Berwyn approves three-year audit contract with GW and Associates after RFP review
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Summary
After reviewing four proposals, the finance department recommended and the council approved a three-year audit engagement with GW and Associates for FY2025''27, citing firm familiarity with Berwyn and a higher dedicated-hour proposal; council approved the contract by 7-0 roll call.
The Berwyn City Council voted unanimously to award a three-year contract for professional auditing services to GW and Associates for fiscal years 2025 through 2027.
Finance staff outlined an RFP process that began in October 2025, included a mandatory pre-proposal meeting on Nov. 18 and produced sealed proposals from four firms opened Nov. 25: Sikich; GW and Associates (the city's current auditor); Baker Tilly; and Crowe. The finance department's evaluation emphasized municipal audit experience, proximity within a roughly 35-mile radius, and clearly stated staffing hours and partner involvement across the engagement.
Finance Director Monica Martin said the four firms were "very impressive," but recommended GW and Associates, noting it proposed the most audit hours and demonstrated strong familiarity with Berwyn's accounting systems and recent grant and bond-related complexities. "GW is the finance department's choice to perform the audit engagement services for 2025 through 2027," Martin said. She told the council GW could dedicate partner- and staff-level hours while providing timely delivery at a reasonable cost.
Council members probed the relationship between proposed hours and fees, asking whether lower-dollar bids sometimes under-estimate the work needed. Martin explained that bidders unfamiliar with Berwyn can undercut hours without a true understanding of the municipality's grant structure (IDOT, CDBG, ARPA) and special-purpose entities, and that GW's detailed hour estimates reflected that complexity. She added that the city has not historically experienced material contract overages when firms adhere to their proposals.
A motion to concur with the finance department's recommendation and enter into a three-year contract with GW and Associates was moved and seconded; the roll-call vote recorded seven ayes and the motion carried.
Next steps: the city will finalize the contract terms and the selected firm is expected to begin audit fieldwork according to the reported timeline (work beginning in spring with completion by May'June, per staff comments).
