1. RFP 541209 - Section 108 Loan Program Underwriter - CDBG Funded

The City of Detroit Office of Contracting and Procurement, on behalf of the Housing and Revitalization Department, seeks qualified underwriting firms to provide financial underwriting services for the Section 108 Loan Program through RFP 541209, a CDBG-funded procurement. The selected firm will evaluate loan applications submitted to the program using predetermined underwriting standards aligned with HUD's Section 108 Loan Underwriting Guidelines for Income Producing Properties over a one-year contract term with two optional one-year renewal periods. The underwriter must assess borrower creditworthiness, financial feasibility, market conditions, development costs, debt service coverage ratios, and collateral sufficiency for four loan products: Short Term Acquisition loans, Acquisition Mini-Perm Loans, Senior Construction-to-Permanent Loans, and Equity Bridge Loans, supporting the City's $75 million Section 108 Loan Pool dedicated to affordable housing production and mixed-income community development. Deliverables include comprehensive credit memos documenting compliance with CDBG regulations, risk assessments, and loan recommendations for the Recipient's loan review committee. Respondents must demonstrate a minimum of five years of experience providing similar underwriting services for projects of comparable scope and size. Evaluation will be based on five criteria: relevant experience (20 points), capacity and staffing (20 points), strength of proposal and work plan (20 points), past performance (20 points), and cost proposal (20 points). The virtual pre-proposal conference is scheduled for February 18, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern; questions must be submitted by February 13, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern through the Supplier Portal with answers distributed by February 19, 2026; proposals are due March 5, 2026, by 3:00 p.m. Eastern through the Bonfire Supplier Portal; and a virtual required public recording is scheduled for March 6, 2026, at 9:15 a.m. Eastern.

The City of Detroit offers equalization credits to certified Detroit-based businesses, with available classifications including Detroit-Based, Detroit Resident Business, Detroit Headquartered, Detroit-Based Small Business, Detroit-Based Micro Business, and other joint venture designations, with credits ranging from one to five percent depending on certification type; the lowest equalized bidder receives award provided the equalized bid does not exceed 12 percent above the lowest responsible bid or $100,000, whichever is less. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the procurement documents. Respondents must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including workers' compensation at Michigan statutory minimums, commercial general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence with $2,000,000 aggregate, and errors and omissions cyber liability insurance of $1,000,000 per claim with $5,000,000 aggregate; they must also obtain Treasury Clearance from the City of Detroit, register with the System for Award Management (SAM.gov), and submit notarized consolidated affidavits disclosing financial interests, political contributions, and compliance with equal opportunity and procurement requirements. The contract is funded through Community Development Block Grant resources and subject to federal procurement standards under 2 CFR Part 200, with all proposals submitted through the Bonfire/EUNA Procurement Supplier Portal; faxed or mailed proposals will not be accepted. The City anticipates awarding one contract, though specific budget ranges or award values are not disclosed in the procurement documents. The contractor must demonstrate data security capabilities through ISO 27001 certification or SOC 2 Type 2 Reports and comply with extensive federal cross-cutting regulations addressing Section 3 economic opportunities, fair housing, Davis-Bacon wage requirements for construction work, environmental compliance, and historic preservation requirements.