Assessment of Title Complexity Associated with Informally Owned Real Property

The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service is seeking a contractor to conduct research assessing informal property ownership in four hurricane-affected communities: Asheville, NC; Tampa, FL; Greenville, SC; and Atlanta, GA. The research will examine how property owners with informal homeownership, also known as heirs' property, are constrained in accessing HUD Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) funding following natural disasters. Key contract requirements include identifying properties with informal title documentation, categorizing the various levels of informality, determining the types and costs of legal services needed to formalize property titles, and identifying properties likely eligible for CDBG-DR funding. The contractor must employ a project administrator with a law degree and at least five years of experience as a real property attorney specializing in heirs' property title clearance. Evaluation criteria include the technical approach, qualifications of key personnel, understanding of the statement of work, reliance on subcontractors, and price. The deadline for submitting questions is January 20, 2026, and quotations must be received by February 4, 2026, with a 90-day price hold period required.

This solicitation uses no set-asides and is for a new contract with no incumbent contractor. The government has not disclosed its budget estimate or maximum contract value. The contract will be awarded as a firm-fixed price agreement with a two-year base period and one optional one-year extension, for a total possible performance period of three years, with a project start date of March 1, 2026. Key deliverables include the creation of an informal property database, geospatial heat maps compatible with ArcGIS Pro, twelve legal memoranda documenting title complexity analysis from standard real estate title searches, and an academic research paper not exceeding 100 pages. The place of performance is Athens, GA, and the contractor is responsible for sourcing all data independently, as the Forest Service will provide no starting datasets. Regular meetings are anticipated at no more than one per week but not exceeding four hours per month.