Lease Addendum Secret Shopper Program

The City of Austin is requesting proposals for a Lease Addendum Secret Shopper Program to test compliance with Rental Housing Development Assistance (RHDA) program requirements under RFP 7200 HAW3000, with proposals due August 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM CT. Questions are due August 24, 2026 at 2:00 PM CT; no pre-offer conference or mandatory site visit is scheduled.

The scope encompasses testing of applicant screening criteria, voucher holder applicant processes, and application denial and appeals procedures. All secret shoppers must be compensated at the City's living wage of $22.05 per hour for training, shopping experiences, and reporting. The contractor must provide all tools, labor, travel, and equipment necessary to perform services. Contractors must obtain criminal background reports with fingerprinting for all personnel, complete wage theft training within 30 days of award, and provide proof of annual cybersecurity training for any authorized persons with access to city data. Insurance requirements include workers' compensation, commercial general liability, and business automobile liability naming the City as additional insured.

The initial contract term is 12 months with one optional 12-month extension at the City's sole discretion. Pricing must be fully loaded on a line-item basis across Planning & Set-Up, Administrative Costs, Contract Labor, and Other Costs; no separate charges are permitted for administrative overhead, per diem, shipping, transportation, travel time, fuel surcharges, mileage, or stop fees. All offers must remain valid for 180 calendar days following the RFP closing date.

Evaluation is weighted on independence and relevant experience (10 points), recruitment and resident engagement (21 points), program approach, training, and shopper support (32 points), reporting and administrative capacity (12 points), and price (5 points). Local business preference (up to 10 points) and small business preference (up to 10 points) are available, for a maximum total of 100 points. The City reserves the right to award a single contract or make multiple awards based on overall low cost or individual line items, categories, or other criteria deemed most advantageous.