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FBO DAILY ISSUE OF OCTOBER 24, 2008 FBO #2524
SOLICITATION NOTICE

R -- 2009 annual organizational audit

Notice Date

10/22/2008
 

Notice Type

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
 

NAICS

541211 — Offices of Certified Public Accountants
 

Contracting Office

Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, 729 N.E. Oregon St, Suite 200, Portland, Oregon, 97232, United States
 

ZIP Code

97232
 

Solicitation Number

09AUDITRFQ
 

Point of Contact

Jon Matthews,, Phone: 5032383560
 

E-Mail Address

matj@critfc.org
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is accepting proposals from CPA firms to provide audit services for our organization. We invite your firm to submit a proposal to us by 5pm on November 26, 2008, for consideration. The CRITFC is seeking Requests For Quotations (RFQ) from audit firms as part of its processes to periodically review services and to ensure expenses are reasonable and aligned with industry standards. The CRITFC is required to have a yearly audit performed in accordance with the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996, as implemented by OMB Circular A-133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-profit Organizations". The copy of the audit is submitted to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse, which has been designated by OMB as the central clearinghouse. The term of the engagement is three years with a yearly renewal option. Work will not commence until 2009. The remainder of this document will be structured as follows: 1. Background of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission; 2. Services to be Performed and Audit Objectives; 3. Key Personnel; 4. Your Response to This Request For Quotation; 5. Relationship With Prior CPA Service Provider; 6. Evaluation of Proposals; 7. Mailing Address & Contact Information Regarding RFQ. 1. Background of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission In 1977, four Columbia River treaty tribes- the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Nez Perce Tribe, and the Yakama Nation, formed the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) to ensure a unified voice in the overall management of the fishery resources, and as managers, to protect reserved treaty rights through the exercise of inherent sovereign powers of the tribes. The organization conducts business through one joint decision-making body- the "Commission", which is made up of the respective tribe's fish and wildlife representatives, and operates on a consensus basis. The tribe's authorities for its actions include reserved treaty rights in the Columbia Basin, statutes, case law, and derivative documents such as The Pacific Salmon Treaty, In-Lieu Sites legislation, etc. Coordination with each tribe's respective fisheries management helps keep CRITFC aligned with tribal programs. CRITFC is the only existing organization which represents these tribes in treaty fishery related matters and has been a cornerstone for many successes in the restoration of salmon and the protection of treaty rights. The organization employs a total of approximately 76 employees, with its headquarters located in Portland, Oregon. It also operates a law enforcement department in Hood River OR (18 employees), and has satellite offices at the Haggerman Laboratory (3 employees), near Boise, ID, and in The Dalles, OR (5 employees). The CRITFC manages approximately 60 grants and contracts, which originate from a variety of sources, including the U.S Department of Interior (Bureau of Indian Affairs) U.S. Department of Energy (Bonneville Power Administration), U.S. Department of Justice (COPS Program), U.S. Department of Commerce (NOAA), to name a few. The organizational expenditures approximated $11.3 million for 2007. In 2008, the CRITFC entered into a 10 year MOA Annex with the Bonneville Power Administration which is projected to add between $7- $9 million per year to the expenditures of the CRITFC. The organization operates on a calendar year, with a requirement to file the audited financial statements with the Federal Audit Clearinghouse as soon as the audited financial statements are available, or at the latest by September 30, of each respective year. The CY2008 audited financial statements will be required to be complete by June 30, 2009 and reviewed with the Commission in July 2009. 2. Service to be Performed and Audit Objective The service to be provided is an audit of the financial statements of the governmental activities, and each major fund, which collectively comprise the basic financial statements of CRITFC as of and for the year ended December 31, 2008. The document will include the following additional information that will be subjected to the auditing procedures applied to the audit of the general purpose financial statements: 1. Management's discussion and analysis. 2. Schedule of expenditures of federal awards (A 1-33 Report). 3. Combining and individual fund financial statements. The objective of the audit is the expression of an opinion as to whether the CRITFC's financial statements are fairly presented, in all material respects, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and to report on the fairness of the additional information referred to above when considered in relation to the financial statements taken as a whole. The objective also includes reporting on: • Internal control related to the financial statements and compliance with laws, regulations, and the provisions of contracts or grant agreements, noncompliance with, which could have a material effect on the financial statements in accordance with Government Auditing Standards. • Internal control related to major programs and an opinion (or disclaimer of opinion) on compliance with laws, regulations, and the provisions of contracts or grant agreements that could have a direct and material effect on each major program in accordance with the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 and OMB Circular A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations. The audit will be conducted in accordance with U.S. generally accepted auditing standards; the standards for financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States; the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996; and the provisions of OMB Circular A-133; and will include tests of accounting records, a determination of major programs in accordance with Circular A-133, and other procedures necessary to enable the expression of an opinion and to render the required reports. At the conclusion of the engagement, the audit firm will complete the appropriate sections of and sign the Data Collection Form that summarizes any audit findings. An original and print-ready master of the reports will be provided to CRITFC at the conclusion of the engagement, and the audit firm will provide information to management as to where the reporting packages should be submitted and the number to submit. The following is a timeline of audit activities to be completed: April 10, 2009: Complete audit field work. May 31, 2009: Draft audited Financial Statements are provided to CRITFC staff for review. June 30, 2009: Issue Final Reports. July 16-17, 2009: Provide review to the Commission. 3. Key Personnel Following are key contacts for information you may seek in preparing your proposal: Mr. Rob Lothrop Interim Executive Director 503.238.0667 Mr. Jon Matthews Finance Director 503.238.3560 Ms. Averil Rodrigues Controller 503.731.1302 Requests for additional information, visits to our site, review of prior financial statements, and/or appointments should be coordinated through Jon Matthews, Finance Director. You can reach him between 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 503.238.3560. 4. Your Response to This Request For Quotation (RFQ) In responding to this request, please provide the following information: 1. Detail your firm's experience in providing auditing and tax services to tribal organizations in the not-for-profit sector, as well as associations of a comparable size to CRITFC. 2. Provide information on whether you provide services to any related industry associations or groups. 3. Discuss the firm's independence with respect to the CRITFC. 4. Discuss commitments you will make to staff continuity, including your staff turnover experience in the last three years. 5. Identify the five largest clients your firm (or office) has lost in the past three years and the reasons. Also discuss, in instances where loss of the client was due to an unresolved auditing or accounting matter, the process of attempting to resolve the issue(s). 6. Identify the partner, manager, and in-charge accountant who will be assigned to our job if you are successful in your bid, and provide biographies. Indicate any complaints against them that have been leveled by the state board of accountancy or other regulatory authority, if any. Indicate any corrective actions that have been taken by the firm with respect to these people. 7. Describe how your firm will approach the audit of the organization, including the use of any association or affiliate member firm personnel and the areas that will receive primary emphasis. Also discuss the firm's use of technology in the audit. And finally, discuss the communication process used by the firm to discuss issues with the management and audit committees of the board. 8. Set forth your fee proposal for the "services to be performed" for the 2008 audit, with whatever guarantees can be given regarding increases in future years. 9. Furnish standard billing rates for classes of professional personnel for each of the last three years. 10. Provide the names and contact information for other, similarly sized clients of the partner and manager that will be assigned to our organization for reference purposes. 11. Describe how and why your firm is different from other firms being considered, and why our selection of your firm as our independent accountants is the best decision we could make. 12. Include a copy of your firm's most recent peer review report, the related letter of comments, and the firm's response to the letter of comments. 5. Relationship With Prior CPA Service Provider These audit services have been provided by Isler CPA, Eugene, OR (Contact: Julie Arendt, CPA; Phone: 541.342.5161). In preparing your proposal, be advised that management will give permission to contact the prior auditors. 6. Evaluation of Request For Quotations The CRITFC will evaluate proposals on a qualitative basis. This includes our review of the firm's peer review report and related materials, interviews with senior engagement personnel to be assigned to our organization, results of discussions with other clients, and the firm's completeness and timeliness in its response to us. The CRITFC will award the contract no later than January 16, 2009. The CRITFC reserves the right to consider Indian Preference in the selection process. 7. Mailing Address & Contact Information Regarding RFQ If you have any questions regarding this RFQ, please forward to Jon Matthews at 503-238-3560. Forward five (5) copies of your proposal to: Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Attention: CPA RFQ Submittal Jon Matthews, Finance Director 729 N.E Oregon St., Suite 200 Portland, OR 97232 The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission looks forward to your submittal. As previously mentioned, if you choose to respond to this request, please do so by the close of business (5pm) on Novermber 26, 2008. Thanks for your consideration.
 

Web Link

FedBizOpps Complete View
(https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=bf927a62cc0acaa4e4447bb099497a6c&tab=core&_cview=1)
 

Place of Performance

Address: Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, 729 NE Oregon St., Ste 200, Portland, Oregon, 97232, United States

Zip Code: 97232
 

Record

SN01694711-W 20081024/081022214341-bf927a62cc0acaa4e4447bb099497a6c (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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