How to Write a Nonprofit Audit RFP

A nonprofit audit RFP tells CPA firms what you need audited, when you need it, and how you will choose. The sample below covers scope, federal awards, timeline, proposal requirements and evaluation criteria, and the same text is available as a plain-text file you can edit.

Last verified: 2026-09-16 · Sources are linked on every fact below.

How to write an RFP for nonprofit audit services

Describe the organization, state exactly which services you want priced, give the federal award picture and any prior findings, set the timeline, list what each proposal must contain, publish the evaluation criteria, and give one deadline and one contact.

1. Describe the organization. Legal name, mission in one paragraph, annual revenue, number of employees, fiscal year end, and the accounting system you use.
2. State the services requested. Financial statement audit, single audit, Form 990 preparation, or a combination. Say clearly which of these you want priced separately.
3. Give the federal award picture. Total federal awards expended in the most recent year, the programs involved, and whether a single audit was required. This is the single biggest driver of the fee.
4. Disclose prior findings. List any findings in the last two audits and their status. Firms will find them in the public record anyway, and disclosing them produces better-priced proposals.
5. Set the timeline. Fiscal year end, when the books will be closed, the dates you can host fieldwork, and the date you need the final report and any federal filing.
6. Say what the proposal must contain. The firm's most recent peer review report, nonprofit and single audit experience, the named people who will staff the engagement, the fee by service and by year, and references.
7. Publish the evaluation criteria. How you will weigh experience, staffing, approach and fee, and who decides.
8. Give the deadline and one contact. The proposal deadline with a time zone, how to submit, and a single named contact for questions.

The federal award section matters most. Total federal awards expended decides whether a single audit is required at all, and the number and size of programs drives how much compliance testing the firm has to plan for.

Source: 2 CFR 200.501 · 2 CFR 200.518 · Last verified: 2026-09-16

Sample RFP for audit services

Copy the text below, or download sample-rfp.txt. Every placeholder is in [BRACKETS].

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - AUDIT SERVICES
[ORGANIZATION NAME]

1. ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
[ORGANIZATION NAME] is a [STATE] nonprofit corporation, EIN [XX-XXXXXXX], exempt under
Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Our mission is [MISSION IN ONE SENTENCE].
Annual revenue: approximately $[AMOUNT]. Employees: [NUMBER]. Fiscal year end: [MONTH DAY].
Accounting system: [SYSTEM]. Governing body: a board of [NUMBER] directors with an
audit or finance committee that will receive the auditor's report.

2. SERVICES REQUESTED
Please price each of the following separately, for fiscal years ending [YEAR 1],
[YEAR 2] and [YEAR 3]:
  a. Audit of the financial statements in accordance with generally accepted auditing
     standards.
  b. Single audit in accordance with 2 CFR part 200, subpart F, if required for the year.
  c. Preparation of Form 990 and, if applicable, Form 990-T.
  d. [OTHER SERVICES, OR DELETE]

3. FEDERAL AWARDS
Federal awards expended in the most recent completed fiscal year: $[AMOUNT].
Principal federal programs and assistance listing numbers:
  - [ALN] [PROGRAM NAME] - $[AMOUNT]
  - [ALN] [PROGRAM NAME] - $[AMOUNT]
A single audit [WAS / WAS NOT] required for that year.

4. PRIOR AUDIT RESULTS
Most recent audit performed by [FIRM NAME] for fiscal year [YEAR]. Findings reported in
the last two audits: [LIST EACH FINDING AND ITS CURRENT STATUS, OR STATE "NONE"].

5. TIMELINE
  Fiscal year end                         [DATE]
  Books closed and schedules ready        [DATE]
  Preliminary fieldwork                   [DATE RANGE]
  Year-end fieldwork                      [DATE RANGE]
  Draft report to management              [DATE]
  Final report to the board               [DATE]
  Federal reporting package submitted     [DATE]

6. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
Please include:
  a. A firm profile, including the number of nonprofit audits and single audits signed
     in each of the last three years.
  b. Your most recent external peer review report and the accompanying letter of comment.
  c. The names, roles and relevant experience of the partner, manager and senior who
     will work on this engagement, and the expected hours of each.
  d. Your approach to the engagement, including how you will coordinate with our staff.
  e. Fees for each service in section 2, for each of the three years, and the basis on
     which fees could change.
  f. Three nonprofit references, ideally with federal awards.
  g. A statement of independence with respect to [ORGANIZATION NAME].

7. EVALUATION CRITERIA
  Nonprofit and single audit experience            [WEIGHT]%
  Staffing, continuity and availability            [WEIGHT]%
  Engagement approach and communication            [WEIGHT]%
  Fees                                             [WEIGHT]%
The [COMMITTEE NAME] will review proposals and may invite finalists to present.

8. SUBMISSION
Deadline: [DATE] at [TIME] [TIME ZONE].
Submit to: [CONTACT NAME], [TITLE], [EMAIL].
Questions: [CONTACT NAME] at [EMAIL] by [DATE]. Answers will be shared with everyone
who has requested the RFP.

[ORGANIZATION NAME] may decline any or all proposals.

Where to post it

Publish the RFP on your own website first, so firms can verify it, then post it here at no cost. Every submission is checked automatically against your page before it is listed, and your contact email is never published. Open requests are listed on nonprofit audit RFPs.

Before you write it

Check whether an audit is required · What the engagement involves · How to choose a firm · Glossary of the terms used above