5-SOW - Partner Participation in Lead Safe Units Rebid.pdf

City of Akron

Lead Safe Akron Program Partner Participation in Lead Safe Units Rebid

SCOPE OF WORK

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Request for Proposal is to solicit non-profit housing agencies (Agency) that are interested in assisting the City of Akron in the production of lead safe units for the 48-month period of the Lead Safe Akron lead abatement program. The program began March 15, 2025, and runs through March 15, 2029. Partners will have up to 40 months to complete their agreed upon number of units.

The program is funded through a grant from the U. S. Department of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes.

Program Description: The Lead Safe Akron Program is to provide financial and technical assistance to eligible owner-occupied, single-family structures and to occupied or vacant rental properties of up to 4 units to address lead based paint hazards. Primary work activities may include but are not limited to: window and door replacement, siding, porch repair and/or replacement. All work must be undertaken to address lead hazards identified by the Lead Risk Assessment performed by the City of Akron. At least 280 applications shall be processed and a minimum 250 units shall be made “lead safe.”

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Please provide the following required information in your proposal response for the Lead Safe Akron program.

• Agency Name

• Agency Mailing Address

• Agency Director

• Primary Contact Person, Title, Email Address, and Phone Number

• Agency Phone and Fax Number

• Email Address

• Website Address

• Number of years agency has been in existence

• Tax Identification Number

• UEI (unique Employer Identification) Number (from SAM)

The following constitute your proposal:

1. Narrative describing the Agency’s:

a. Organizational capacity

b. Management plan for the program

c. Marketing plan for the program

2. Budget detailing the amount requested and the anticipated use of the funds.

3. Completed copy of the attached Production Schedule

Copies of the following documents must accompany your proposal:

1. IRS Tax Exempt Confirmation letter (501c3)

2. Incorporation Certificate from the Secretary of State

3. List of current Board of Directors and their term(s) of office.

4. Current organization chart with names of all staff members

5. The agency’s most recently submitted audit.

6. The agency’s liability insurance coverage

Agency Eligibility and Requirements (applicants must satisfy ALL criteria below):

To be eligible for this program, the Agency:

1. Must be a legally established organization located in the City of Akron or Summit County, Ohio and be in good standing with the City.

2. Must not have been removed from any City of Akron program within the last 10 years.

3. Must have at least 5 years’ experience operating federally funded housing rehabilitation programs for 1-4 unit residential structures, including compliance with lead abatement regulations.

4. Must have the capacity to remediate up to 40 lead units over a 40-month period.

5. Must be registered in the federal System for Award Management (SAMS) with a UEI number.

6. Must not appear in the Federal Excluded Parties List System (EPLS).

7. Must follow Section 3 guidelines from the Housing and Urban Development Act of

1968 (Title 24, subpart A where possible, when hiring staff or providing other economic opportunities.

8. Must maintain liability insurance for at least $1,000,000 per incident and $2,000,000 in the aggregate.

9. Must provide a copy of the agency’s most recent audit.

Program Requirements:

1. Must submit a proposal for only their agency. Proposals for a collaboration which involves 2 or more agencies will not be accepted.

2. Must have at least 1 staff member who is a licensed Lead Abatement Contractor **

3. Must have at least 1 staff member who is a licensed Lead Risk Assessor **

4. Must have at least 1 staff member who has an EPA RRP certification

5. Must adhere to the federal regulations concerning lead hazard control at 24 CFR Part

6. Must adhere to the federal regulations at 2 CFR, Part 200 – Uniform Administrative

Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, sub-part E, Cost Principles, sections §200.412-200.413 and sections §200-420-§200.475

7. Must follow the cost allocation plan which details how City funds will be assigned (see attached). Agencies will be reimbursed on a per unit basis.

8. Must include a completed copy of the Production Schedule ** Must have license within 6 months of funding award

SCOPE OF SERVICES AND PROCEDURES

The Agency will provide application intake and processing of the Agency’s allotted number of Lead Safe Akron applications and will ensure that all submission documents are collected and verified, including, but not limited to:

o Proof of ownership o Historic review compliance o Flood plain verification, compliance with requirements o Birth certificates for children under 6 years old o Results of blood lead level tests performed by a physician. (Parents should be encouraged, but are not required, to have their children tested for lead poisoning).

o Household income verification. (Household income cannot exceed 80% of the area median income as established by HUD).

o Homeowners insurance verification o Any other documents needed to determine eligibility for the program.

Agency applications shall be based on the City of Akron’s Lead Safe Akron application.

All applications must be completed and signed by the property owner(s).

The Agency will provide contractor selection sheet, with a list of approved contractors, and follow specified bid process. Contractor sheet shall be completed and signed by the property owner.

The City will provide the Agency with copies of the EPA pamphlets “Renovate Right” and

“Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home.” The Agency will ensure that the property owners and tenants receive a copy of both pamphlets and will obtain a signature as documentation of this transaction.

Scope of Services Procedures

The following procedures must be followed in carrying out program activities.

Program Enrollment A sample application will be given to modify or to be used as a template to ensure that information collected is in compliance with the program requirements. Applications will be reviewed by city staff prior to Agency use. Agency intake staff will review submitted applications for completeness to ensure that all disclosures are complete and signed by the applicant(s) and notify the applicant of their enrollment and discuss the next steps.

Rental Property: Rental properties are eligible for the Lead Safe Akron program, provided these conditions are met:

o Rental property within the City of Akron must be rental registered.

o Rental property owners must sign an agreement with the Agency (as proxy for the City) to ensure that the rental is actively marketed to families with children under the age of 6 for three (3) years after project completion.

o Rental properties assisted are not permitted to be sold for the period of 1 year.

Lead Based Paint Inspection & Risk Assessment (LIRA): After program approval has been given to the applicant, the Agency will contact a City Inspector to conduct a LIRA and provide a copy of it to the homeowner. Completed reports are to be mailed to the City.

All lead-based paint hazards identified in the report must be addressed through the program.

Healthy Homes: All properties shall receive a Radon Inspection. If it is determined that Radon is present then the remediation must be included in the work specifications and paid from the Healthy Homes funds, in addition to the Lead Funds. All properties shall receive 10-year battery operated smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. It is the responsibility of the agency to see that they are distributed and installed. The city will provide them to the agencies free of charge.

Work Specification Development: Upon receipt of the LIRA, the Agency will contact the property owner to schedule an appointment with the inspector/rehab specialist to review the specifications/work write up in accordance with lead regulations. The specs will address all lead-based paint hazards identified by the LIRA.

Procurement:

o The Agency will put the work specification out to bid with three contractors who appear on the contractor selection sheet.

o The Agency will award the project to the lowest and best contractor.

o Under the circumstances where there are no contractor bids, the case may be re-bid.

o Contractors must start work within 90 days of approval. If they do not, the contract may be terminated and the case may be re-bid or assigned to another contractor.

o The Agency must continually oversee the contractor bidding process. Should one contractor be deemed “overcommitted” (meaning he cannot get to projects in a timely manner):

The next lowest bidder should be asked to undertake the project o Any “overcommitted” contractor should be put on hold until his workload decreases to a point where he can perform work in a timely manner.

o The City will oversee monthly meetings with any Agency who shares contractors with the City to address “over commitment.”

Preconstruction Meeting: the Agency will meet with the homeowner and contractor to review the contractor’s bid and the property owner will be required to sign a contract for the agreed amount. This signed contract will authorize the contractor to perform the work.

Section 3 Compliance: All contractors shall follow Section 3 guidelines when hiring workers, when possible.

o This also applies to contractors employed by the Agency for the Lead Safe Akron program.

o Income and other demographic information must be collected for every individual covered by Section 3 guidelines o “Congress established the Section 3 policy to guarantee that the employment and other economic opportunities created by Federal financial assistance for housing and community development programs should, if possible, be directed toward low- and very-low income persons, particularly those who are recipients of government assistance for housing.”

Relocation: the homeowner will meet with the Relocation Representative and the

Agency regarding the relocation process. Relocation during lead hazard reduction work is required. Homeowner cannot re-occupy the property until clearance is achieved and inspected by a licensed LIRA inspector. There are 3 forms of relocation:

o With family or friends o Safe house (a house that has been made lead safe for temporary occupation) o A hotel (Relocation to a hotel shall be for 10 days or less and sized accordingly.

Contractors will be charged the hotel rate per day for jobs not completed within 10 days.)

The Relocation Representative must be notified when clearance is achieved. The Representative will arrange for the homeowner to move back home.

City Grant Review Committee: All projects will be reviewed by a Lead Grant Review Committee comprised of the Lead Safe Akron Program Director, Program Manager and Fiscal Officer. Any project containing Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for the lead work shall also be reviewed by the City’s Loan and Grant Committee.

Construction: All work is to be completed according to the specifications developed from the LIRA. All Lead Hazards must be addressed. Completion of work will vary in time, but must be completed in no more than 45 days. Agency is expected to follow job progress, ensuring that work is performed correctly and in a timely fashion. At least one clearance inspection will be completed when the lead work is completed, with a final inspection of all work occurring at the conclusion of the project.

Lead Based Paint Clearance: It will be the responsibility of the Agency to obtain a lead based paint clearance report from the City inspector. A Copy of the clearance report must be mailed to the homeowner at the end of the project. At least one clearance inspection will be completed when the lead work is completed, with a final inspection of all work occurring at the conclusion of the project.

Payment Process: Each unit must be invoiced separately. The Agency will submit required documentation to the City for payment. The Agency may bill for front-end project delivery when the case is approved by the Lead Review Committee. Back-end project delivery cannot be billed until all work is completed and clearance is achieved.

All invoices must use a City approved invoice form. Relocation invoices will be issued from the Relocation Representative and the Agency is expected to pay that invoice out of their project delivery.

Job Completion Report: A job completion report form, supplied by the City, will be submitted with the final payment request for each unit. Final payment will not be released until the job completion report has been received.

Lead Remediation Funding: The City is making available approximately $2,310,000.00 to its partners for the implementation of the Lead Safe Akron Program. It is expected that work will be done in the service area of the Agency. It is also expected that 70 units will be made lead safe by our partners. Funding for individual projects will be, on average, as follows:

o Up to $20,000 is Lead Based Paint grant funds (average) o Up to $5,000 in CDBG funds. (an additional $5,000.00 will be offered on a case-by-case basis).

o Landlords will be required to pay 25% of the cost of remediation up to the

$25,000, and 100% of all costs exceeding the $25,000.

o Agencies are encouraged to use funding from additional sources to support lead remediation in their units.

o The City reserves the right to limit the number of units each agency shall produce.

Project Delivery Funding: funding for project delivery shall be $3,000 per unit, broken out as follows:

o Front-end Project Delivery can be invoiced once the project is approved by the Lead Review Committee o Front-end Project Delivery is $1,600:

Application Intake & Processing $500/unit Specification Writing $300/unit Bidding $300/unit Preparation for Lead Review Committee $500/unit o Back-end Project Delivery can only be invoiced upon completion of the project.

o Back-end Project Delivery is $1,400:

• Construction Oversight $450/unit

• Relocation $500/unit

• Targeted Advertising & Outreach $415/unit

• Local Travel $35/unit

Reporting: The Agency will be expected to provide the City with a report (form provided by the City) on progress of their assigned units. Information will be requested both quarterly (concurrent with the HUD required quarterly reports prepared by the City), and at the time of unit completion. Quarterly reporting will be due by the following dates:

o April 10th for the January – March report o July 10th for the April – June report o October 10th for the July – September report o January 10th for the October – December report o If the 10th falls on a weekend, the report is due the following Monday.

This report will contain:

o Number of households enrolled.

o Client demographics o Number of LIRA’s completed o Number of units under contract o Number of units completed o Number of outreach events

CONTRACT TERM

The contract term will begin once the RFP is awarded, and the contract is fully executed with all signatures obtained and will end no later than March 15, 2029.

SELECTION PROCESS

Each proposal will be evaluated and scored by the City according to the submission criteria listed below. Proposals with the highest scores will be selected for the program. The city will select up to 3 agencies.

o Organizational Capacity 40 points o Management Plan 30 points o Budget 10 points o Marketing Plan 10 points