The City of Colorado Springs Community Development Division requests proposals from qualified firms to assist City staff in the creation and successful submittal of a Five-Year Consolidated Plan and Action Plan in conformance to up-to-date standards and requirements by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

1. Background

The City of Colorado Spring's Program Year for HUD Community Planning and Development (CPD) programs starts on April 1. The 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan must be submitted with all required attachments no later than February 14, 2020.

The Community Development Division manages the City of Colorado Springs's entitlement funds for the following programs:

• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
• HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME)
• Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)

The chosen firm will follow all current HUD requirements while drafting the Plan components and submitting the plan into HUD's Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS).

The contract period is one year, but may be extended should unforeseeable circumstances arise. Consultant must be available to respond to technical issues keeping the City from receiving "Plan Accepted" status from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

2. Specifications

Under the direction of City's Community Development Division staff, the Consultant is expected to prepare the FY 2020–2024 Consolidated Plan (Con Plan) in accordance with all applicable federal and local policies, standards, and regulations. The work must be completed within the time frame identified in this RFP. The consolidated planning process is subject to stringent federal regulations with mandatory deadlines which are inflexible. The Con Plan must incorporate the following elements:

1. Comprehensive Needs Assessment: The Consultant will review, compile, organize, and tabulate data and other information available through the City, HUD, the U.S. Census Bureau, and other public and private organizations, as well as input gathered from the public participation process to complete the HUD-required Con Plan components and integrate additional information into the HUD Con Plan template.
2. Housing Market Analysis
3. Five-Year Strategic Plan identifying:
   1. The priority needs of the City, based on the housing and non-housing analysis, as well as the availability of resources;
   2. The goals and objectives of the 5-year plan, as well as the indicators the City will use to measure its progress;
   3. A description of the strategies the City will pursue to address the priority needs and fulfill its goals and objectives; and
   4. A homeless strategy to guide use of ESG funds and other resources;
   5. A listing of the federal, state, local, and private resources (beyond the entitlement grants) reasonably expected to be available to the City to address priority needs identified in the Strategic Plan;
4. Annual Action Plan (AAP) for Program Year 2020 which lists the specific actions, activities, and programs the City will undertake during PY 2020 (April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021) to address the priority needs and goals identified by the Con Plan.
5. Updated Citizen Participation Plan (CPP): The Con Plan must follow a chronological process to effectively allow for broad participation during its development, as well as to include any updates to the City's Citizen Participation Plan to further define the process that will be utilized during the 5-year implementation period. City staff will be responsible for carrying out much of the outreach, publishing notices, translating documents, and updating the CPP. The Consultant will work with the City to develop an aggressive outreach, media, and community engagement strategy that seeks to involve as broad a spectrum of the City's communities and stakeholders as possible, which may entail use of languages other than English. In accordance with HUD standards, the City must strive to encourage participation from the following populations:
   1. Very low-, low-, and moderate-income persons (LMI) as defined by HUD: Individuals and families with incomes below 30%, 50%, and 80% of the median income, respectively, for the Colorado Springs, as well as those presumed by HUD to be principally LMI (i.e., abused children, battered spouses, elderly persons, severely disabled adults, homeless persons, illiterate adults, persons living with AIDS and migrant farm workers);
   2. Residents of areas where CDBG funds may be proposed to be used;
   3. Minorities, non-English-speaking persons, and persons with disabilities; and
   4. Local and regional institutions, including the Continuum of Care, the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, philanthropic organizations, and community-based and faith-based organizations.
6. Other:
   1. The Con Plan must describe the actions the City will take to foster and maintain affordable housing; evaluate and reduce lead-based paint hazards; reduce the number of poverty-level families; develop institutional structure; and enhance coordination with others to further advance the goals and objectives of the Con Plan;
   2. The Con Plan must identify obstacles to meeting underserved needs and propose actions to overcome those obstacles; and
   3. The Con Plan must meet specific requirements that apply to each of the three entitlement programs.
   4. Public hearings will include, but may not be limited to, meetings of the City Council, City Council Committees, Boards and Commissions.
7. Identification and description of geographically targeted areas, including Opportunity Zones, and the rationale for their selection (optional): The City may include this section if specific geographic areas are targeted as priorities for funding allocations.

3. Proposal Requirements

1. Introductory letter that includes the primary contact for the project
2. Statements of qualification and experience for the firm and all individuals involved in the project:
   1. Description of similar Con Plans or CPD materials that were successfully completed and approved by HUD
   2. Names and contact information of previous clients
   3. Name and resume of the project manager
   4. Names and experience of others not listed, but who may work on the project
3. Detailed description of the entire project including individual tasks/activities
4. Schedule and detailed timeline
5. Budget with cost breakdown by individual task/activity

4. General Information

1. All work will be performed on a fixed-rate, cost-incurred basis. Final retainage (payment) is subject to a satisfactory final product, as determined by the City.
2. Although cost is a factor, the City reserves the right to select the consultant that best suits its needs.
3. The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, and/or waive any irregularities therein.
4. The consultant is responsible for providing all tools, equipment, and labor necessary to complete the Statement of Work elements. The City will provide any relevant public information such as plans, maps, and geospatial datasets necessary for the project delivery. The City will assist in making public meeting space available for stakeholder meetings when necessary.
5. The Con Plan must be submitted to HUD using the Consolidated Plan template required by HUD. HUD's Consolidated Plan template follows a uniform, web-based format which automates the baseline content of the Con Plan. The template does allow for entitlement grantees to integrate information into the Con Plan beyond that which is generally determined by the IDIS automated process. IDIS imposes character count limits and file format restrictions. The Consultant must be aware of these limits and restrictions and be fully prepared to deliver a complete Con Plan within these parameters.