RFP- Telephone Answering Services

The Housing Authority of the City of Alameda (AHA) is soliciting proposals through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process for three separate live telephone answering services to support critical organizational functions. The procurement encompasses 24/7/365 telephone answering services for: (1) employee attendance call-ins with approximately 100 minutes of monthly usage, (2) Housing Choice Voucher Program inquiries with approximately 2,000 minutes of monthly usage, and (3) emergency property management calls from residents in AHA-owned and affiliated properties with approximately 800 minutes of monthly usage. Vendors must provide U.S.-based call center operations staffed with live operators answering all calls with maximum one-minute hold times and no automated phone trees permitted. Bidders are required to furnish translation services in Chinese/Cantonese, Vietnamese, Afghani/Pashto, Arabic, and Farsi/Dari for the Housing Programs and Property Management lines; email and text message capabilities; and daily summary reports documenting call activity. All proposed service providers must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including Commercial General Liability ($2,000,000 per occurrence), Professional Liability/Errors and Omissions ($2,000,000), Automobile Liability ($1,000,000), Workers' Compensation with statutory limits, and Cyber Liability Insurance ($2,000,000), with AHA designated as an additional insured on all policies. The RFP process includes a questions deadline of February 23, 2026, an optional virtual bidder's conference scheduled for February 24, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. PST, and a proposal submission deadline of March 10, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. PST via the Bonfire platform, with contract pricing required for years 2026 through 2030. Evaluation criteria include vendor qualifications, responses to ten specific questions addressing operational capabilities such as setup timelines, call recording practices, personally identifiable information protection, artificial intelligence utilization, and operational procedures, along with submission of at least three references from similar agencies and sample reporting demonstrating call tracking and summary capabilities.

The RFP documents provided do not identify specific set-aside designations or restrictions limiting participation by particular enterprise types such as disadvantaged, minority-owned, women-owned, or veteran-owned businesses, indicating that the procurement is open to all qualified vendors meeting the technical and insurance requirements. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the available documentation. The contract will be structured as a standard professional services agreement with a maximum initial term through December 2030, with provisions allowing extension up to a maximum of 60 months total, and AHA reserves the right to modify insurance or other requirements based on the specific nature of operational risks. Compensation will be structured according to a fee schedule submitted by bidders, with pricing components including base monthly rates, minutes included in each service tier, per-minute overage charges, and one-time setup fees for each of the three service lines. The specific award value or total contract budget range is not disclosed in the RFP materials; however, the scope of services—encompassing three separate service lines operating continuously across five years with variable usage levels—suggests a substantial multi-year procurement requiring competitive pricing submissions for evaluation.