Florida Multi-Family Lease and Repair (MLR) Request for Information (RFI) No. 70FBR425I00000006

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA)

Multi-Family Lease and Repair (MLR) Request for Information (RFI) No. 70FBR425I00000006

THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) is issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10 – Market Research. This RFI does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or Request for Quotation (RFQ), and it is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contract, nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response to this request. All information contained in this RFI is preliminary and is subject to change if, and when, a solicitation is issued. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract. If a competitive solicitation is released, it may be synopsized on the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) website. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to any RFIs, or future solicitations.

BACKGROUND.

Multi-family Lease and Repair (MLR) is a form of Direct Temporary Housing Assistance that allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to repair or make improvements to existing multifamily rental property for the purpose of providing temporary housing to eligible applicants who are displaced due to Hurricane Debby (DR-4806-FL), Hurricane Helene (DR-4828-FL), and Hurricane Milton (DR-4834-FL). FEMA may utilize this form of temporary housing assistance for eligible applicants who are unable to use rental assistance due to lack of available resources.

Limitations and Exclusions: MLR is not intended to repair or improve individual rental properties to re-house existing tenants. Hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, etc., are not considered residential properties and are not authorized for MLR. FEMA will not approve additional increases beyond the FMR approved by the Assistant Administrator for Recovery for the disaster.

PROJECT SCOPE/DELIVERABLES.

FEMA is seeking multi-family rental properties (two or more units) in the designated Florida counties listed under Individual Assistance on the FEMA’s Disasters and Other Declarations | FEMA.gov website for Hurricane Debby (DR-4806-FL), Hurricane Helene (DR-4828-FL), and Hurricane Milton (DR-4834-FL), and any future designated counties. The properties should be in the county within thirty (30) to up to sixty (60) minutes commuting distance of the affected areas in the State of Florida. FEMA is seeking owners of rental properties (apartment complexes primarily) that could be potentially repaired to local, state, and federal codes/standards and offered as temporary housing for FEMA applicants in a timely manner for up to 18 months from the date of declaration, unless extended. The properties should be complexes that are able to accommodate a considerable number of people in a single location. Each property must have been previously used as a multi-family housing complex and contain two or more rental units. The site must be repairable within a four-month period and cannot be in a floodway. Within this program, there is no rental cost for the eligible applicant. The repair costs are funded by the State/FEMA and the value of these repairs are deducted from the value of the rental services contract between the FEMA and the property owner, and/or property management company, if applicable.

PROPERTY REQUIREMENTS & PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION CRITERIA

Owners of multi-family properties meeting the criteria below who are interested in participating in the MLR program are encouraged to respond to this RFI:

• The property must have been previously used as multi-family housing;
• The property must contain two or more units;
• The property must be in an area included in a major disaster declaration or impacted by the same disaster and located within thirty (30) to up to sixty (60) minutes commuting distance of a major disaster declaration area within the State of Florida.
• Each unit must provide complete and independent living facilities for one or more persons and contain permanent provisions for living, sleeping, cooking, and sanitation;
• The property must be located within reasonable commuting distance to community and wrap-around services, such as accessible public transportation, schools, fire and emergency services, grocery stores, etc.;
• The vacant units on the property must be available to be rented to FEMA allowing FEMA’s exclusive use as temporary housing for eligible applicants for a term of no less than 18 months with the possibility of contract extension;
• The property owner must provide all property management services, including building maintenance; and
• All contractors must be registered in System for Award Management (SAM) and have a Unique Entity Identifier.

Interested property owners are advised of the following terms and conditions will apply to any contract between FEMA and the owners of the property, or their property management company selected for MLR:

• A provision granting FEMA exclusive use of the units and sole discretion to identify and select occupants during the term of rental services contract;
• A provision granting FEMA the option to extend the contract, if FEMA extends the period of assistance beyond 18 months;
• A provision granting FEMA the option of releasing the unit to the owner and ceasing all monthly payments for the unit at any time by providing thirty days’ notice;
• A provision allowing FEMA to make reasonable accommodation and/or modification repairs or improvements during the term of the contract without requiring FEMA to remove the improvements at the end of contract;
• A provision incorporating a lease addendum containing FEMA’s conditions of eligibility and termination of tenancy and eviction into any lease between the property owner and the occupant;
• A provision agreeing to waive credit screening for eligible applicants;
• A provision allowing FEMA to re-assign a vacated unit when eligible applicants need temporary housing assistance, and a unit becomes available before the end of the period of assistance;
• Property owners must be current and in good standing with property mortgage payments and ensure mortgage standing verification is provided as well as proof of ownership.
• Requested Information.

This RFI provides an opportunity for parties who own properties that potentially qualify for participation in MLR program to express interest. If you are a property owner or a property management company and are interested in this program, please provide the following information to the best of your ability:

• Complex name (if applicable), location of property, property owner name, and phone number or contact information (if not property owner);
• Status of the property’s mortgage payments;
• Total number of housing units within the property;
• Number of vacant housing units containing a separate bathroom, kitchen, and living space,
• Number of vacant housing units available for FEMA exclusive use;
• Number of vacant housing units compliant with Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) and/or features that provide accessibility for individuals with disabilities;
• Description of repairs and improvements required to make the housing units habitable, and estimated repair costs;
• Description of repairs currently underway, if applicable;
• Projected length of time required to make the housing units habitable (from execution of the contract);
• Year building was constructed (if known);
• Year(s) the building was used for multi-family housing;
• Rental rates during the last year of operation (state whether utilities were included and, if so, which ones);
• Pet restrictions, such as type, number, or size, and applicable pet deposits; and
• Number of parking spaces (including accessible and van-accessible) available for each housing unit.

DEFINITIONS

Applicant: An individual or household who has applied for FEMA Assistance, and because of the disaster has a disaster-caused need for temporary housing.

Multi-family Lease and Repair (MLR): MLR allows for the repair or improvement of existing multi-family housing which FEMA can utilize as temporary housing for eligible applicants. MLR is not intended to repair or improve individual units to re-house existing tenants.

Fair Market Rent (FMR): Housing market-wide estimates of rent values in which rental housing units are in competition. The FMR rates applied are those identified by HUD as being adequate for existing rental housing in a particular area. FEMA uses the applicable rate based upon the location of the housing unit, the number of bedrooms in the housing unit, and the fiscal year in which the major disaster declaration was issued.

Fair Housing Act: Protects people from discrimination when they are renting, buying, or securing financing for any housing. The prohibitions specifically cover discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and the presence of children.

Unit: A living quarter within a multi-family housing building that provides complete and independent living facilities for one or more persons and contain permanent provisions for living, sleeping, cooking, and sanitation.

Occupant: An applicant, co-applicant, or any household member over the age of 18 who is listed on the Temporary Housing Agreement, as being authorized to reside in the Temporary Housing Unit (THU).

Period of Assistance: Individuals and Households Program (IHP) assistance is limited to 18 months following the date of the disaster declaration. The period of assistance begins at the date of the Presidential declaration and not the date on which the disaster is designated for Individual Assistance (IA). The President may extend the period of assistance due to extraordinary circumstances that an extension would be in public interest. Through the delegation of authority, the Assistant Administrator (AA) for Recovery may, at the request of a state, territorial, and tribal government, extend the period of assistance for the IHP Financial Assistance, Direct Temporary Housing Assistance, or both.

Period of Performance (POP): TBD based on contract award date, 4-month repair period, and the remaining Period of Assistance period.

Reasonable Commuting Distance: A distance which does not place an undue hardship on an applicant. It also takes into consideration the traveling time due to road conditions; e.g., mountainous regions or bridges out and the normal commuting patterns of the area.

Repair: To restore a property or component of the property to a functional condition that will make the property safe and adequate for temporary housing.

Utilities: Services such as water, gas, electricity, heating oil, and/or propane. Utilities do not include amenity services, e.g., cable, television, internet, telephone, etc.

SUBMISSION OF CAPABILITY PACKAGES INSTRUCTIONS.

Interested property owners shall submit a brief capabilities' statement package via e-mail to the e-mail address provided below. There is no page limitation on your submission. Respondents shall also provide a cover page with their property/company name, Unique Entity Identifier, CAGE Code, web address, address, point of contact, telephone number, e-mail address, size of your organization, and, if applicable, the small business socioeconomic category.

This documentation should address, at a minimum, the following to demonstrate the vendor's capability to perform the requirements:

1. The vendor's technical capability to deliver the services within the specified timeframe; and

1. 2. Past experience with similar requirements along with the contract type/pricing methodology; and

1. 3. The vendor's ability to manage, as prime, the types and magnitude of services required.

Please provide additional information you deem relevant to respond to the specifics of the RFI. The Government is not requesting any proprietary information to be submitted, nor shall it be liable for any consequential damages for proprietary information included. Any information submitted to the RFI (e.g., capability statement) is subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 USC 552 (a). All submissions submitted will not be returned.

The applicable NAICS code is 531110. The applicable PSC is X1FA.

RESPONSE DEADLINE: RFI responses are due as soon as possible, but no later than 5:00 PM ET, November 29, 2024, via e-mail to the e-mail address box, fema-mlr-dr4828fl@fema.dhs.gov .

The e-mail Subject line shall read: RFI No. 70FBR425I00000006, Multi-Family Lease and Repair (MLR).

PHONE CALLS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED OR RETURNED.

POINTS OF CONTACT: |Jacinto A. Amposta| and Martin D. Meade, fema-mlr-dr4828fl@fema.dhs.gov.

All responses received and questions answered will be considered as part of the market research for this requirement in accordance with FAR 10.001(a)(3).

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS: Small Business concerns are encouraged to provide responses to this RFI to assist in determining competition determination.