Municipal Budget Consultant (for City Council)

The City of East Orange, New Jersey, is actively soliciting Qualification Proposals for a Municipal Budget Consultant to serve its City Council for the period spanning January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025. This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeks a highly qualified firm or individual to provide comprehensive financial oversight and expert guidance on the Calendar Year 2025 Municipal Budget. The extensive scope of work includes reviewing and analyzing budget proposals, providing strategic counsel to City Council members, attending all City Council budget hearing meetings, consulting as needed with the City Administration, and participating in all City Council meetings where formal budget actions are scheduled. The successful consultant will also be responsible for generating and presenting relevant financial reports as requested by a majority of the City Council, ensuring fiscal transparency and informed decision-making for the municipality. Prospective Municipal Budget Consultants for East Orange must demonstrate profound expertise in governmental budgeting practices. Mandatory qualifications include a minimum of five (5) years of experience in the meticulous development, critical evaluation, comprehensive analysis, and effective revision of budgetary control systems, coupled with proven proficiency in budget preparation and presentation. Crucially, respondents are required to possess five years of direct experience with the New Jersey Calendar Year Municipal Budget framework and a thorough understanding of all pertinent New Jersey Budget Laws and Regulations. Furthermore, candidates must be a Registered Municipal Accountant in the State of New Jersey and/or a Certified Municipal Financial Officer in the State of New Jersey, each with at least five years of experience in these capacities. Submissions must include the legal name and address of the firm or individual, years in business, a detailed resume of assigned personnel, and contact information for three current municipal budget clients. Interested professional services entities are required to submit their Qualification Proposals to the Purchasing Agent in the Division of Procurement at East Orange City Hall, located at 44 City Hall Plaza, East Orange, NJ 07018. The firm submission deadline is Wednesday, November 13, 2024, at 11:00 AM prevailing time, at which point all proposals will be publicly opened and read aloud in the City Council Chambers. Submissions must be enclosed in a sealed envelope clearly marked "MUNICIPAL BUDGET CONSULTANT (for City Council)" and should include one original (unbound), two copies, and one electronic copy on a thumb drive. Required documentation encompasses a Non-Collusion Affidavit, Disclosure of Ownership Form, Insurance Requirement Acknowledgement Form, EEO/Affirmative Action Compliance Notice, Business Registration Certificate, and a Professional Services Entity Information Form, among other specified documents. For any inquiries regarding this RFQ, contact Racquel C. Ferguson, QPA, at (973) 266-5162.