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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20253503 Resolution Approve Amendment to Purchase of Professional Services Agreement for Oil and Gas Audits and Evaluation Services, and Authorize Chair to Sign — Martindale Consultants, Inc. Whereas, the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, pursuant to Colorado statute and the Weld County Home Rule Charter, is vested with the authority of administering the affairs of Weld County, Colorado, and Whereas, the Board has been presented with an Amendment to the Purchase of Professional Services Agreement for Oil and Gas Audits and Evaluation Services between the County of Weld, State of Colorado, by and through the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, and Martindale Consultants, Inc., commencing December 10, 2025, and ending December 31, 2026, with further terms and conditions being as stated in said amendment, and Whereas, Section 5-4-80 of the Weld County Code, Expenditures Not Requiring a Procurement Process, exempts professional services that do not lend themselves to competitive bidding due to experience, education, expertise, for technical or specialized services with approval of the Board of County Commissioners, and Whereas, after review, the Board deems it advisable to approve said agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, that the Amendment to the Purchase of Professional Services Agreement for Oil and Gas Audits and Evaluation Services between the County of Weld, State of Colorado, by and through the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, and Martindale Consultants, Inc., be, and hereby is, approved. Be it further resolved by the Board that the Chair be, and hereby is, authorized to sign said agreement. The Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, approved the above and foregoing Resolution, on motion duly made and seconded, by the following vote on the 17th day of December, A.D., 2025, nunc pro tunc December 10, 2025: [Insert Resolution Attestation Block Post Meeting] 2025-3503 F10082 BC0059 BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PASS-AROUND REVIEW PASS-AROUND TITLE: Martindale contract extension through 2026 for assessed value audits DEPARTMENT: Finance and Assessor's Office DATE: 12/12/25 PERSON REQUESTING: Jennifer Oftelie Brief description of the problem/issue: Since 2014,Martindale has been contracted by Weld County to assist in external audits of oil and gas companies to ensure they are paying the proper amount of taxes each year based on the equipment owned.This fee based schedule is attached,and Weld has paid approximately$474,873 since 2022,and has resulted in over$11.6 million In additional tax revenue being collected in that same time period by Weld County,and proportionately distributed to all affected local governments,including Weld.We also calculate staff time and reimburse Weld for those additional distributions. What options exist for the Board? The board can choose to sign the contract amendment,or not sign the amendment. By not signing the amendment,all current audits with Martindale could be left uncompleted,leaving revenues uncollected,and putting us in a place to Immediately begin a new RFP process for a consultant to do this work.As a note,best practices means that we intend to complete an RFP In 2026 for 2027 and later audits,getting on a five year schedule to rebid this service. Consequences: The Assessor's Office is aware of at least one entity that Is Intended to be audited in 2026.If the contract Is not signed,Martindale will not perform their audit services.This would most likely result in a significant amount of revenue loss for the taxing entities,including Weld. Impacts: Cost(Current Fiscal Year/Ongoing or Subsequent Fiscal Years: See Exhibit A of the contract.The total cost is an additional$180,000 for the audits being completed In 2026. Recommendation: We respectfully ask to extend this contract for one more year. Finance has worked with the County Attorney and Purchasing to agree to rebid these services in 2026 for future years,however with Finance being short a significant position(CFO),we were not able to revisit this in a timely manner in 2025.The working relationship with Martindale and the Assessor's Office has been solid,and the Assessor would like to continue utilizing their services. Support Recommendation Schedule Place on BOCC Agenda Work Session Other/Comments: Perry L. Buck Scott K.James Jason S. Maxey a Lynette Peppler Kevin D. Ross 2025-3503 0 OZ AMENDMENT TO PURCHASE OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT OIL AND GAS AUDITS AND EVALUATION SERVICES This AMENDED PURCHASE OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT ("Agreement") is made this 10th day of December 2025, by and between County of Weld, a body politic and corporate of the State of Colorado, by and through the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Weld whose address or principal place of business is 1150 "O" Street, Greeley, Colorado 80631, and on behalf of the Weld County Assessor, (hereinafter "BOCC"), and Martindale Consultants, Inc. an Oklahoma corporation whose principal office is located at 4242 North Meridian Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73112, registered in the State of Colorado, with a registered agent, InCorp Services, Inc., located at 36 South 18'h Street, Brighton, Colorado 80601, and with Colorado offices located at 4581 Julian, Denver, Colorado 80211, (hereinafter Contractor"). WHEREAS, on the 3rd day of December, 2012, BOCC entered into an Agreement with Contractor to provide professional audit services to assist the Weld County Assessor in the evaluation of appeals of the ad valorem assessments on oil and gas production and on the personal property used in the production process made by made by oil and gas production operators, and WHEREAS, the said agreement has been amended several times to extend the Agreement to December 31, 2026, and WHEREAS, BOCC has now determined that additional professional audit and consulting services would continue to assist the Weld County Finance Department in the evaluation of the accuracy of the records of royalty payments made to Weld County, and WHEREAS, BOCC has determined that additional professional audit and consulting services would also continue to assist the Weld County Assessor in the evaluation and assessment of oil and gas production for ad valorem tax purposes, and WHEREAS, Contractor has the expertise to perform the audits required, to provide the consulting services, has the time available to timely perform those services, and is willing to perform the services according to the terms of this Agreement and in accordance with the applicable policies of BOCC and the Weld County Assessor, and WHEREAS, BOCC has authority to acquire the services described in this Agreement pursuant to the provisions of§30-11-101, et seq., C.R.S., as amended, and. WHEREAS,the Weld County Assessor wishes to and has authority to acquire the services of a Contractor to assist it in the examination and analysis of the records of the operator(s) of oil and gas leaseholds as described in this Agreement pursuant to the provisions § 39-5-120, § 39- 21-109 and § 39-7-105, et seq., C.R.S., as amended, and WHEREAS, BOCC and Contractor now wish to amend the term of the Agreements of December 3, 2012, and include the new schedule of fees to be charged during the extended term, attached as Exhibit A, and WHEREAS, BOCC and Contractor now wish to amend the term of the Agreements of December 3, 2012, paragraph 3d. to modify the not to exceed amount for this contract from $1,660,000.00 to$1,840,000.00,an increase of$180,000.00. This increase is in order to continue utilizing the services under this contract after the $1,660,000.00 amount has been reached. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements set forth hereinafter, BOCC and Contractor agree as follows: Term of Agreement: Services of the Contractor shall continue to commence on the 10th day of December 2025, and shall be completed by the 31st of December 2026, and the not to exceed amount found in paragraph 3d of the December 3, 2012 agreement is increased to $1,840,000.00. This Agreement will terminate on the date set forth above unless renewed in writing at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of completion. The attached Exhibit A shall be the schedule of fees charged during this extended term. All other terms and conditions of the agreement remain the same. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, BOCC and Contractor have set their hands and seals. CONTRACTOR: ATTEST: Martindale Consultants, Inc. (an Oklahoma r tion) By: �---- Todd J. Attalla -Vice-President ATTEST: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Weld County Clerk to the Board WELD COUNTY, COLORADO BY: Deputy Clerk to the Board Perry Buck, Chair 1 7 2025 APPROVED AS TO FUNDING: APPROVED AS TO SUBSTANCE: Jul;YIC� , Dori C� Controller Elected Official or Department Head APPROVED AS TO FORM: eS;0%,e7P: County Attorney 2GZS-3S03 EXHIBIT A Weld County Contract Period:2026 Hourly Rate Amendment Staff Hourly Rates Executive Management $250.00 Project Manager $ 160.00- $ 180.00 Experienced Project Lead $ 140.00-$ 160.00 Assisting Staff(based on $ 125.00- $ 140.00 experience level) Other Support Staff $60.00-$ 125.00 Aik MARTINDALECONSULTANTSINC. THE Oil & GAS CONSULTING COMPANY December 17, 2026 RE: Scope of Work for Weld County Ad Valorem Tax Audits -2026 Background The Weld County Assessor's Office requires specialized audit services to ensure the accuracy and compliance of oil and gas production, income and expense filings submitted by operators within the county. These audits are essential for maintaining fair and equitable property valuations and ensuring proper tax assessments. Objectives 1. Verify the accuracy of reported oil and gas production volumes. 2. Audit netback expense report forms (NERF) for completeness and compliance. 3. Identify and document discrepancies or inconsistencies in operator filings. 4. Ensure compliance with statutory procedures and Colorado Assessor Reference Library standards. 5. Support accurate valuation and taxation. Projects The Assessor's Office has a continual audit program. Each year, we collaborate with the Assessor staff to analyze filers and tax years for audit selection based on submitted NERF filings. In addition, the Assessor's Office requires audits of all oil and gas abatements. While abatements may be submitted at any time, those received are prioritized to ensure compliance with the statutory requirement that action be taken within six months of the filing date. General Audit Scope of Work and Deliverables There are typically 4 phases of the audit for each operator or company: 1. Preparation 2. Fieldwork 3. Reporting 4. Resolution Corporate Office 14100 Perimeter Center Drive, Suite 300 I Oklahoma City, OK 73112 Phone: 405.728.3003 I Fax 405.728.3893 I www.marticons.com MARTINDALECONSULTANTSINC. THE OIL & GAS CONSULTING COMPANY Each audit will vary due to the documentation available from the Operator and the situations encountered during the audit. Weld County personnel is involved in assessing,scope,and decision making throughout all audit program steps; we will develop our approach and coordination with continuous communication and interaction with Weld County personnel. If an audit is active and Weld County is presented with an abatement,we will make available time and resources to accommodate the accelerated timeline required by such abatement while still working towards completing the active audit within the annual budget. Preparation 1. Obtain NERFs and any other related oil and gas reports from the Weld County Assessor's Office to document the Declared Volumes and Values by Operator. 2. Request supporting documentation from the Taxpayer: a. Electronic schedules/spreadsheets/etc. from which the annual revenue amounts by well were assimilated for its tax return, identifying the volumes, values, related party deductions, and unrelated party deductions by product and well. This data shall include,but is not limited to:well number,well name,production month,product code and description, volumes (Mcf and MMBtu for Gas, gallons or barrels for NGLs, and barrels for Oil), values, prices, deductions(broken out by deduction code/type/etc.). b. Electronic take-in-kind owner information (if any) for declared revenues, unrelated party deductions,and unrelated party deductions. c. Electronic line-item cost detail that sums to the yearly declared totals for wellsite processing deductions by well and NERF category (Salaries & Wages, Direct G&A, etc.). This data shall include, but is not limited to: property number, property name, service dates,transaction description, vendor, amount, etc. d. Electronic cost detail by exempt owner entity name, percentage, and amount paid by month that sums to the yearly declared totals. e. Schematic showing all wells, gathering systems, and transportation pipelines owned and/or used to deliver sales; all processing plants and/or treating plants through which production was processed during the audit time period. Fieldwork 3. Reconcile the data received from the Taxpayer to the tax return. Corporate Office 14100 Perimeter Center Drive, Suite 300 I Oklahoma City, OK 73112 Phone:405.728.3003 I Fax 405.728.3893 I www.marticons.com AA MARTINDALECONSULTANTSINC. I III Uu. G GAS CONSULTING COMPANY 4. Analyze the revenue, related party, and unrelated party data to identify anomalies,trends, and materiality; select appropriate test months based on exposures identified in the analysis. a. Sample documentation that could be requested includes meter statements and LACT statements for all measurement points,third-party purchaser invoices for sold volumes, third-party invoices for deductions incurred to sell products, gas plant statements, gathering, transportation, processing,and purchase contracts, etc. 5. Analyze the expense data to determine audit strategy to effectively and efficiently review wellsite processing deductions on a sample basis and extrapolate findings when appropriate. a. Sample documentation that could be requested includes voucher/invoice requests, declaration percentages (if used) for certain accounts or NERF categories, operation information to corroborate certain deductions are accurate, etc. b. Additional request may be made at any time during the audit if needed. 6. Review compliance with Colorado statutory guidelines and standards established in Assessor Reference Library 3, Chapter 6. 7. Quantify all underpayments, identified separately by type of exception, for each well for each month of the reporting period. Summarize total underpayment by Taxpayer for each type of exception for the audit period or applicable Tax Year. If no netback value underpayments are identified, we will compile an audit closure letter after thorough and comprehensive • discussions and acceptance of findings by Weld County. Reporting 8. Assimilate all findings into an audit report, including all necessary supporting schedules. 9. Submit to Weld County for approval. 10. Issue the report to the Taxpayer. 11. Provide copies of supporting detail (schedules and documents) for all adjustments necessary for the Taxpayer to understand and agree with the computation of the underreported netback value. Corporate Office 14100 Perimeter Center Drive, Suite 300 I Oklahoma City, OK 73112 Phone: 405.728.3003 I Fax 405.728.3893 I www.marticons.com Aft MARTINDALECONSULTANTSINC. THE OIL A GAS CONSULTING COMPANY Resolution 12.Negotiate and resolve all disputed items before and/or after Special Notice of Valuation is issued by Weld County and ultimately aid in creating the Special Notice of Determination for which the new revised tax will be based upon. 13. Develop and submit modified NERF to Weld County. Regards, Todd Attalla, CFE Executive Vice President I Director Martindale Consultants, Inc. Office: (405) 728-3003 Ext. 1201 Mobile: (405)412-9866. Corporate Office 14100 Perimeter Center Drive, Suite 300 I Oklahoma City, OK 73112 Phone:405.728.3003 I Fax 405.728.3893 I www.marticons.com Hello