Zephyrhills committee adopts RFP scoring weights for auditor selection

The Zephyrhills Auditor Selection Committee on July 30 approved evaluation criteria for the city's request for proposals to hire an external auditor, formalizing weights of experience 15%, project approach 40%, references 20% and price 25%.

The criteria matter because they will determine how the city ranks proposals before making a recommendation to the City Council; staff said it plans to advertise the RFP electronically and return with ranked proposals in time for a council agenda in September.

Ted Beeson, finance director for the City of Zephyrhills, told the committee that the scoring breakdown must total 100% and noted a state constraint on overweighting price. "The state says we really can't take that price and bump it up to 50%," Beeson said, explaining why the committee's draft weights kept price at 25%. He described the purpose of the committee process as separating the selection step from the council's oversight: the auditors will work for the council, but the committee evaluates proposals.

Beeson outlined items the city expects from a firm and what he would look for in proposals: a thoughtful project approach that addresses testing large utility accounts and access to the city's financial system for efficient data transfer. "To me, that would be a touchdown in the way of technology," he said, referring to proposals that offer software compatibility and direct data access rather than bulky PDF delivery.

Jessica Carter, assistant finance director, described how the RFP will be posted and how vendors will be notified: "For our bidding process, we have a software called OpenGov, and so it's all electronic, all paperless. Vendors from all over the state, they can log in, create an account, and they can follow us." Carter also noted a state requirement to publish procurement notices in a local newspaper, saying the city typically uses the Business Observer and the Tampa Bay Times to satisfy that requirement.

Committee members discussed process and timing: staff said proposals will be submitted electronically and opened after the deadline. The committee tentatively agreed to meet on Sept. 10 to review submissions, with potential interviews the week of Sept. 16 or 18, and staff aiming to present a recommendation to the City Council on Sept. 22.

The committee moved and voted to accept the evaluation criteria as presented. The motion passed unanimously.

Staff said next steps are to advertise the RFP on OpenGov, publish required notice in the local paper(s), accept electronic proposals for the stated submission window, and return to the committee with a synopsis and the full proposals for ranking and possible interviews.