Year-Round Emergency Shelters

The City of Detroit Office of Contracting and Procurement, on behalf of the Housing and Revitalization Department, is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP 545870) to procure year-round emergency shelter services for Detroit residents experiencing homelessness. The procurement seeks qualified nonprofit organizations to provide overnight shelter, basic needs support, and housing-focused case management to single adults, families, youth ages 18-24, and veterans across approximately 943 emergency shelter beds currently operated by ten nonprofit organizations. Applicants must demonstrate a minimum of one year of experience operating overnight emergency shelters and must meet mandatory facility requirements including separate areas for men, women, and families; ADA accessibility; on-site showers, bathrooms, laundry, and kitchen facilities; and full compliance with City zoning, building, health, and safety codes. The evaluation criteria consist of three components: organizational and financial capacity (30 points), proposal approach and solution (50 points), and budget and pricing (20 points), with technical proposals reviewed prior to cost proposals. Key deliverables include submission of a respondent questionnaire addressing organizational experience and financial capacity, a detailed proposal introduction and solution approach addressing eleven narrative questions covering facility operations, service delivery, staffing, and performance benchmarks, and a comprehensive budget proposal with personnel, direct expenses, startup costs, and administrative expenses subject to a 10 percent administrative cost ceiling. A pre-proposal conference is scheduled for April 27, 2026 at 1:00 PM EST via Microsoft Teams; written questions must be submitted by May 6, 2026 at 4:00 PM EST with answers distributed by May 8, 2026; and proposals are due May 15, 2026 at 4:00 PM EST through the EUNA Bonfire Supplier Portal.

The City of Detroit has established equalization credits providing competitive advantages to Detroit-headquartered businesses, Detroit-based businesses, Detroit resident businesses, and small and micro business concerns, with certified Detroit Headquartered Business and Detroit Resident Business designations receiving maximum five percent equalization credits. This is a reimbursement contract requiring applicants to demonstrate adequate cash reserves available to cover three months of working capital to sustain operations without reliance on City reimbursements, and successful respondents must satisfy extensive conditions of award including submission of notarized affidavits addressing hiring policy compliance, slavery era and prison industry records disclosure, equal opportunity covenants, and political contributions; proof of City of Detroit Treasury Clearance approval; evidence of System of Awards Management (SAM) registration if federally funded; three years of financial statements; and certificates of insurance with specific coverage requirements. Individual award amounts are not expected to exceed $500,000 per program for a 12-month period, with the City anticipating one or multiple awards with contract terms of one year plus an optional one-year renewal contingent on Detroit City Council approval; actual award amounts will be determined by program size, application score, and system need. Successful contractors must commit to full participation in the CAM system and Detroit CoC HMIS database, maintain compliance with the City of Detroit Homelessness Solutions Policy and Procedure Manual and Continuum of Care program standards, and ensure adherence to all federal, state, and local nondiscrimination, equal employment opportunity, lead-based paint prevention, and drug-free workplace laws and requirements.