RFP 26-04 Municipal Auditing Services

TOWN OF CUTLER BAY
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
No. 26-04
MUNICIPAL AUDITING SERVICES
PROPOSAL DUE:
Thursday, JULY 23, 2026, AT 11:00AM

TOWN OF CUTLER BAY
RFP No.26-04
MUNICIPAL AUDITING SERVICES
ADVERTISEMENT FOR PROPOSALS
The Town of Cutler Bay is requesting proposals from qualified respondents to provide
"MUNICIPAL AUDITING SERVICES" for the Town of Cutler Bay. Interested respondents
should visit the Town's website at www.cutlerbay-fl.gov or DemandStar to obtain the
Request for Proposal ("RFP") package. Packages may also be picked up during normal
business hours at the Office of the Town Clerk, Mauricio Melinu, CMC, located at:
Town of Cutler Bay
10720 Caribbean Blvd., Suite 105
Cutler Bay, FL 33189
Proposals may be submitted no later than Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 11:00 AM, by one of the
following methods (not both):
Electronic Submission:
Electronic responses can be submitted via DemandStar at https://network.demandstar.com/
In-Person:
Proposals must include one (1) original and three (3) bound paper copies of the submittal, and
one (1) readable/reproducible flash drive completely duplicating the original proposal of the
submittal. Responses to the Proposal must be received by Town Clerk, Mauricio Melinu, CMC, at
Town Hall, 10720 Caribbean Blvd, Ste. 105, Cutler Bay, FL. 33189. All submittals must be sealed
and clearly marked on the outside: "RFP No. 26-04 Municipal Auditing Services".
Proposals will be publicly opened and read on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 11:00 AM in the Town
Hall Community Room, 10720 Caribbean Blvd, Ste. 220, Cutler Bay, Florida 33189. If attending
virtually, the meeting will be available via Zoom communications media technology platform.
Registration is required. To register in advance, please visit:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UDh_TYTPQA6oDFcgSK_mkQ
Late Submittals and facsimile submissions will not be considered. The respondent shall bear all
costs associated with the preparation and submission of the Proposal.
Women/Minority Owned and Emerging Small Businesses are invited to submit for the
services.
Pursuant to Town Code Chapter 24, Article II, Section 24-228 of the Town Charter, public notice
is hereby given that a "Cone of Silence" is imposed concerning the Town's competitive purchasing
process, which generally prohibits communications concerning the RFP from the time of
advertisement of the RFP until such time as the Town Manager makes a written recommendation
to the Town Council concerning the competitive purchase transaction. Please see the detailed
specifications for the public solicitation for services for a statement fully disclosing the
requirements of the "Cone of Silence".
Pursuant to Section 4-19 of the Town Code; Section 7.6 of the Town Charter, vendors of the Town
are required to disclose any campaign contributions to the Town Clerk, and each vendor must do
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so prior to and as a condition of the award of any Town contract to the vendor. Please see the
detailed specifications of this solicitation for further details.
The Town reserves the right to accept or reject all Proposals or parts of Proposals, to workshop
or negotiate any / all Proposals, to waive irregularities, and to request re-proposals on the required
materials or services, or take any other such actions that may be deemed in the best interest of
the Town.
Rafael G. Casals, ICMA-CM, CFM
Town Manager
[SPACE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK]
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Municipal Auditing Services
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section Pages
Section 1: Information for Respondents 5-9
Section 2: Services Requested 10-21
Section 3. Proposal Requirements and Evaluation 22-29
Section 4: Forms & Exhibits 30-71
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SECTION 1
INFORMATION FOR THE RESPONDENTS
1.1 INTRODUCTION/GENERAL BACKGROUND
The Town of Cutler Bay ("Town") is soliciting proposals from certified public accounting firms
("Respondent") licensed in the State of Florida to conduct Municipal Auditing Services for the
Town's annual financial audit of accounts and records after the end of each fiscal year in
accordance with Section 218.39, Florida Statutes, and for single audits required on an as-needed
basis ("Services"), as set forth in greater detail in Section 2 of this RFP.
The Town intends to award a contract to the selected Respondent for the Services described in
this RFP. The contract term is to be for a three (3)-year contract period, with an option in favor of
the Town to renew for up to three (3) additional one (1)-year periods.
The selected Respondent shall provide the Services, including all labor, materials, equipment, and
all incidentals necessary for the provision of the Services, as further defined in Section 2 of this RFP.
1.2 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The following schedule shall govern this RFP. The Town reserves the right to change the
scheduled dates and times at its sole discretion.*
No. Event Date Time
(EST)
1 Advertisement/ Distribution of RFP (Cone of Silence Begins) June 1 9:00 AM
2 Closing Date for Respondent Questions July 2 1:00 PM
3 Town's Answers to Questions by Respondents July 9 4:00 PM
4 Proposals Due & Opened (via virtual meeting on Zoom - July 23 11:00 AM
Town will provide instructions for access)
5 Town Staff Members' Review of Proposals for July 24 4:00 PM
Responsiveness
6A Auditor Selection Committee Meeting July 29 10:00 AM
through through
July 31 3:00 PM
6B Presentations by Top Three (3) Ranked Respondents August 10 10:00 AM
(if requested by Committee, Town will provide meeting details) through through
August 11 3:00 PM
7 Auditor Selection Committee Issues Recommendation to August 12 4:00 PM
Town Manager
8 Council Meeting to Select Firm(s) and Approve Agreement(s) September 6:00 PM
16
*The Town reserves the right to change the scheduled dates and time.
1.3 CONE OF SILENCE
Notwithstanding any other provision of these specifications, the provisions of the Town
"Cone of Silence" are applicable to this transaction. The entirety of these provisions can
be found in the Town Code Chapter 24, Article II, Section 24-228 of the Town Charter.
The "Cone of Silence," as used herein, means a prohibition of any communication
regarding a particular RFP, Request for Qualification ("RFQ") or Proposal, between:
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A potential vendor, service provider, proposer, lobbyist, or consultant; and
The Town Council, Town's professional staff including, but not limited to, the Town
Manager and his or her staff, and any member of the Town's selection or
evaluation committee.
The Cone of Silence shall be imposed upon each RFP, RFQ, and Proposal after the
advertisement of said RFP, RFQ, or Proposal. The Cone of Silence shall terminate at the
beginning of the Town Council meeting at which time the Town Manager makes his or her
written recommendation to the Town Council. However, if the Town Council refers the
Manager's recommendation back to the Manager or staff for further review, the Cone of
Silence shall be re-imposed until the meeting at which the Manager's subsequent
recommendation is before the Town Council.
The Cone of Silence shall not apply to:
1) Oral communications at pre-Proposal conferences;
2) Oral presentations before selection or evaluation committees;
3) Public presentations made to the Town Council during any duly noticed
public meeting;
4) Communication in writing, at any time, with any Town employee, unless
specifically prohibited by the applicable RFP, RFQ, or Proposal documents.
The Respondent shall file a copy of any written communication with the
Town Clerk. The Town Clerk shall make copies available to any person
upon request;
5) Communications regarding a particular RFP, RFQ, or Proposal between a
potential vendor, service provider, Respondent, lobbyist or consultant and
the Town's Purchasing Agent or Town employee designated responsible
for administering the procurement process for such RFP, RFQ, or
Proposal, provided the communication is limited strictly to matters of
process or procedure already contained in the corresponding solicitation
document;
6) Communications with the Town Attorney and his or her staff;
7) Duly noticed site visits to determine the competency of Respondents
regarding a particular proposal during the time period between the opening
of proposals and the time the Town Manager makes his or her written
recommendation;
8) Any emergency procurement of goods or services pursuant to Town Code;
9) Responses to the Town's request for clarification or additional information;
10) Contract negotiations during any duly noticed public meeting;
11) Communications to enable Town staff to seek and obtain industry comment
or perform market research, provided all communications related thereto
between a potential vendor, service provider, Respondent, lobbyist, or
consultant and any member of the Town's professional staff including, but
not limited to, the Town Manager and his or her staff are in writing or are
made at a duly noticed public meeting.
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Please contact the Town Attorney at (305) 854-0800 for any questions concerning the "Cone
of Silence" compliance.
Violation of the "Cone of Silence" by a particular Respondent shall render any RFP award,
RFQ award or Proposal award to said Respondent voidable by the Town Council and/or
Town Manager.
1.4 ADDENDA. If the Town finds it necessary to add to or amend this RFP prior to the Proposal
submittal deadline, the Town will issue a written addenda/addendum. Each Respondent
must acknowledge receipt of each addendum by signing the acknowledgement (Form 4)
and providing it with its Proposal.
1.5 CERTIFICATION. By submitting a Proposal to this RFP, the signer of the Proposal declares
that the person(s), firm(s) and parties identified in the Proposal are interested in, and
available, for providing the Services; that the Proposal is made without collusion with any
other person(s), firm(s) or parties; that the Proposal is fair in all respects and is made in
good faith without fraud; and that the signer of the cover letter of the Proposal has full
authority to bind the person(s), firm(s) and parties identified in the Proposal. By submitting
a proposal, the Respondent shall certify that it has fully read and understood this RFP and
the proposal method, and has full knowledge of the scope, nature, and quality of work to be
performed.
1.6 INTERVIEWS. The Town reserves the right to shortlist three (3) Respondents and conduct
personal interviews, or require presentations by any or all Respondents prior to ranking, or
at any time during the evaluation process, or at the Council Meeting where selection and
award is made.
1.7 PROPOSALS BINDING. All Proposals submitted shall be binding upon the Respondent for
three hundred sixty-five (365) calendar days following opening.
1.8 PUBLIC RECORDS. Florida law provides that municipal records should be open for
inspection by any person under Chapter 119, F.S. Public Records law. All information and
materials received by the Town in connection with proposals shall become property of the
Town and shall be deemed to be public records subject to public inspection.
1.9 PROPOSAL DISCLOSURE. Upon opening, proposals become public records and shall be
subject to public disclosure consistent with Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, to the extent
applicable. Respondents are required to identify specifically any information contained in
their Proposal which they consider confidential and/or proprietary and which they believe to
be exempt from disclosure, citing specifically the applicable exempting law. All Proposals
received from Respondents in response to this RFP will become the property of the Town
and will not be returned to the Respondents. In the event of contract award, all
documentation produced as part of the contract will become the exclusive property of the
Town.
1.10 PROPOSAL WITHDRAWAL. Respondents may withdraw their Proposals by notifying the
Town Clerk in writing at any time prior to the scheduled opening. Respondents may
withdraw their Proposals in person or through an authorized representative. Respondents
and authorized representatives must disclose their identity and provide written receipt for
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the returned Proposals. Proposals, once opened, become the property of the Town and will
not be returned to the Respondents.
1.11 RETENTION OF PROPOSAL. The Town reserves the right to retain all Proposals
submitted and use any ideas contained in any Proposal, regardless of whether that
Respondent is selected.
1.12 REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION/CLARIFICATION. The Town, independently or upon
request, may furnish additional information related to this RFP so as to clarify any provision
contained herein and/or to facilitate proposals. The Town has made efforts to provide
accurate and complete information in this RFP. The Town shall not be penalized, in any
way, for the lack of any information deemed necessary by any responding Respondent.
Accuracy of this data is not guaranteed. It is the sole responsibility of Respondents to assure
that they have all information necessary for submission of their proposals. Any and all
questions or requests for information or clarification pertaining to this RFP must be made in
writing via email to Town Clerk, Mauricio Melinu, CMC, Email: mmelinu@cutlerbay-fl.gov
no later than July 2, 2026, at 1:00PM.The Town shall not be responsible for oral
interpretations given by any Town employee or its representative.
1.13 IRREGULARITIES & RESERVATION OF RIGHTS. Proposals will be selected at the sole
discretion of the Town. The Town reserves the right to waive any irregularities in the request
process, to reject any or all proposals, reject a proposal which is in any way incomplete or
irregular, rebid the entire solicitation or enter into agreements with more than one
respondent. Proposal(s) received after the deadline provided in this RFP will not be
considered.
The Town reserves the right to award one or more contract(s) to the Respondent who will
best serve the interests of the Town and whose Proposal(s) are considered by the Town to
be the lowest, most responsive and responsible Respondent whose Proposal meets the
requirements and criteria set forth in this RFP. Notwithstanding, the Town may, at its sole
discretion, reject all Proposals and cancel the solicitation, in which case no award will be
made.
The Town reserves the right to accept or reject any or all Proposals, based upon its
deliberations and opinions. In making such determination, the Town reserves the right to
investigate the financial capability, integrity, experience and quality of performance of each
Respondent, including officers, principals, senior management and supervisors, as well as
the staff identified in the Proposal.
Respondents shall furnish additional information as the Town may require. This includes
information that indicates financial resources as well as the ability to provide the requisite
services. The Town reserves the right to conduct investigations of the qualifications of the
Respondent as it deems appropriate, including but not limited to background investigations
and checking of references.
1.14 LOBBYIST REGISTRATION. Respondents must comply with the Town's lobbyist
regulations. Please contact the Town Clerk's office at 305-234-4262 for additional
information.
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1.15 PROPOSAL/PRESENTATION COSTS. The Town shall not be liable for any costs, fees, or
expenses incurred by any Respondent that submits to this RFP, nor subsequent inquiries
or presentations relating to its Proposal.
1.16 LATE SUBMISSIONS. Statements of Qualifications received by the Town after the time
specified for receipt will not be considered. They will be marked "LATE" and returned
unopened. Statements of Qualifications received after the closing time and date, for any
reason whatsoever, will not be considered. Any disputes regarding timely receipt of
Statements of Qualifications shall be decided in the favor of the Town. Respondents shall
assume full responsibility for timely delivery at the location designated for receipt of
Statements of Qualifications. The Town shall not be responsible for Statements of
Qualifications received after the submittal deadline and encourages early submittal.
1.17 COMPLETENESS. All information required by this RFP must be supplied to constitute an
acceptable and complete proposal.
1.18 PERMITS, TAXES, LICENSES. The Respondent shall, at its own expense, obtain all
necessary permits, pay all licenses, fees and taxes required to comply with all local
ordinances, state and federal laws, rules, regulations and professional standards that would
apply to this contract.
1.19 LAWS, ORDINANCES. The Respondent shall observe and comply with all federal, state,
and local laws, including ordinances, rules, regulations and professional standards that
would apply to the contract.
1.20 TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT; PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT. The selected
Respondent(s) should be prepared to execute an agreement in substantially the form of the
Professional Services Agreement ("PSA") provided in Exhibit "A" to this RFP. The terms of
the agreement may be negotiated upon selection of the Respondent(s). Notwithstanding,
the term of the agreement shall be for a three (3)-year period, with the option to renew for
up to three (3) additional one (1)-year periods.
1.21 Bonds. The selected Respondent must, prior to performing any portion of the Work or
Services and within three (3) days of the Effective Date of the PSA, deliver to the Town the
Bonds required to be provided by Respondent hereunder and the PSA (collectively, the
"Bonds"). The Town, in its sole and exclusive discretion, may also require other bonds or
security, in order to guarantee that the awarded contract with the Town will be fully and
appropriately performed and completed. The surety providing such Bonds must be licensed,
authorized, and admitted to do business in the State of Florida and must be listed in the
Federal Register (Dept. of Treasury, Circular 570). The cost of the premiums for such Bonds
shall be included in the contract price. If notice of any change affecting the scope of
services/work, the contract price, contract time, or any of the provisions of the PSA is
required by the provisions of any bond to be given to a surety, the giving of any such notice
shall be the selected Respondent's sole responsibility, and the amount of each applicable
bond shall be adjusted accordingly. If the surety is declared bankrupt or becomes insolvent
or its right to do business in Florida is terminated or it ceases to meet applicable law or
regulations, the selected Respondent shall, within five (5) days of any such event, substitute
another Bond (or Bonds as applicable) and surety, all of which must be satisfactory to the
Town.
END OF SECTION 1
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SECTION 2
SERVICES NEEDED BY THE TOWN
2.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Town is a political subdivision of the State of Florida located in Miami-Dade County
("County") and was incorporated in November 2005. The Town operates under a Council-
Manager form of government in which the Town elects five (5) Councilmembers, one of
whom is elected as the Mayor and another of whom is elected as the Vice Mayor. Except
for the initial election and terms of office as specified in the Town Charter, Councilmembers
are elected for four (4)-year terms. The Town Council determines the policies that guide the
Town's operations and hires a professional Town Manager to implement and administer
these policies on a full-time basis. The Town provides a full range of municipal services
including police protection, parks and recreation facilities, building and zoning, community
development and planning, code compliance, Stormwater, and public works.
The annual budget serves as the foundation for the Town's financial planning and control.
All departments of the Town are required to submit proposed budgets to the Town Manager,
who then makes any necessary revisions. The Town Manager then presents to the Town
Council, for their review, a budget estimate of the expenditures and revenues of all the
Town's departments and divisions. The Town Manager hosts three (3) Budget Workshops
in addition to the two (2) State mandated Public Hearings are then conducted to inform
taxpayers of the proposed budget, to receive their comments, and respond to their questions
on the proposed budget. The budget is legally enacted prior to October 1st by adoption of a
Resolution with a vote that conforms to State guidelines. The Town's budget is approved by
the Council at the departmental level; therefore, the Town Manager may amend the adopted
budget for adjustments during the year within a department. The Town Council must
approve all other budget adjustments as well as any supplemental appropriations. At the
close of each fiscal year, the unencumbered balance of each appropriation reverts to the
fund from which it was appropriated and is subject to future appropriations. Budgets are
monitored at varying levels of classification detail; however, budgetary control is legally
maintained at the fund level except for the General Fund, which is maintained at the
departmental level. Please refer to the Town's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for
the fiscal year ending 9/30/2024, by clicking here, respectively, for additional information.
INFORMATION USEFUL IN ASSESSING THE TOWN'S ECONOMIC CONDITION
Local Economy
The Town is located in southeast Florida, Miami-Dade County, and is primarily residential
in nature. It comprises approximately ten (10) square miles with approximately 45,545
residents. The western-most area of the Town, located along the South Dixie Highway
(U.S.1) corridor, is commercial in nature with retail, hotels, restaurants and office complexes.
The Town has been successful with providing a high quality of life for its residents by
enhancing the level of service
es being offered. In addition to the increased efforts to enhance services, the Town has also
provided competitive benefits to its employees, as recognition of the fact that, in order to
continue to provide these valuable services, it must retain and reward its tenured employees.
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