Assessment of Title Complexity Associated with Informally Owned Real Property

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS announcement to be used for preliminary market research purposes only. No proposals are being requested or accepted with this synopsis. This is not a Solicitation, and no contract shall be awarded from this synopsis. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this synopsis or any follow-up information requests.

The purpose of this synopsis is to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities and qualifications of various members of Small Business, 8(a), HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), and Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) at a fair market price. A DRAFT Statement of Work (SOW) is attached that describes required services and minimum qualifications. A Request for Quote (RFQ) solicitation and firm fixed priced contract is contemplated depending upon the responses to this synopsis.

This synopsis summarizes the requirements for the contractor to provide analysis of informal property ownership in four cities impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in Fall 2024--Asheville, NC; Tampa, FL; Greenville, SC, and Atlanta, GA. The contractor will be required to quantify the number of informally held real properties, identify any geospatial concentrations of such properties in these cities, and assess whether concentrations can be distinguished by the type of informality associated with these properties, that is, the “title health.” The contractor will also need to examine property titles for three properties in each city to demonstrate how quickly sufficient title work can be completed to develop a legal opinion and promulgate the documentation needed for participating in any disaster recovery program. Specifically, the contractor will perform the following task areas as further outlined in the SOW:

1. Informal property Identification and Mapping
2. Title Complexity Stratification
3. Visual Analysis and Mapping
4. Title Work Demonstration
5. Research Contribution

All responses shall be submitted electronically to the Contracting Officer, Keith D. Friot at keith.d.friot@usda.gov Responses are due no later than 4:30 PM Eastern on November 17th, 2025. At minimum responses must include a capabilities statement tailored to this requirement, and the vendor’s SAM UEI.   

If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Governmentwide Point of Entry.  It is the responsibility of potential offerors to monitor the Governmentwide Point of Entry for additional information pertaining to this requirement.  The anticipated NAICS code is:  541191 - Title Abstract and Settlement Offices, $19.5M size standard.

In response to this Sources Sought, please provide:

1.  Name of the firm, point of contact, phone number, email address, DUNS number, CAGE code, a statement regarding small business status (including small business type(s)/certifications(s) such as SDB, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.) and the corresponding NAICS code.

2.  Identify whether your firm is interested in competing for this requirement as a prime contractor or not.  Identify subcontracting, joint ventures or teaming arrangement that will be pursued, if any.

3.  Information in sufficient detail regarding previous experience (indicate whether as a prime contractor or subcontractor) on similar requirements (include size, scope, complexity, timeframe, government or commercial), pertinent experience, certifications, etc., that will facilitate making a capability determination.

4.  Information to help determine if the requirement is commercially available, including pricing information, basis for the pricing information (e.g., market pricing, catalog pricing), delivery schedules, customary terms and conditions, warranties, etc.

5.  Identify how these contract requirements can be structured to facilitate competition by and among small business concerns.

6.  Recommendations to improve the approach/specifications/DRAFT SOW to acquire the identified services.