STANDING ROCK HOUSING AUTHORITY
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - *RE-POSTING*
AUDIT SERVICES — #2003133
ISSUE DATE: Wednesday, May 3, 2023
PROPOSAL DEADLINE: OPEN UNTIL FILLED
SEND PROPOSAL BY MAIL OR HAND-DELIVERY TO: Standing Rock Housing Authority
POBox 769
133392nd Street
FortYates, ND 58538
I. Scope ofServices
The SRHA, located in Fort Yates, ND, is seeking proposalsfrom qualified contractors to provide auditing services in accordance with theNative American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act as follows:
- ContractTerm: The initial term of the contract will be for one (1) year, and contract canbe terminated at-will by the SRHA.
- Servicesto be Performed by Contractor: Contractor shall be a certified publicaccounting firm and shall:
o AssistSRHA in providing annual, calendar year audited financial statements, taxreturns, and other documents required to be provided by auditors for all orpart of SRHA’s Limited Tax Credit Partnerships 1-_____ and NAHASDAproject(s)
o Preparationof any amended tax returns for FY 2022-2023
o Anypreliminary tax credit work and audits of information provided by SRHA tosufficiently produce an audit opinion
o Prepareaudits in conformity with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards
o Reviewquarterly unaudited financial statements for each project that are required tobe submitted to the Limited Partners in each LIHTC project
o Prepare annual tax returns based onthe audited information which conform with Internal Revenue Servicerequirements.
o Calculationof debt coverage ratios, net cash flow distribution calculations
o Provideservices by the schedule set forth herein
- Willwork with the LP partnership.
o Perform services by any additionalschedules that are required to be prepared in various partnership documents
- Schedule
o Preparedby project list with a timeline for receipt of information requested – Bymid-February
o TrialBalance to be provided by SRHA – By end of second week in February
o Draftedaudited Financial Statements – By February 17
o FinalFinancial Statements and Footnotes – By March 16
o Draft taxreturns – By February 17
o Completedtax returns – By March 31
o Review quarterly financialstatements for each partnership – By April 25, July 25, October 25, January 25of each year.
- ContractorQualifications: SRHA shall only consider proposals submitted by qualifiedfirms. It is the burden of the contractor submitting a proposal to include allinformation relevant to a determination of qualification for the contract.Failure to disclose any potential disqualifying information may, in the SRHA’sdiscretion, alone be grounds for a finding the contractor is not qualified. Forthe purpose of this contract, contractors are only qualified if they:
o Have the financial andadministrative capabilities to perform services as contemplated by this RFP
o Have the technical qualificationsand ability to perform any and services as contemplated by this RFP
o To the extent the contractor - orany owner or key personnel of the same - has had prior business with SRHA,there is a record of satisfactory past performance
o That no contractor - nor owner orkey personnel of the same - has anything in their history which would cause areasonable person to objectively believe the contractor, owner or personnel:(1) lacks the integrity and/or trustworthiness to work with SRHA under acontract, and/or (2) has committed prior misconduct in the fields of auditing,tribal housing, and/or tribal governments.
o The contractor – nor any owner orkey personnel – may not be disbarred, suspended or determined ineligible asprovided under federal regulation, nor included on a list of excludedcontractors by the General Services Administration. The SRHA shall alsocontemplate in its award previous suspensions of business licenses or poorperformance by and/or for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe or any entity thereof.
- Contract Provisions: Any contractentered into as a result of this RFP shall include binding language providingthat:
o Any and all disputes under the contractshall be resolved by binding arbitration. Any such disputes shall be governedby the laws of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
o All documents, analysis, reports,designs, drawings, specifications, and other work developed in the performanceof this agreement by the contractor shall be or become the sole property of theSRHA and shall not be used for any other purpose, nor shall the same bereleased to any third party without the express written consent of the SRHA.
o If there is any debt owing by thecontractor - or an owner or key personnel of the same - to SRHA, strictrepayment provisions, the violation or denial of which shall be immediategrounds for termination and/or award of the contract; such agreement may alsobe entered separately but contemporaneously with the contract at SRHA’sdiscretion
o Thecontract shall be terminable by SRHA with or without cause
o Otherprovisions as required by Tribal law, SRHA policy and/or federal law
- Minimum Information Required inProposal: All proposals shall include, at minimum, the following information asa condition precedent for a contractor to be considered for award of thecontract:
o The estimated cost of the proposalincluding whether a fixed price contract is proposed, or an hourly fee contractis proposed. If an hourly fee contract is proposed, a schedule of the cost ofservices performed by CPA personnel is required, in addition to an estimatedtotal cost of the proposal. If applicable, provide a listing of pricing or costfor travel, expenses and any other elements included in the proposed contractprice.
o Names, titles and resumes for theproposed Project Manager and Key Personnel the CPA proposes to utilize for theProject
o Information establishing the CPAhas a minimum of five (5) years’ experience auditing low-income housing taxcredit partnerships and preparing and filing annual tax returns for Low-IncomeHousing Tax Credit Projects. Proposals must also document relevant experiencewith NAHASDA and working with Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities.
o A list of five (5) references,which must be from organizations administering NAHASDA funds and low-incomehousing tax credit projects. The proposal must also include the names of thelast five (5) housing entities the CPA has performed services for inchronological order.
o A commitment that the CPA is ableand willing to provide on-site personnel and at least 51% of the work will beperformed off-reservation.
o Documentation verifying whether theCPA is certified by TERO as an Indian-owned and operated business, anddocumentation of efforts the business makes and will make to ensure that Indianpreference in its hiring and employment practices is complied with, forreference should TERO law apply to this specific contract
o HUD Form 5369-C,a copy of which is available from SRHA upon request.
- Determination of Qualification.Upon receiving any and all proposals by the deadline provided herein, SRHAshall make a determination that each proposed contractor is qualified asprovided herein. If the contractor is determined to be unqualified, SRHA shallsend the proposed contractor a written notice of the same and provide detailson why the proposed contractor is not qualified.
o Indian Preference: For contracts inwhich TERO law applies, SRHA first limits its pool of contractors toIndian-owned, certified entities. If no Indian-owned, certified entity that hassubmitted a proposal by the deadline is determined to be qualified, SRHA shallthen open bidding to all contractors. If TERO does not apply, Indian Preferenceshall be given where an Indian-owned firm has equal qualifications as anon-Indian owned firm.
Contact for Additional Information:If any contractor has questions about any aspect of this contract or proposal -or wishes to have more detailed information about SRHA staffing, housing units,programs and budgets, and SRHA’s operations and projects – please contact ElizabethMayquomenbenais-Jones, the SRHA Administrative Officer, or Barbara Little Owl,SRHA Executive Director at (701) 854-3891.
- Requirements in Submission ofProposals: The following requirements must be met in order to be considered foraward of the contract.
o Allproposals are due no later than – OPEN UNTIL FILLED.
o Proposals must be received by SRHAvia mail or hand delivery to the main SRHA building by the deadline. Theaddress proposers shall use is: 1333 92nd St, PO Box 769, Fort Yates, ND.
o Nofacsimile or emailed proposals will be accepted.
o Proposedshall be addressed to the Administrative Officer
o Submissionsmust include three (3) copies of the proposal in a sealed envelope with anotation on the envelope that the proposal contains “Housing Authority AuditServices Proposal.”
o The SRHAreserves the right to reject all proposals in the best interests of the SRHAand/or to negotiate with contractors regarding proposals submitted forconsideration when deemed to be in the best interests of the SRHA.
o Proposalsshall comply with requirements set forth in this RFP or shall be determined tobe an incomplete proposal