4-Telephone Answering Services- RFP.docx.pdf

1705\01\2353114.2

REFERENCE # 2026.02.12 RFP AS

REQUESTS FOR PROPOSAL – TELEPHONE ANSWERING

SERVICES

February 12, 2026

The Housing Authority of the City of Alameda (AHA) is requesting proposals for three telephone live answering services for call-ins for 1) employee attendance, 2) answering service for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, and 3) for emergency property management calls from residents living in AHA-owned and affiliated properties. Translation services are to be provided by the vendor if needed, as well as email/text messages and a daily summary report.

SCOPE OF WORK

AHA is requesting proposals for three separate phone lines but with the option to increase this number if needed.

Requirements:

1. Telephone answering service shall be available twenty-four (24) hours per day, three hundred and sixty-five (365) days per year

2. Onshore Operation (U.S. based call center) or able to demonstrate that the program meets US privacy and data standards. Must have a process for providing reports on received calls including, but not limited to, the number of calls received, the average response time, and a summary of calls.

3. Translation Services are to be provided if requested. The key languages for translation are Chinese/Cantonese, Vietnamese, Afghani/Pashto, Arabic, and Farsi/Dari.

4. The system must provide the ability to make immediate changes to phone trees, email lists, etc.

5. Answering Service to provide a live person when answering phone calls. No automated phone trees are permitted.

6. Callers shall not be placed on hold for more than one (1) minute.

7. Calls shall be answered in a courteous and professional manner.

Phone Lines:

1. Employee Attendance Line

a. Current usage is approximately 100 minutes per month

b. An email and text message must be sent immediately to the relevant staff for each employee attendance matter reported.

c. Translation is not required.

2. Housing Programs Line

a. Current usage is approximately 2,000 minutes per month

b. An email copy to the relevant staff is required

Docusign Envelope ID: 5C10A478-56E9-4359-BE06-F6E3C5BDE430

c. Daily summary of previous day must be provided in Excel by 7:00 am each day.

d. Translation is required.

3. Property Management Line

a. Current usage is approximately 800 minutes per month

b. Calls must be relayed live according to a designated employee contact list (to be provided) until personal contact is made.

c. An email and text message to the relevant staff is required to be sent immediately for each resident matte reported.

d. Must be able to triage calls to different staff at different properties.

e. Daily summary of previous day must be provided in Excel by 7:00 am each day.

f. Translation is required.

Reporting:

1. Answering Service shall accurately collect the following information from caller and other information as requested:

Employee Attendance Line (45 employees):

a. Name of caller

b. Best phone number to reach caller

c. Supervisor’s name

d. Department

e. Call type (i.e., absence or late call in)

f. Type of leave to be used and hours

g. Arrival time if late.

Housing Program Department Line:

b. Tenant or Landlord

a. If Tenant:

i. Tenant Code

ii. Name of Housing Specialist

iii. Call Type- Annual Reexamination/ HQS Inspection/ Transfer/Change in Household/ Other issues

b. If Landlord:

i. Call Type

c. Phone number

d. Email

e. Property address & unit

f. Detailed issue or reason for the call

Property Management Line:

a. Name of caller

b. Phone number

c. Email address

d. Property name, home address (to include unit #)

e. Priority Level

f. Call Type

g. Detailed issue or reason for the call

h. Who the call was transferred to and whether they picked up.

*Other lines may be expanded, but would include at a minimum:

b. Phone number

c. Reason for call

2. Maintain a log of all received calls and responding transactions with AHA staff for a period of at least two (2) years. Reporting on customer service levels will be established in coordination with AHA and may include the following along with any other statistics deemed pertinent on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis:

a. Total calls - offered, answered and abandoned

b. Number of calls and percentage of total calls answered within the following

c. times:

i. 1 minute or less

ii. 1-3 minutes

iii. longer than 3 minutes

d. Average time to answer all calls

e. Number of lost calls

f. Number of live calls transferred to an on-call property management representative.

g. Number of calls requiring translation assistance by language

h. Average call duration

FEE SCHEDULE

For the quote submission, please submit the cost via Telephone Answering Services (BT-02GR). If there are additional or optional services including charges for language services, please indicate details in the Cost Proposal. Include any extra charges for holidays etc.

2026 2027 2028 2029 2030

Employee Attendance Line- 100 base minutes/ month

Base Rate/ Month

Minutes Included

Each Additional Minute

One-Time Setup Fee

Other Charges (optional)

Property Management Line- 800 base minutes/ month

Base Rate/ Month

Minutes Included

Each Additional Minute

One-Time Setup Fee

Translation Service (optional extra charge, but required to provide)

Other Charges (optional)

Housing Programs Line- 2000 base minutes/ month

Base Rate/ Month

Minutes Included

Each Additional Minute

One-Time Setup Fee

Translation Service (optional extra charge, but required to provide)

Other Charges (optional)

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Please provide your company’s qualifications and experience information. Please also complete the below questions as part of the Proposal Submission:

1. Please describe your set up process and estimated time from contract to full operation-please provide a timeline.

2. Are phone conversations recorded and stored? If so, how long will they be stored?

3. If calls are recorded and stored, how can these be accessed by AHA?

4. How do you protect personally identifiable information (PII) provided by the callers?

5. Is AI utilized as part of the recording process? If so, is there a way to remove the use of

AI?

6. Is the company based in the United States? If not, how are you meeting US standards on data integrity and privacy.

7. Do you offer other services which might be of use to a housing agency – for example, robocall reminders? If so, please provide a brief description and pricing.

8. Are you requesting any changes to our contract or insurance requirements?

9. Please provide the process to transition current AHA phone lines to your system.

10. Please provide at least three (3) references from similar Agencies.

*Please note that all recordings and data related to AHA may be subject to the Public Records Act*

CONTRACT

The Housing Authority’s standard professional services contract will be used. Please see Attachment A for reference for the sample agreement. Please review Attachment C for Insurance requirements. Changes must be requested at the time of bidding so you are advised to review the contract and insurance attached.

RFP DEADLINES

Questions Due: If you have any questions regarding this process or would like additional information, please submit questions in written format, and no later than 4 p.m. on Monday February 23, 2026, via the Bonfire platform. Responses will be posted within 3 business days following the questions deadline.

Virtual Bidder’s Conference (Optional): February 24, 2026 at 9:30am PST. Please see Bonfire RFP details for the video link.

Proposal Deadline: Proposals will be accepted by Bonfire until 4:00 p.m., March 10, 2026. Vendors are responsible for ensuring that quotes are received on time. AHA does not afford a vendor an opportunity for re-submission of their proposals after the due date.

Quotes received after the due date and time will be rejected without consideration. Quotes shall be submitted via Bonfire at https://alamedahsg.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities. For any technical difficulties, please contact Radha Mehta at Rmehta@alamedahsg.org.

SUBMISSIONS

Cover Letter & Confirmation of Documents: Please complete the cover letter with your contact and company information. Please also provide a 24-hour emergency contact number for your company and/or the manager of the company. The cover letter is available under files. Please also confirm you have the insurance and workers compensation coverage required in the contract. Cyber Insurance will be required for this service. This will be collected after an award is made. Please also confirm that you agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the sample agreement.

Proposal Submission: Please provide qualifications and scope of work related to the project and answer all 10 questions.

Bid Table: Please complete the Bonfire Bid Table Telephone Answering Services (BT-02GR).

Sample Reporting: Please provide a sample report generated by your service. Please properly redact or exclude any PII.

Conflict of Interest: Please complete the vendor conflict of interest form at https://form.alamedahsg.org/Forms/A4Gpo prior to submitting bid.

ATTACHMENTS

• Attachment A: Standard AHA Contract (For Reference Purposes)

• Attachment B: Cover Letter & Confirmation of Documents

• Attachment C: Insurance Requirements https://alamedahsg.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities mailto:Rmehta@alamedahsg.org https://form.alamedahsg.org/Forms/A4Gpo

Authorization to Distribute:

Sean Prevette, Assistant Director of Administrative Services Date

Vanessa Cooper, Executive Director Date

2/11/2026

2/11/2026