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Request for Proposals - Fair Housing Testing Copyright 2014 City of Dubuque Action Items # 5. ITEM TITLE: Request for Proposals - Fair Housing Testing SUMMARY: City Manager recommending approval of the release of a Request for Proposals for Fair Housing Testing, as approved during the Fiscal Year 2017 budget process. SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Approve ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Fair Housing Testing RFP-MVM Memo City Manager Memo Staff Memo Staff Memo RFP Supporting Documentation THE CITY OF Dubuque UBE I erica .i Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2007-2012-2013 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Fair Housing Testing Request for Proposals DATE: June 30, 2016 Assistant City Attorney Crenna Brumwell recommends City Council approval of the release of a Request for Proposals for Fair Housing Testing, as approved during the Fiscal Year 2017 budget process. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. Mic ael C. Van Milligen MCVM:jh Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager Crenna Brumwell, Assistant City Attorney THS CITY OF DUB E MEMORANDUM Masterpiece on the Mississippi CRENNA M . BRUMWELL , ESQ. ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY To: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager DATE: June 29, 2016 RE: Fair Housing Testing Request for Proposals The City Council approved funding in the City Attorney's Office budget in FY2017 to procure a fair housing testing consultant. Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director, Erica Haugen, Community Development Specialist, and I served as the committee for the request for proposals due to our familiarity with the requirements under the Voluntary Compliance Agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. Attached is the RFP we recommend distributing for responses. Please note that the RFP includes a few specifics I would like to draw your attention to: • Conduct 20 paired test site visits between August 15, 2016 and October 31, 2016 focused on: O Race O Race with the applicant possessing a Housing Choice Voucher O Rental housing where advertisements indicate "No Section 8" or "No Housing" • Generate testing and results that provide information that supports the enhancement of fair housing enforcement and reliable fair housing. • Provide testing information that shall be effective and reliable enough to aid in enforcement and litigation. O In the event that testing indicates evidence of discrimination, the successful proposer will file complaints with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission; the City may be a joint complainant O The successful proposer must be able to make available the testers for testimony and the tester and their notes must be of the quality that would be acceptable to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission as well as Federal, State and Local Courts. • Provide testing information that shall provide insight into the determination of trends, issues, or instances of housing discrimination. • Evaluate conditions, both public and private, affecting fair housing choice for all protected classes. OFFICE OF THE CITYATTORNEY DUBUQUE, IOWA SUITE 330,HARBOR VIEWPLACE,300 MAIN STREET DUBUQUE, IA 52001-6944 TELEPHONE (563)589-4381 /FAA (563)583-1040/EMAIL cbrumwel@cityofdubuque.org • Supply conclusions and recommendations for action, including recommended actions to overcome identified trends, issues or instances of housing discrimination. • Be prepared to present conclusions and recommendation for actions to the City Council as well as in a community setting. The estimated time frame for the two (2) presentations is December 2016 but may reach into 2017. We would like to get the RFP on a City Council agenda as soon as possible as the statistics available show a larger portion of moves occur within our community in the fall and it makes sense to be performing testing at the same time. Thank you. OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY DUBUQUE, IOWA SUITE 330, HARBOR VIEW PLACE, 300 MAIN STREET DUBUQUE, IA 52001-6944 TELEPHONE (563)589-4381 /FAx (563)583-1040/EMAIL cbrumwel@cityofdubuque.org City of Dubuque, Iowa THE CITY OF DUBOP E Masterpiece on the Mississippi REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS June 28, 2016 FAIR HOUSING TESTING SERVICES & TRENDS IN HOUSING DISCRIMINATION The City of Dubuque, Iowa, will receive proposals for Fair Housing Testing services. Attached is information relating to minimum specifications of services, data to be included in the proposal, evaluation criteria, and selected information relating to the City of Dubuque. Proposals (an original and eight copies) must be received by 4:00 p.m. Friday, July 22, 2016 at the following address: Kevin Firnstahl City Clerk 50 W. 13t" Street Dubuque, IA 52001 It is anticipated that a contract for services will be awarded on or around August 2, 2016. Questions should be directed to Crenna Brumwell 563-589-4381 or cbrumwel@cityofdubuque.org REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR FAIR HOUSING TRAINING I. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS It is the intent of the City of Dubuque, to contract with non-profit or for-profit entities to develop and implement a plan to provide fair housing testing of local housing providers. The City of Dubuque requires these services to understand and work to combat discrimination, in any form, of potential renters or buyers based on the federal, state, and locally designated protected class. The testing area is defined as the entire city limits. Proposer of Testing Services shall: • Design, coordinate and analyze testing • Conduct 20 paired test site visits between August 15, 2016 and October 31 , 2016 focused on: o Race o Race with the applicant possessing a Housing Choice Voucher o Rental housing where advertisements indicate "No Section 8" or "No Housing" • Ensure that the testing sample consists of rentals located within the Dubuque City limits • Generate testing and results that provide information that supports the enhancement of fair housing enforcement and reliable fair housing. • Provide testing information that shall be effective and reliable enough to aid in enforcement and litigation. o In the event that testing indicates evidence of discrimination, the successful proposer will file complaints with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission; the City may be a joint complainant o The successful proposer must be able to make available the testers for testimony and the tester and their notes must be of the quality that would be acceptable to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission as well as Federal, State and Local Courts. • Provide testing information that shall provide insight into the determination of trends, issues, or instances of housing discrimination. • Evaluate conditions, both public and private, affecting fair housing choice for all protected classes. • Supply conclusions and recommendations for action, including recommended actions to overcome identified trends, issues or instances of housing discrimination. • Be prepared to present conclusions and recommendation for actions to the City Council as well as in a community setting. The time line for presentations will be determined based on the outcomes of the testing, complaints filed, availability of successful proposer, and City Council scheduling. The estimated time frame for the two (2) presentations is December 2016 but may reach into 2017. Proposals will be evaluated based on work plan, experience, references, qualification, ability to perform required services, timetable and cost. The successful consultant will be required to provide General Liability, Automobile Liability, and Professional Liability Insurance in accordance with the attached Insurance Schedule. The successful bidder also will be required to submit an acceptable Affirmative Action Statement and Program to the City of Dubuque. The City of Dubuque, Iowa, reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received. For questions regarding the RFP contact Crenna Brumwell at 300 Main Street, Suite 330, Dubuque, IA 52001 , phone 563-589-4381 , or email cbrumwel@cityofdubuque.org. In order to be considered, one original plus eight (8) paper copies, along with one electronic copy, must be received by the City of Dubuque City Clerk on or before Tuesday, July 12, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. The electronic copy shall be submitted in PDF format. Please mark envelope Fair Housing Testing. All responses must be submitted in the form set forth in this RFP, sealed and delivered to: Kevin Firnstahl City Clerk 50 W. 13th Street Dubuque, IA 52001 No verbal, emailed or faxed submittals will be accepted. The City accepts no responsibility for any postal delivery system. All late or incomplete submittals will be rejected. Proposals received after that date will be returned to sender, unopened. The City reserves the right to select the proposal which best suits its needs whether the price is the lowest or not, and also reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive irregularities therein. II. DATA TO BE INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSAL A. Letter of Transmittal Include a letter of transmittal briefly outlining the proposer's understanding of the work and general information regarding the firm and individuals to be involved. B. Profile of the Firm Firms are required to present material that demonstrates their experience and expertise in the services requested. C. Qualifications Provide abbreviated resumes (1 to 2 pages each) of key personnel who will be providing the services describing their education, specialized and technical competence, and experience in relation to the type of work required. D. Scope of Services and Proposed Prosect Schedule Include a detailed scope of services and proposed project schedule addressing the requirements set forth in Section I. Specific Requirements, above. Although the City attempted to identify the work and services required, this should not constrain the scope the contractor believes to be necessary to meet the City's objectives. Include any ideas to improve the services and recommend any scope of work not identified in this RFP considered essential. E. Fees and Compensation Provide a proposed compensation structure for the completion of the proposed scope of services, with cost breakdowns for each component. Please include options for cost savings. Quotation of fees and compensation shall remain firm for a period of ninety (90) days from the proposal submission deadline. Separate the Fees and Compensation proposal from the remainder of the RFP submittal (separate enclosure/envelope). A contract will be negotiates after the selection process has been completed. III. EVALUATION CRITERIA All proposals will be evaluated based on the following areas. Each proposal will be reviewed to determine if the proposal is responsive to the submission requirements outlined in this solicitation. A responsive proposal is one which follows the requirements of this solicitation, includes all documentation, is submitted in the format outlined in this solicitation and is of a timely submission. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the proposal being deemed non-responsive. The total cost of services will be identified in the cover letter with further itemization of all costs in the response materials. The technical evaluation will be based on the following criteria: • Work Plan/Approach and project schedule (20 points) • Firm's history, prior experience (15 points) • References (10 points) • Qualifications of the project team (10 points) • Ability to perform required services (20 points) • Total project cost (25 points) As additional information becomes available, the City reserves the right to modify selection criteria at any time during the selection process. All proposers will be notified of the change in criteria and allowed to respond. IV. ENTITY PROFILE COMMUNITY BACKGROUND The City of Dubuque is located on the Mississippi River in northeastern Iowa, adjacent to Illinois and Wisconsin. As Iowa's oldest city, Dubuque is a community well known for its historic and architectural beauty. The City is approximately 30 square miles in area, with a population approaching 60,000 persons. The City's annual operating and capital budget is over $185 million and funds a full range of municipal services. The City of Dubuque is governed by an elected Mayor and City Council and managed by a City Manager. City government works in collaboration with private and non-profit sectors to promote the principles of sustainability. Dubuque's framework for sustainability is centered on economic prosperity, environmental integrity, and social/cultural vibrancy. The City's web site is www.citvofdubuque.orq. SUSTAINABLE DUBUQUE Sustainability is defined by a community's ability to meet the environmental, economic, and social equity needs of today without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable Dubuque is a holistic approach to making our community sustainable. Our model involves a three-part approach that addresses: Environmental / Ecological Integrity, Economic Prosperity, Social / Cultural Vibrancy. Each of these pieces is important individually and helps contribute to a sustainable community that is viable, livable, and equitable. In 2006 and every year since, the Mayor and City Council identified becoming a more Sustainable City as one of their top priorities for our community. Implementation of a community-defined sustainability plan is among the top Council priorities for this year, and each of this year's priorities incorporate one of the parts of Dubuque's model of sustainability. Find out more at the www.sustainabledubugue.org website.