Housing Counseling Training, Testing and Certification

The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Housing Counseling is conducting market research for a contractor to provide housing counselor training, testing, and certification services to ensure all housing counselors meet HUD regulations for serving the public. The procurement will require the contractor to administer and maintain two nationwide standardized exams: the Housing Counselor Exam and the HECM Counselor Exam, along with developing and maintaining an online examination platform with cloud-based infrastructure meeting FedRAMP security requirements. Key contract requirements include creating a comprehensive project management plan, providing technical support, conducting quarterly reviews and analyses of exam materials, and offering both online and in-person testing across the United States with ADA accommodations. The government will evaluate potential contractors based on their technical and management capabilities, ability to manage project schedules, cost containment measures, performance tracking systems, and risk mitigation strategies. Organizations interested in responding to this market research initiative must submit detailed capability statements by September 25, 2025, at 12:00 PM ET.

This procurement does not specify any set-aside designation, with HUD indicating they will assess whether to proceed with full and open competition or potentially set aside the contract for small businesses based on market research results. No incumbent contractors or current service providers are identified in the documentation. While specific contract values are not disclosed, the government anticipates processing approximately 3,000 Housing Counselor Exams and 230 HECM Counselor Exams annually, with the contractor responsible for collecting examination fees. The contract structure includes a base performance period of 12 months followed by four additional 12-month option periods, potentially extending the total contract duration to five years. Performance standards require zero deviation from specified requirements, with potential financial disincentives of 1% of monthly contract value for non-compliance with established performance metrics.