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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRFP�� of City of Miami * INCORPOSATEO * Request for Proposals \� 16 9 6 q�' (RFP) \° 911- 0 RFP Number: Title: Issue Date/Time: RFP Closing Date/Time: Pre -Bid Conference: Pre -Bid Date/Time: Pre -Bid Location: Deadline for Request for Clarification: Buyer: Hard Copy Submittal Location: Buyer E -Mail Address: Buyer Facsimile: Purchasing Department Glenn Marcos, CPPD, CPPB, Director/Chief Procurement Officer Miami Riverside Center 444 SW 2nd Avenue, 6th Floor Miami, Florida 33130 Web Site Address: http://miamigov.com/procurement 209202,1 Request for Proposals for External Auditing Services 04 -JUN -2010 06/11/2010 @ 10:00:00 None Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 at 10:00 AM Velez, Pablo City of Miami City Clerk 3500 Pan American Drive Miami FL 33133 US pvelez@miamigov.com (305)416-1925 Page 1 of 38 Certification Statement Please quote on this form, if applicable, net prices for the item(s) listed. Return signed original and retain a copy for your files. Prices should include all costs, including transportation to destination. The City reserves the right to accept or reject all or any part of this submission. Prices should be firm for a minimum of 180 days following the time set for closing of the submissions. In the event of errors in extension of totals, the unit prices shall govern in determining the quoted prices. We (I) certify that we have read your solicitation, completed the necessary documents, and propose to furnish and deliver, F.O.B. DESTINATION, the items or services specified herein. The undersigned hereby certifies that neither the contractual party nor any of its principal owners or personnel have been convicted of any of the violations, or debarred or suspended as set in section 18-107 or Ordinance No. 12271. All exceptions to this submission have been documented in the section below (refer to paragraph and section). EXCEPTIONS: We (I) certify that any and all information contained in this submission is true; and we (I) further certify that this submission is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm, or person submitting a submission for the same materials, supplies, equipment, or service, and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud. We (I) agree to abide by all terms and conditions of this solicitation and certify that I am authorized to sign this submission for the submitter. Please print the following and sign your name: SUPPLIER NAME: ADDRESS: PHONE: "A EMAIL: BEEPER: SIGNED BY: TITLE: DATE: FAILURE TO COMPLETE, SIGN. AND RETURN THIS FORM SHALL DISQUALIFY THIS BID. Page 2 of 38 Certifications Legal Name of Firm: Entity Type: Partnership, Sole Proprietorship, Corporation, etc. Year Established: Office Location: City of Miami, Miami -Dade County, or Other Occupational License Number: Occupational License Issuing Agency: Occupational License Expiration Date: Respondent certifies that (s) he has read and understood the provisions of City of Miami Ordinance No. 10032 (Section 18-105 of the City Code) pertaining to the implementation of a "First Source Hiring Agreement.": (Yes or No) Do you expect to create new positions in your company in the event your company was awarded a Contract by the City? (Yes or No) In the event your answer to question above is yes, how many new positions would you create to perform this work? Please list the title, rate of pay, summary of duties, number of positions, and expected length or duration of all new positions which might be created as a result of this award of a Contract. Will Subcontractor(s) be used? (Yes or No) Page 3 of 38 Service Total Contract Amount( which includes base term and renewal options): Is this service contract a citywide contract? (Yes or No) If the above answer is no, please indicate the name of the city (end user) department that your contract will serve: Provide brief description of the project or service to be provided Page 4 of 38 Line: 1 Description: Provision of external auditing services per the Specifications/Scope of Work section herein. Category: 94620-10 Unit of Measure: Dollar Unit Price: $ Number of Units: 1 Total: $ Page 5 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 Table of Contents Termsand Conditions........................................................................................................................................7 1. General Conditions..............................................................................................................................7 1.1. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS...............................................................................7 2. Special Conditions............................................................................................................................24 2.1. PURPOSE...............................................................................................................................24 2.2. DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/CLARIFICATION...........................................................................................24 2.3. TERM OF CONTRACT........................................................................................................24 2.4. CONDITIONS FOR RENEWAL..........................................................................................24 2.5. NON -APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS..................................................................................24 2.6. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.............................................................24 2.7. CONTRACT EXECUTION...................................................................................................25 2.8. FAILURE TO PERFORM.....................................................................................................25 2.9. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS..........................................................................................25 2.10. PRE-BID/PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE.....................................................................26 2.11. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR.......................................................................................26 2.12. SUBCONTRACTOR(S) OR SUBCONSULTANT(S)........................................................27 2.13. COMPLETE PROJECT REQUIRED..................................................................................27 2.14. TERMINATION..................................................................................................................27 2.15. ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS....................................................................27 2.16. CHANGES/ALTERATIONS...............................................................................................28 2.17. COMPENSATION PROPOSAL.........................................................................................28 2.18. EVALUATION/SELECTION PROCESS AND CONTRACT AWARD ...........................28 2.19. ADDITIONAL SERVICES.................................................................................................29 2.20. HOURLY RATE..................................................................................................................29 2.21. RECORDS............................................................................................................................29 2.22. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONTRACT............................................................................29 2.23. TRUTH IN NEGOTIATION CERTIFICATE.....................................................................29 3. Specifications....................................................................................................................................30 3.1. SPECIFICATIONS/SCOPE OF WORK................................................................................30 4. Submission Requirements.................................................................................................................35 4.1. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS........................................................................................35 5. Evaluation Criteria............................................................................................................................38 5.1. EVALUATION CRITERIA...................................................................................................38 Page 6 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 Terms and Conditions 1. General Conditions 1.1. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS Intent: The General Terms and Conditions described herein apply to the acquisition of goods/equipment/services with an estimated aggregate cost of $25,000.00 or more. Definition: A formal solicitation is defined as issuance of an Invitation for Bids, Request for Proposals, Request for Qualifications, or Request for Letters of Interest pursuant to the City of Miami Procurement Code and/or Florida Law, as amended. Formal Solicitation and Solicitation shall be defined in the same manner herein. 1.1. ACCEPTANCE OF GOODS OR EQUIPMENT - Any good(s) or equipment delivered under this formal solicitation, if applicable, shall remain the property of the seller until a physical inspection and actual usage of the good is made, and thereafter is accepted as satisfactory to the City. It must comply with the terms herein and be fully in accordance with specifications and of the highest quality. In the event the goods/equipment supplied to the City are found to be defective or does not conform to specifications, the City reserves the right to cancel the order upon written notice to the Contractor and return the product to the Contractor at the Contractor's expense. 1.2. ACCEPTANCE OF OFFER - The signed or electronic submission of your solicitation response shall be considered an offer on the part of the bidder/proposer; such offer shall be deemed accepted upon issuance by the City of a purchase order. 1.3. ACCEPTANCE/REJECTION — The City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all responses or parts of after opening/closing date and request re -issuance on the goods/services described in the formal solicitation. In the event of such rejection, the Director of Purchasing shall notify all affected bidders/proposers and make available a written explanation for the rejection. The City also reserves the right to reject the response of any bidder/proposer who has previously failed to properly perform under the terms and conditions of a contract, to deliver on time contracts of a similar nature, and who is not in a position to perform the requirements defined in this formal solicitation. The City further reserves the right to waive any irregularities or minor informalities or technicalities in any or all responses and may, at its discretion, re -issue this formal solicitation. 1.4. ADDENDA — It is the bidder's/proposer's responsibility to ensure receipt of all Addenda. Addenda are available at the City's website at: http://www.ci.miami.fl.us/procurement 1.5. ALTERNATE RESPONSES MAY BE CONSIDERED - The City may consider one (1) alternate response from the same Bidder/Proposer for the same formal solicitation; provided, that the alternate response offers a different product that meets or exceeds the formal solicitation requirements. In order for the City to consider an alternate response, the Bidder/Proposer shall complete a separate Price Sheet form and shall mark "Alternate Response". Alternate response shall be placed in the same response. This provision only applies to formal solicitations for the procurement of goods, services, items, equipment, materials, and/or supplies. 1.6. ASSIGNMENT - Contractor agrees not to subcontract, assign, transfer, convey, sublet, or otherwise dispose of the resulting Contract, or any or all of its right, title or interest herein, without City of Miami's prior written consent. 1.7. ATTORNEY'S FEES - In connection with any litigation, mediation and arbitration arising out of this Contract, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover its costs and reasonable attorney's fees through and including appellate litigation and any post judgment proceedings. 1.8. AUDIT RIGHTS AND RECORDS RETENTION - The Successful Bidder/Proposer agrees to provide access at all reasonable times to the City, or to any of its duly authorized representatives, to any books, documents, papers, and records of Contractor which are directly pertinent to this formal solicitation, for the purpose of audit, examination, excerpts, and transcriptions. The Successful Bidder/Proposer shall maintain and retain any and all of the books, documents, papers and records pertinent to the Contract for Page 7 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 three (3) years after the City makes final payment and all other pending matters are closed. Contractor's failure to or refusal to comply with this condition shall result in the immediate cancellation of this contract by the City. 1.9. AVAILABILITY OF CONTRACT STATE-WIDE - Any Governmental, not-for-profit or quasi -governmental entity in the State of Florida, may avail itself of this contract and purchase any and all goods/services, specified herein from the successful bidder(s)/proposer(s) at the contract price(s) established herein, when permissible by federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations. Each Governmental, not-for-profit or quasi -governmental entity which uses this formal solicitation and resulting bid contract or agreement will establish its own contract/agreement, place its own orders, issue its own purchase orders, be invoiced there from and make its own payments, determine shipping terms and issue its own exemption certificates as required by the successful bidder(s)/proposer(s). 1.10. AWARD OF CONTRACT: A. The Formal Solicitation, Bidder's/Proposer's response, any addenda issued, and the purchase order shall constitute the entire contract, unless modified in accordance with any ensuing contract/agreement, amendment or addenda. B. The award of a contract where there are Tie Bids will be decided by the Director of Purchasing or designee in the instance that Tie Bids can't be determined by applying Florida Statute 287.087, Preference to Businesses with Drug -Free Workplace Programs. C. The award of this contract may be preconditioned on the subsequent submission of other documents as specified in the Special Conditions or Technical Specifications. Bidder/Proposer shall be in default of its contractual obligation if such documents are not submitted in a timely manner and in the form required by the City. Where Bidder/Proposer is in default of these contractual requirements, the City, through action taken by the Purchasing Department, will void its acceptance of the Bidder's/Proposer's Response and may accept the Response from the next lowest responsive, responsible Bidder or Proposal most advantageous to the City or re -solicit the City's requirements. The City, at its sole discretion, may seek monetary restitution from Bidder/Proposer and its bid/proposal bond or guaranty, if applicable, as a result of damages or increased costs sustained as a result of the Bidder's/Proposer's default. D. The term of the contract shall be specified in one of three documents which shall be issued to the successful Bidder/Proposer. These documents may either be a purchase order, notice of award and/or contract award sheet. E. The City reserves the right to automatically extend this contract for up to one hundred twenty (120) calendar days beyond the stated contract term in order to provide City departments with continual service and supplies while a new contract is being solicited, evaluated, and/or awarded. If the right is exercised, the City shall notify the Bidder/Proposer, in writing, of its intent to extend the contract at the same price, terms and conditions for a specific number of days. Additional extensions over the first one hundred twenty (120) day extension may occur, if, the City and the Successful Bidder/Proposer are in mutual agreement of such extensions. F. Where the contract involves a single shipment of goods to the City, the contract term shall conclude upon completion of the expressed or implied warranty periods. G. The City reserves the right to award the contract on a split -order, lump sum or individual -item basis, or such combination as shall best serve the interests of the City unless otherwise specified. H. A Contract/Agreement may be awarded to the Bidder/Proposer by the City Commission based upon the minimum qualification requirements reflected herein. As a result of a RFP, RFQ, or RFLI, the City reserves the right to execute or not execute, as applicable, an Agreement with the Proposer, whichever is determined to be in the City's best interests. Such agreement will be furnished by the City, will contain certain terms as are in the City's best interests, and will be subject to approval as to legal form by the City Attorney. 1.11. BID BOND/ BID SECURITY - A cashier's or certified check, or a Bid Bond signed by a recognized surety company that is licensed to do business in the State of Florida, payable to the City of Miami, for the amount bid is required from all bidders/proposers, if so indicated under the Special Conditions. This check or bond guarantees that a bidder/proposer will accept the order or contract/agreement, as bid/proposed, if it is awarded to bidder/proposer. Bidder/Proposer shall forfeit bid deposit to the City should City award Page 8 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 contract/agreement to Bidder/Proposer and Bidder/Proposer fails to accept the award. The City reserves the right to reject any and all surety tendered to the City. Bid deposits are returned to unsuccessful bidders/proposers within ten (10) days after the award and successful bidder's/proposer's acceptance of award. If sixty (60) days have passed after the date of the formal solicitation closing date, and no contract has been awarded, all bid deposits will be returned on demand. 1.12. RESPONSE FORM (HARDCOPY FORMAT) - All forms should be completed, signed and submitted accordingly. 1.13. BID SECURITY FORFEITED LIQUIDATED DAMAGES - Failure to execute an Agreement and/or file an acceptable Performance Bond, when required, as provided herein, shall be just cause for the annulment of the award and the forfeiture of the Bid Security to the City, which forfeiture shall be considered, not as a penalty, but in mitigation of damages sustained. Award may then be made to the next lowest responsive, responsible Bidder or Proposal most advantageous to the City or all responses may be rejected. 1.14. BRAND NAMES - If and wherever in the specifications brand names, snakes, models, names of any manufacturers, trade names, or bidder/proposer catalog numbers are specified, it is for the purpose of establishing the type, function, minimum standard of design, efficiency, grade or quality of goods only. When the City does not wish to rule out other competitors' brands or makes, the phrase "OR EQUAL" is added. When bidding/proposing an approved equal, Bidders/Proposers will submit, with their response, complete sets of necessary data (factory information sheets, specifications, brochures, etc.) in order for the City to evaluate and determine the equality of the item(s) bid/proposed. The City shall be the sole judge of equality and its decision shall be final. Unless otherwise specified, evidence in the form of samples may be requested if the proposed brand is other than specified by the City. Such samples are to be furnished after formal solicitation opening/closing only upon request of the City. If samples should be requested, such samples must be received by the City no later than seven (7) calendar days after a formal request is made. 1.15. CANCELLATION - The City reserves the right to cancel all fonnal solicitations before its opening/closing. In the event of bid/proposal cancellation, the Director of Purchasing shall notify all prospective bidders/proposers and make available a written explanation for the cancellation. 1.16. CAPITAL EXPENDITURES - Contractor understands that any capital expenditures that the firm makes, or prepares to make, in order to deliver/perform the goods/services required by the City, is a business risk which the contractor must assume. The City will not be obligated to reimburse amortized or unamortized capital expenditures, or to maintain the approved status of any contractor. If contractor has been unable to recoup its capital expenditures during the time it is rendering such goods/services, it shall not have any claim upon the City. 1.17. CITY NOT LIABLE FOR DELAYS - It is further expressly agreed that in no event shall the City be liable for, or responsible to, the Bidder/Proposer/Consultant, any sub-contractor/sub-consultant, or to any other person for, or on account of, any stoppages or delay in the work herein provided for by injunction or other legal or equitable proceedings or on account of any delay for any cause over which the City has no control. 1.18. COLLUSION—Bidder/Proposer, by submitting a response, certifies that its response is made without previous understanding, agreement or connection either with any person, firm or corporation submitting a response for the same items/services or with the City of Miami's Purchasing Department or initiating department. The Bidder/Proposer certifies that its response is fair, without control, collusion, fraud or other illegal action. Bidder/Proposer certifies that it is in compliance with the Conflict of Interest and Code of Ethics Laws. The City will investigate all potential situations where collusion may have occurred and the City reserves the right to reject any and all bids/responses where collusion may have occurred. 1.19. COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL LAWS - Contractor understands that contracts between private entities and local governments are subject to certain laws and regulations, including laws pertaining to public records, conflict of interest, records keeping, etc. City and Contractor agree to comply with and observe all applicable laws, codes and ordinances as that may in any way affect the goods or equipment offered, including but not limited to: A. Executive Order 11246, which prohibits discrimination against any employee, applicant, or client because of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, or age with regard to, but not limited to, the following: employment practices, rate of pay or other compensation methods, and training selection. Page 9 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 B. Occupational, Safety and Health Act (OSHA), as applicable to this Formal Solicitation. C. The State of Florida Statutes, Section 287.133(3)(A) on Public Entity Crimes. D. Environment Protection Agency (EPA), as applicable to this Formal Solicitation. E. Uniform Commercial Code (Florida Statutes, Chapter 672). F. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended. G. National Institute of Occupational Safety Hazards (NIOSH), as applicable to this Formal Solicitation. H. National Forest Products Association (NFPA), as applicable to this Formal Solicitation. I. City Procurement Ordinance City Code Section 18, Article III. J. Conflict of Interest, City Code Section 2-611;61. K. Cone of Silence, City Code Section 18-74. L. The Florida Statutes Sections 218.73 and 218.74 on Prompt Payment. M. First Source Hiring Agreement, City Ordinance No. 10032, as applicable to this Formal Solicitation. Implemented to foster the creation of new and permanent jobs for City of Miami residents; requires as a condition precedent to the execution of service contracts including professional services. Lack of knowledge by the bidder/proposer will in no way be a cause for relief from responsibility. Non-compliance with all local, state, and federal directives, orders, and laws may be considered grounds for termination of contract(s). Copies of the City Ordinances may be obtained from the City Clerk's Office. 1.20. CONE OF SILENCE - Pursuant to Section 18-74 of the City of Miami Code, a "Cone of Silence" is imposed upon each RFP, RFQ, RFLI, or IFB after advertisement and terminates at the time the City Manager issues a written recommendation to the Miami City Commission. The Cone of Silence shall be applicable only to Contracts for the provision of goods and services and public works or improvements for amounts greater than $200,000. The Cone of Silence prohibits any communication regarding RFPs, RFQs, RFLI or IFBs (bids) between, among others: Potential vendors, service providers, bidders, lobbyists or consultants and the City's professional staff including, but not limited to, the City Manager and the City Manager's staff; the Mayor, City Commissioners, or their respective staffs and any member of the respective selection/evaluation committee. The provision does not apply to, among other communications: oral communications with the City purchasing staff, provided the communication is limited strictly to matters of process or procedure already contained in the formal solicitation document; the provisions of the Cone of Silence do not apply to oral communications at duly noticed site visits/inspections, pre -proposal or pre-bid conferences, oral presentations before selection/evaluation committees, contract negotiations during any duly noticed public meeting, or public presentations made to the Miami City Commission during a duly noticed public meeting; or communications in writing or by email at any time with any City employee, official or member of the City Commission unless specifically prohibited by the applicable RFP, RFQ, RFLI or IFB (bid) documents (See Section 2.2. of the Special Conditions); or communications in connection with the collection of industry comments or the perfonnance of market research regarding a particular RFP, RFQ, RFLI OR IFB by City Purchasing staff. Proposers or bidders must file a copy of any written communications with the Office of the City Clerk, which shall be made available to any person upon request. The City shall respond in writing and file a copy with the Office of the City Clerk, which shall be made available to any person upon request. Written communications may be in the form of e-mail, with a copy to the Office of the City Clerk. In addition to any other penalties provided by law, violation of the Cone of Silence by any proposer or bidder shall render any award voidable. A violation by a particular Bidder, Proposer, Offeror, Respondent, lobbyist or consultant shall subject same to potential penalties pursuant to the City Code. Any person having personal knowledge of a violation of these provisions shall report such violation to the State Attorney and/or may file a complaint with the Ethics Commission. Proposers or bidders should reference Section 18-74 of the City of Miami Code for further clarification. Page 10 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 This language is only a summary of the key provisions of the Cone of Silence. Please review City of Miami Code Section 18-74 for a complete and thorough description of the Cone of Silence. You may contact the City Clerk at 305-250-5360, to obtain a copy of same. 1.21. CONFIDENTIALITY - As a political subdivision, the City of Miami is subject to the Florida Sunshine Act and Public Records Law. If this Contract/Agreement contains a confidentiality provision, it shall have no application when disclosure is required by Florida law or upon court order. 1.22. CONFLICT OF INTEREST — Bidders/Proposers, by responding to this Formal Solicitation, certify that to the best of their knowledge or belief, no elected/appointed official or employee of the City of Miami is financially interested, directly or indirectly, in the purchase of goods/services specified in this Formal Solicitation. Any such interests on the part of the Bidder/Proposer or its employees must be disclosed in writing to the City. Further, you must disclose the name of any City employee who owns, directly or indirectly, an interest of five percent (5%) or more of the total assets of capital stock in your firm. 1.23. COPYRIGHT OR PATENT RIGHTS — Bidders/Proposers warrant that there has been no violation of copyright or patent rights in manufacturing, producing, or selling the goods shipped or ordered and/or services provided as a result of this formal solicitation, and bidders/proposers agree to hold the City harmless from any and all liability, loss, or expense occasioned by any such violation. 1.24. COST INCURRED BY BIDDER/PROPOSER - All expenses involved with the preparation and submission of Responses to the City, or any work performed in connection therewith shall be borne by the Bidder(s)/Proposer(s). 1.25. DEBARMENT AND SUSPENSIONS (Sec 18-107) (a) Authority and requirement to debar and suspend. After reasonable notice to an actual or prospective Contractual Parry, and after reasonable opportunity for such party to be heard, the City Manager, after consultation with the Chief Procurement Officer and the city attorney, shall have the authority to debar a Contractual Party, for the causes listed below, from consideration for award of city Contracts. The debarment shall be for a period of not fewer than three years. The City Manager shall also have the authority to suspend a Contractual Party from consideration for award of city Contracts if there is probable cause for debarment, pending the debarment determination. The authority to debar and suspend contractors shall be exercised in accordance with regulations which shall be issued by the Chief Procurement Officer after approval by the City Manager, the city attorney, and the City Commission. (b) Causes for debarment or suspension. Causes for debarment or suspension include the following: (1) Conviction for commission of a criminal offense incident to obtaining or attempting to obtain a public or private Contract or subcontract, or incident to the performance of such Contract or subcontract. (2) Conviction under state or federal statutes of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, receiving stolen property, or any other offense indicating a lack of business integrity or business honesty. (3) Conviction under state or federal antitrust statutes arising out of the submission of Bids or Proposals. (4) Violation of Contract provisions, which is regarded by the Chief Procurement Officer to be indicative of nonresponsibility. Such violation may include failure without good cause to perform in accordance with the terms and conditions of a Contract or to perform within the time limits provided in a Contract, provided that failure to perform caused by acts beyond the control of a party shall not be considered a basis for debarment or suspension. (5) Debarment or suspension of the Contractual Party by any federal, state or other governmental entity. (6) False certification pursuant to paragraph (c) below. (7) Found in violation of a zoning ordinance or any other city ordinance or regulation and for which the violation remains noncompliant. (8) Found in violation of a zoning ordinance or any other city ordinance or regulation and for which a civil penalty or fine is due and owing to the city. Page 11 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 (9) Any other cause judged by the City Manager to be so serious and compelling as to affect the responsibility of the Contractual Party performing city Contracts. (c) Certification. All Contracts for goods and services, sales, and leases by the city shall contain a certification that neither the Contractual Parry nor any of its principal owners or personnel have been convicted of any of the violations set forth above or debarred or suspended as set forth in paragraph (b)(5). (d) Debarment and suspension decisions. Subject to the provisions of paragraph (a), the City Manager shall render a written decision stating the reasons for the debarment or suspension. A copy of the decision shall be provided promptly to the Contractual Party, along with a notice of said party's right to seek judicial relief. 1.26. DEBARRED/SUSPENDED VENDORS —An entity or affiliate who has been placed on the State of Florida debarred or suspended vendor list may not submit a response on a contract to provide goods or services to a public entity, may not submit a response on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work, may not submit response on leases of real property to a public entity, may not award or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under contract with any public entity, and may not transact business with any public entity. 1.27. DEFAULT/FAILURE TO PERFORM - The City shall be the sole judge of nonperformance, which shall include any failure on the part of the successful Bidder/Proposer to accept the award, to furnish required documents, and/or to fulfill any portion of this contract within the time stipulated. Upon default by the successful Bidder/Proposer to meet any terms of this agreement, the City will notify the Bidder/Proposer of the default and will provide the contractor three (3) days (weekends and holidays excluded) to remedy the default. Failure on the contractor's part to correct the default within the required three (3) days shall result in the Contract being terminated and upon the City notifying in writing the contractor of its intentions and the effective date of the termination. The following shall constitute default: A. Failure to perform the work or deliver the goods/services required under the Contract and/or within the time required or failing to use the subcontractors, entities and personnel as identified and set forth, and to the degree specified in the Contract. B. Failure to begin the work under this Contract within the time specified. C. Failure to perform the work with sufficient workers and equipment or with sufficient materials to ensure timely completion. D. Neglecting or refusing to remove materials or perform new work where prior work has been rejected as nonconforming with the terms of the Contract. E. Becoming insolvent, being declared bankrupt, or committing any act of bankruptcy or insolvency, or making an assignment for the benefit of creditors, if the insolvency, bankruptcy, or assignment renders the successful Bidder/Proposer incapable of performing the work in accordance with and as required by the Contract. F. Failure to comply with any of the terms of the Contract in any material respect. All costs and charges incurred by the City as a result of a default or a default incurred beyond the time limits stated, together with the cost of completing the work, shall be deducted from any monies due or which may become due on this Contract. 1.28. DETERMINATION OF RESPONSIVENESS - Each Response will be reviewed to determine if it is responsive to the submission requirements outlined in the Formal Solicitation. A "responsive" response is one which follows the requirements of the formal solicitation, includes all documentation, is submitted in the format outlined in the formai solicitation, is of timely submission, and has appropriate signatures as required on each document. Failure to comply with these requirements may deem a Response non-responsive. 1.29. DISCOUNTS OFFERED DURING TERM OF CONTRACT - Discount Prices offered in the response shall be fixed after the award by the Commission, unless otherwise specified in the Special Terms and Conditions. Price discounts off the original prices quoted in the response will be accepted from successful Bidder(s)/Proposer(s) during the term of the contract. Such discounts shall remain in effect for a minimum of 120 days from approval by the City Commission Any discounts offered by a manufacturer to Bidder/Proposer will be passed on to the City. Page 12 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 1.30. DISCREPANCIES, ERRORS, AND OMISSIONS - Any discrepancies, errors, or ambiguities in the Formal Solicitation or addenda (if any) should be reported in writing to the City's Purchasing Department. Should it be found necessary, a written addendum will be incorporated in the Formal Solicitation and will become part of the purchase agreement (contract documents). The City will not be responsible for any oral instructions, clarifications, or other communications. A. Order of Precedence — Any inconsistency in this formal solicitation shall be resolved by giving precedence to the following documents, the first of such list being the governing documents. 1) Addenda (as applicable) 2) Specifications 3) Special Conditions 4) General Terms and Conditions 1.31. EMERGENCY / DISASTER PERFORMANCE - In the event of a hurricane or other emergency or disaster situation, the successful vendor shall provide the City with the commodities/services defined within the scope of this formal solicitation at the price contained within vendor's response. Further, successful vendor shall deliver/perform for the city on a priority basis during such times of emergency. 1.32. ENTIRE BID CONTRACT OR AGREEMENT - The Bid Contract or Agreement consists of this City of Miami Formal Solicitation and specifically this General Conditions Section, Contractor's Response and any written agreement entered into by the City of Miami and Contractor in cases involving RFPs, RFQs, and RFLIs, and represents the entire understanding and agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all other negotiations, understanding and representations, if any, made by and between the parties. To the extent that the agreement conflicts with, modifies, alters or changes any of the terms and conditions contained in the Formal Solicitation and/or Response, the Formal Solicitation and then the Response shall control. This Contract may be modified only by a written agreement signed by the City of Miami and Contractor. 1.33. ESTIMATED QUANTITIES —Estimated quantities or estimated dollars are provided for your guidance only. No guarantee is expressed or implied as to quantities that will be purchased during the contract period. The City is not obligated to place an order for any given amount subsequent to the award of this contract. Said estimates may be used by the City for purposes of determining the low bidder or most advantageous proposer meeting specifications. The City reserves the right to acquire additional quantities at the prices bid/proposed or at lower prices in this Formal Solicitation. 1.34. EVALUATION OF RESPONSES A.Rejection of Responses The City may reject a Response for any of the following reasons: 1) Bidder/Proposer fails to acknowledge receipt of addenda; 2) Bidder/Proposer mistates or conceals any material fact in the Response ; 3) Response does not conform to the requirements of the Formal Solicitation; 4) Response requires a conditional award that conflicts with the method of award,- 5) ward;5) Response does not include required samples, certificates, licenses as required; and, 6) Response was not executed by the Bidder's/Proposer(s) authorized agent. The foregoing,is not an all inclusive list of reasons for which a Response may be rejected. The City may reject and re -advertise for all or any part of the Formal Solicitation whenever it is deemed in the best interest of the City. B. Elimination From Consideration 1) A contract shall not be awarded to any person or firm which is in arrears to the City upon any debt or contract, or which is a defaulter as surety or otherwise upon any obligation to the City. 2) A contract may not be awarded to any person or firm which has failed to perform under the terms and conditions of any previous contract with the City or deliver on time contracts of a similar nature. 3) A contract may not be awarded to any person or firm which has been debarred by the City in accordance with the City's Debarment and Suspension Ordinance. Page 13 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 C. Determination of Responsibility 1) Responses will only be considered from entities who are regularly engaged in the business of providing the goods/equipment/services required by the Formal Solicitation. Bidder/Proposer must be able to demonstrate a satisfactory record of performance and integrity; and, have sufficient financial, material, equipment, facility, personnel resources, and expertise to meet all contractual requirements. The terms "equipment and organization" as used herein shall be construed to mean a fully equipped and well established entity in line with the best industry practices in the industry as determined by the City. 2) The City may consider any evidence available regarding the financial, technical and other qualifications and abilities of a Bidder/Proposer, including past performance (experience) with the City or any other governmental entity in making the award. 3) The City may require the Bidder(s)/Proposer(s) to show proof that they have been designated as an authorized representative of a manufacturer or supplier which is the actual source of supply, if required by the Formal Solicitation. 1.35. EXCEPTIONS TO GENERAL AND/OR SPECIAL CONDITIONS OR SPECIFICATIONS - Exceptions to the specifications shall be listed on the Response and shall reference the section. Any exceptions to the General or Special Conditions shall be cause for the bid (IFB) to be considered non-responsive. It also may be cause for a RFP, RFQ, or RFLI to be considered non-responsive; and, if exceptions are taken to the terms and conditions of the resulting agreement it may lead to terminating negotiations. 1.36. F.O.B. DESTINATION - Unless otherwise specified in the Formal Solicitation, all prices quoted/proposed by the bidder/proposer must be F.O.B. DESTINATION, inside delivery, with all delivery costs and charges included in the bid/proposal price, unless otherwise specified in this Formal Solicitation. Failure to do so may be cause for rejection of bid/proposal. 1.37. FIRM PRICES - The bidder/proposer warrants that prices, terms, and conditions quoted in its response will be firm throughout the duration of the contract unless otherwise specified in the Formal Solicitation. Such prices will remain firm for the period of performance or resulting purchase orders or contracts, which are to be performed or supplied over a period of time. 1.38. FIRST -SOURCE HIRING AGREEMENT (Sec. 18-105) (a) The Commission approves implementation of the first -source hiring agreement policy and requires as a condition precedent to the execution of service contracts for facilities, services, and/or receipt of grants and loans, for projects of a nature that create new jobs, the successful negotiation of first -source hiring agreements between the organization or individual receiving said contract and the authorized representative unless such an agreement is found infeasible by the city manager and such finding approved by the City Commission at a public hearing. (b) For the purpose of this section, the following terms, phrases, words and their derivations shall have the following meanings: Authorized representative means the Private Industry Council of South Florida/South Florida Employment and Training Consortium, or its successor as local recipient of federal and state training and employment funds. Facilities means all publicly financed projects, including but without limitation, unified development projects, municipal public works, and municipal improvements to the extent they are financed through public money services or the use of publicly owned property. Grants and loans means, without limitation, urban development action grants (UDAG), economic development agency construction loans, loans from Miami Capital Development, Incorporated, and all federal and state grants administered by the city. Service contracts means contracts for the procurement of services by the city which include professional services. Services includes, without limitation, public works improvements, facilities, professional services, commodities, supplies, materials and equipment. (c) The authorized representative shall negotiate each first -source hiring agreement. (d) The primary beneficiaries of the first -source hiring agreement shall be participants of the city Page 14 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 training and employment programs, and other residents of the city. 1.39. FLORIDA MINIMUM WAGE - The Constitution of the State of Florida, Article X, Section 24, states that employers shall pay employee wages no less than the minimum wage for all hours worked in Florida. Accordingly, it is the contractor's and its' subcontractor(s) responsibility to understand and comply with this Florida constitutional minimum wage requirement and pay its employees the current established hourly minimum wage rate, which is subject to change or adjusted by the rate of inflation using the consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers, CPI -W, or a successor index as calculated by the United States Department of Labor. Each adjusted minimum wage rate calculated shall be determined and published by the Agency Workforce Innovation on September 30th of each year and take effect on the following January 1 st. At the time of responding, it is bidder/proposer and his/her subcontractor(s), if applicable, full responsibility to determine whether any of its employees may be impacted by this Florida Law at any given point in time during the term of the contract. If impacted, bidder/proposer must famish employee name(s), job title(s), job description(s), and current pay rate(s). Failure to submit this information at the time of submitting a response constitute successful bidder's/proposer's acknowledgement and understanding that the Florida Minimum Wage Law will not impact its prices throughout the term of contract and waiver of any contractual price increase request(s). The City reserves the right to request and successful bidder/proposer must provide for any and all information to make a wage and contractual price increase(s) determination. 1.40. GOVERNING LAW AND VENUE - The validity and effect of this Contract shall be governed by the laws of the State of Florida. The parties agree that any action, mediation or arbitration arising out of this Contract shall take place in Miami -Dade County, Florida. 1.41. HEADINGS AND TERMS - The headings to the various paragraphs of this Contract have been inserted for convenient reference only and shall not in any manner be construed as modifying, amending or affecting in any way the expressed terms and provisions hereof. 1.42. HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (HIPPA) - Any person or entity that performs or assists the City of Miami with a function or activity involving the use or disclosure of "individually identifiable health information (IIHI) and/or Protected Health Information (PHI) shall comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 and the City of Miami Privacy Standards. HIPAA mandates for privacy, security and electronic transfer standards, which include but are not limited to: A. Use of information only for performing services required by the contract or as required by law; B. Use of appropriate safeguards to prevent non -permitted disclosures; C. Reporting to the City of Miami of any non -permitted use or disclosure; D. Assurances that any agents and subcontractors agree to the same restrictions and conditions that apply to the Bidder/Proposer and reasonable assurances that IIHI/PHI will be held confidential; E. Making Protected Health Information (PHI) available to the customer; F. Making PHI available to the customer for review and amendment; and incorporating any amendments requested by the customer; G. Making PHI available to the City of Miami for an accounting of disclosures; and H. Making internal practices, books and records related to PHI available to the City of Miami for compliance audits. PHI shall maintain its protected status regardless of the form and method of transmission (paper records, and/or electronic transfer of data). The Bidder/ Proposer must give its customers written notice of its privacy information practices including specifically, a description of the types of uses and disclosures that would be made with protected health information. 1.43. INDEMNIFICATION - The Contractor shall indemnify and save harmless forever the City, and all the City's agents, officers and employees from and against all charges or claims resulting from any bodily injury, loss of life, or damage to property from any act, omission or neglect, by itself or its employees; the Contractor shall become defendant in every suit brought for any of such causes of action against the City or the City's officials, agents and employees; the Contractor shall further indemnify City as to all costs, attorney's fees, expenses and liabilities incurred in the defense of any such claims and any resulting Page 15 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 investigation. 1.44. INFORMATION AND DESCRIPTIVE LITERATURE—Bidders/Proposer must furnish all information requested in the spaces provided in the Formal Solicitation. Further, as may be specified elsewhere, each Bidder/Proposer must submit for evaluation, cuts, sketches, descriptive literature, technical specifications, and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)as required, covering the products offered. Reference to literature submitted with a previous response or on file with the Buyer will not satisfy this provision. 1.45. INSPECTIONS - The City may, at reasonable times during the tens hereof, inspect Contractor's facilities and perform such tests, as the City deems reasonably necessary, to determine whether the goods and/or services required to be provided by the Contractor under this Contract conform to the terms and conditions of the Formal Solicitation. Contractor shall snake available to the City all reasonable facilities and assistance to facilitate the performance of tests or inspections by City representatives. All tests and inspections shall be subject to, and made in accordance with, the provisions of the City of Miami Ordinance No. 12271 (Section 18-79), as same may be amended or supplemented from time to time. 1.46. INSPECTION OF RESPONSE - Responses received by the City pursuant to a Formal Solicitation will not be made available until such time as the City provides notice of a decision or intended decision or within 10 days after bid closing, whichever is earlier. Bid/Proposal results will be tabulated and may be furnished upon request via fax or e-mail to the Sr. Procurement Specialist issuing the Solicitation. Tabulations also are available on the City's Web Site following recommendation for award. 1.47. INSURANCE - Within ten (10) days after receipt of Notice of Award, the successful Contractor, shall furnish Evidence of Insurance to the Purchasing Department, if applicable. Submitted evidence of coverage shall demonstrate strict compliance to all requirements listed on the Special Conditions entitled "Insurance Requirements". The City shall be listed as an "Additional Insured." Issuance of a Purchase Order is contingent upon the receipt of proper insurance documents. If the insurance certificate is received within the specified time frame but not in the manner prescribed in this Solicitation the Contractor shall be verbally notified of such deficiency and shall have an additional five (5) calendar days to submit a corrected certificate to the City. If the Contractor fails to submit the required insurance documents in the manner prescribed in this Solicitation within fifteen (15) calendar days after receipt Notice of Award, the contractor shall be in default of the contractual terms and conditions and shall not be awarded the contract. Under such circumstances, the Bidder/Proposer may be prohibited from submitting future responses to the City. Information regarding any insurance requirements shall be directed to the Risk Administrator, Department of Risk Management, at 444 SW 2nd Avenue, 9th Floor, Miami, Florida 33130, 305-416-1604. The Bidder/Proposer shall be responsible for assuring that the insurance certificates required in conjunction with this Section remain in effect for the duration of the contractual period; including any and all option terms that may be granted to the Bidder/Proposer. 1.48. INVOICES - Invoices shall contain purchase order number and details of goods and/or services delivered (i.e. quantity, unit price, extended price, etc); and in compliance with Chapter 218 of the Florida Statutes (Prompt Payment Act). 1.49. LOCAL PREFERENCE - City Code Section 18-85, states that the City Commission may offer to a responsible and responsive bidder/proposer, who maintains a Local Office, the opportunity of accepting a bid at the low bid amount, if the original bid amount submitted by the local vendor is not more than ten percent (10%) in excess of the lowest other responsible and responsive bidder/proposer. 1.50. MANUFACTURER'S CERTIFICATION -The City reserves the right to request from bidders/proposers a separate Manufacturer's Certification of all statements made in the bid/proposal. Failure to provide such certification may result in the rejection of bid/proposal or termination of contract/agreement, for which the bidder/proposer must bear full liability. 1.51. MODIFICATIONS OR CHANGES IN PURCHASE ORDERS AND CONTRACTS - No contract or understanding to modify this Formal Solicitation and resultant purchase orders or contracts, if applicable, shall be binding upon the City unless made in writing by the Director of Purchasing of the City of Miami, Florida through the issuance of a change order, addendum, amendment, or supplement to the contract, purchase order or award sheet as appropriate. Page 16 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 1.52. NO PARTNERSHIP OR JOINT VENTURE - Nothing contained in this Contract will be deemed or construed to create a partnership or joint venture between the City of Miami and Contractor, or to create any other similar relationship between the parties. 1.53. NONCONFORMANCE TO CONTRACT CONDITIONS - Items may be tested for compliance with specifications under the direction of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or by other appropriate testing Laboratories as determined by the City. The data derived from any test for compliance with specifications is public record and open to examination thereto in accordance with Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. Items delivered not conforming to specifications may be rejected and returned at Bidder's/Proposer's expense. These non -conforming items not delivered as per delivery date in the response and/or Purchase Order may result in bidder/proposer being found in default in which event any and all re -procurement costs may be charged against the defaulted contractor. Any violation of these stipulations may also result in the supplier's name being removed from the City of Miami's Supplier's list. 1.54. NONDISCRIMINATION—Bidder/Proposer agrees that it shall not discriminate as to race, sex, color, age, religion, national origin, marital status, or disability in connection with its performance under this formal solicitation. Furthermore, Bidder/Proposer agrees that no otherwise qualified individual shall solely by reason of his/her race, sex, color, age, religion, national origin, marital status or disability be excluded from the participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to, discrimination under any program or activity. In connection with the conduct of its business, including performance of services and employment of personnel, Bidder/Proposer shall not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, religion, disability, age, sex, marital status or national origin. All persons having appropriate qualifications shall be afforded equal opportunity for employment. 1.55. NON-EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT/ PIGGYBACK PROVISION - At such times as may serve its best interest, the City of Miami reserves the right to advertise for, receive, and award additional contracts for these herein goods and/or services, and to make use of other competitively bid (governmental) contracts, agreements, or other similar sources for the purchase of these goods and/or services as may be available. It is hereby agreed and understood that this formal solicitation does not constitute the exclusive rights of the successful bidder(s)/proposer(s) to receive all orders that may be generated by the City in conjunction with this Formal Solicitation. In addition, any and all commodities, equipment, and services required by the City in conjunction with construction projects are solicited under a distinctly different solicitation process and shall not be purchased under the terms, conditions and awards rendered under this solicitation, unless such purchases are determined to be in the best interest of the City. 1.56. OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE - Any person, firm, corporation or joint venture, with a business location in the City of Miami and is submitting a Response under this Formal Solicitation shall meet the City's Occupational License Tax requirements in accordance with Chapter 31.1, Article I of the City of Miami Charter. Others with a location outside the City of Miami shall meet their local Occupational License Tax requirements. A copy of the license must be submitted with the response; however, the City may at its sole option and in its best interest allow the Bidder/Proposer to supply the license to the City during the evaluation period, but prior to award. 1.57. ONE PROPOSAL - Only one (1) Response from an individual, firm, partnership, corporation or joint venture will be considered in response to this Formal Solicitation. When submitting an alternate response, please refer to the herein condition for "Alternate Responses May Be Considered". 1.58. OWNERSHIP OF DOCUMENTS - It is understood by and between the parties that any documents, records, files, or any other matter whatsoever which is given by the City to the successful Bidder/Proposer pursuant to this formal solicitation shall at all times remain the property of the City and shall not be used by the Bidder/Proposer for any other purposes whatsoever without the written consent of the City. 1.59. PARTIAL INVALIDITY - If any provision of this Contract or the application thereof to any person or circumstance shall to any extent be held invalid, then the remainder of this Contract or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which it is held invalid shall not be affected thereby, and each provision of this Contract shall be valid and enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law. Page 17 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 1.60. PERFORMANCE/PAYMENT BOND —A Contractor may be required to famish a Performance/Payment Bond as part of the requirements of this Contract, in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the contract price. 1.61. PREPARATION OF RESPONSES (HARDCOPY FORMAT)—Bidders/Proposers are expected to examine the specifications, required delivery, drawings, and all special and general conditions. All bid/proposed amounts, if required, shall be either typewritten or entered into the space provided with ink. Failure to do so will be at the Bidder's/Proposer's risk. A. Each Bidder/Proposer shall furnish the information required in the Formal Solicitation. The Bidder/Proposer shall sign the Response and print in ink or type the name of the Bidder/Proposer, address, and telephone number on the face page and on each continuation sheet thereof on which he/she makes an entry, as required. B. If so required, the unit price for each unit offered shall be shown, and such price shall include packaging, handling and shipping, and F.O.B. Miami delivery inside City premises unless otherwise specified. Bidder/Proposer shall include in the response all taxes, insurance, social security, workmen's compensation, and any other benefits normally paid by the Bidder/Proposer to its employees. If applicable, a unit price shall be entered in the "Unit Price" column for each item. Based upon estimated quantity, an extended price shall be entered in the "Extended Price" column for each item offered. In case of a discrepancy between the unit price and extended price, the unit price will be presumed correct. C. The Bidder/Proposer must state a definite time, if required, in calendar days for delivery of goods and/or services. D. The Bidder/Proposer should retain a copy of all response documents for future reference E. All responses, as described, must be fully completed and typed or printed in ink and must be signed in ink with the firm's name and by an officer or employee having authority to bind the company or firm by his/her signature. Bids/Proposals having any erasures or corrections must be initialed in ink by person signing the response or the response may be rejected. F. Responses are to remain valid for at least 180 days. Upon award of a contract, the content of the Successful Bidder's/Proposer's response may be included as part of the contract, at the City's discretion. G. The City of Miami's Response Forms shall be used when Bidder/Proposer is submitting its response in hardcopy format. Use of any other forms will result in the rejection of the response. IF SUBMITTING HARDCOPY FORMAT, THE ORIGINAL AND THREE (3) COPIES OF THESE SETS OF FORMS, UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED, AND ANY REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS MUST BE RETURNED TO THE CITY OR YOUR RESPONSE MAY BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE. 1.62. PRICE ADJUSTMENTS — Any price decrease effectuated during the contract period either by reason of market change or on the part of the contractor to other customers shall be passed on to the City of Miami. 1.63. PRODUCT SUBSTITUTES - In the event a particular awarded and approved manufacturer's product becomes unavailable during the term of the Contract, the Contractor awarded that item may arrange with the City's authorized representative(s) to supply a substitute product at the awarded price or lower, provided that a sample is approved in advance of delivery and that the new product meets or exceeds all quality requirements. 1.64. CONFLICT OF INTEREST, AND UNETHICAL BUSINESS PRACTICE PROHIBITIONS - Contractor represents and warrants to the City that it has not employed or retained any person or company employed by the City to solicit or secure this Contract and that it has not offered to pay, paid, or agreed to pay any person any fee, commission, percentage, brokerage fee, or gift of any kind contingent upon or in connection with, the award of this Contract. 1.65. PROMPT PAYMENT—Bidders/Proposers may offer a cash discount for prompt payment; however, discounts shall not be considered in determining the lowest net cost for response evaluation purposes. Bidders/Proposers are required to provide their prompt payment terms in the space provided on the Formal Solicitation. If no prompt payment discount is being offered, the Bidder/Proposer must enter zero (0) for the percentage discount to indicate no discount. If the Bidder/Proposer fails to enter a percentage, it is understood and agreed that the terms shall be 2% 20 days, effective after receipt of invoice or final Page 18 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 acceptance by the City, whichever is later When the City is entitled to a cash discount, the period of computation will commence on the date of delivery, or receipt of a correctly completed invoice, whichever is later. If an adjustment in payment is necessary due to damage, the cash discount period shall commence on the date final approval for payment is authorized. If a discount is part of the contract, but the invoice does not reflect the existence of a cash discount, the City is entitled to a cash discount with the period commencing on the date it is determined by the City that a cash discount applies. Price discounts off the original prices quoted on the Price Sheet will be accepted from successful bidders/proposers during the term of the contract. 1.66. PROPERTY - Property owned by the City of Miami is the responsibility of the City of Miami. Such property furnished to a Contractor for repair, modification, study, etc., shall remain the property of the City of Miami. Damages to such property occurring while in the possession of the Contractor shall be the responsibility of the Contractor. Damages occurring to such property while in route to the City of Miami shall be the responsibility of the Contractor. In the event that such property is destroyed or declared a total loss, the Contractor shall be responsible for replacement value of the property at the current market value, less depreciation of the property, if any. 1.67. PROVISIONS BINDING - Except as otherwise expressly provided in the resulting Contract, all covenants, conditions and provisions of the resulting Contract shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective heirs, legal representatives, successors and assigns. 1.68. PUBLIC ENTITY CRIMES - A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for a public entity crime may not submit a response on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity, may not submit a response on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work, may not submit responses on leases of real property to a public entity, may not be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity, and may not transact business with any public entity in excess of the threshold amount provided in Section 287.017, for CATEGORY TWO for a period of 36 months from the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list. 1.69. PUBLIC RECORDS - Contractor understands that the public shall have access, at all reasonable times, to all documents and information pertaining to City contracts, subject to the provisions of Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, and City of Miami Code, Section 18, Article III, and agrees to allow access by the City and the public to all documents subject to disclosure under applicable law. Contractor's failure or refusal to comply with the provision of this section shall result in the immediate cancellation of this Contract by the City. 1.70. QUALITY OF GOODS, MATERIALS, SUPPLIES, PRODUCTS, AND EQUIPMENT - All materials used in the manufacturing or construction of supplies, materials, or equipment covered by this solicitation shall be new. The items bid/proposed must be of the latest make or model, of the best quality, and of the highest grade of workmanship, unless as otherwise specified in this Solicitation. 1.71. QUALITY OF WORK/SERVICES - The work/services performed must be of the highest quality and workmanship. Materials furnished to complete the service shall be new and of the highest quality except as otherwise specified in this Solicitation. 1.72. REMEDIES PRIOR TO AWARD (Sec. 18-106) - If prior to Contract award it is determined that a formal solicitation or proposed award is in violation of law, then the solicitation or proposed award shall be cancelled by the City Commission, the City Manager or the Chief Procurement Officer, as may be applicable, or revised to comply with the law. 1.73. RESOLUTION OF CONTRACT DISPUTES (Sec. 18-105) (a) Authority to resolve Contract disputes. The City Manager, after obtaining the approval of the city attorney, shall have the authority to resolve controversies between the Contractual Party and the city which arise under, or by virtue of, a Contract between them; provided that, in cases involving an amount greater than 525,000, the City Commission must approve the City Manager's decision. Such authority extends, without limitation, to controversies based upon breach of Contract, mistake, misrepresentation or lack of complete performance, and shall be invoked by a Contractual Party by submission of a protest to the City Manager. Page 19 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 (b) Contract dispute decisions. If a dispute is not resolved by mutual consent, the City Manager shall promptly render a written report stating the reasons for the action taken by the City Commission or the City Manager which shall be final and conclusive. A copy of the decision shall be immediately provided to the protesting party, along with a notice of such party's right to seek judicial relief, provided that the protesting party shall not be entitled to such judicial relief without first having followed the procedure set forth in this section. 1.74. RESOLUTION OF PROTESTED SOLICITATIONS AND AWARDS (Sec. 18-104) (a) Right to protest. The following procedures shall be used for resolution of protested solicitations and awards except for purchases of goods, supplies, equipment, and services, the estimated cost of which does not exceed $25,000. Protests thereon shall be governed by the Administrative Policies and Procedures of Purchasing. 1.Protest of Solicitation. i. Any prospective proposer who perceives itself aggrieved in connection with the solicitation of a Contract may protest to the Chief Procurement Officer. A written notice of intent to file a protest shall be filed with the Chief Procurement Officer within three days after the Request for Proposals, Request for Qualifications or Request for Letters of Interest is published in a newspaper of general circulation. A notice of intent to file a protest is considered filed when received by the Chief Procurement Officer; or ii. Any prospective bidder who intends to contest the Solicitation Specifications or a solicitation may protest to the Chief Procurement Officer. A written notice of intent to file a protest shall be filed with the Chief Procurement Officer within three days after the solicitation is published in a newspaper of general circulation. A notice of intent to file a protest is considered filed when received by the Chief Procurement Officer. 2. Protest of Award. i. A written notice of intent to file a protest shall be filed with the Chief Procurement Officer within two days after receipt by the proposer of the notice of the City Manager's recommendation for award of Contract, which will be posted on the City of Miami Purchasing Department website, in the Supplier Corner, Current Solicitations and Notice of Recommendation of Award Section. The notice of the City Manager's recommendation can be found by selecting the details of the solicitation and is listed as Recommendation of Award Posting Date and Recommendation of Award To fields. If "various" is indicated in the Recommendation of Award To field, the Bidder/Proposer must contact the buyer for that solicitation to obtain the suppliers name. It shall be the responsibility of the Bidder/Proposer to check this section of the website daily after responses are submitted to receive the notice; or H. Any actual Responsive and Responsible Bidder whose Bid is lower than that of the recommended bidder may protest to the Chief Procurement Officer. A written notice of intent to file a protest shall be filed with the Chief Procurement Officer within two days after receipt by the bidder of the notice of the city's determination of non responsiveness or non responsibility. The receipt by bidder of such notice shall be confirmed by the city by facsimile or electronic mail or U.S. mail, return receipt requested. A notice of intent to file a protest is considered filed when received by the Chief Procurement Officer. iii. A written protest based on any of the foregoing must be submitted to the Chief Procurement Officer within five (5) days after the date the notice of protest was filed. A written protest is considered filed when received by the Chief Procurement Officer. The written protest may not challenge the relative weight of the evaluation criteria or the formula for assigning points in making an award determination. The written protest shall state with particularity the specific facts and law upon which the protest of the solicitation or the award is based, and shall include all pertinent documents and evidence and shall be accompanied by the required Filing Fee as provided in subsection (f). This shall form the basis for review of the written protest and no facts, grounds, documentation or evidence not contained in the protester's submission to the Chief Procurement Officer at the time of filing the protest shall be permitted in the consideration of the written protest. No time will be added to the above limits for service by mail. In computing any period of time prescribed or allowed by this section, the day of the act, event or default from which the designated period of time begins to run shall not be included. The last day of the period so computed shall be included unless it is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday in which event the period shall run until the end of the next day which is Page 20 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 neither a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday. Intermediate Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays shall be excluded in the computation of the time for filing. (b) Authority to resolve protests. The Chief Procurement Officer shall have the authority, subject to the approval of the City Manager and the city attorney, to settle and resolve any written protest. The Chief Procurement Officer shall obtain the requisite approvals and communicate said decision to the protesting party and shall submit said decision to the City Commission within 30 days after he/she receives the protest. In cases involving more than $25,000, the decision of the Chief Procurement Officer shall be submitted for approval or disapproval thereof to the City Commission after a favorable recommendation by the city attorney and the City Manager. (c) Compliance with filing requirements. Failure of a party to timely file either the notice of intent to file a protest or the written protest, together with the required Filing Fee as provided in subsection (f), with the Chief Procurement Officer within the time provided in subsection (a), above, shall constitute a forfeiture of such party's right to file a protest pursuant to this section. The protesting party shall not be entitled to seek judicial relief without first having followed the procedure set forth in this section (d) Stay of Procurements during protests. Upon receipt of a written protest filed pursuant to the requirements of this section, the city shall not proceed further with the solicitation or with the award of the Contract until the protest is resolved by the Chief Procurement Officer or the City Commission as provided in subsection (b) above, unless the City Manager makes a written determination that the solicitation process or the Contract award must be continued without delay in order to avoid an immediate and serious danger to the public health, safety or welfare. (e) Costs. All costs accruing from a protest shall be assumed by the protestor. (t) Filing Fee. The written protest must be accompanied by a filing fee in the form of a money order or cashier's check payable to the city in an amount equal to one percent of the amount of the Bid or proposed Contract, or $5000.00, whichever is less, which filing fee shall guarantee the payment of all costs which may be adjudged against the protestor in any administrative or court proceeding. If a protest is upheld by the Chief Procurement Officer and/or the City Commission, as applicable, the filing fee shall be refunded to the protestor less any costs assessed under subsection (e) above. If the protest is denied, the filing fee shall be forfeited to the city in lieu of payment of costs for the administrative proceedings as prescribed by subsection (e) above. 1.75. SAMPLES - Samples of items, when required, must be submitted within the time specified at no expense to the City. If not destroyed by testing, bidder(s)/proposer(s) will be notified to remove samples, at their expense, within 30 days after notification. Failure to remove the samples will result in the samples becoming the property of the City. 1.76. SELLING, TRANSFERRING OR ASSIGNING RESPONSIBILITIES - Contractor shall not sell, assign, transfer or subcontract at any time during the term of the Contract, or any part of its operations, or assign any portion of the performance required by this contract, except under and by virtue of written permission granted by the City through the proper officials, which may be withheld or conditioned, in the City's sole discretion. 1.77. SERVICE AND WARRANTY —When specified, the bidder/proposer shall define all warranty, service and replacements that will be provided. Bidders/Proposer must explain on the Response to what extent warranty and service facilities are available. A copy of the manufacturer's warranty, if applicable, should be submitted with your response. 1.78. SILENCE OF SPECIFICATIONS - The apparent silence of these specifications and any supplemental specification as to any detail or the omission from it of detailed description concerning any point shall be regarded as meaning that only the best commercial practices are to prevail and that only materials of first quality and correct type, size and design are to be used. All workmanship and services is to be first quality. All interpretations of these specifications shall be made upon the basis of this statement. If your fine has a current contract with the State of Florida, Department of General Services, to supply the items on this solicitation, the bidder/proposer shall quote not more than the contract price; failure to comply with this request will result in disqualification of bid/proposal. 1.79. SUBMISSION AND RECEIPT OF RESPONSES - Responses shall be submitted electronically via Page 21 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 the Oracle System or responses may be submitted in hardcopy format to the City Clerk, City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida 33133-5504, at or before, the specified closing date and time as designated in the IFB, RFP, RFQ, or RFLI. NO EXCEPTIONS. Bidders/Proposers are welcome to attend the solicitation closing; however, no award will be made at that time. A. Hardcopy responses shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope, box package. The face of the envelope, box or package must show the hour and date specified for receipt of responses, the solicitation number and title, and the name and return address of the Bidder/Proposer. Hardcopy responses not submitted on the requisite Response Forms may be rejected. Hardcopy responses received at any other location than the specified shall be deemed non-responsive. Directions to City Hall: FROM THE NORTH: I-95 SOUTH UNTIL IT TURNS INTO USI. USI SOUTH TO 27TH AVE., TURN LEFT, PROCEED SOUTH TO SO. BAYSHORE DR. (3RD TRAFFIC LIGHT), TURN LEFT, 1 BLOCK TURN RIGHT ON PAN AMERICAN DR. CITY HALL IS AT THE END OF PAN AMERICAN DR. PARKING IS ON RIGHT. FROM THE SOUTH: US 1 NORTH TO 27TH AVENUE, TURN RIGHT, PROCEED SOUTH TO SO. BAYSHORE DR. (3RD TRAFFIC LIGHT), TURN LEFT, 1 BLOCK TURN RIGHT ON PAN AMERICAN DR. CITY HALL IS AT THE END OF PAN AMERICAN DR. PARKING IS ON RIGHT. B. Facsimile responses will not be considered. C. Failure to follow these procedures is cause for rejection of bid/proposal. D. The responsibility for obtaining and submitting a response on or before the close date is solely and strictly the responsibility of Bidder/Proposer. The City of Miami is not responsible for delays caused by the United States mail delivery or caused by any other occurrence. Responses received after the solicitation closing date and time will be returned unopened, and will not be considered for award. E. Late responses will be rejected. F. All responses are subject to the conditions specified herein. Those which do not comply with these conditions are subject to rejection. G. Modification of responses already submitted will be considered only if received at the City before the time and date set for closing of solicitation responses. All modifications must be submitted via the Oracle System or in writing. Once a solicitation closes (closed date and/or time expires), the City will not consider any subsequent submission which alters the responses. H. If hardcopy responses are submitted at the same time for different solicitations, each response must be placed in a separate envelope, box, or package and each envelope, box or package must contain the information previously stated in 1.82.A. 1.80. TAXES - The City of Miaini is exempt from any taxes imposed by the State and/or Federal Government. Exemption certificates will be provided upon request. Notwithstanding, Bidders/Proposers should be aware of the fact that all materials and supplies which are purchased by the Bidder/Proposer for the completion of the contract is subject to the Florida State Sales Tax in accordance with Section 212.08, Florida Statutes, as amended and all amendments thereto and shall be paid solely by the Bidder/Proposer. 1.81. TERMINATION —The City Manager on behalf of the City of Miami reserves the right to terminate this contract by written notice to the contractor effective the date specified in the notice should any of the following apply: A. The contractor is determined by the City to be in breach of any of the terms and conditions of the contract. B. The City has determined that such termination will be in the best interest of the City to terminate the contract for its own convenience; C. Funds are not available to cover the cost of the goods and/or services. The City's obligation is contingent upon the availability of appropriate funds. 1.82. TERMS OF PAYMENT - Payment will be made by the City after the goods and/or services awarded to a Bidder./Proposer have been received, inspected, and found to comply with award Page 22 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 specifications, free of damage or defect, and properly invoiced. No advance payments of any kind will be made by the City of Miami. Payment shall be made after delivery, within 45 days of receipt of an invoice and authorized inspection and acceptance of the goods/services and pursuant to Section 218.74, Florida Statutes and other applicable law. 1.83. TIMELY DELIVERY - Time will be of the essence for any orders placed as a result of this solicitation. The City reserves the right to cancel such orders, or any part thereof, without obligation, if delivery is not made within the time(s) specified on their Response. Deliveries are to be made during regular City business hours unless otherwise specified in the Special Conditions. 1.84. TITLE - Title to the goods or equipment shall not pass to the City until after the City has accepted the goods/equipment or used the goods, whichever comes first. 1.85.TRADE SECRETS EXECUTION TO PUBLIC RECORDS DISCLOSURE- All Responses submitted to the City are subject to public disclosure pursuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. An exception may be made for "trade secrets." If the Response contains information that constitutes a "trade secret", all material that qualifies for exemption from Chapter 119 must be submitted in a separate envelope, clearly identified as "TRADE SECRETS EXCEPTION," with your firm's name and the Solicitation number and title marked on the outside. Please be aware that the designation of an item as a trade secret by you may be challenged in court by any person. By your designation of material in your Response as a "trade secret" you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the City for any award to a plaintiff for damages, costs or attorney's fees and for costs and attorney's fees incurred by the City by reason of any legal action challenging your claim. 1.86. UNAUTHORIZED WORK OR DELIVERY OF GOODS- Neither the qualified Bidder(s)/Proposer(s) nor any of his/her employees shall perform any work or deliver any goods unless a change order or purchase order is issued and received by the Contractor. The qualified Bidder(s)/Proposer(s) shall not be paid for any work performed or goods delivered outside the scope of the contract or any work performed by an employee not otherwise previously authorized. 1.87. USE OF NAME - The City is not engaged in research for advertising, sales promotion, or other publicity purposes. No advertising, sales promotion or other publicity materials containing information obtained from this Solicitation are to be mentioned, or imply the name of the City, without prior express written permission of the City Manager or the City Commission. 1.88. VARIATIONS OF SPECIFICATIONS - For purposes of solicitation evaluation, bidders/proposers must indicate any variances from the solicitation specifications and/or conditions, no matter how slight. If variations are not stated on their Response, it will be assumed that the product fully complies with the City's specifications. Page 23 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 2. Special Conditions 2.1. PURPOSE The purpose of this Solicitation is to establish a contract, for external auditing services, as specified herein, from a source(s) of supply that will give prompt and efficient service fully compliant with the terms, conditions and stipulations of the solicitation. 2.2. DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/CLARIFICATION Any questions or clarifications concerning this solicitation shall be submitted by email or facsimile to the Purchasing Department, Attn: Pablo Velez; fax: (305) 400-5340 or email: pvelez@miamigov.com. The solicitation title and number shall be referenced on all correspondence. All questions must be received no later than Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 at 10:00 AM. All responses to questions will be sent to all prospective bidders/proposers in the form on an addendum. NO QUESTIONS WILL BE RECEIVED VERBALLY OR AFTER SAID DEADLINE. 2.3. TERM OF CONTRACT The proposer(s) qualified to provide the service(s) requested herein (the "Successful Proposer(s)") shall be required to execute a contract ("Contract") with the City, which shall include, but not be limited to, the following terms: (1) The term of the Contract(s) shall be for one (1) year with an option to renew for four (4) additional one (1) year periods. (2) The City shall have the option to extend or terminate the Contract. Continuation of the contract beyond the initial period is a City prerogative; not a right of the bidder/proposer. This prerogative will be exercised only when such continuation is clearly in the best interest of the City. 2.4. CONDITIONS FOR RENEWAL Each renewal of this contract is subject to the following: (1) continued satisfactory performance compliance with the specifications, terms and conditions established herein and (2) Availability of funds. In the event the Contractor is unable to extend the contract for any subsequent period, advance written notice and explanation shall be submitted to the Chief Procurement Officer no later than ninety (90) days prior to the expiration date of the contract period in effect at such time and shall be subject to the City's acceptance. Failure to comply with these requirements may render the Contract in default of this contract. 2.5. NON -APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS In the event no funds or insufficient funds are appropriated and budgeted or are otherwise unavailable in any fiscal period for payments due under this contract, then the City, upon written notice to Contractor or his assignee of such occurrence, shall have the unqualified right to terminate the contract without any penalty or expense to the City. No guarantee, warranty or representation is made that any particular or any project(s) will be awarded to any firm(s). 2.6. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS For a Proposer to be deemed responsive the following minimum qualification requirements cited below shall be satisfied. In determining said responsiveness, each such minimum qualification requirement shall Page 24 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 be addressed in detail in the Proposal submittal. Failure to meet each such following minimum qualification requirements and/or failure to provide sufficient detailed documentation concerning the same, shall result in the Proposal being deemed non-responsive: A. the Firm shall be in good standing to practice before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); B. the Firm and the Auditors shall be licensed in the State of Florida the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and Board of Accountancy; C. a minimum of two (2) full-time certified public accountants (CPA's) shall be employed and assigned to the City of Miami audit; D. the Firm and the Auditors assigned shall have at least five (5) years of experience in governmental auditing, preferably municipal; E. the Proposer shall have no record of pending lawsuits, bankruptcy, or criminal activities involving moral turpitude and shall not have any conflicts of interest with the City; F. neither the Proposer nor any individual member, officer, or stockholder of the Proposer shall be in arrears or in default of any debt or contract involving the City (as a party to the conflict or otherwise), nor have failed to perform faithfully on any previous contract with the City; G. the Proposer shall have an adequate organization, facilities, equipment and personnel to ensure prompt and efficient services for the City (prior to recommendation of an award, the City shall reserve the right to inspect the same and the Proposer's overall financial condition and/or to take any action deemed necessary to determine the Proposer's ability to perform in accord with the specifications, terms and conditions of this RFP); H. the Proposer shall provide two (2) letters of reference; and I. the Proposer shall provide resumes as requested in the Section 4.1 Submission Requirements herein. 2.7. CONTRACT EXECUTION The selected Proposer(s) evaluated and ranked in accordance with the requirements of this Solicitation, shall be awarded an opportunity to negotiate a contract ("Contract") with the City. The City reserves the right to execute or not execute, as applicable a Contract with the selected Proposer(s) that is determined to be most advantageous and in the City's best interest. Such Contract will be furnished by the City, will contain certain terms as are in the City's best interests, and will be subject to approval as to legal form by the City Attorney. 2.8. FAILURE TO PERFORM Should it not be possible to reach the contractor or supervisor and/or should remedial action not be taken within 48 hours of any failure to perform according to specifications, the City reserves the right to declare Contractor in default of the contract or make appropriate reductions in the contract payment. 2.9. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS INDEMNIFICATION Bidder shall pay on behalf of, indemnify and save City and its officials harmless, from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, and causes of action, which may arise out of bidder's performance under the provisions of the contract, including all acts or omissions to act on the part of bidder, including any person performing under this Contract for or on bidder's behalf, provided that any such claims, liabilities, losses and causes of such action are not attributable to the negligence or misconduct of the City and, from and against any orders, judgments or decrees which may be entered and which may result from this Contract, unless attributable to the negligence or misconduct of the City, and from and against all costs, attorneys' fees, expenses and liabilities incurred in the defense of any such claim, or the investigation thereof. The bidder shall furnish to City of Miami, c/o Purchasing Department, 444 SW 2nd Avenue, 6th Floor, Miami, Florida 33130, Certificate(s) of Insurance which indicate that insurance coverage has been obtained which meets the requirements as outlined below: (1) Worker's Compensation Page 25 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 A. Limits of Liability - Statutory - State of Florida (2) Commercial General Liability: A. Limits of Liability Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability - Each Occurrence: $1.000.000 General Aggregate Limit: 52,000,000 Personal and Adv. Injury. Products and Completed Operations and Fire Damage: S 1.000.000. B. Endorsements Required: City of Miami included as an Additional insured. Employees included as insured. Contractual Liability. (3) BusinessAutomobile Liability A. Limits of Liability Bodily injury and property damage liability combined single limits. Any Auto, including hired, borrowed or owned, or non -owned autos used in connection with the work - S 1.000.000 B. Endorsements Required: City of Miami included as an Additional Insured BINDERS ARE UNACCEPTABLE. The insurance coverage required shall include those classifications, as listed in standard liability insurance manuals, which most nearly reflect the operations of the bidder. All insurance policies required above shall be issued by companies authorized to do business under the laws of the State of Florida, with the following qualifications: The Company must be rated no less than "A" as to management, and no less than "Class V" as to financial strength, by the latest edition of Best's Insurance Guide, published by A.M. Best Company, Oldwick, New Jersey, or its equivalent. All policies and/or certificates of insurance are subject to review and verification by Risk Management prior to insurance approval. Certificates will indicate no modification or change in insurance shall be made without thirty (30) days written advance notice to the certificate holder. NOTE: CITY BID NUMBER AND/OR TITLE OF BID MUST APPEAR ON EACH CERTIFICATE. Compliance with the foregoing requirements shall not relieve the bidder of his liability and obligation under this section or under any other section of this Agreement. --If insurance certificates are scheduled to expire during the contractual period, the Bidder shall be responsible for submitting new or renewed insurance certificates to the City at a minimum of ten (10) calendar days in advance of such expiration. —In the event that expired certificates are not replaced with new or renewed certificates which cover the contractual period, the City shall: (4) Suspend the contract until such time as the new or renewed certificates are received by the City in the manner prescribed in the Invitation To Bid. (5) The City may, at its sole discretion, terminate this contract for cause and seek re -procurement damages from the Bidder in conjunction with the General and Special Terms and Conditions of the Bid. The Bidder shall be responsible for assuring that the insurance certificates required in conjunction with this Section remain in force for the duration of the contractual period; including any and all option terms that may be granted to the Bidder. 2.10. PRE-BID/PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE None 2.11. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR Upon award, contractor shall report and work directly with Diana Gomez, Finance Department Director, who shall be designated as the Contract Administrator. Page 26 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 2.12. SUBCONTRACTOR(S) OR SUBCONSULTANT(S) A Sub -Consultant, herein known as Sub-Contractor(s) is an individual or firm contracted by the Proposer or Proposer's firm to assist in the performance of services required under this Solicitation. A Sub -Contractor shall be paid through Proposer or Proposer's firm and not paid directly by the City. Sub -Contractors are allowed by the City in the performance of the services delineated within this Solicitation. Proposer must clearly reflect in its Proposal the major Sub -Contractors to be utilized in the performance of required services. The City retains the right to accept or reject any Sub -Contractors proposed in the response of Successful Proposer or prior to contract execution. Any and all liabilities regarding the use of a Sub -Contractor shall be bome solely by the Successful Proposer and insurance for each Sub -Contractors must be maintained in good standing and approved by the City throughout the duration of the Contract. Neither Successful Proposer nor any of its Sub -Contractors are considered to be employees or agents of the City. Failure to list all Sub -Contractors and provide the required information may disqualify any proposed Sub -Contractors from performing work under this Solicitation. Proposers shall include in their Responses the requested Sub -Contractor information and include all relevant information required of the Proposer. In addition, within five (5) working days after the identification of the award to the Successful Proposer, the Successful Proposer shall provide a list confirming the Sub -Contractors that the Successful Proposer intends to utilize in the Contract, if applicable. The list shall include, at a minimum, the name, location of the place of business for each Sub -Contractor, the services Sub -Contractor will provide relative to any contract that may result from this Solicitation, any applicable licenses, references, ownership, and other information required of Proposer. 2.13. COMPLETE PROJECT REQUIRED These specifications describe the various items or classes of work required, enumerating or defining the extent of same necessary, but failure to list any item or classes under scope of the several sections shall not relieve the contractor from furnishing, installing or performing such work where required by any part of these specifications, or necessary to the satisfactory completion of the project. 2.14. TERMINATION A. FOR DEFAULT If Contractor defaults in its performance under this Contract and does not cure the default within 30 days after written notice of default, the City Manager may terminate this Contract, in whole or in part, upon written notice without penalty to the City of Miami. In such event the Contractor shall be liable for damages including the excess cost of procuring similar supplies or services: provided that if, (1) it is determined for any reason that the Contractor was not in default or (2) the Contractor's failure to perform is without his or his subcontractor's control, fault or negligence, the termination will be deemed to be a termination for the convenience of the City of Miami. B. FOR CONVENIENCE The City Manager may terminate this Contract, in whole or in part, upon 30 days prior written notice when it is in the best interests of the City of Miami. If this Contract is for supplies, products, equipment, or software, and so terminated for the convenience by the City of Miami the Contractor will be compensated in accordance with an agreed upon adjustment of cost. To the extent that this Contract is for services and so terminated, the City of Miami shall be liable only for payment in accordance with the payment provisions of the Contract for those services rendered prior to termination. 2.15. ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS No additional terms and conditions included with the solicitation response shall be evaluated or considered, and any and all such additional terms and conditions shall have no force or effect and are inapplicable to this solicitation. If submitted either purposely, through intent or design, or inadvertently, appearing separately in transmittal letters, specifications, literature, price lists or warranties, it is understood Page 27 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 and agreed that the General and Special Conditions in this solicitation are the only conditions applicable to this solicitation and that the bidder's/proposer's authorized signature affixed to the bidder's/proposer's acknowledgment form attests to this. 2.16. CHANGES/ALTERATIONS Proposer may change or withdraw a Proposal at any time prior to Proposal submission deadline; however, no oral modifications will be allowed. Written modifications shall not be allowed following the proposal deadline. 2.17. COMPENSATION PROPOSAL Each Proposer shall detail any and all fees and costs to provide the required services as listed herein. Proposer shall additionally provide a detailed list of all costs to provide all services as detailed in Section III Scope of Services, as proposed. The City reserves the right to add or delete any service, at any time. Should the City determine to add an additional service for which pricing was not previously secured, the City shall seek the Successful Proposer to provide reasonable cost(s) for same. Should the City determine the pricing unreasonable, the City reserves the right to negotiate cost(s) or seek another vendor for the provision of said service(s). Failure to submit compensation proposal as required shall disqualify Proposer from consideration. 2.18. EVALUATION/SELECTION PROCESS AND CONTRACT AWARD The procedure for response evaluation, selection and award is as follows: (1) Solicitation issued. (2) Receipt of responses. (3) Opening and listing of all responses received. (4) Purchasing staff will review each submission for compliance with the submission requirements of the Solicitation, including verifying that each submission includes all documents required. (5) An Evaluation Committee comprised of members of the Audit Advisory Committee, as codified in Section 2-950(1), (2) and (3) of the City Code, shall meet to evaluate each response in accordance with the requirements of this Solicitation and based upon the evaluation criteria as specified herein. (6) The Evaluation Committee reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to request Proposers to make oral presentations before the Committee as part of the evaluation process. The presentation may be scheduled at the convenience of the Evaluation Committee and shall be recorded. (7) The Evaluation Committee reserves the right to rank the Proposals and shall submit its recommendation to the City Manager for acceptance. If the City Manager accepts the Committee's recommendation, the City Manager's recommendation for award of contract will be posted on the City of Miami Purchasing Department website, in the Supplier Corner, Current Solicitations and Notice of Recommendation of Award Section. The notice of the City Manager's recommendation can be found by selecting the details of the solicitation and is listed as Recommendation of Award Posting Date and Recommendation of Award To fields. If "various" is indicated in the Recommendation of Award To field, the Bidder/Proposer must contact the buyer for that solicitation to obtain the suppliers name. The City Manager shall make his recommendation to the City Commission requesting the authorization to negotiate and/or execute an agreement with the recommended Proposer(s). No Proposer(s) shall have any rights against the City arising from such negotiations or termination thereof. (8) The City Manager reserves the right to reject the Committee's recommendation, and instruct the Committee to re-evaluate and make another recommendation, reject all proposals, or recommend that the City Commission reject all proposals. (9) The City Commission shall consider the City Manager's and Evaluation Committees' recommendation(s) and, if appropriate and required, approve the City Manager's recommendation(s). The City Commission may also reject any or all response. (10) If the City Commission approves the recommendations, the City will enter into negotiations with the Page 28 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 selected Proposer(s) for a contract for the required services. Such negotiations may result in contracts, as deemed appropriate by the City Manager. (11) The City Commission shall review and approve the negotiated Contract with the selected Proposer(s). 2.19. ADDITIONAL SERVICES Services not specifically identified in this request may be added to any resultant contract upon successful negotiation and mutual consent of the contracting parties. 2.20. HOURLY RATE The hourly rate shall include, but not be limited to, full compensation for labor, any and all equipment used, travel time and related expenses and any and all other costs to the Proposer. Said rate shall be at a straight time amount for all labor, except as otherwise noted herein. 2.21. RECORDS During the contract period, and for a least five (5) subsequent years thereafter, Successful Proposer shall provide City access to all files and records maintained on the City's behalf. 2.22. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONTRACT The City Manager shall have the right and authority to amend this Contract on behalf of the City. 2.23. TRUTH IN NEGOTIATION CERTIFICATE Execution of the resulting agreement by the Successful Proposer shall act as the execution of truth -in -negotiation certificate stating that wage rates and other factual unit costs supporting the compensation of the resulting Agreement are accurate, complete, and current at the time of contracting. The original contract price and any additions thereto shall be adjusted to exclude any significant sums by which City determines the contract price was increased due to inaccurate, incomplete, or non-current wage rates and other factual unit costs. All such contract adjustments shall be made within one (1) year following the end of the Agreement. Page 29 of 38 Request for Proposals (RPP) 209202,1 3. Specifications 3.1. SPECIFICATIONS/SCOPE OF WORK 3.1 Background Information The City of Miami, Florida (hereinafter referred to as the "City") is soliciting Proposals from qualified and experienced independent Certified Public Accountants (CPA's) and/or firms licensed to practice in the State of Florida for the purpose of providing an annual examination of its financial statements and records. The audit shall be conducted for the purpose of formulating an opinion of the basic financial statements taken as a whole and to determine whether operations have been conducted in accord with legal and regulatory requirements. The City of Miami was incorporated July 28th, 1896, and has a population of approximately 404,000. The City is situated at the mouth of the Miami River where it is a main port of entry into Florida and the county seat for Miami -Dade County, Florida. The City comprises 34.3 square miles of land and 19.5 square miles of water. The City Charter was adopted by the electors of the City of Miami at an election held on May 17th, 1921 and was legalized and validated by Chapter 9024 of the laws of the State of Florida of 1921. During fiscal year 1997, the residents of the City voted on a referendum that created single -member districts and an Executive Mayor form of government. The City Commission governs and legislates the City of Miami. It has five members elected on a district basis for a four-year term. The policy decisions made by the Commissioners are implemented by the City Manager. The City Manager is appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Commission. The Manager is the head of the administrative branch of City government and is responsible to the Mayor for the proper administration of all City affairs. (Please refer to Attachment A for the City's organizational chart and key personnel.) The City provides the following services as authorized by its Charter: public safety, public works, community development, economic development, planning and zoning, building inspections, sanitation, parks and recreation, cultural enrichment, public improvements, and general administrative services. The City is organized into 35 departments and agencies for the provision of the same. The accounting and financial reporting functions of the City are centralized within the Finance Department which is headed by Diana M. Gomez, Finance Director and consists of 67 employees. More detailed information on the City's government and its finances can be found at the city's website at www.miarnigov.com. Concerning the same, a copy of the City's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the year ended September 30, 2009, the Management Letter and City's responses for the year ended September 30, 2008, the Single Audit Report for the year ended September 30, 2008, and the City's approved budget for the year ending September 30, 2010, may be found at the City's website at www.miamigov.com. The City administers a combined operating budget of approximately $513,800,000. As of September 30, 2009, the City's total payroll is $464,302,733 and covers approximately 3,800 employees. The City of Miami sponsors the following separate single -employer defined benefit pension plans under the administration and management of separate Boards of Trustees: the City of Miami Fire Fighters' and Police Officers' Retirement Trust (FIFO), the City of Miami General Employees' and Sanitation Employees' Retirement Trust (GESS) and Other Managed Trusts, and the City of Miami Elected Officers' Retirement Trust (EORT). The financial statements for the these pension plans are prepared using the accrual basis of accounting. These plans are reported as pension trust funds in the City's financial statements, and none of them reported in the City's CAFR, is audited as part of this engagement. The Govermnent Finance Officers Association (GFOA) awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the City for its CAFR for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008. In order to be awarded a Certificate of Achievement, a government must publish an easily readable and efficiently organized CAFR. This report satisfied both generally accepted accounting principles and applicable legal requirements. The City expects to apply to the GFOA for this certificate for each and every year covered under this agreement. 3.2 Fund Structure The accounts of the City are organized and operated on the basis of funds. The City uses the following fund types and account groups in its internal financial reporting: General Fund Page 30 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 Special Revenue Funds (25) Debt Service Funds (3) Capital Project Fund (11) Trust and Agency Funds (5) Account Groups (2) Implementation of the Governmental Standard Board Statement (GASB) Number 34 has eliminated some of the abovementioned funds and has resulted in a change of classification of some of the others for external financial reporting purposes. The financial statements of the City include those of the primary government and those of its component units. The City currently has six blended component units and six discretely presented component units. None of the component units reported in the City's CAFR is audited as part of this engagement. The City Commission annually adopts an operating budget ordinance for all governmental funds of the City, except for the Capital Projects Funds. The Capital Projects Funds are budgeted on a total project basis for which annual budgets are not available. For governmental funds, budgets are prepared on a basis consistent with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. 3.3 Accounting Systems/Software The City of Miami implemented the Oracle E -Business Suite l Ii Enterprise Resource System (ERP) on October 1, 2006. Specific modules included in the implementation were as follows: - General Ledger - Accounts Payable - Fixed Assets - Accounts Receivable - Projects and Grants - iReceivables - Cash Management - iExpense - iProcurement - iSupplier - Sourcing - Procurement Contracts Additionally, on June 21, 2009, the City implemented the following three (3) modules: - Human Resources - Payroll - Benefits With the implementation of the new ERP system, the City changed its chart of accounts. The new chart of accounts was developed consistent with world class best practices as well as the State of Florida's Uniform Accounting System Chart of Accounts. The City's new chart includes the following segments: the Fund, the Organization (Cost Center), the Object (Account) and two future use segments (Futurel, Future2). 3.4 Performance Requirements/Scope of Work A. The audit shall be performed in compliance with the following requirements: 1) Chapter 218.39 and any other applicable Florida Statutes, 2) Regulations of the State of Florida Department of Banking and Finance, 3) Rules of the Auditor General, State of Florida, Chapter 10-550 (Local Government Audits) and Chapter 10-600 (Audits of State Grants and Aids Appropriations under Section 215.97 Florida Statutes), 4) Audits of State and Local Government Units, issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Page 31 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 5) OMB Circular A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments. and Non -Profit Organizations, Office of Management and Budget, 6) United States Single Audit Act (1984), 7) United States Single Audit Act (Amendments, 1996), 8) State of Florida Single Audit Act, 9) Statements on Auditing Standards (GRAS), 10) Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States, 11) Generally accepted govermnental accounting standards, 12) State of Florida Auditor General Selection Guidelines (2007) prepared by the Auditor Selection Task Force, 13) Any other applicable federal, state, local regulations or professional guidelines not specifically listed above as well as any additional requirements which may be adopted by these organizations in the future. B. The City's Audit Advisory Committee shall maintain in liaison with the auditor including, but not limited to, the monitoring of the auditor's work progress and the review of preliminary and final reports as codified in Section 2-950(4) of the City Code. C. The auditor shall express an opinion on the fair presentation of its basic financial statements in conformity with applicable, generally accepted accounting principles. The auditor shall provide an in -relation opinion on the combining and individual fund statements. The auditor shall not be required to audit the required supplementary information or the statistical sections contained in the CAFR. D. The audit shall be an annual audit as defined in Sections 11.45 (I) (a) and (c), Florida Statutes, and shall be conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards as well as the standards listed above. E. A Single Audit in accordance with the Federal and State Single Audit Acts and related professional guidance shall be conducted as required. The auditor shall provide the City with any required letters and schedules related to this audit. F. The audit shall also include a review of the financial report provided to the Department of Banking and Finance to assure consistency with the CAFR. G. A final and complete opinion letter on the financial statements taken as a whole as well as any additional letters required by the United States or State of Florida Single Audit Act shall be delivered to the City no later than March 15th following the end of the fiscal year under audit. These letters shall be included in the CAFR by the City. H. No later than March 30th following the end of the fiscal year under audit, the auditor shall submit a full and complete management letter which shall identify any management weaknesses observed, assess their effect on the financial management and propose steps to correct or eliminate those weaknesses. It is the City's intent that all fieldwork related to the audit shall be completed by February 15th following the end of the fiscal year under audit. 1. At the expense of the City, the auditor agrees to have the audited financial statements of the second year of the contract term submitted as part of their annual peer review program. Additionally, the City reserves the right to request that the audited financial statements of any of the four (4) optional extensions of contract years also be submitted for peer review. The results of these peer reviews shall be communicated back to the City no later than ten (10) business days thereafter receipt of the completed the review process. J. The auditor shall provide the City with sufficient letterhead to print 100 original copies of all required letters for the CAFR. K. The partner in charge of the audit and the audit manager, or other CPA assigned to the audit, shall agree to communicate with City Manager or designee, the Audit Advisory Committee, the Finance Committee or the City Commission, as deemed necessary. L. The auditor shall assist the City in preparing the CAFR. The City shall retain ultimate responsibility for preparation of this document; however, the auditor shall provide the following assistance: a. proofreading of the entire document; Page 32 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 b. verification of the implementation of recommended improvements from the prior year's submission to the GFOA under the Certificate of Achievement program; c. review of the applications for the annual Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting; d. verification of the implementation of new accounting standards and pronouncements; and, e. overall review including layout, design, and suggested improvements. M. Timeliness is critical in the performance of the audit. The auditor shall coordinate with the Finance Director and endeavor to accomplish the audit in a phased approach throughout the year in order to reduce the year-end workload on both the audit firm and the City staff. The City shall make necessary records available to the auditor through the year to assist in this regard. In addition, the City shall make end -of -year records available to the auditor on or before November 15th after the end of the fiscal year under audit. N. The auditor shall report to the City, at least weekly, the status of any potential audit adjustments so that the City may have adequate opportunity to investigate, gather information and respond if necessary. Final audit adjustments shall be submitted to the City no later than February 15th following the end of the fiscal year under audit. O. The City may issue one or more official statements for the sale of bonds during the tenn of the Contract. The official statement will contain the general-purpose financial statements or an extraction from the CAFR. The auditor shall be required to issue, upon request, "comfort letters" and other documents necessary to issue the bonds. Unless significant additional staff time is required of the auditor, fees for such requests made by the City of Miami shall be included in the base fee submitted by the Proposer. P. The workpapers are the property of the auditors and shall be held locally for a period of five (5) years. Workpapers shall be available for examination or duplication without charge to authorized City personnel and representatives of Federal or State Agencies upon request of that Agency or the City of Miami in accordance with Federal law, State law and other regulations. Working papers shall also be made available for examination, at no charge, or duplication, at a reasonable charge, to subsequent auditors engaged by the City. Q. The auditors shall notify the City immediately if any regulatory or government agency requests a review of the audit workpapers concerning the City or any other government client audited by the audit firm. R. The auditor shall notify the City immediately should any disciplinary actions be taken or complaints filed with any regulatory bodies against any of the firm's staff or the firm itself. S. The auditor shall designate two (2) "key" members of the audit team. The City shall reserve the right to approve any substitutions or changes in those audit team members designated as "key". T. The auditor shall provide the City with a copy of each external quality control review (peer review) conducted during the time period engaged by the City. In the event that a firm has been formed so recently that no peer reviews have been undertaken, the Proposer shall state the same in the response to the RFP. If available, the Proposer may submit peer reviews from any predecessor firms, however, a newly formed firm will not be eliminated from the proposal process simply because no peer reviews have been conducted in the new firm's name. U. The City implemented GASB No. 34 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2002. The City shall require the auditor's assistance to comply with these reporting requirements. The auditor will be required to provide technical advice and reasonable assistance upon requested as part of the contract. V. The firm shall agree to use City staff in preparation of supporting schedules, reconciliations and document retrievals. In this regard, prior planning and explicit instruction shall be paramount for timely performance. The auditor shall provide the City with a list of all schedules for preparation by the City. The Finance Department staff shall be available during the audit to provide information, documentation and clarification to the auditors. W. The Successful Proposer shall be required to provide additional services, not specifically addressed above and, if approved by the City, to other City departments, agencies, boards, trusts, etc., which may, from time to time, require auditing services. Services may be contracted with that entity(s) at the time of Page 33 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 need and a separate contract may be executed for provision of the same. The Successful Proposer is not guaranteed the provision of any additional services as each such individual entity reserves the right to secure external auditing services from other providers or from sub -consultants of the Successful Proposer as it deems fit and in its best interest. The City reserves the right to add, delete and/or modify services provided under the Scope of Work when it so requires and at any time throughout the duration of this contract. 3.5 Fees for Services Proposer shall submit a flat fee proposal for the whole of the five (5) year term of the contract. Significant extenuating circumstances may be considered by the City in determining whether any adjustment should be made to the proposed rates for future years. The fee proposal for the initial year (Year 1) shall also provide a breakdown which differentiates the start-up costs associated with the engagement, additional costs associated with the initial Year 1 audit and the total fee proposed for that year of the engagement. Additionally, Proposer shall provide a fee schedule for the complete audit and a one (1) singular hourly rate to be used for any additional work, which may be requested by the City and which is outside the scope of the contract. Proposer shall discuss any additional services, and fees for the same, which Proposer can provide and which are not specifically listed within this RFP. FAILURE TO SUBMIT A FEE PROPOSAL AS REQUIRED AND IN THE FORMAT DESCRIBED ABOVE SHALL DISQUALIFY PROPOSER FROM CONSIDERATION. Subject to negotiation, a progress payment not to exceed 75% of the total fee may be made upon request of the Successful Proposer and completion of the audit fieldwork. Final payment shall be made upon request by the Successful Proposer and receipt and acceptance of the final audit report by the City Manager. 3.6 Information to be Provided to Successful Proposer by the Cit3y The City will provide, at a minimum, the following information to assist the auditor in performing the annual audit: 1. General Ledger/Trial Balance printout as of September 30th and any other time periods requested by theauditor; 2. Statements of Revenues, Expenditures, Estimated vs. Actual Revenues, and Expenditures vs. Appropriations as of September 30th and any other time periods requested by the auditor; 3. various schedules and worksheets designed to assist and provide backup information to the auditor; 4. the City will prepare confirmation letters for the auditor; 5. the City will prepare and print the financial statements; and other information requested by the auditor and mutually agreed upon by the Finance Director. Page 34 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 4. Submission Requirements 4.1. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Proposers shall carefully follow the format and instruction outlined below, observing format requirements where indicated. Proposals should contain the information itemized below and in the order indicated. This information should be provided for the Proposer and any Sub -Consultants to be utilized for the work contemplated by this Solicitation. Proposals submitted which do not include the following items may be deemed non-responsive and may not be considered for contract award. The response to this solicitation shalt be presented in the following format. Proposers shall submit one (1) original and six (6) copies of the proposal. Electronic submittals shall not be accepted. Failure to do so may deem the Proposal non-responsive. Instructions to Proposers The purpose of this RFP is to hire a qualified and experienced independent Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed to practice in the State of Florida which may be a firm, corporation, joint venture, partnership or other legal entity, for the provision of external auditing services to the City of Miami. Therefore, only fully capable, experienced, and qualified Proposers should submit Proposals in response to this RFP. All Sub -Consultants, as part of Proposer's Proposal, must stand on their own merits and will be evaluated accordingly. In addition, any firm(s) involved in a joint venture in its Proposal will be evaluated individually, as each firm of the joint venture shall also have to stand on its own merits. Information provided by Proposer shall also be provided for each entity part of Proposer's Team. Throughout this RFP, the phrases "must" and "shall" will denote mandatory requirements. Any Proposer's proposed system not meeting the mandatory requirements shall be subject to immediate disqualification. When responding to this RFP, all Proposers shall adhere to the guidelines defined below. Any and all proposals not following the prescribed format shall be subject to immediate disqualification. PROPOSAL FORMAT 1. Cover Page: The Cover Page shall include the Proposer's name, the Contact Person for the RFP, the Firm's Liaison for the Contract, the Primary Office Location, the Local Business Address (if applicable), the Business Phone and Fax Numbers, Email Addresses (if applicable), the Title of the RFP, the RFP Number, and the Federal Employer Identification Number or Social Security Number. 2. Table of Contents: The table of contents shall outline, in sequential order, the major sections of the Proposal as listed below, including all other relevant documents requested for submission. All pages of the Proposal, including the enclosures, shall be clearly and consecutively numbered and shall correspond with the table of contents. 3. Executive Summary: A signed and dated summary of not more than two (2) pages shall be provided containing Proposer's overall Qualifications and Experience and Technical Qualifications, as contained in the submittal. Proposer shall include the name of the organization, business phone, contact person and a summary of the work to be performed, 4. Pro oser's Qualifications and Exuerience: a) Describe the Proposer's organizational history and structure, provide a brief history of the firm, including years Proposer/firm has been in business providing a similar service(s), and indicate whether the City has previously awarded any contracts to the Proposer/firm. b) Provide a list of all principals/owners and directors. c) Provide detailed, relevant auditing experience of firm for at least three (3) years, particularly governmental auditing experience. Include any municipal audit experience including utility and grant audits. Page 35 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 d) Provide copies of resumes and describe meaningful governmental auditing experience of partners, managers, key staff members, and other supervisory staff assigned to the City's account including names and overall work to be performed. The City reserves the right to contact any reference as part of the evaluation process. e) Provide copy(s) of the State of Florida CPA license for all individual CPA's assigned to the audit and for the firm. f) Provide positive affirmation that all CPA's assigned to the engagement have properly maintained their Continuing Professional Education (CPE) in governmental accounting as required by the Board of Accountancy. g) Provide documentation from the Board of Accountancy that the licenses described above are indeed active and in good standing. h) Provide a list of clients that have discontinued use of Proposer's services within the past two (2) years and indicate the reasons for the same. The City reserves the right to contact any reference as part of the evaluation process. i) Provide documentation of the firm's good standing to practice before the Securities and Exchange Commission. j) Provide two (2) Letters of Reference on letterhead from preferably governmental entities for whom similar services have been performed. This information shall be subject to verification as part of the evaluation process. k) Provide a current resume of each Sub -Consultant. Proposer shall identify all Sub -Consultants and those services to be performed by each. Proposer shall provide the Sub -Consultants' qualifications and experience in detail, highlighting all similar experience as addressed in this RFP and anticipated to be performed by each of the same. Proposer shall provide for each Sub -Consultant the same information required of Proposer. The City retains the right to accept or reject any Sub -Consultants proposed. The City reserves the right to contact any reference as part of the evaluation process. 5. Technical Qualifications A. Ability and Experience to Perform Required Services a) Provide location of the office from which the audit will be conducted. b) Provide a List of not less than three (3) references within the past five (5) years for whom similar services were performed. Include the overall value of the contract, the term of the contract, and include the address, phone number(s) and contact persons within each organization. The City reserves the right to contact any reference as part of the evaluation process. At least one copy of a CAFR from one of the references shall also be submitted. In the event that a firm has been formed so recently that no government auditing references are available, the Proposer shall state the same in the response to the RFP. If available, the Proposer shall also submit governrnental auditing references for any predecessor fines. c) Provide recent, current and projected workload for the Proposer and auditors assigned to the City's account. d) Provide a copy(s) of the two (2) most recent external quality control reviews (peer reviews) inclusive of reviews of specific government engagements. e) Provide results of any federal or state desk reviews or field audits during the past three (3) years. f) Describe the ability to provide the City with analysis of current developments of Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) pronouncement. g) Provide an affirmative statement that it is independent of the City of Miami as defined by the U.S. General Accounting Office's Government Auditing Standards. The firm shall also list and describe the firm's (or proposed Sub -Consultant's) professional relationships involving the City of Miami or any of its agencies for the past five (5) years, together with a statement explaining why such relationships do not constitute a conflict of interest relative to performing the proposed audit. h) Describe any litigation or proceeding against Proposer, its partners, managers and/or other key staff members, within the past three (3) years. Provide the circumstances and statuses of any disciplinary actions taken or pending against the Proposer, its partners, managers and/or other key staff Page 36 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 members, by the state regulatory bodies or professional organizations or by any court or administrative agency which has ruled against its professional activities or performance. i) Describe any current or pending litigation or proceeding involving Proposer, its partners, managers and/or other key staff members, and its professional activities or performance, if applicable. State the nature of the litigation, a brief description of each case, the outcome or projected outcome, and the monetary amounts involved. j) Discuss any bankruptcies involving Proposer, its partners, manager, and/or other key staff members, if applicable. B. Audit Approach a) Provide a brief description of the audit procedure to be followed. b) Provide a tentative schedule for performing key aspects of the audit. c) Provide detailed responses to each of the City's requirements as stipulated within the Scope of Work, Section 3.4 of this RFP. d) Provide the extent to which statistical sampling techniques shall be used. e) Provide the type and extent to which analytical procedures shall be used. 6. Local Preference Proof of the following information shall be provided with the proposal for Proposers seeking local preference consideration in the evaluation process who maintain a place of business within the City of Miami: state the Office Location of the Proposer, provide the location from which the Proposer shall be based to perform the work and provide the City of Miami Occupational License. 7. Fees for Services Proposer shall submit a flat fee proposal for the whole of the five (5) year term of the contract. Significant extenuating circumstances may be considered by the City in determining whether any adjustment should be made to the proposed rates for future years. The fee proposal for the initial year (Year 1) shall also provide a breakdown which differentiates the start-up costs associated with the engagement, additional costs associated with the Year 1 audit and the total fee proposed for that year of the engagement. Additionally, provide a fee schedule for the complete audit and a singular hourly rate to be used for any additional work which the City may request outside the scope of the contract. Discuss any additional services and fees for the same which Proposer can provide and which are not specifically listed within this RFP. FAILURE TO SUBMIT A FEE PROPOSAL AS REQUIRED AND IN THE FORMAT DESCRIBED ABOVE SHALL DISQUALIFY PROPOSER FROM CONSIDERATION. Subject to negotiation, a progress payment not to exceed 75% of the total fee may be made upon request of the Successful Proposer and completion of the audit fieldwork. Final payment shall be made upon request by the Successful Proposer and receipt and acceptance of the final audit report by the City Manager. Page 37 of 38 Request for Proposals (RFP) 209202,1 S. Evaluation Criteria 5.1. EVALUATION CRITERIA Proposals shall be evaluated based upon the following criteria and weight: Proposer's Qualifications and Experience (40 points) Proposer's Technical Qualifications (40 points) Local Preference (5 points) Fees for Services (20 points) Oral Presentation, if required (15 points) Total Points (120 points) Page 38 of 38