Committee presses staff on PFM RFP timing and confidentiality of evaluation

The Finance, Audit and Budget Committee debated next steps on the county’s financial-advisor RFP process and how long staff can extend the incumbent contract while bidding. Commissioners noted the RFP was released in March 2025 and that the incumbent, PFM, has extensions running through year-end; staff said they requested 30 days to finish bidder clarifications and will return with an evaluation and recommendation at the next FAB meeting.

Commissioner Michelle Long Spears raised procurement concerns including an allegation that the LSBE scoring element was not disclosed to bidders during the process. Staff suggested handling the detailed evaluation offline. County Attorney Phillips cautioned that "as we go through our evaluation process and decisions are made about how that process works, that should be done privately" and agreed to provide a written legal opinion about what procurement details may be publicly discussed. Staff said they would bring a recommendation to the committee by the next scheduled FAB meeting and noted the contract model allows project-by-project billing so a transition between firms could be managed without overlapping full fees.