Accept the Proposal Submitted by Ford & Associates, Inc. - Request for Proposal (RFP) #0007030A-EST Financial Advisor (Business Division)

On November 26, 2007, the Procurement Department, in conjunction with the Business Division, issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Financial Advisor. To evaluate this RFP, firms were asked to provide their scope of services, qualifications, experience, fees, small business utilization, and references. Proposals were due on December 18, 2007. The District utilizes an online vendor registration system to notify potential bidders of opportunities. Through this system, three firms responded (Attachment A). The evaluation process included a committee of district-level personnel and community representatives (Attachment B). The committee evaluated the proposals based on RFP criteria during Phases I and II on February 4, 2008 (Attachment C). The evaluation committee selected a short list of two firms to move to future phases. The committee continued meeting on February 4, 2008, to evaluate the two vendors. After all phases were completed, the committee reviewed key points as a group and individually rated each firm for final compilation and ranking (Attachment D). The committee recommended Ford & Associates as the provider for Financial Advisor Services. Ford & Associates has been approved for certification as a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) with the City of Tampa. The initial term of the contract shall be for a five-year period with an effective date of February 20, 2008.

As stated in OPPAGA report: “Efficient purchasing and warehousing require that management processes be in place to ensure that supplies, equipment, and services vital to the school’s education mission are purchased from a competitive source, in the right quantity, delivered timely to the correct location, and stored in a secure location."

Funds of approximately $80,000 for 2007/2008 are available in the Business Division Budget for the purchase of financial advisor services. This is only an estimate and the actual amount could vary. The district will not be held responsible if actual services are less than this amount.

Contract administration or evaluation is performed by the Project Manager and Senior Procurement Officer, who function as a team. Reviews are conducted face to face, typically quarterly, or by utilizing an online vendor performance report. Prior to soliciting a new contract, the Contract Administration team must first give consideration to the specifications and supporting data of the expiring contract.