Granby committee narrows consultant RFPs to CLA, Eastcon and Randy Frank for interviews

The CAU working group reviewed eight responses to its shared-services RFP and voted to invite three firms — CLA, Eastcon and the Randy Frank firm — for interviews in public sessions that will be offered in-person and via Zoom.

Mike Walsh, Granby’s town manager, summarized the proposals as falling into tiers from roughly $7,500 up to $100,000–$120,000 and reminded members that selection should balance cost with demonstrated understanding and capacity: "You are not bound by the lowest cost," he said. Walsh also walked the committee through the RFP evaluation criteria (experience, demonstration of understanding, capacity to complete services in the required timeframe) and noted a typical ~90-day expectation from contract award to start.

Members evaluated trade-offs between cost, Connecticut experience and balanced expertise in municipal and education systems. Several members favored Connecticut-based or regionally experienced firms for statutory compliance and local knowledge; others recommended a mix of firms to capture both municipal accounting depth (CLA) and education-centered, lower-cost service models (Eastcon). Sherry Burke, superintendent of schools, noted ClearGov onboarding already underway for the Board of Education and cautioned that implementation requires time and specific decisions from this committee if it is to affect the next budget cycle.

The committee agreed to interview the three shortlisted firms at a future meeting, allotting 30–45 minutes per firm with standardized questions and a rubric to permit direct comparison. Members set July 31 as a deadline to submit proposed interview questions and discussed publishing the interviews via Zoom for public observation. The motion to invite the three firms was made and seconded and carried by voice vote.