7-PY2026 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Instructions.pdf

AFFORDABLE HOUSING SERVICES (AHS)

Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation

Demolition/Reconstruction

Disaster Owner Occupied Rehabilitation

Instructions

Program Year 2026

Brenda Brackins, Director

Hillsborough County PY 2026 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (Demolition/Reconstruction/Disaster) Request for Proposals – Instructions Page 2 | 14

INSTRUCTIONS

Request for Proposals (RFP)

Program Year (PY) 2026

I. Introduction Hillsborough County Affordable Housing Services (AHS) is seeking proposals from qualified private or public for-profit and not-for-profit entities to manage and operate single-family Owner- Occupied Rehabilitation (OOR) projects for disaster rehabilitation and/or for non-disaster rehabilitation. Disaster rehabilitation is for declared disasters only; non-disaster rehabilitation is rehabilitation necessary to bring homes up to minimum housing standards, eliminate code violations, repair or replace housing systems beyond their useful life, or make accessibility accommodations, and may include demolition/reconstruction where indicated and as consistent with program requirements. This program will benefit eligible very low to moderate-income clientele who will be qualified for program participation by the County. Successful proposals must comply with the guidelines outlined in this Request for Proposals (RFP) and comply with all applicable regulations of the various federal, state and local funding sources.

II. Overall Proposal Rules

• Proposal Funding Request:

Maximum Award Per Proposal - $2.5 Million

Disclaimer: The funding amount is based on the County’s estimated allocation and is subject to change

• Proposers submitting multiple proposals must prioritize their projects by clearly indicating the priority ranking in the proposal title and submit each separately in Euna Procurement.

• The County anticipates awarding one or more contracts based upon the responses to this RFP but reserves the right to reject all proposals as needed. The County reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to decline a proposal if it is not in the best interest of the County to proceed.

• The County reserves the right to match the funding allocations available to the proposals received to ensure alignment of resources with community needs and appropriate target populations. The County reserves the right to award more than one (1) funding source to a selected proposal if necessary to maximize a project’s effectiveness and overall impact.

Proposers may not request funds from an alternate source.

• At the County’s discretion, the funding commitment may be decreased or increased based on funding availability and need.

Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation, Demolition/Reconstruction & Disaster Owner Occupied Rehabilitation

Hillsborough County PY 2026 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (Demolition/Reconstruction/Disaster) Request for Proposals – Instructions Page 3 | 14

• The proposal application and attachments must be uploaded as separate files in Euna Procurement.

• The proposal must meet the guidelines provided in this Request for Proposals (RFP).

• The cost to prepare and submit a proposal is the sole responsibility of the applicant and shall not be chargeable in any manner to the County.

• Eligible applicants must be non-profit or for-profit entities that have been operating in good standing with the State of Florida for a minimum of two years.

• Proposals must demonstrate that the agency has the financial viability to operate a locally funded program strictly on a reimbursement basis. A financially viable organization is able to:

o Expend project costs pending reimbursement without financial hardship.

o Provide sufficient documentation to support all expenses.

• A developer fee may be requested for Demolition/Reconstruction. The final determination of the amount of the developer fee shall be determined by Hillsborough County.

• Agencies are encouraged to place their history, past projects, awards and any other pertinent items it wishes to emphasize on their website for the Evaluation Committee's review.

• By submitting the application, the applicant acknowledges understanding and agrees to adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local regulations and department policies governing the program.

• AHS will complete an underwriting and subsidy layering review prior to the execution of a written agreement or obligation of funds.

• Proposers with existing or prior projects awarded through AHS that had grant funding (all or a portion) recaptured or returned to AHS for reallocation, whether incomplete or completed, or failed to meet the proposed project accomplishments, had untimely project close-outs, or failed to submit timely quarterly progress reports shall receive a reduction in total available points for the most recent project within the previous three (3) program years under the “Performance of Past Subrecipients” category.

• If awarded CDBG and/or HOME funding through this RFP, the proposal must adhere to:

1. Build America, Buy America (BABA Requirements- (CPD Notice-25-01 and at https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/baba/) file://Hcbocc.ad/dfs/AHO/GROUPS/5%20PLANNING%20&%20REPORTING/RFP,%20RFQ,%20ITB/RFP%20RFQ%20PY%202026/OOR/RFP%20Package/Instructions/CPD%20Notice-25-01 https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/baba/

Hillsborough County PY 2026 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (Demolition/Reconstruction/Disaster) Request for Proposals – Instructions Page 4 | 14

2. Section 3 - see Section 3 Guidebook

3. Davis Bacon and related Acts - See Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Coverage and Federal Labor Standards Requirements in HUD Programs

4. Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act CWHSSA - See CWHSSA and Federal Labor Standards Requirements in HUD Programs

5. Lead-Based Paint Hazards – See 24 CFR Part 35 and https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/lead-based-paint/

III. Eligible Applicants/Proposals

• Eligible applicants are public or private for-profit and non-profit agencies assisting very low-and low-income households properly licensed and in good standing with the State of Florida and federal government regulations with up-to-date tax return submittals for at least two years.

• Proposers with a substantive and practical understanding of the management of an owner-occupied housing rehabilitation program.

• Proposers with experience managing the construction of at least five (5) single family, owner-occupied housing rehabilitation projects.

• Proposers with a minimum of five (5) years’ experience providing housing rehabilitation and/or the management of housing rehabilitation activities. Two (2) years shall have been in the State of Florida.

IV. Ineligible Applicants/Proposals

• Any party on the Excluded Parties List System (Home | SAM.gov), including debarments, will not be considered and shall be deemed ineligible to apply for participation under this RFP. This includes both the applicant and any partnering organization identified as part of the proposal.

• Applicants with an open/existing project(s) funded through AHS or directly by the County that has been determined by AHS to be out-of-compliance with project requirements, with unresolved findings or concerns as documented by a County monitoring report and/or has been issued a letter of non-compliance outside of its usual monitoring period, and/or have failed to meet deliverables as required under a County funded agreement monitored by AHS, are ineligible under this RFP.

• Applicants with two or more projects through AHS that are less than fifty percent (50%) complete and/or have less than fifty percent (50%) of AHS funds expended, as documented by the required Monthly/Quarterly Progress Reports and verified by

AHS.

• Applicants that do not have a non-profit incorporation and 501(c)(3) designation and https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/section-3/section-3-guidebook/welcome/ https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/prevailing-wage-resource-book/dbra-coverage#_What_Is_the https://www.hud.gov/hudclips/handbooks/sec#close https://www.hud.gov/hudclips/handbooks/sec#close https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/prevailing-wage-resource-book/dbra-coverage#_CONTRACT_WORK_HOURS_1 https://www.hud.gov/hudclips/handbooks/sec#close https://www.hud.gov/hudclips/handbooks/sec#close https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-24/subtitle-A/part-35/subpart-A https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/lead-based-paint/ https://sam.gov/

Hillsborough County PY 2026 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (Demolition/Reconstruction/Disaster) Request for Proposals – Instructions Page 5 | 14 have not filed I.R.S. Form 990, or Exemption Statement, or applicable "For Profit" Form, and have not received an audit conducted by an independent auditor will be deemed ineligible under this RFP. A certified financial statement is acceptable if an agency audit is not required.

• Proposals with omitted information at the time of the submittal deadline will render the application incomplete and the proposal unresponsive/ineligible.

• Proposals that do not meet the guidelines in this RFP.

• Proposals that are incomplete, with inaccurate budget costs, and/or the funding request exceeds the RFP maximum amount.

• Proposals that do not include the required documents listed in the Required Documents Checklist section of the application.

V. D-U-N-S Number Requirement All applications require a D-U-N-S Number. Applicants can register with Dun and Bradstreet for a free number: http://www.dnb.com/get-a-duns-number.html

VI. Unique Entity ID Requirement The Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov is now the required identifier for federal government business. The application must contain this ID.

VII. Funding Sources Funding provided under this RFP may be allocated from various sources, including federal HOME

Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Community Development Block Grant Program

(CDBG), State Housing Initiatives Partnerships Program (SHIP), and/or local funds hereinafter collectively referred to as "Grant Funds.” Proposers may not request a preference in a funding source. For-profit entities are not eligible for federal funding. Affordable Housing Services (AHS) will determine the source of funds to be awarded to successful proposals. Selected proposers will be required to meet all requirements of the awarded funding source.

Clients assisted with Grant Funds must meet the following income eligibility standards:

• SHIP Funds: Assistance for households up to 80% Area Median Income (AMI)

• CDBG and HOME Funds: Assistance for households up to 80% AMI.

• Local Funds: Assistance for households up to 80% AMI.

http://www.dnb.com/get-a-duns-number.html https://sam.gov/

Hillsborough County PY 2026 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (Demolition/Reconstruction/Disaster) Request for Proposals – Instructions Page 6 | 14

VIII. Funding Eligibility

Funding will be awarded to for-profit and non-profit agencies proposing eligible rehabilitation activities that benefit:

• Very low- to moderate-income areas.

• Very low- to moderate-income households/persons with or without homeowner’s insurance

(earning up to 80% of the Area Median Income ) that is considered a priority under the

County's Local Housing Assistance Plan (LHAP).

• Points will be awarded to proposers committing to serve at least 20% of program participants from households meeting one of the following special needs categories: Victims and

Survivors of Domestic Violence, Person with a Disability, or Youth Aging out of Foster Care

(as defined in Section 420.0004(13), Florida Statutes: “Person with special needs” means an adult person requiring independent living services in order to maintain housing or develop independent living skills and who has a disabling condition; a young adult formerly in foster care who is eligible for services under s. 409.1451(5); a survivor of domestic violence as defined in s. 741.28; or a person receiving benefits under the Social Security Disability

Insurance (SSDI) program or the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program or from veterans’ disability benefits.”

IX. Eligible Dwelling (Housing) Unit Types

The eligible dwelling unit types funded under this RFP are:

• Owner- Occupied Dwellings, including mobile/manufactured homes

• Owner Occupied Dwelling w/Accessory Dwelling Units

• Owner-Occupied Dwelling requiring Demolition/Reconstruction

X. Rehabilitation Activities – (More than one (1) item may be identified)

• Rehabilitation activities must address a priority, all code violations, life, health and safety issues. Rehabilitation activities must meet County minimum standards.

• Disaster Rehabilitation activities must be related to a declared disaster and must be documented to prevent a duplication of benefits.

• Demolition Reconstruction.

https://www.floridahousing.org/docs/default-source/programs/special-programs/lhap/county-lhaps/hillsborough-25-28.pdf?sfvrsn=e57e327b_22 https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2018/409.1451 https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2018/741.28

Hillsborough County PY 2026 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (Demolition/Reconstruction/Disaster) Request for Proposals – Instructions Page 7 | 14

XI. Maximum Rehabilitation Cost per Single Family Unit (SFU)

• Owner-Occupied SFU: $100,000

• Owner-Occupied SFU with Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU): $100,000

• Owner-Occupied SFU Demolition/Reconstruction: $425,000

XII. Income and Property Eligibility Guidelines Proposals must benefit low-to-moderate income persons at or below the area median income prescribed for the applicable funding source. Successful proposers will be required to provide evidence that the project beneficiaries meet the federal income guidelines below.

Effective 05/01/2026 (Most current limits will apply in the executed agreement)

XIII. Performance Measures Proposals will be reviewed by AHS staff for objectives and outcomes related to the performance of the actions funded by the Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Program. The specific Rehabilitation Goals are as follows:

o Bring properties up to minimum housing code o Eliminate housing code violations o Eliminate conditions by demonstrating blight influence o Adapting residences for accessibility o Alleviate overcrowding situations o Eliminate emergency housing conditions that present a serious threat to the health and safety of its residents o Replace components, systems at or beyond their useful life o Address other issues meeting program funding criteria within the intent and policy of the program

2026 Income Limits

Median Income

Percentage Category

Income Limit by Number of Persons in Household

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Tampa, St.

Petersburg, Clearwater, FL MSA (Hillsborough

County)

$104,700

30% 24,100 27,550 31,000 34,400 38,680 44,360 50,040 55,720

50% 40,150 45,850 51,600 57,350 61,950 66,550 71,150 75,700

80% 64,250 73,400 82,600 91,750 99,100 106,450 113,800 121,150

Hillsborough County PY 2026 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (Demolition/Reconstruction/Disaster) Request for Proposals – Instructions Page 8 | 14

XIV. Performance Expectations

• The successful proposer(s) will be expected to:

o Enter into an agreement with the County that will be provided by AHS that incorporates the requirements of this RFP. A draft sample agreement is available upon request. A participant agreement and work contract will also be required. The Participant Agreement will be required between the Agency and the homeowner and the work contract will be required between the homeowner and the contractor. These will be exhibits provided with the successful proposer(s) agreement.

o Be ready to proceed (implement) the project at the time of funding. For projects that will not be able to continue once an award is made, AHS has the right to redistribute the funds to the next highest ranked and eligible proposer.

o Pay for project costs pending reimbursement.

o Commence construction and complete the scope of work within 12 months of the executed agreement. Failure to complete the work within the timeframe established in the agreement may result in the agreement being terminated and the County will have no further obligation beyond payment for completed project to continue to fund the project.

o Use qualified contractors to produce quality workmanship with new materials in all rehabilitation work and meet code requirements.

o Oversee the projects to ensure contractors are meeting quality, permitting and code requirements.

o Complete the rehabilitation in accordance with the timelines in the Agreement.

o Use no less than new contractor grade and quality materials in accordance with the agreement which shall include hard surface countertops, carpet or LVP or similar flooring with proper underlayment with minimum 15-year warranty. Roofing materials with no less than a 15-year warranty and HVAC systems at minimum 15 SEER and 3 Ton capacity depending on the size of the home.

o Submit timely monthly, quarterly progress reports and adherence to AHS annual monitoring site visits. The reports will be used to assess the activity’s progress in achieving the goals and compliance with the funding requirements.

o Submit timely and properly supported requests for reimbursement. Funds must be expended in accordance with the expenditure deadlines in the subrecipient agreement.

o Document and maintain records of persons served, services provided, and where applicable, household size and income documentation, and timely submit required beneficiary data to AHS.

Hillsborough County PY 2026 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (Demolition/Reconstruction/Disaster) Request for Proposals – Instructions Page 9 | 14 o Use the required reporting forms provided by AHS. The required forms may not be modified or replaced by other reporting methods. Failure to submit the required information needed for reporting requirements may result in the agency being out of compliance and ineligible for future grant funding.

o Ensure that the homeowner receives at least a one-year warranty on work completed and transfer material warranties to the homeowner.

XV. Timeline

Provide a timeline for the completion of the project, including key milestones and deadlines.

XVI. Financial Documentation

□ Provide financial references (name, title, entity, telephone number, email and contractual relationship) for at least three (5) successful past projects that can be contacted with respect to current and past project experience.

□ Provide banking references, including letters of good standing from previous lenders.

□ Provide letters from lending institutions, not more than three months old, that demonstrate the existence of liquid assets or suitable unencumbered lines of credit to carry out the predevelopment activities. Evidence of the entity’s liquid assets or some acceptable form of equity shall be equal to the equity requirements of the prospective construction lender.

□ Provide a preliminary business plan to include a conceptual overview of how the organization would propose to structure, finance, develop and manage the project.

□ Explain the financing plan of the project including identifying the source(s) and amount of debt and equity to be used to capitalize the project and the relationships (e.g., outside lender, quasi-governmental agency, etc.) of the entities providing funding.

□ Provide a five (5) year pro forma that identifies capital reserves, debt payments, and any other obligations during this period. The proforma should include a cash flow analysis for the duration of the project, including but not limited to: estimates of costs, operating expenses, capital reserves including replacement and re-tenanting reserves, net operating income, debt service, partnership percentages, disposition benchmarks, annual vacancy factor, stabilized NOI, calculations of net present value, and internal rate of return

□ Provide a construction budget detailing anticipated pre-development costs, and hard and soft costs from construction through completion.

□ Provide an operating budget. Include sources and anticipated amounts of working capital to cover operating costs and to adequately maintain operations from the start- up through completion.

□ Disclose whether any funding sources or financial institutions have threatened to take or have taken adverse action against the proposer, such as loan acceleration, foreclosure, or terminating or restricting the use of funds, anytime during the past five (5) years.

□ Provide a statement disclosing for the past five (5) years any of the following conduct. Check

Hillsborough County PY 2026 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (Demolition/Reconstruction/Disaster) Request for Proposals – Instructions Page 10 | 14 all that apply.

□ Bankruptcy filings;

□ Liquidated damages;

□ Fines, assessments or penalties;

□ Judgments or awards in contract disputes;

□ Contract defaults and/or contract terminations;

□ License revocations, suspensions and/or other disciplinary actions;

□ Prior debarments or suspension by a governmental entity;

□ Denials of prequalification or findings of non-responsibility;

□ Safety past performance date, including fatality incidents;

□ Experience ratings;

□ Modification ratings;

□ Recordable injury rate;

□ Workday incidence rate;

□ Alleged violations of any federal, state or local civil law;

□ Alleged violations of any federal, state or local criminal law;

□ Criminal indictments or investigations;

□ Legal claims filed by or against the entity; and

□ Claims on payment and performance bonds.

Additional Required Documentation Please attach the required documents as indicated below: (Failure to provide all required documents may deem the proposal unresponsive/ineligible).

□ Most recent two years of Audited Financial Statements, including the Notes. The County’s

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will review submitted Audited Financial statements no older than two (2) years.

□ If the proposer has been awarded more than $1,000,000 in Federal funding in the last year, then the proposer must provide the most current (no older than two (2) years) signed copy of proposer’s Single Audit.

□ If the proposer has been awarded less than $1,000,000 in federal funding in the last year, then the proposer must submit reviewed or compiled financial statements, prepared by an independent, licensed accounting professional in lieu of an audit. The financial statement must include the following information:

o Current financial position to determine:

• Stability (cash flow versus reliable income)

• Sustainability (budget showing a surplus or deficit)

• Reasonable accounting format (showing assets and liabilities and composition of expenses)

Hillsborough County PY 2026 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (Demolition/Reconstruction/Disaster) Request for Proposals – Instructions Page 11 | 14 o Results of operations or changes in net assets;

• If the proposer has received any federal award (directly or indirectly), then they must provide the schedule of expenditures of the federal award(s) for the period covered by the financial statement, include the total federal award expended for each individual federal program, federal organization name, pass-through entity (if applicable), and CFDA number (or other identifying number if CFDA number is not available);

• If applicable, identify in the financial statement notes the total amount provided for a loan or loan guarantee program(s); include the schedule of balance outstanding at the end of the audit period. Also include notes that describe the accounting policies used in preparing the schedule and if the auditee elected to use the 15% de minimis cost rate on indirect costs;

• Restrictions (temporary and permanent) that impact income statements;

• Copy of current financial policies and procedures; and

• Copy of the most recent IRS Form 990 or applicable “For Profit” Form.

• All accompanying Footnotes or Notes to the financial statements.

XVII. Financial Capacity

The proposer must demonstrate financial capacity to perform the requirements of this proposal, including the ability to secure all necessary financing to completely fund the project. Hillsborough County Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be reviewing the financial stability of the organization. The following questions will be considered by the OMB to determine the financial capacity of the proposer:

□ Did the proposer provide the required financial statements along with the accompanying audit opinion letter (if applicable) and Notes to the statements for the two most recently ended fiscal years?

□ Are the proposer’s financial statements recent enough to provide insight into the organization's current financial position?

□ Does the proposer show financial oversight and internal controls?

□ Can the proposer achieve income stability by demonstrating capacity to generate income?

□ Does the proposer show responsible stewardship of resources it has received?

□ Are there adequate management practices in place for financial reporting?

□ Is the proposer able to carry out its mission in a stable and effective way that will ensure project completion?

The following questions will be considered by the OMB to determine the financial capacity of the proposer:

o Is the proposer’s Current Ratio (Current Assets vs. Current Liabilities) equal to or greater than 1?

o Does the proposer have at least 90 Days Cash on Hand? (industry average is 90 days) o Is the proposer’s Debt Ratio low enough that debt-related costs do not jeopardize its ability to conduct normal business operations or pay normal operating expenses?

o Is the proposer’s Reliance on Grants and Government Ratio sufficiently low to suggest that the organization can continue operations if governmental revenue sources decrease

Hillsborough County PY 2026 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (Demolition/Reconstruction/Disaster) Request for Proposals – Instructions Page 12 | 14 by a material amount or in their entirety?

o Does the proposer’s General, Administrative and Fundraising Cost Ratio indicate that the majority of revenues are being used for direct program services and to carry out the organization’s mission?

o Does the proposer’s Profitability Ratio indicate that the organization is generating annual income equal to or in excess of annual expenses?

XVIII. Application and Proposal Review Process A. REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DEADLINE - The Application document is included in this RFP. Proposals are to be submitted through Euna Procurement ONLY no later than 2:00 P.M. on the deadline date. Email or hand-delivered submissions will NOT be accepted. The documents required to be submitted with this Request for Proposals: The Application (to include Attachments in the Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Checklist).

B. If the space provided in the application is not sufficient, please include any additional information as a properly labeled attachment and upload as a separate file in Euna Procurement.

C. Agencies submitting multiple proposals must prioritize their projects by clearly indicating the priority ranking in the proposal title and submit each separately in Euna Procurement.

D. Keep responses to questions brief and do not include information or attachments not related to the specific proposal or that are not specifically requested.

XIX. Proposal Review

• Procurement opens sealed bids to ensure proposals have been submitted properly.

• AHS Staff will conduct an initial review to determine eligibility of the proposer and proposal based upon the information provided.

• Hillsborough County Procurement Services will notify the proposer via Euna Procurement If AHS’ initial review determines the proposer or proposal is ineligible or incomplete.

• Ineligible items for which funding is sought will be removed from consideration if the overall project is eligible.

• At the request of AHS, Procurement staff may contact the proposer to request additional information. If the proposer is unable to provide the additional information requested within 48 hours (excluding weekends), the proposer will be determined to be unresponsive and disqualified.

• All submitted proposals are final and may not be amended or substituted, unless specifically requested or allowed by the County. The County, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to contact a proposer for additional information which may be necessary for the review process.

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XX. Evaluation Criteria All eligible, complete proposals will be reviewed and ranked by an Evaluation Committee selected by the County. The Evaluation Committee will evaluate and score proposals based on the information provided in the submission. AHS may, at its discretion, interview any or all respondents, and request clarification or supplemental information.

XXI. Scoring Applications will be reviewed and scored on a consensus basis relative to the evaluation criteria below. The maximum possible score is 120.

1. Project Budget and Proposed Number of Households to be Served (15 points)

2. Substantive Knowledge and Experience in Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation, Demolition/Reconstruction of Completed Projects (25 points)

3. Knowledge and Experience of Techniques to Address The Unique Quality of Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program (30 points)

4. Demonstration and Capacity to Serve Special Needs Households (15 points)

5. Performance of Past Subrecipient or

6. Experience of New Proposers (15 points)

7. Financial Capacity______________________________________________(20 points)

120 points

XXII. Award Recommendations The Evaluation Committee will make initial recommendations for funding in accordance with the Application criteria and grant allocation. If more applications are submitted than funding available, the ranked list will determine any “Alternative Applications” that may be funded if an awarded project is unable to proceed. AHS reserves the right to select multiple and/or other funding sources as listed in this RFP. All recommended activities will be submitted for final approval by the Board of County Commissioners. Funding agreements will be completed prior to the expenditure of funds.

XXIII. Disclaimer The County reserves the right, at its sole discretion to:

1) Use any eligible funding source;

2) Accept or reject any or all applications received;

3) Waive any non-substantive deficiency or irregularity;

Hillsborough County PY 2026 Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (Demolition/Reconstruction/Disaster) Request for Proposals – Instructions Page 14 | 14

4) Negotiate the project budget and funding source with a qualified Applicant;

5) Award a contract in what it believes to be the best interest of the County;

6) Cancel this RFP, in part or its entirety, if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the County;

7) Reject the application of any applicant who has previously failed to perform properly;

8) Reject the application of any applicant who has failed to complete a former project within the specified timeframe;

9) Reject the application of any applicant that cannot fulfill its contractual obligation.

10) Make a final judgment whether an applicant is responsive or unresponsive to the

RFP after carefully evaluating the submissions.

11) Reject an applicant’s response based upon a conflict of interest that is not in the best interest of the County.

This RFP does not commit the County to award any contract, pay any pre-award expenses, or pay any costs incurred in the preparation of the application. The County will make recommendations based upon the criteria outlined above, and funding availability.

Each applicant is to take no action on their project or activity until the funding agreement is fully executed. Proceeding with your project or activity prior to final approval by the BOCC may result in ineligibility of your project and funding will not be awarded. Funding is not available until an executed funding agreement is provided.

End of Instructions