Multi-Family Affordable Housing Gap Financing

Orange County, Florida is issuing Request for Proposals #Y26-179-AH for Multi-Family Affordable Housing Gap Financing services to support the development of new multifamily affordable housing units throughout Orange County and the City of Orlando. This procurement seeks proposals from developers to construct new affordable housing projects utilizing various financing mechanisms, with sealed electronic submissions required via the OpenGov e-Procurement Platform by 4:00 PM EST on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. A non-mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 11:00 AM via Microsoft Teams, with written questions due through the OpenGov question and answer module by 5:00 PM on Thursday, May 14, 2026. Successful proposals must develop a minimum of 75 units with affordability restrictions lasting a minimum of 25 years, targeted to extremely low-income (35% AMI), very low-income (50% AMI), and low-income (60% AMI) households, with average tenant income not exceeding 60% AMI. Projects must incorporate federal accessibility standards, green building features, and required amenities, and applicants must produce a firm financial commitment from a lender within 120 days of Board approval and execute an agreement within the same timeframe. Evaluation criteria include organizational capacity, development experience, financial qualifications, project feasibility, and compliance with Orange County codes and certification requirements as outlined in the Certified Affordable Housing Application Form (Exhibit B).

The RFP is structured with two separate lots: Lot A supports projects utilizing federal, state, and/or Florida Housing Finance Corporation tax-exempt multifamily bonds and 4% tax credits with a maximum of $7 million per project (minimum two awards anticipated), and Lot B supports projects utilizing federal and state funding including SAIL funding with a maximum of $3 million per project (minimum one award anticipated); projects pursuing 9% tax credits are ineligible. Orange County has budgeted thirty-five million dollars ($35,000,000) from its Affordable Housing Trust Fund Program for eligible new construction activities, with all program funds secured by mortgages requiring interest-only payments during construction and principal-and-interest amortization over a minimum of 25 years after construction completion. Successful applicants will be subject to application, underwriting, and loan commitment fees. Public proposal openings will be conducted at the next posted Procurement Public Meeting following the submission deadline, held on Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 AM. The procurement contact is Alina Hernandez, Contracting Agent, at Alina.Hernandez@ocfl.net.