
limited to as management discussion & analysis, schedule of
proportionate share of the net pension liability, schedule of pension
contributions, schedule of proportionate share of the net other
postemployment benefits (OPEB) liability, and schedule of OPEB
contributions, and statistical sections.
b) Single Audit Reports of the Port of Los Angeles (Harbor Department, An
Enterprise Fund of City of Los Angeles, California)
i. Report of Independent Auditors on Internal Control Over Financial
Reporting and on Compliance and Other Matters Based on an Audit of
Financial Statements Performed in Accordance With Government
Auditing Standards;.
ii. Report of Independent Auditors on Compliance for Each Major Federal
Program; Report of Independent Auditors on Internal Control Over
Compliance; and Report on Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards
Required by the Uniform Guidance; and
iii. Other reporting requirements by the Uniform Guidance
c) Annual financial statements and related notes of Los Angeles Harbor
Improvement Corporation (LAHIC), A Component Unit of the Harbor
Department
i. Report of Independent Auditors on Financial Statements.
2. The audits of the aforementioned financial statements, schedules, and related notes
shall be conducted, where applicable, in accordance with:
a) Auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America;
b) The standards applicable for financial audits under Government Auditing
Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States;
c) The audit requirements of the Single Audit Act of 1984 and the Single Audit
Act Amendments of 1996 (the Single Audit Act) and Title 2 U.S. Code of
Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost
Principles, and Audit Requirement for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance);
and
d) Other auditing requirements, such as those required by a state oversight
agency for audit of local governments.
The audits shall include such tests of the accounting records and such other
auditing procedures as shall be considered necessary in the circumstances.
6

3. Consultant Communications with group auditors shall be in accordance with the
U.S. Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (U.S. GAAS). Such communications
include:
(a) A review of subsequent events for the period from the opinion date of
Port's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report to the opinion date of the
City's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, group financial statements,
and issuance of a "down-to-date" letter to the City's group auditors' team as
required annually by the City Controller and its group auditors' team;(b) A
confirmation letter replying to the instructions of the group auditors' team;
and/or
(c) Other required communications in accordance with the U.S. GAAS. The
Harbor Department is an enterprise fund of the City. As such, the financial
statements of the Harbor Department will be included in the City's Annual
Comprehensive Financial Report. It is anticipated that the auditors for the
City's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report will rely upon the audit and
audit report prepared by the consultant on the Harbor Department's Annual
Comprehensive Financial Report for purposes of expressing their opinion on
the City's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.
4. Consultant shall assist in meeting the requirements for the Certificate of
Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting program with the Government
Finance Officers Association. The Harbor Department may elect to submit its
Annual Comprehensive Financial Report to other professional
associations/organizations for award consideration or recognition.
5. Consultant shall attend Audit Committee of the Board of Harbor Commissioners in
person and communicate deficiencies discovered during audits, propose
recommendations, and identify opportunities for efficiency in operations to the
members of Board of Harbor Commissioners and management. Consultant shall be
required to provide a written report to the Board of Harbor Commissioners, the
Executive Director, and the City Attorney of all irregularities and illegal acts or
indications of illegal acts of which they become aware.
6. Consultant shall provide debt issuance services as needed. The Harbor Department
anticipates that it may prepare one or more official statements in connection with
the sale of debt securities that will contain the Harbor Department's basic financial
statements (BFS) and the auditors' report. The consultant shall be required, if
requested by the financial advisor and/or the underwriter, to issue "consent" and/or
"comfort" letters. In the event a letter is required, the consultant shall perform a
review of the Harbor Department's interim financial statements and obtain a
representation letter from the financial advisor and/or underwriter. Where a
"consent" or "comfort" letter is required, the consultant shall perform "down-to-date"
and other applicable procedures in connection with the sale of debt securities in
which the official statements will contain the Harbor Department's BFS and the
auditor's report. Any requirements of the consultant by the financial advisor and/or
underwriter in connection with the issuance of any debt security will be discussed
between the consultant and the Harbor Department prior to the start of any such
7

procedures.
7. Consultant shall provide at least eight (8) Continuing Professional Education hours
of training in the Los Angeles area or via virtual meetings/conferences to a minimum
of fifteen (15) Port's staff on new accounting and auditing standards once a year,
before fiscal year end.
8. Special Considerations:
(a) The Board of Harbor Commissioners, the Executive Director, the Deputy
Executive Director of Finance & Administration and the Chief Financial
Officer may require additional work by the consultant in relation to the
performance of the audit(s).
i. The Consultant will be required to perform annual audit of financial
statements and certain agreed-up procedures under a separate contract
with Intermodal Container Transfer Facility Joint Powers Authority, joint-
power authority.
(b) The Single Audit Reports are not to be included in the Annual Comprehensive
Financial Report but are to be issued separately.
(c) The Consultant will assist in preparing and submitting the Data Collection
Form and the respective reporting package to the Federal Audit
Clearinghouse.
(d) An auditors' report on the LAHIC financial statements shall be issued
separately from the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.
9. Working Paper Retention and Access to Working Paper:
All working papers and reports must be retained, at the consultant's expense, for a
minimum of four (4) years following the completion of the audit, unless the firm is
notified in writing by the Harbor Department of the need to extend the retention
period. The auditor will be required to make working papers available upon request
to various agencies, including, but not be limited to, government agencies, parties
designated by government agencies or by the Harbor Department as part of an
audit quality review process, auditors of entities of which the Harbor Department is
a sub-recipient of grant funds, and auditors of entities of which the Harbor
Department is a component unit. In addition, Consultant shall respond to the
reasonable inquiries of successor auditors and allow successor auditors to review
working papers relating to matters of continuing accounting significance.
10. Upon written notification from the Port's authorized representative, any member of
the Consultant's audit staff whose work performance is deemed unsatisfactory at
the Port's sole discretion will be replaced with qualified staff, acceptable to the Port,
within fifteen days from the date of notification.
8

2. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
3.1 Proposal Questions
All questions regarding this RFP must be submitted, in writing, exclusively to
Susana Eldridge the Contract Administrator, at Seldridge@portla.org by no later than 3:00
p.m. on Thursday, April 2, 2026. The Harbor Department may, but is not obligated to,
respond to questions it receives pursuant to this section.
Attempts to contact any other Harbor Department employee or members of the
Board of Harbor Commissioners, either directly or through third-parties acting for or on the
proposer's behalf, may be presumed to constitute efforts to bias or influence the
competitive process with information not detailed in the RFP and not available on an equal
basis to all proposers. Accordingly, such attempts shall constitute grounds to disqualify
the proposer undertaking them. Any information provided by the Contract Administrator to
one proposer in response to questions shall be provided to all proposers.
3.2 Proposal Submission
One (1) digital copy of your proposal, as one complete file in .pdf format, must
be submitted on or before 3:00 p.m. PT on Thursday, April 16, 2026 to: Susana
Eldridge at Seldridge@portla.org.
The proposal shall be in searchable PDF (Portable Document Format). Files shall
not be password protected or saved with restrictions that prevent copying, saving,
highlighting, or reprinting of the contents.
Proposers solely are responsible for the timeliness of their submittals. Proposers
are cautioned to budget adequate time to ensure that their proposals are electronically
delivered (not just sent) before the deadline set forth above.
By submitting a proposal, proposers certify that such proposal constitutes their full
and complete written response to the RFP and evidences their acknowledgement that
additional written material outside of such proposal shall not be considered by the City in
connection with this RFP, unless the City provides a written request that they submit
additional written materials. Absent such written request, proposers are instructed to not
submit to the City written or other materials outside of the proposal, either in a subsequent
interview or otherwise.
3.3 Evaluation Process and Selection Criteria
All proposals meeting the requirements of this RFP shall be reviewed and rated by
an evaluation committee according to the following criteria: 1) firm qualifications,
experience, and references; 2) project organization, personnel, and staffing; 3) project
approach, work plan, and management; 4) rates, fees, and budget control: and 5) clarity
and comprehensiveness of the proposal. See Exhibit F.
Selected proposers may be contacted to arrange in-person interviews with the
evaluation committee. The evaluation committee will make the final recommendation for
9

selecting the consultant. All recommendations are subject to the approval of the Chief
Financial Officer, the Executive Director of the Harbor Department, and the Board of
Harbor Commissioners.
Proposers are advised that all documentation submitted in response to this RFP will
be considered property of the Harbor Department and may become available to the public
as a public record and be released without further notification. Any information that the
proposer considers confidential should not be submitted with the proposal.
The right to reject any and all proposals shall, in every case, be reserved, as shall
the right to waive any informality in the proposal when to do so would be to the advantage
of the City.
3.4 Proposal Content
The following items shall be included in your proposal:
1. Cover Transmittal Letter
Provide a narrative which introduces the firm and team highlighting the special
strengths of the firm to perform the work requested in this RFP. The letter should be
signed by an authorized principal of the proposing consulting firm.
2. Firm Qualifications, Experience and References
Provide a narrative describing the firm's qualifications to perform the project work,
including past (relevant) experience and at least three client references, with contact
names and information. Include information regarding your firm's experience involving the
size and level of complexity of the proposed project. Qualifications and experience for
proposed subconsultants should also be included.
Identify any members of your proposed team, including proposer's firm and any
subconsultant firms, who are former Commissioners, officers or employees of the Harbor
Department. Provide their name, proposed team position, and their past position and
years of employment/appointment with the Department. If your proposed team does not
have any such members, please include a statement in your proposal so stating.
Proposers are advised that it is a proposer's obligation to determine whether any
conflicts of interest exist for their team members and the extent to which those conflicts
need to be resolved or disclosed prior to engaging in business with the Department.
Additionally, include a narrative of your firm's expertise in the following areas:
The firm's past experience and performance on comparable private or public
financial auditing, including Enterprise Funds;
The firm's past experience with auditing in a computerized environment and
with accounting system software; and
Record quality of previous audit work.
10