What types of services and supplies does HUD
buy?
Typical
Headquarters Office Procurements
While
this list is not all inclusive, it does represent the typical
types of purchases made by our Headquarters office for services
and goods. |
- Information
Technology Software development and systems maintenance.
- Information
Technology Hardware/office automation equipment
and systems maintenance.
- Program
management support services
- Administrative/management
support services.
- Advertising
for the sale of HUD properties.
- Mortgage
accounting/claims processing.
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- Professional/technical
services.
- Technical
assistance to HUD program recipients.
- HUD
building operations and maintenance.
- Audio/Video
services.
- Evaluation
of HUD's programs.
- Training.
- Special
Studies and analysis.
- GSA
schedule purchases.
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Typical
Field Office Procurements
While
this list is not all inclusive, it does represent the typical
types of purchases made by our field offices last year.
Under
its Single Family and Multi Family Real Estate Owned
Programs, HUD manages and sells single family and
multifamily properties. These programs provide great opportunities
for you to do business with HUD in several areas.
We
enter into contracts with private firms to manage and/or
operate properties owned by or in the custody of HUD (Secretary
held).
HUD
and its property management contractors also contract for
a variety of related services, such as: |
- Property
cleaning/debris removal.
- Lawn
maintenance.
- Snow
removal.
- Defective
paint removal.
- Plumbing.
- Board
and Secure.
- Electrical
repairs.
- Heating/Vacuum/Air
Conditioning.
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- Roofing.
- Appraisals.
- Advertising.
- Real
estate closing services.
- General
Repairs and maintenance.
- Painting.
- Renovation.
- Floor
coverings.
- Concrete
Repairs/Paving.
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In
addition to contracting for services on HUD-owned and Secretary-held
real estate, we contract with firms to perform many Mortgage Insurance Processing services. Some of
these services include: |
- Appraisals.
- Architectural
reviews/compliance inspections.
- Mortgage
credit analysis.
- Underwriting
analysis.
- Construction
inspections.
- Review
of owner financial statements.
- Comprehensive
building inspections.
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- Field
review of appraisals.
- Mortgage
insurance endorsement processing.
- Title
services.
- Architectural
compliance inspections.
- Construction
cost analysis.
- Reviews
of project occupancy.
- Data
Entry.
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What
type of things does HUD NOT buy?
Often,
when people think of HUD, they think of buildings. It seems
logical then that HUD would purchase a significant amount
of construction and Architect/ Engineering (A&E) services.
However, this is not the case. While we do occasionally
contract for these services, it is only in relatively small
amounts. Nonetheless, whenever we do contract for these
services and the cost is expected to exceed $25,000, you
will find it posted on our "Current Contracting Opportunities"
page at this site. On the other hand, Public and Indian
Housing Authorities purchase construction and A&E services
quite often. If you provide these type of services, you
might want to contact a local Housing Authority to see what
opportunities there might be.
Also,
like most Federal Agencies, the largest percentage of our
supplies and products are purchased through the U.S. General
Services Administration (GSA). If you provide a product,
chances are pretty good that our friends at GSA would like
to talk with you. Show
me possible business opportunities with GSA.
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What
opportunities are there for me to become a HUD contractor
right now?
See
current contracting opportunities and download solicitations.
In
addition, the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA)
SUB-Net serves as a public host for Governmentwide subcontracting
opportunities. The SUB-Net allows large businesses to post
a description of the services required for a particular
solicitation and their point of contact information for
interested subcontractors.
Small
Businesses are encouraged to frequently visit the SUB-Net website to determine if there are any available subcontracting
opportunities for which they would like to compete.
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How
do I get a product HUD "approved"?
The
Minimum Property Standards (MPS) establish certain minimum
standards for buildings constructed under HUD housing programs.
This includes new single family homes, multi-family housing
and health care type facilities.
HUD
manages the Technical Suitability of Products Program from
its Headquarters in Washington, DC. The telephone number
is (202) 708-6423; FAX number (202) 708-4213. HUD's Office
of Housing is responsible for Manufactured Housing and Construction
Standards - the latter function establishes the "FHA approval"
re certain buidling supplies.
The
mailing address is:
Manufactured Housing and Standards Division
Office of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs,
Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th St. SW, Room 9154
Washington, D.C. 20410-8000
You
can get much more information online.
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What
about contracting opportunities with HUD's funding recipients?
HUD
provides significant amounts of funding to Public and Indian
Housing Agencies for construction work (both new and renovation)
and for management improvement activities. Much of this
work is performed by private contractors. Interested contractors
should contact local housing authorities directly for information
concerning their current and planned contracting opportunities. See
a list of Public Housing Agencies
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Is
"Public Housing" owned by the Federal Government?
Properties
called "public housing", located in different locations
around the country, are not owned by the Federal government.
They are owned by local public housing agencies (PHAs).
PHAs are local governmental agencies created by State law.
Normally when a locality desires to provide housing for
low income persons, they create a PHA, also know or referred
to as a housing authority.
Typically,
State law provides the Chief Executive Officer of the locality
with the authority to appoint a Board of Commissioners.
The Board then hires an Executive Director, who in turn
hires staff for the authority, typically establishing personnel
policies and procedures similar to the locality. The authority
comes to the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
for funds to add units to its inventory, based on appropriations
from Congress.
Generally,
PHAs are limited in how much they can collect to 30% of
the resident's income in rent. This is usually insufficient
to meet operating costs, so Congress appropriates amounts
to provide operating subsidies to make up the difference.
Congress also appropriates funds to enable PHAs to modernize
their developments.
Public
housing originated with the passage of the U. S. Housing
Act of 1937 and has operated continuously since then. Today
there are approximately 3,400 local PHAs around the country
that own and operate approximately 1.3 million units. Information
about the funds to operate specific PHAs would be available
directly from them or HUD's Field Office.
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What
qualities is HUD looking for in a contractor?
We
are looking for top-notch companies that are recognized
for their proven ability and high-quality performance. If
you can demonstrate that you can do the job in a timely,
professional, cost-effective manner, and your company has
a good track record of success in providing the types of
services we need, then you are the type of contractor we
are looking for!
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Why
should I consider becoming a HUD contractor?
Working
with HUD offers new opportunities to use your know-how,
develop and expand new markets, and help upgrade the nation's
housing supply! We make sure that a fair portion of our
contracts go to small or small disadvantaged businesses
and women-owned small businesses. We also actively participate
in the Small Business Administration's (SBA) 8(a) program.
This policy helps promote economic growth for our nation,
since small businesses generate the majority of new jobs.
Find
out more about HUD's Small Business Programs.
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Should
I expect a lot of red-tape?
As
you may know, the Federal Government is currently streamlining
its procurement procedures through the implementation of
the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA). As a result,
we are moving more in the direction of a commercial buyer!
HUD
buys supplies and services through a variety of contracting
procedures governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation
(FAR). These procedures help ensure that we get good quality
and value for our money, are fair to competitors, and make
the taxpayers' dollar go as far as possible. Now, there
is some good news!
Here at HUD, we are continuously looking for new and innovative
approaches to how we buy supplies and services. The basic
procurement methods we currently use are:
- Simplified Acquisition Procedures. A
quicker and easier method for procurements under $100,000.
- Sealed
Bidding. Awarding a contract to the responsive
and responsible bidder offering the lowest price.
- Negotiation. Awarding a contract through discussion and negotiation
when price is not the determining factor or when factors
other than price (i.e., technical expertise) must be considered.
If
you are more interested and want to learn about the contracting
rules the Government follows, see the Federal
Acquisition Regulation (FAR).
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How
does HUD find good contractors?
To
get the most for HUD's contracting dollar, we look for as
much competition as possible for our contracts. That means
that we are always looking for new, qualified "sources"
(i.e., offerors and bidders). We get these sources:
- by
placing notices of upcoming contracting opportunities
on our Home Page and on the Federal Business Opportunities
(FedBizOpps) internet
site, and
- through
recommendations and references from our technical and
program experts.
In
addition, to get the word out, we actively participate in
local trade fairs and establish networking partnerships
with local community organizations for small business concerns.
In fact, you may have seen us at one of these events!
See
HUD's current contracting opportunities
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How can I compete for HUD contracts?
The
best way to compete for a HUD contract is to provide high-quality
supplies or services at good market prices, and have a successful
track-record of good performance. The best place
to start is to submit a bid or proposal for one of our solicitations
and let us know about you and your company!
We post every current solicitation over $25,000 to this
web-site. Take a look through the list of contracting opportunities.
If you see something that sounds like it is right up your
alley, download the solicitation document and submit a bid/proposal
to us.
See
current contracting opportunities and download solicitations.
Please
Note: Once you receive a copy of the solicitation,
please read it carefully and submit the information requested.
Your bid or proposal should be competitive with the marketplace.
It will be evaluated by a team of technical experts in accordance
with the evaluation criteria explained in the solicitation
package.
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What
is "FedBizOpps"?
Federal Business Opportunities, or FedBizOpps for short,
is the government wide single-point-of-entry on the internet
for all Federal government contracting opportunities. It
lists all major Federal government solicitations, contract
awards, subcontracting opportunities, surplus property sales
and foreign business opportunities. FedBizOpps is where
HUD and the rest of the Federal government must announce
their proposed contracts expected to exceed $25,000. Persons
who want to do business with the government should visit
the FedBizOpps site often. It is a very good way to keep
fully informed of Federal contracting opportunities.
You
can access FedBizOpps free of charge online.
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What
is a "Solicitation"?
A
solicitation is the document we use to describe a proposed
contract and to explain how to compete for it. The type
of solicitation we use depends on the procurement method
being utilized.
If
Simplified Acquisition Procedures are used, the solicitation
document is called a "Request for Quotations", or RFQ for
short. In some instances, price quotations will be solicited
verbally (e.g., over the telephone) and no written document
will be used.
If
the Sealed Bidding method is used, the solicitation document
is called an "Invitation for Bids", or IFB for short.
If
the Negotiation method is used, the solicitation document
is called a "Request for Proposals", or RFP for short.
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What
are "Simplified Acquisition Procedures"?
Simplified
Acquisition Procedures is the new term the Government uses
for what used to be known as Small Purchasing. These are
simple, streamlined methods for making individual purchases
that do not exceed $100,000.
Purchases over $2,500 but not exceeding $100,000 are reserved
exclusively for small businesses. Purchases under $2,500
may be made from either large or small businesses, and usually
are made with a Government credit card.
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What
is "Sealed Bidding"?
HUD
uses the Sealed Bidding method when price is the primary
factor in determining contract award. This method does not
allow any discussions or negotiations between HUD and the
bidders concerning either the work requirement or the price.
When
using the Sealed Bidding method we will issue an Invitation
for Bids (IFB), stating our exact requirements. Once bids
are received on a specified date, they are publicly opened
and read. A contract is then awarded to the responsible
bidder who submitted the lowest, responsive bid.
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What
is "Negotiated Contracting"?
Negotiated
Contracting is used when price is not the determining factor
in contract award, or when factors other than price (i.e.,
technical expertise) must be considered.
HUD
uses two methods of Negotiated Contracting:
- Tradeoff,
where the contract is awarded to the offeror who's proposal
represents the best value, considering technical ability
and price.
- Lowest-Priced
Technically-Acceptable, where contract award is made to
the lowest-price offered among those that meet specified
minimum technical requirements.
When using the negotiated method, we will issue a Request
for Proposals (RFP). Once your proposal is received, it
will be evaluated by a panel of technical experts using
only the evaluation factors specified in the RFP.
Contract
award may sometimes be made without discussions or negotiations.
Normally however, a competitive range is determined based
on the technical evaluation results. Discussions are then
held with the offerors in the competitive range and each
offeror is given an opportunity to submit final proposal
revisions.
Offers
submitted in response to an RFP are confidential and are
not released outside the evaluation panel.
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What
is meant by "8(a)"?
"8(a)"
refers to Section 8(a) of the U.S. Small Business Act. It
authorizes the Small Business Administration (SBA) to enter
into contracts with other Federal Government agencies. The
SBA then subcontracts the actual performance of the work
to small businesses owned and controlled by socially and
economically disadvantaged individuals. The objective of
the 8(a) program is to assist eligible small firms to become
independently competitive.
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How
can I tell if my business is "Small"
Small
businesses are defined by size standards established by
the Federal Government. Individual standards are expressed
as "Standardized Industrial Classification", or "SIC" codes
for each business category. Sizes are expressed in terms
of the number of employees you have or your annual proceeds.
The Government determines if a business is large or small
by comparing it to the size standards for the SIC code that
applies to the proposed goods or services to be bought under
the contract.
The
SIC Codes are published in Part 19 of the Federal Acquisition
Regulation (FAR).
Show
me the FAR.
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What
if I have a question about the award of a task or delivery
order?
General
questions about task or delivery order contracts should
be directed to the cognizant contracting
office. Questions about a specific task or
delivery order award should be directed the cognizant contracting
officer. If you currently have a task or delivery order
HUD contract and have questions about, or disagree with
the award of a specific task or delivery order, you may
also contact the cognizant Task
and Delivery Order Ombudsman.
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