Purchase of Publicly-Assisted Affordable Housing

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD) has posted a Request for Responses (RFR) for the prequalification of Designees pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 40T for the purchase of "publicly-assisted affordable housing" properties. The purpose of this opportunity is to create an interim pool of entities qualified to act as Designees when DHCD desires to make an offer or respond to a right of refusal for the purchase of such properties, as authorized under the legislation. The RFR outlines the Prequalification Criteria and Site-specific Selection Criteria that respondents must meet in order to be prequalified and subsequently selected to act as Designees. The RFR does not specify pricing terms, set asides, or funding requirements, but indicates that DHCD may consult with various state agencies and organizations to determine a respondent's good standing and satisfactory history of fair housing compliance and diverse supplier contracting. Current Prequalified Designees must submit a supplemental response within 180 days to remain eligible, while new entities must submit a complete response to the Amended RFR.

The contract opportunity is limited to the jurisdiction of Suffolk County, Massachusetts. While the original bid remains open and posted, the amended RFR with updated prequalification and selection criteria is the current opportunity that entities must respond to in order to be considered as prequalified designees. The RFR does not specify any set-aside designations or restrictions on the types of organizations that can respond, nor does it mention any incumbent vendors or current contractors. The RFR also does not provide any information on possible award values or budget ranges.