Category: General

Overview

San Mateo County Employees’ Retirement Association (SamCERA), a
public pension system, administers a defined benefit pension plan
with net assets of $6 billion. SamCERA issues this Request for
Proposal (RFP) to solicit proposals from qualified independent
certified public accounting firms to (1) audit and render an
opinion on its annual financial statements and other information
and (2) issue a report on compliance and internal controls. A
detailed description of services is in Section V. The anticipated
initial term of the contract will be for five years, with a start
date of May 1, 2024.

SamCERA is seeking proposals from organizations that can meet or
exceed the following qualifications:

• The firm must meet all minimum qualifications set forth in
  the State Controller Guidelines.

• The firm must be an independent public accounting firm
  licensed by the State of California under the Accountancy
  Act, Article 4, Section 5070.

• The firm must have conducted, within the last five years, at
  least two audits of defined benefit pension plans of public
  agencies falling under California’s County Employees
  Retirement Law (CERL) of 1937 (California Government Code
  Section 31450 et seq., “the CERL”) with assets exceeding $1
  billion.

• The firm must have experience in auditing different types of
  investments including the following: equity securities
  (domestic, global & international), public market commingled
  funds, fixed income securities/bonds, real assets, private
  real assets including private real estate, alternative
  investments (private equity, private credit funds, hedge
  funds), and securities lending.

• The Engagement Partner responsible for the SamCERA audit, and
  the partner who signs the audit report (if different), must
  have at least ten years of experience in public accounting.
  Such experience must include audits of defined benefit
  pension plans. This person must be a Certified Public
  Accountant licensed by and in good standing with the
  California Board of Accountancy.

• The Engagement Audit Manager responsible for the SamCERA
  audit must have at least five years of experience in public
  accounting. Such experience must include audits of defined
  benefit pension plans. This person must be a Certified Public
  Accountant licensed by and in good standing with the State of
  California.

• The Engagement On-Site Audit Supervisor responsible for the
  SamCERA audit must have at least three years of experience in
  public accounting. Such experience must include audits of
  defined benefit pension plans. This person must be a
  Certified Public Accountant licensed by and in good standing
  with the State of California.

• The Engagement Audit Manager and On-Site Audit Supervisor
  must be available for consultations throughout the year.

• The firm must have all necessary permits and licenses.

• The firm must provide its own work facilities, equipment,
  supplies, and support staff to perform the required services.

Proposal Submission Process

Proposals must be received no later than 12:00 p.m. (PST)
on March 7, 2024.

Proposals must be submitted electronically to:
proposals@samcera.org and three hard copies mailed/delivered
to:

SamCERA
Attn: Tat-Ling Chow, Finance Officer
100 Marine Parkway, Suite 125
Redwood City, CA 94065

Schedule of RFP Events is set forth in the chart below and may be
subject to change:

More Information

The following information can be found under “Related Links” on
the right side of this webpage:

• For more information and details about this request for
  proposal, please read the full RFP, attached as a PDF.
• The Proposer Questionnaire, attached as Word file.