Strategic Plan Update Consulting Services

The City of Lake Forest, California is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP #2026-RFP-004) for Gap Housing Program services, a preventative and transitional housing initiative administered through the Orange County jurisdiction. The City seeks a qualified firm to provide short-term temporary housing accommodations lasting one to fourteen days for individuals and families with confirmed permanent housing placements prior to official move-in dates. Core deliverables include developing in-house program eligibility guidelines and intake procedures, identifying and maintaining agreements with a minimum of two temporary housing providers (hotels, motels, or private units with ADA accessibility and kitchenettes where possible), delivering limited case management services in coordination with the City's Community Outreach Specialist, administering third-party payments for temporary accommodations, and submitting weekly and monthly activity reports. The RFP was released on March 9, 2026, with a non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting scheduled for March 16, 2026 at 1:00 pm via Microsoft Teams; questions must be submitted by March 20, 2026 at 5:00 pm; and proposals are due electronically through the City's eProcurement Portal by April 1, 2026 at 6:00 pm. The anticipated contract award date is June 2, 2026, with a project start date of July 1, 2026. The initial contract term runs three years from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029, with options for two additional one-year renewal extensions at the City's sole discretion. Evaluation will employ a three-phase weighted point system: mandatory elements screening (pass/fail), qualitative proposal evaluation with a maximum of 100 points (requiring a minimum average score of 60 points to advance to the interview phase), and oral presentation/interview evaluation (160 points at 80% weight) combined with cost proposal evaluation (40 points at 20% weight), with selection criteria emphasizing key personnel qualifications (20 points), project management and scheduling (15 points), scope of services understanding (40 points), relevant experience (15 points), and proposal quality (10 points).

No specific set-aside designations, preferences, or disadvantaged enterprise restrictions are identified in the RFP documentation. The procurement contains no identified incumbent vendor or current contractor information, indicating this is a new service initiative. Respondents must be independently licensed to practice in California, have no scope conflicts with other City work, and comply with all RFP instructions and requirements. The cost proposal shall include two separate line items: a per-client daily cost for in-house program eligibility and limited case management services, and a per-day housing cost for temporary accommodations including service fees, with pricing structured to include detailed hourly rates for all personnel, anticipated travel costs, and other incidental charges. No specific budget amount or funding source is identified in the RFP documentation, though the City reserves the right to negotiate price, terms, and scope of work with the selected proposer prior to City Council recommendation and contract award. The selected firm will be required to comply with the City's model Professional Consultant Services Agreement, which mandates comprehensive insurance coverage including Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate), Automobile Liability ($1,000,000 combined limit), Workers' Compensation, and Professional Liability ($1,000,000 minimum), with the City named as an additional insured on all policies.