Escrow Services Sources Sought Notice Page 1

UNITED STATED DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

1400 INDEPENDENCE AVENUE, S.W.

WASHINGTON, DC 20250

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE (SSN): ESCROW SERVICES

April 30, 2026

1.0 Description

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development (RD), is issuing this Sources Sought Notice (SSN) to improve RD’s understanding of market capabilities and identify qualified vendors capable of providing nationwide escrow service. Responses to this SSN will help identify the market conditions for this type of requirement.

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quote (RFQ). This request for capability information does not constitute an RFP or RFQ and does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service, whatsoever.

Further, the USDA, RD is not at this time seeking proposals or quotes and will not accept unsolicited proposals or quotations. Submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary. However, responses received will assist the Government if solicitation is issued in the future. The government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred associated with this request for capability information. Not responding to this source sought does not preclude participation in any future RFP or RFQ, if any is issued.

Potential offerors are responsible for monitoring government websites such as GSA or SAM for any potential opportunities. Responses do not guarantee an award nor exclude/include your company in any potential acquisition process. No feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.

This SSN is being used as a Market Research tool for informational purposes and for preliminary planning purposes to identify potential sources that can provide comprehensive escrow services to RD’s Direct Single-Family Housing (Section 502 Direct) loan portfolio. As of January 2026, RD services approximately 132,000 Direct Single-Family Housing loans representing approximately 105,600 borrowers, with approximately 96% of the portfolio escrowed for real estate taxes and insurance. The portfolio is geographically dispersed across all 50 states and U.S.

territories.

2.0 Purpose

The objective of the USDA, RD regarding this SSN is to obtain information from industry’s capability statements and SSN responses to questions. All interested and qualified businesses (i.e., Small Business, Other than Small) are encouraged to respond to this notice in accordance with the instructions addressed herein.

Please see the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS) with specific tasks and period of performance.

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3.0 Submission:

Submission Instructions: Interested parties are encouraged to respond to this SSN. All communications shall be in writing and submitted electronically via email to Sora Jung, Contract Specialist, at Sora.Jung@usda.gov and Lawanda Henry, Contracting Officer, at Lawanda.Henry@usda.gov. No information will be taken by phone. Written responses should be delivered in MS Word (doc) and/or Portable Document Format (PDF) and are due no later than 12:00 PM ET May 7, 2026. Your entire submission should be limited to 15 pages (8x11), single spaced, 12-point font minimum and should be separated by Sections. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED with (PR) nomenclature at the start of each paragraph. Please be advised that all submissions become Government Property and will not be returned. Do not submit a cost proposal.

Exhibit A: Please provide the following information in your submission:

1. Name of Company/Organization:

2. Company/Organization Address:

3. Company/Organization Website URL:

4. Point of Contact (POC) Name:

5. POC Email Address:

6. POC Phone Number:

7. System for Award Management (SAM) Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) (An offeror must have a UEI and be registered in SAM by the time of award.):

8. Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE):

9. GSA Multiple Award Schedule Contract Number and Expiration Date, if applicable:

10. Indicate the size classification of your Company/Organization:

a. Small Business (SB)

b. Other Than Small Business

11. Indicate the socio-economic status of your Company/Organization:

a. SBA-Certified Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB)

b. Woman-Owned Business

c. Economically Disadvantaged WOSB (EDWOSB)

d. Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB)

e. Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) mailto:Sora.Jung@usda.gov mailto:Lawanda.Henry@usda.gov

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f. SBA-Certified HUBZone (HUBZ) Firm

g. SBA-Certified 8(a)

h. Alaska Native Corporations (ANC) Tribal, American Indian, Native Hawaiian

(NHO)

i. None

j. Other

12. Describe your experience providing nationwide escrow sub-servicing services, including the number of loans currently serviced, the number of state/territory jurisdictions covered, and the types of loan programs supported (Federal, commercial, or both).

13. Describe your technology platform used for escrow administration, including tax payment processing, insurance tracking, loss claims management, and escrow analysis. Is your system cloud-based? Does it hold FedRAMP authorization or equivalent Federal security certification?

14. Describe your capability to interface with Government loan origination and servicing systems. What data formats and transmission methods do you support (CSV, XML, JSON, API, secure file transfer)?

15. Describe your capability to onboard approximately 132,000 existing loans and process approximately 4,000 new originations annually. What is your typical onboarding timeline for a portfolio of this size?

16. Describe your experience performing transition-in and transition-out of escrow servicing portfolios, including any experience with Federal Government transitions. What risks do you typically encounter and how do you mitigate them?

17. Describe your call center capabilities, including hours of operation, staffing model, average speed to answer, abandonment rate, and quality monitoring systems.

18. Describe your approach to lender-placed insurance, including carrier relationships, policy issuance timelines, and compliance with 12 CFR 1024.37 notification requirements.

19. Describe your insurance loss claims processing capability, including claims tracking systems, loss draft disbursement processes, and claims negotiation approach.

20. Describe your approach to delinquent tax identification, resolution, and liability management across thousands of taxing authorities nationwide.

21. Describe your flood determination and life-of-loan monitoring capabilities, including

FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) tracking.

22. Are the performance standards identified in the attached draft PWS achievable and consistent with industry norms? Identify any standards that may require modification.

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23. Are the timeframes specified in the PWS for tax payments (21 days prior to due date), insurance payments (14 days prior), and escrow account setup (3 calendar days) achievable?

24. Are there any requirements in the draft PWS that are unclear, conflicting, overly prescriptive, or that may unnecessarily restrict competition?

25. Are there services or requirements not currently included in the draft PWS that should be considered for inclusion based on industry best practices?

26. Describe your preferred pricing model for escrow sub-servicing services of this scope

(e.g., per-loan/per-month, per-transaction, tiered, hybrid). What pricing model provides the best value and transparency for a Government contract?

27. Provide estimated pricing for the following services based on a portfolio of approximately 132,000 existing loans and 4,000 new originations annually: (a) escrow administration and tax services, (b) insurance tracking and administration, (c) lender-placed insurance, (d) loss claims processing, (e) call center operations, and (f) initial portfolio onboarding/setup.

28. What annual price escalation rate is standard in the industry for escrow sub-servicing contracts with a base year plus four one-year option periods?

29. Are there cost efficiencies that result from bundling all escrow services (tax, insurance, loss claims, call center) under a single contractor versus procuring services separately?

30. What other information, if any, would be necessary to prepare a proposal for this requirement?

Your capability statement should provide responses to the questions listed in Exhibit A of this document and any additional information to substantiate your demonstrated capability in the draft PWS. Fax submissions will not be accepted. Responses received after this date and time may not be considered in the Government's market research. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information submitted.

Respondents will not individually be notified of the results of the Government assessments and should not anticipate feedback regarding its submission.

4.0 Summary

The information provided in the sources sought is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The USDA, RD, has not made a commitment to procure any of the services discussed, and release of this SSN should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought.