Personnel & Budget Committee backs Holman and Frenier to provide audit services

The Pinelands Commission Personnel & Budget Committee on June 30 recommended retaining Holman and Frenier to provide accounting and audit services after a competitive request for qualifications process.

Jessica, the commission's business manager, told the committee the audit evaluation committee received two responsible bids and assessed them on experience and cost. "We had two responsible bids, Holman and Frenier and Witham, Smith, and Bratt," Jessica said, and added that the evaluation placed Holman and Frenier slightly ahead: "The total for Holman and Frenier was 93, where Witham, Smith, and Bratt was 87." The transcript indicates those numbers were evaluation scores used by the committee to compare the proposals.

Committee member (speaker 5) moved to support retention of Holman and Frenier and was seconded by Jessica. Chair conducted a voice vote and the motion carried with no opposition or abstentions.

Jessica said the selected firm is familiar with municipal accounting systems and the commission's operations and that the proposed contract amount was below the threshold requiring a full commission resolution; staff will draft and execute the contract so services are in place before the state auditor begins the fiscal-year audit.

The committee’s action was procedural: it recommended contract execution by staff under existing delegation because the award amount did not trigger full-commission adoption. The committee did not adopt a formal resolution at the meeting; staff said they would draft the contract and proceed once the committee’s recommendation was recorded.

The Personnel & Budget Committee met without public comments and adjourned after the recommendation. The contract is expected to be executed in the near term so audit work can begin on schedule.