Architecture/Engineering Services for Redevelopment of Diggs Homes

The Detroit Housing Commission's Real Estate Development Department is soliciting proposals from qualified architecture and engineering teams for Phase 1 design services on the redevelopment of Forest Park Apartments and Diggs Homes, with a pre-proposal meeting on November 13, 2026 and proposals due December 4, 2026. DHC or a DHC development affiliate will act as lead developer on Phase 1 and seeks an A/E team that operates as an integrated extension of the project team from feasibility through construction closeout.

Diggs Homes is a 104-unit Section 9 low-income public housing property at 1331 East Canfield in Detroit, comprising twenty-eight two-story townhome buildings in seven courts, built in 1974, with approximately 228,598 square feet and 75 percent occupancy. The Phase 1 objective is to rehabilitate existing units, improve façades and site conditions, and evaluate potential for additional affordable or mixed-income units. Services are organized as Phase I (predevelopment, feasibility, conceptual design, preliminary engineering, and financing support) and Phase II (full design through construction closeout). Initial authorization covers predevelopment through concept design, with later phases authorized by separate notices to proceed. The contract is structured as not-to-exceed by phase and discipline. Respondents must hold Michigan licensure, maintain required insurance, and comply with HUD, MSHDA, City of Detroit, and financing-source requirements, which may include RAD, LIHTC equity (state and federal), tax-exempt or conventional debt, Project-Based Vouchers, City or State funding, and DHC funds. Optional services, including geotechnical investigation, traffic impact analysis, historic review, commissioning, and additional resident meetings, must be priced separately.

The fee proposal is a separate document structured by phase and task, with lump-sum or not-to-exceed fees by discipline, estimated hours and billing rates for key personnel, identified inclusions and exclusions, and reimbursable expenses with markups. Respondents must identify all exceptions to scope, contract, or procurement requirements, and silence is treated as acceptance subject to negotiation.

Evaluation totals 100 points: fee and value (30), project understanding and technical approach (20), work plan schedule and quality control (20), relevant experience (15), and team qualifications and capacity (15). DHC may conduct interviews, request best and final offers, and negotiate scope, staffing, schedule, and fee with the highest-ranked respondent. Final award is subject to DHC and funding approvals.

The pre-proposal meeting is November 13, 2026 at 1 p.m. EST via Zoom. A guided site visit runs November 18, 2026 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. EST, limited to two representatives per respondent team, with RSVP required by November 16, 2026. Proposals are due December 4, 2026 at 1 p.m. EST through the MITN BidNet Direct portal. The anticipated project schedule targets construction documents by April 23, 2027 and closeout by April 2029.