Request for Proposals - Assessing Support Services

Assessing Department, Supporting Services
September 10, 2025

Summary:

The Town of Essex, Vermont is requesting proposals from qualified firms or contractors to provide the Town with in-person Assessing support services from October 6, 2025, through June 30, 2026, up to 20 hours/week.

We invite qualified firms or individuals to submit a proposal via email by 4:30 pm on Friday, September 26, 2025, to Karen K. Lemnah, Town Assessor, at For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address. .

Background:

The Town of Essex is currently completing a Reappraisal for the Town and the City of Essex Junction and is interested in securing part-time assessing support for our Town Assessor until the completion of the project on June 30, 2026. The selected candidate will be responsible for assisting with the Town and City’s property tax assessment functions and valuation of real property, assisting with producing the Town and City annual Grand List Books, participating in the annual Equalization Study with the State of Vermont, processing exemption and/or declaration paperwork accurately and by established deadlines, and other associated technical and administrative work as directed by the Town Assessor.

• Comprehensive knowledge of current property appraisal principles and practices and Vermont property tax laws, including pertinent state and local statutes related to assessments, grand list, and notices.

• Ability to maintain detailed and accurate records with advanced computer skills for spreadsheets, databases, and word processing.

• Ability to perform contracted services in person.

• Ability to interact personally and professionally with co-workers, members of the public, and other local and State entities in a professional and courteous manner always.

• Ability to support departmental operations and procedures, including performing property inspections to collect relevant data and completing analyses necessary to ensure accurate valuation of real property.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality in all aspects of the position.

In addition, the following knowledge, skills, and abilities would be highly desired but are not required:

• The ability to use Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal computer systems and understand modeling techniques.

• 5 to 7 years of relevant experience in appraisal, real estate, economics, accounting, etc., and/or bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (real estate, economics, accounting, public administration, etc.) preferred.

• Independent judgment and initiative in establishing property values.

• Be highly organized and detail-oriented with excellent mathematical and analytical skills and ability to utilize independent judgment.

• Experience supporting a municipality through a Reappraisal.

• Ability to answer questions from property owners and members of the banking, legal, title searching, real estate, assessment, and development communities.

In responding to this request, proposals should include all the following information:

• The firm’s background and experience in providing contracted assessing services to governmental entities of a comparable size in the State of Vermont, including contact information for three references for these municipalities.

• Evidence of satisfactory performance, and ability to meet schedules and budgets of prior or similar contracts.

• A list of staff, with qualifications, who would be dedicated to this project. This information should include whether dedicated staff have experience working under Vermont statutes and/or any relevant credentials or certifications.

• A description of Assessment support services offered and hourly cost.

• Any specific knowledge of Town of Essex and City of Essex Junction.

• Any other relevant information the firm or candidate would like the Town to know when evaluating qualifications.

Proposals containing the information required above are due via email by 4:30PM on September 26, 2025, to Town Assessor klemnah@essex.org. Questions regarding this RFP should also be directed to Karen Lemnah via the email provided. Proposals will be promptly reviewed.

The Town reserves the right to reject any or all submissions and reissue a Request for Proposals or to proceed when the best interest of the Town is realized. The Town will not be responsible for any costs by respondents in preparing, submitting or presenting its response to this request for proposal. This Request for Proposals does not commit the Town to award a contract. All responses will be confidential unless otherwise required by law. The Town reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received in response to this request, to negotiate with any qualified source, or cancel in whole or in part of this proposal process if it is in the best interest of the Town.

Selection Criteria:

The Selection Committee will review and evaluate each proposal, based on the criteria below. Firms will then be ranked accordingly. The Selection Committee may interview the top three firms if it is deemed necessary to choose the highest qualified firm. Upon completion of any interviews negotiations will begin with the top-ranked firm. If a scope of work and fee cannot be agreed upon within a reasonable time, negotiations with the top-ranked firm will be concluded and negotiations with the second-ranked firm will be initiated in the same manner, with this process repeated until a mutual agreement is reached.

The Selection Committee will use the following criteria to evaluate qualifications:

• Overall understanding of the role & responsibilities

• Municipal assessing experience

• Cost competitiveness

• Knowledge of Essex/Essex Junction

• Qualifications of proposed staff

• Past performance on similar projects

• Knowledge of relevant Vermont statutes