Project Information

Bid Title

Financial Advisory Services

Issuing Agency

State Government of North Carolina

Location

North Carolina

Published Date

May 27, 2026

Closing Date

Jun 17, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

281-RFP26178

Original Source

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Project Description

Solicitation Number:	281-RFP26178
Project Title:	Financial Advisory Services
Description:	The City is requesting proposals from qualified financial advisory service firms in accordance with the specifications outlined in this request for proposals (“RFP”). The City has prequalified experienced firms presently serving as financial advisor to one or more of North Carolina’s largest cities or counties by population. “Proposer” refers to any qualified firm submitting
Opening Date:	6/17/2026 12:00 PM
Posted Date:	5/27/2026
Status:	Open
Department:	CITY OF WINSTON-SALEM

Solicitation Number * 281-RFP26178	Department CITY OF WINSTON-SALEM	Status Reason Open
Opening Date 2026-06-17T12:00:00.0000000	Posted Date * 2026-05-27T12:53:10.0000000Z	Primary Commodity Code Public finance
Mandatory Conference/Site Visit — —	Special Instructions Contact: darrenmr@cityofws.org	Solicitation Type * Select RFP IFB RFI
Owner Russell Frye
Description The City is requesting proposals from qualified financial advisory service firms in accordance with the specifications outlined in this request for proposals (“RFP”). The City has prequalified experienced firms presently serving as financial advisor to one or more of North Carolina’s largest cities or counties by population. “Proposer” refers to any qualified firm submitting

Attachment Preview

Request for Proposals

FINANCIAL ADVISORY SERVICES

BIDS WILL BE RECEIVED UNTIL:

12:00 PM, June 17, 2026

Email a single PDF of your entire Proposal with

subject line of “Proposal for Financial Advisory Services”

to bids@cityofws.org

**electronic submissions only**

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

RFP26178 issued 05.21.26

Pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 143-135, sealed proposals endorsed “Financial Advisory Services,

RFP26178” will be received by City/County Purchasing as noted above. The City reserves the right to reject any

or all proposals.

For instructions on submitting proposals, contact Darren Redfield at darrenmr@cityofws.org (preferred) or 336-

747-6936 during normal business hours. Interested bidders should real this full document to ascertain the

contract requirements.

Questions or inquires relative to this RFP must be in writing and e-mailed to darrenmr@cityofws.org by the

deadline of 5:00 PM, June 10, 2026. The City will provide written responses to all inquiries received by this

date, and responses will be made available to all known recipients of this RFP. Any oral responses made by any

representative of the City may not be relied upon. Any supplements or amendments to this RFP will be in writing

and furnished to known parties and posted on sites used for original advertising.

NOTE: The contract award will not be based on lowest price, but on evaluation of the best proposal based on the

requirements given herein. The City does not guarantee an award from this solicitation.

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SECTION 1 - NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

It is the policy of the City of Winston-Salem that an employee, officer, or agent of the City may not participate

in any manner in the bidding, awarding, or administering of contracts in which they, or a member of their

immediate family, their business partner, or any organization in which they serve as an officer, director, trustee,

or employee, have a financial interest.

The successful bidder must comply with all provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and all

rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. By submitting a bid, the successful bidder agrees to indemnify

the City from and against all claims, suits, damages, costs, losses, and expenses in any manner arising out of, or

connected with, the failure of the Company, its subcontractors, agents, successors, assigns, officers, or employees

to comply with the provisions of the ADA or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

All bids must be firm and not subject to increase, unless specified within the provisions of this Invitation for Bids

(RFP) and mutually agreed upon by the City and the proposer.

No special inducements will be considered that are not a part of the original bidding document.

City Rights and Options

The City, at its sole discretion, reserves the following rights:

• To supplement, amend, substitute, or otherwise modify this RFP at any time

• To cancel this RFP with or without the substitution of another RFP

• To take any action affecting this RFP, this RFP process, or the equipment subject to this RFP that would

be in the best interests of the City

• To issue additional requests for information.

Public Records

Any material submitted in response to this RFP will become a “public record” once the bidder’s document(s) is

opened and the bidder is determined to be a participant in the solicitation process and shall be subject to public

disclosure consistent with Chapter 132, North Carolina Statutes. Bidders must claim any applicable exemptions

to disclosure provided by law in their response to this RFP. Bidders must identify materials to be protected and

must state the reasons why such exclusion from public disclosure is necessary and legal. The City reserves the

right to make all final determination(s) of the applicability of North Carolina General Statutes

§ 132-1.2, Confidential Information.

Trade Secrets/Confidentiality

Bidders must claim any material that qualifies as "trade secret" information under N.C.G.S. 66-152(3) in their

response to this RFP and must state the reasons why such exclusion from public disclosure is necessary and legal.

To properly designate material as trade secret under these circumstances, each Proposer must take the following

precautions: (a) submit any trade secrets in a separate attachment marked "Trade Secret - Confidential

and Proprietary Information - Do Not Disclose Except for the Purpose of Evaluating this Proposal," and (b)

stamp each page of the trade secret materials contained in the email attachment.

Do not attempt to designate your entire proposal as a trade secret, and do not attempt to designate pricing

information as a trade secret. Doing so may result in your bid being disqualified.

Familiarity with Laws and Ordinances

The submission of a bid on the services requested herein shall be considered as a representation that the bidder

is familiar with all federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, rules and regulations which affect those engaged or

employed in the provision of such services, or equipment used in the provision of such services, or which in any

way affects the conduct of the provision of such services; and no plea of misunderstanding will be considered

on account of ignorance thereof. If the bidder discovers any provisions in the RFP documents that are contrary

to or inconsistent with any law, ordinance, or regulation, it shall be reported to the City in writing immediately.

The bidder agrees that in carrying out this contract, compliance will be maintained with all applicable federal,

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state, and local laws, specifically including, without limitations, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970

and Section 1324A, the Immigration Reform and Control Act.

The bidder certifies that the bid is made in good faith and without collusion with any person bidding on this

contract or with any officer or employee of the City of Winston-Salem.

The undersigned further agrees, in connection with the performance of this contract, not to discriminate against

any employee or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, gender, age, handicap, political

affiliation or national origin.

Ethics Policy / Code of Conduct

The City of Winston-Salem has established guidelines for ethical standards of conduct for City representatives

and to provide guidance in determining what conduct is appropriate in particular cases. City representatives

should maintain high standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, honesty, and fairness in carrying out public

duties; avoid any improprieties in their roles as public servants including the appearance of impropriety; and

never use their position or power for improper personal gain. In establishing an ethics policy, the City of Winston-

Salem desires to protect the public against decisions that are affected by undue influence, conflicts of interest, or

any other violation of these policies as well as promote and strengthen the confidence of the public in their

governing body. For a complete review of the City Policy click the following link:

https://www.cityofws.org/820/Procurement-Guidelines

Stimulation of the Local Economy

In an effort to stimulate the local economy, foster development and promote efficiency in the provision of city

services and the completion of various city projects, the City of Winston-Salem has undertaken an initiative to

strongly encourage all parties contracting with the City of Winston-Salem to evaluate their internal operations

and hiring practices and, where appropriate, to initiate efforts to stimulate the local economy by hiring applicants

and contractors from the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Area and by utilizing minority and women contractors

and service providers. Such efforts to stimulate the local economy may be accomplished by posting job vacancies

with the North Carolina Employment Security Commission, the Piedmont Triad Regional Council of

Governments, and the Winston-Salem Urban League; and utilizing the State of North Carolina Office for

Historically Underutilized Business database or other local resources such as the City of Winston-Salem M/WBE

Program to identify Winston-Salem/Forsyth County based contractors and subcontractors. Stimulation of the

local economy requires a collaborative effort of both the public and private sector. The city is committed to

taking reasonable steps to achieve said goal.

E-Verify Compliance

Per N.C.G.S. 143-133.3, provider shall comply with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the North Carolina

General Statutes. Further, if the Provider utilizes a subcontractor, the Provider shall require the subcontractor to

comply with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the North Carolina General Statutes.

Iran Divestment Act

Provider hereby certifies that it is not on the North Carolina State Treasurer’s list of persons engaging in business

activities in Iran, prepared pursuant to NCGS 147-86.58, nor will Provider utilize on this agreement any

subcontractor on such list.

Divestment from Companies that Boycott Israel

Contractor hereby certifies that it is not on the North Carolina State Treasurer’s list of companies engaged in a

boycott of Israel in violation of NCGS 147-86.80 et. seq. and that it will not utilize on this agreement any

subcontractor on said list.

Right to Audit

To confirm compliance with the terms of this Agreement, the City's MWBE program, local, state, and federal

laws and regulations, the City may, at all reasonable times upon reasonable prior notice during usual business

hours, inspect, audit and examine for a period up to five (5) years after completion of the service or project

detailed in this Agreement, all accounts and books of Contractor and, where necessary, make copies of the

Contractor's documents necessary to determine compliance. Such right may be exercised through any agent or

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employee of City or by independent certified public accountants designated by the City. The Contractor shall

permit the aforementioned inspection, audit and examination, and where necessary, the City to make copies of

documents verifying compliance as indicated herein.

Nondiscrimination Ordinance

As a condition of entering into this contact, the Contractor represents and warrants that it will fully comply with

the City's Non-Discrimination Policy, as set forth in Chapter 2, Section 2-8 Entitled “Policy of

Nondiscrimination” of the Winston-Salem City Code. As part of such compliance, the Contractor shall not

discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender

expression, pregnancy, veteran status, disability, age, marital status, familial status, protected hairstyle, political

affiliation or national origin in the screening of applicants, the hiring and treatment of its employees, the

provision of the goods and/or services set forth herein, or the solicitation, selection, hiring, or treatment of its

subcontractors, vendors or suppliers, (hereinafter collectively “subcontractors”), if any, in connection with this

contract or the contract solicitation process if applicable, nor shall the Contractor retaliate against any person or

entity for reporting instances of such discrimination. The Contractor shall enact employment policies consistent

with this obligation to refrain from such discrimination and shall provide evidence of such to the City within 90

calendar days of the first receipt of City funds. The Contractor shall provide equal opportunity for subcontractors

to participate in all of its subcontracting and supply opportunities, if any, under this contract, provided that

nothing contained in this clause shall prohibit or limit otherwise lawful efforts to remedy the effects of

marketplace discrimination that has occurred or is occurring in the marketplace. The Contractor understands and

agrees that a violation of this clause shall be considered a material breach of this contract and may result in

termination of this contract, disqualification of the Contractor from participating in future City contracts pursuant

to Winston-Salem City Code Section 2-3 or other sanctions. Furthermore, as a condition of entering into this

contract, the Contractor agrees to: (a) promptly provide to the City in a format specified by the City all

information and documentation that may be requested by the City from time to time regarding the screening of

applicants, the hiring and treatment of its employees particularly if City funds were used in connection with

hiring and compensation process, and the solicitation, selection, treatment and payment of subcontractors, if any,

in connection with this Agreement; and (b) if requested, provide to the City within sixty days after the request a

truthful and complete list of the names of all subcontractors that the Grantee has used under this contract,

including the total dollar amount paid by the Contractor on each subcontract or supply contract. The Contractor

further agrees to fully cooperate in any investigation conducted by the City pursuant to the City’s

Nondiscrimination Policy, to provide any documents, relevant to such investigation, that are requested by the

City. The Contractor agrees to provide to the City from time to time on the City’s request, payment affidavits

detailing the amounts paid by the Contractor to subcontractors and suppliers in connection with this contract

within a certain period of time. Such affidavits shall be in the format specified by the City from time to time.

Nothing in this contract shall negate or diminish the requirements of the City’s MWBE program. Nothing in this

contract shall infringe upon any rights afforded to the Contractor by state or federal law.

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SECTION 2 - INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

This entire set of documents constitutes the RFP. The proposer must return the RFP with all information necessary

to properly analyze the proposer's response. Proposer's notes, exceptions, and comments may be rendered on an

attachment, provided the same format of this RFP text is followed.

PROPOSER QUESTIONS AND INQUIRIES

Questions or inquires relative to this RFP must be submitted in writing as noted on page 1. The City will provide

written responses to all inquiries received by this date, and responses will be made available to all recipients of

this RFP. Any oral responses made by any representative of the City may not be relied upon. Any supplements

or amendments to this RFP will be in writing and furnished to potential bidders.

RFP RESPONSE SUBMISSION

Bidders must submit a proposal electronically. Electronic bids should be submitted by attaching a single PDF

file emailed to: bids@cityofws.org received no later than the deadline noted on page 1. Such submission will not

be opened until the time for receiving bids has come. Please do not wait until the last minute to send your

Proposal to avoid any possible delay that may occur during the transmittal of files. A screen print of the

email receipt will be used as verification of the time received. Late proposals will not be considered.

SECTION 3 - INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

The bidder(s) will be required to show proof of insurance as outlined in the Insurance Provisions of Contract

Specifications contained herein. The City of Winston-Salem MUST be named as additional insured on the certificate

of insurance supplied to the City.

GENERAL INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

A. The Contractor shall, during the continuance of all work under the Contract, provide the following:

1. Workers' Compensation Insurance as required by the North Carolina General Statutes.

2. Commercial General Liability to protect the Contractor against any and all injuries to third parties,

including personal injury and property, and special and consequential damages, resulting from any

negligent action, omission or operation by the Contractor or in connection with the services described

herein. The insurance shall also include, coverage for explosion, collapse, and underground hazards,

where required. This insurance shall provide bodily injury and property damage limits of not less than

$1,000,000 for each occurrence, respectively, and shall provide at least $5,000 in Medical Expenses

(Med Pay) coverage.

3. Maintain Owned, non-owned, and hired Automobile Liability insurance, including property damage

insurance, covering all owned, non-owned, borrowed, leased, or rented vehicles operated by the

Contractor in furtherance of these services. In addition, all mobile equipment used by the Contractor in

connection with the contract work, will be insured under either a standard Automobile Liability policy,

or a Commercial General Liability policy. This insurance shall provide bodily injury and property

damages limits of not less than $1,000,000 combined single limit/each accident.

4. If this Agreement is for a design, engineering or consulting Service, maintain Professional Liability

insurance of at least $1,000,000.00 per incident.

B. The Contractor will provide an original, signed Certificate of Insurance, evidencing such insurance and such

endorsements as prescribed herein, and shall submit the certificate with its executed contract. The City of

Winston-Salem shall be named as an additional insured in the Automobile and General Liability policies

and it shall be stated on the Insurance Certificate with the provision that this coverage is primary to all other

coverage the City of Winston-Salem may possess.

C. The Contractor will secure and maintain all insurance policies of its subcontractors which shall be made

available to the City of Winston-Salem on demand. Compliance by the Contractor and all subcontractors with

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Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services

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