DD - Regional Capital Assistance Team (RCAT) Program

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), is procuring continued technical assistance services for the Regional Capital Assistance Team (RCAT) Program, a proprietary service delivery model currently operated through three regional teams hosted at the Chelmsford Housing Authority, Worcester Housing Authority, and Taunton Housing Authority. The procurement targets Worcester County and seeks vendors capable of providing comprehensive capital planning and project management services to Massachusetts Local Housing Authorities, including annual portfolio needs assessments, Capital Improvement Plan creation and management, project management for capital projects with estimated construction costs between $25,000 and $150,000, maintenance plan guidance, procurement program assistance, NOFA application support, technical assistance on procurement and systemic maintenance issues, and sustainability and decarbonization initiative coordination. The contract term is five years, commencing June 30, 2026 through July 1, 2031, with an estimated annual budget of $1,150,000 per RCAT team and a projected five-year total expenditure of $17,250,000 funded from capital bond funds. The response deadline is 4:00 PM Eastern Time on Friday, March 20, 2026, with an anticipated contract award date of June 26, 2026. All submissions must be made online through the COMMBUYS platform, and interested vendors must register in COMMBUYS and agree to standard Commonwealth terms and conditions, including W-9 forms and electronic funds transfer authorization upon award.

This procurement is restricted to entities capable of providing the same proprietary product or service as the current specialized operations, with EOHLC reserving the right to withdraw the notice, accept the incumbent's offer, accept an offer from another vendor providing comparable or better value, or accept multiple offers of similar value. Qualified respondents must be either housing authorities or equivalent entities with demonstrated capability to replicate the incumbent service providers' established specialized operations, dedicated staff, and customized processes. All bidders, without exception, must complete and submit the mandatory Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) Plan Form as an Excel attachment, committing to spending a minimum of one percent of contract sales with certified diverse businesses including MBEs, WBEs, M/WBEs, SDVOBEs, and VBEs, measured annually on a Massachusetts fiscal year basis (July 1 through June 30) throughout the contract term. The incumbent contractors are the Chelmsford Housing Authority, Worcester Housing Authority, and Taunton Housing Authority, which currently operate the three regional RCAT teams and possess the specialized infrastructure and customized processes established to serve Massachusetts Local Housing Authorities. Contractors must comply with all Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, including affirmative action and non-discrimination requirements, maintain records for a minimum of six years following final payment, protect all personal and departmental data, and submit invoices with supporting documentation for payment processing through the Commonwealth's Comptroller payment system within a 45-day payment cycle.