Bostock Decision Impact Research

The City of Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations (CHR) is seeking a research consultant to conduct an exploratory Fair Housing research project focused on the impacts of the Bostock v. Clayton County Supreme Court decision. The primary objective is to evaluate the experiences of LGBTQIA+ Pittsburghers regarding housing discrimination, with specific goals of understanding the degree of discrimination, awareness of legal protections, and willingness to file discrimination complaints. The research is part of RFP #2021-RFP-034, which requires a comprehensive evaluation approach with point-based scoring across four key areas: firm qualifications (25 points), team qualifications (15 points), project approach and plan (25 points), and cost proposal (35 points). The RFP was released on November 17, 2021, with a question submission deadline of December 8, 2021, and a proposal submission deadline of December 31, 2021 at 3:00 pm. The City plans to review proposals and score suppliers in December 2021, with a contract award expected in the same month. Proposals must be submitted electronically through the City's e-Procurement Portal, and respondents may be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement during the contracting process.

The solicitation includes specific requirements for Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (MBE), Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WBE), and Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, with participation goals of 18% for minority groups, 7% for women, and 5% for veteran-owned businesses. Proposers are expected to demonstrate good faith efforts to include these designated business types in their teams or subcontracting arrangements. While the specific budget range is not explicitly stated in the provided documentation, the comprehensive scoring system suggests that both technical capabilities and cost-effectiveness will be critical factors in vendor selection. The research is geographically focused on Pittsburgh within Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and aims to provide insights into housing discrimination experiences for LGBTQIA+ individuals in the context of the Bostock Supreme Court decision. All proposals will be evaluated holistically, considering the proposer's qualifications, approach to the research, and ability to meet the project's objectives of understanding and addressing potential housing discrimination.