Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF AUGUST 06, 2010 FBO #3177
SOLICITATION NOTICE

R -- USAC Request for Information for Small Business Set-aside: Certified Public Accountants

Notice Date

8/4/2010
 

Notice Type

Presolicitation
 

NAICS

541211 — Offices of Certified Public Accountants
 

Contracting Office

Federal Communications Commission, Office of the Managing Director, Contracts and Purchasing Center, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20554
 

ZIP Code

20554
 

Solicitation Number

USAC-IAD-2010-08-04
 

Point of Contact

Jay H. Beard, Phone: 202-776-0200
 

E-Mail Address

jbeard@usac.org
(jbeard@usac.org)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

Total Small Business
 

Description

INTRODUCTION The Universal Service Administrative Company (“USAC”) is requesting information from small, small disadvantaged, small woman-owned, small HUB-zone, small veteran-owned and service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses (collectively, “small businesses”) capable of providing the audit services set forth herein. Stated broadly, this RFI pertains to a future requirement for the procurement of firms to audit contributors and beneficiaries of the Universal Service Fund (the “Fund” or “USF”). Telecommunications providers throughout the United States contribute to the Fund. The Fund is subsequently disbursed to beneficiaries of four primary support programs: High Cost (“HC”), Schools and Libraries (“S&L”), Low Income (“LI”), and Rural Health Care (“RHC”). Program beneficiaries receive support in amounts from a few hundred dollars to more than $10 million. STATEMENT OF NEED USAC is the administrator of the USF. One of its responsibilities is to monitor the Fund’s contributors and beneficiaries to avoid waste, fraud and abuse within the universal service mechanisms. To that end, USAC performs audits of USF contributors and support mechanism beneficiaries who receive funds from the USF. At the direction of the Managing Director of the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”), USAC is implementing performance audits and agreed-upon procedures reviews of program beneficiaries and USF contributors directed by USAC (“BCAP audit(s)”). The BCAP audits are designed to: (1) assess compliance by USF beneficiaries and USF contributors with applicable law; (2) detect and deter waste, fraud, and abuse by beneficiaries and contributors of the universal service programs; and (3) identify areas for improvement in the compliance of beneficiaries and contributors with applicable law and in the administration of the USF. The BCAP audits to be conducted under this acquisition will cover USF contributors and beneficiaries in the following programs: HC, S&L, LI, and RHC. USAC contemplates issuing multiple task order contracts of up to five years duration to meet this requirement. Depending upon the information received in response to this RFI, certain of these contracts may be set aside for small businesses. USAC is not a federal executive agency or a federal prime contractor, and any contracts awarded by USAC for BCAP audits will not be U.S. Government contracts or subcontracts. SCOPE OF AUDITS • Audits may be performed in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. Consequently, for certain audits, the firm will need the capability to visit multiple auditee sites over a short span of time. • Auditors selected for each audit must be properly licensed and comply with American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (“AICPA”) standards applicable to the assigned audit. • Auditors must be familiar with applicable FCC regulations governing the USF and the particular universal service support mechanism under which the audited beneficiary is receiving support. • The audits shall be conducted in accordance with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (“GAGAS”) issued by the Comptroller General of the United States (July 2007). • Firms selected to perform the BCAP audits must be capable of providing resources suitable to the level of effort required for the scope of each audit to permit the audit to be completed efficiently, accurately and within the time required for effective program compliance oversight. • Audits will cover approximately 50 USF contributors and 290 support mechanism beneficiary audits annually. DESCRIPTION OF FIRMS SOUGHT • Firms selected to perform the audits must demonstrate experience with performing audits consistent with GAGAS. • Firms selected for an audit of a beneficiary or contributor must possess experience and skills commensurate with the scope of the assignment. • Firms must have the resources and staff to complete an audit assignment and provide USAC with a final audit report within 90 days of authorization to proceed. • Firms must have a satisfactory record of past performance in assignments of similar scope and complexity, have a satisfactory record of compliance with AICPA professional standards and must be eligible to receive federal government contracts. DESCRIPTION OF YOUR FIRM Please briefly describe your firm’s ability to meet the needs of this future procurement. Your description should include: • Your overall experience in performing audits similar to the one set forth in this RFI • Your familiarity with FCC regulations governing the USF • Your knowledge of telecommunications products and services • Your experience auditing telecommunications companies • Any experience or knowledge of FCC Form 499-A • Your experience conducting audits in accordance with GAGAS • List of contracts in previous three years conducting audits in accordance with GAGAS standards • The identity of your firm as a small business (e.g., small business, small disadvantaged, small woman-owned, small HUB-zone, small veteran-owned, or service-disabled veteran-owned businesses) • Your average annual revenue for the past three years CONCLUSION This announcement is for information purposes only. This announcement shall not be construed as a commitment by USAC. This is not a request for proposals and no contract will be awarded from this announcement. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with the provision of the information requested in response to this announcement. Respondents will not be notified of the results of any evaluation This is a Request For Information (RFI) only. Responses to the RFI should be emailed to Jay Beard at rfp@usac.org no later than 5:00pm EDT on September 1, 2010. Submissions received after this date and time may be reviewed but may not be considered in contract planning or in the creation of a solicitation. Failure to respond to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future competition for this requirement.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/FCC/FCCOMD/FCCCPC/USAC-IAD-2010-08-04/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: 2000 L Street, Suite 200, Washington, District of Columbia, 20036, United States

Zip Code: 20036
 

Record

SN02229499-W 20100806/100804235740-73808e3137b9ac4862f65e41f96dc6d0 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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