Committee adds communication, conflict-resolution expectations to audit RFP

Committee members agreed May 1 to add language in the RFP asking audit firms to describe their communication processes, expected response times to city inquiries and examples of how they've resolved engagements that did not go smoothly.

"Discuss the firm's commitment to timely communication," staff proposed as a new item in the technical approach tab; members suggested firms specify expected response windows for phone and email and describe scenarios where they resolved conflicts and how they did so. The committee said those responses should be scored under "engagement management" to ensure firms commit to protecting city staff time.

Members said the change is a direct response to prior experience where slow or last-minute requests strained the clerk and finance staff during audit season; the RFP will ask firms to lay out a tentative audit schedule and a communications plan that the city can use to assess whether a firm will meet reporting deadlines.