The City of Fresno is seeking a qualified Consultant to prepare a consolidated plan covering fiscal years 2011 through 2015. RFP forms will be available starting July 6th, 2009.

Click here to download Consolidated Plan RFP

Qualified respondents should review the attached specifications and submit one (1) unbound original, one (1) copy, and one (1) PDF version of its proposal no later than 4:00 p.m. on July 20, 2009 to:

City Of Fresno
ATTN: Crystal Smith, CDBG Administrator
Budget and Management Studies
2440 Tulare Street Suite 100
Fresno CA 93721

PDF version may be submitted via e-mail: ashley.aouate@fresno.gov

Technical questions regarding the proposal should be addressed to Crystal Smith at the above address or by email to ashley.aouate@fresno.gov prior to July 15, 2009 at 5:00 pm. Answers to questions will be posted below.

About the Consolidated Plan

The Consolidated Plan (Con Plan) is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that combines the planning and application process for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), the Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) Programs, and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Programs. In addition to these programs administered by the City of Fresno, applicants of other HUD funding sources are required to certify that the application for funds is consistent with the City’s Consolidated Plan.

The main objective of the Consolidated Plan is to develop a comprehensive strategy that addresses the City’s housing and community development needs over a five-year period. Development of the Consolidated Plan was a collaborative process with input gathered during the citizen participation process from area residents. Specifically, the citizen participation process targeted populations directly impacted by the funding, such as: low and moderate income persons, senior citizens, and homeless persons. In addition to area residents, input was gathered from faith-based organizations, nonprofits, and government agencies. The Consolidated Plan examines the housing and community development needs gathered during the citizen participation process, the current housing market conditions and the housing needs of specific populations. The Con Plan then establishes the priorities for spending the federal funds the City expects to receive annually from HUD; identifies goals, objectives and benchmarks used for measuring progress.

 Click here to download the 2006-2010 
 Consolidated Plan

7/7/09

Q: What program do I use to open the RFP?
A: The RFP is in the Portable Document File Format (PDF).  Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded free of charge at http://get.adobe.com/reader/

7/17/09

Q: The Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) is a new HUD Program. The City is submitting an application for funds. Has it already received funds from earlier authorizations under this program? If so, is information available about the earlier program? 
A: While this question is not directly related to the RFP, the City has applied and received funding for the NSP program funded through the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. Information can be found at www.fresno.gov/nsp.

Q: What does the City think about the use of American Community Survey (ACS) data for use in the Con Plan? ACS can only provide limited number of variables (not the full cross tabulations available from the CHAS data set). However, some ACS information was included in the Housing Element update.
A: Response: ACS data can be used in the Consolidated Plan, however, as stated in the question, the full range of information required for the Consolidated Plan is not available through ACS. The Consultant will need to utilize data from a broad range of data including ACS, CHAS, and other sources as approved by City staff.

Q: Under City’s listed responsibilities in the RFP, can the City also:

• Provide space for community meetings? Yes
• Provide for translation services (if needed) for public meetings? Yes
• Provide email and regular mail lists of sub-recipients and other agencies that track the Con Plan process? Yes
• File the electronic submissions to HUD? The City is responsible for submitting the document for Council and HUD approval.
• Provide copies of Con Plan drafts for meetings? Yes

Q: The RFP (page 6) refers to the 2007 City-wide Housing Conditions Survey. Are survey results included in the Housing Element or is this a separate document?
A: Yes, survey reports are contained within the Housing Element.

Q: If the latter, is it posted on the web?
A: Yes, it is under Implementation Reports under the Planning and Development Department.

Q: In addition to the three public hearings/meeting listed, how many other public meetings does the City anticipate the Consultant attending/facilitating as part of the project?
A: The Consultant will have numerous meetings with various agencies and advocates to collect information under the Consultation and Coordination Process.

Q: Can you elaborate on what you mean for Task 1.2a ("Consultant must provide an affordability/availability index in user‐friendly format") and what data sources are available for this?
A: The Consultant will need to identify a source of data to prepare an index that confirms to HUD affordable rents and available rentals. A user friendly format will be one that is agreed upon by the City and the Consultant (i.e., MS Excel, MS Word, etc).

Q: On pages 4-5, the RFP asks for an estimate of special needs groups by affordability categories. This information is available (from the 2000 Census), except for the AIDs group. Do you want estimates based on old data, or will you accept anecdotal evidence that can be used to extrapolate actual counts, or do you want actual surveys?
A: Census 2000 data, anecdotal data approved by the City, and discussions with the Lead Local Health Jurisdiction (County of Fresno) can be used to provide the requested information.

Q: Can you elaborate on the school enrollment and State Department of Finance data available to address Task 3.2.f.vi on page 8 ("Identify and describe the concentration of low‐income areas and minorities within the city").
A: The Consultant will need to work with several documents to identify and validate concentrated areas of low income. Information is available through the local school districts, the State Department of Finance, Census data, ACS data.