RFP: Foreclosure Prevention Services

Location:	New York
Posted:	Jan 15, 2025
Due:	Feb 26, 2025
Agency:	City of Rochester
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	F - Natural Resources and Conservation Services
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

The City of Rochester is seeking proposals from qualified Consultant(s) to provide counseling and advocacy, and/or legal services that prevent and mitigate foreclosure or tax default, including but not limited to advocacy, financial counseling, support for settlement conferences, or prevention of foreclosures due to predatory lending practices or services (the “Project”).

View the RFP

Timeline

Activity	Time	Date
RFP Release		January 14, 2025
Deadline for questions		January 24, 2025
Response for questions submitted		January 28, 2025
Proposals due	4:00 p.m.	February 26, 2025
Consultant Selection and Award Notification		March 27, 2025
City Council Approval of agreement with Consultant		May 20, 2025
Agreement Start Date		July 1, 2025

The dates shown above may be subject to change within the City of Rochester’s sole discretion and upon written notification as set forth herein.

Communications

All communications by parties who have indicated an intent to submit or have submitted a proposal in response to this RFP (“Respondents”), including:

Any questions or requests for clarification
Submission of the proposal
Requests for status updates about the proposal selection process
Any other inquiries whatsoever concerning this RFP

Shall be sent, in writing, to the following City staff person (“City Contact”):

Lia Anselm
Email: lia.anselm@cityofrochester.gov

No contact is permitted with any other City staff member regarding this RFP during the RFP process unless specifically authorized in writing. Prohibited contact may be grounds for disqualification.

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City of Rochester

Request for Proposals

Foreclosure Prevention Services

Proposals to be received by 4:00 PM

February 26, 2025

Submit Proposals to:

Lia Anselm, Business and Housing

30 Church Street, Room 005A

Rochester, NY 14614

Lia.anselm@cityofrochester.gov

585‐428‐9368

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

The City of Rochester is seeking proposals from a qualified Consultant(s) to provide counseling and

advocacy, and/or legal services that prevent and or mitigate foreclosure or tax default including but

not limited to advocacy, financial counseling, support for settlement conferences, or prevention of

foreclosures due to predatory lending practices or services, (the “Project”).

BACKGROUND

Each year, several hundred households in Rochester fall behind on their mortgage due to a number

of factors. Research shows that households are far more likely to avoid the loss of their property to

foreclosure when assisted by an experienced and committed organization. The City is committed

to assisting eligible Rochester homeowners in preventing foreclosures due to mortgage arrears, tax

default, or predatory loans and servicing that could result in foreclosures. The City is seeking an

agreement(s) with a Consultant(s) experienced in any/all of the following: supporting households

who are experiencing mortgage or real estate tax default; providing services to represent and/or

advocate for low and moderate income homeowners in foreclosure settlement conferences or with

their lender/servicer; and/or evaluations of loan terms and lending practices that impact

homeowners who may face mortgage foreclosure or be potential targets or victims of predatory

lending.

Timeline

Activity

RFP Release

Deadline for questions

Response for questions submitted

Proposals due

Consultant Selection and Award

Notification

City Council Approval of agreement

with Consultant

Agreement Start Date

Time

4:00 p.m.

Date

January 14, 2025

January 24, 2025

January 28, 2025

February 26, 2025

March 27, 2025

May 20, 2025

July 1, 2025

The dates shown above may be subject to change within the City of Rochester’s sole discretion and

upon written notification as set forth herein.

Communications

All communications by parties who have indicated an intent to submit or have submitted a proposal in

response to this RFP (“Respondents”), including any questions or requests for clarifications, submission of

the proposal, requests for status updates about the proposal selection process and any other inquiries

whatsoever concerning this RFP shall be sent, in writing, to the following City staff person (“City

Contact”):

Lia Anselm, lia.anselm@cityofrochester.gov

No contact is permitted with any other City staff member with regard to this RFP during the RFP process

unless specifically authorized in writing. Prohibited contact may be grounds for disqualification.

To ensure that all Respondents have a clear understanding of the scope and requirements of this

RFP, the City will respond to all timely questions submitted via e‐mail to the City Contact by the

question deadline stated above. Questions and the responding answers will be sent via e‐mail to

all Respondents who have provided an e‐mail address to the City Contact and will be posted on

the City’s web page for this RFP. The City’s failure to timely respond or provide responses to any

questions shall not delay or invalidate the City’s right to make a decision to award an agreement

pursuant to this RFP.

The City will make every reasonable effort to keep Respondents informed about the RFP process.

Notifications about Timeline date changes, amendments to the RFP, and other information about the

RFP will be sent by e‐mail to Respondents who have provided an e‐mail address to the City Contact and

will be posted on the City’s website for this RFP. The City’s failure to provide such information shall not

delay or invalidate the City’s right to make a decision to award an agreement pursuant to this RFP.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The City is seeking the services of a Consultant(s) to perform the following services to implement the

Program(s). Respondents’ proposals shall address each of the requested services, using the same

identifying language, including any paragraph or section numbers or letters as used in the RFP. If a

Respondent cannot or does not wish to perform one or more of the activities, please specify which

activities are applicable to the proposal. A detailed description of the Respondent’s services, methods,

and process should be included.

1. Intake/Assessment: Counseling sessions, in person or by phone/virtually to accommodate the

homeowners’ schedule or preference. The nature, severity, and causes of the mortgage and

other debt obligations or arrears are determined at these counseling sessions. The ability to

provide services in other languages is a plus and should be described in the proposal.

2. Foreclosure Prevention Support and Advocacy: Assessment of each client’s individual financial

situation and next steps. Advocacy between the client and the lender/servicer or other

appropriate parties to prevent foreclosure. Information on outside resources and referrals for

immediate needs such as: medical, food, legal assistance, or employment opportunities, are

provided based on individual needs. May include activities related to preparing or

accompanying/representing clients for settlement conferences as required by New York State. A

detailed description of the Respondent’s process and services should be provided.

3. Legal Services: Specifically related to predatory lending, subprime lending, illegal or unethical

servicing practices. This may include any of the following:

a. Bring affirmative suits directly against: predatory mortgage lenders, mortgage servicing

companies engaging in predatory lending, and loan brokers who initiate predatory loans.

b. Provide legal services and, as appropriate, legal representation to clients who:

i. are in default or foreclosure and need representation at the mandatory

settlement conferences;

ii. are at risk of default or foreclosure due to predatory lending practices

iii. are in default or foreclosure due to predatory lending practices

c. Provide advice on loans and referrals to appropriate agencies for clients.

4. Services related to other trends or issues that directly impact stability and ownership for owner‐

occupants. Please describe these issues, including data/other empirical evidence of their impact

on the Rochester community, and the Respondent’s ability to impact that arena.

Eligible clients shall be those city homeowners whose household annual gross incomes do not

exceed 80% of Median Family Income (MFI) for the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA); and/or

homeowners, regardless of income, who are residents of HUD Qualified Census Tracts* (*QUALIFIED

CENSUS TRACT (QCT): Any census tract (or equivalent geographic area defined by the Census Bureau)

in which at least 50 percent of households have an income less than 60 percent of the area median

gross income or have a poverty rate of at least 25 percent.)

Clients may be either referred to the Consultant(s), or contact the Consultant(s) directly. Their financial

status may include an array of issues including mortgage arrears and imminent foreclosure, and

predatory terms on loans.

A Professional Services Agreement resulting from this RFP shall commence on July 1, 2025 for a term of

one year, with an option to renew for up to four additional years upon agreement of the parties.

Funding for Consultant(s) will depend on the number of awards given and the work to be completed by

each Consultant(s). It is anticipated that awards will range between $20,000 to a maximum of $100,000

for the upcoming program year.

PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION PROCESS

Proposals must be received by the City via email no later than 4:00pm February 26, 2025. Please provide

one electronic version of the proposal to the following:

Lia Anselm, lia.anselm@cityofrochester.gov, 585‐428‐9368

This RFP is designed to facilitate the evaluation and selection of a Consultant(s) that is/are best able to

achieve the City’s objectives. The proposal shall contain a table of contents. All pages shall be numbered

and major sections and all attachments shall be referenced in the table of contents. The proposal should

also be searchable. In order to enable the City to effectively review the information contained in the

proposals, proposals shall reference the numbered and lettered sections of the RFP. The response to

each section shall be clearly indicated and addressed or an explanation provided for why the

Respondent is not submitting a proposal for a specific section or requirement of the RFP. If desired, the

proposal may include an executive summary of no more than two pages.

Each proposal shall be signed by an individual authorized to enter into and execute contracts on the

Respondent’s behalf. Unless otherwise specified in its proposal, Respondent represents that it is

capable of meeting or exceeding all requirements specified in this RFP.

Submission of a proposal shall be deemed authorization for the City to contact Respondent’s references.

Evaluation of proposals will be conducted by the City based on information provided in the

Respondent’s proposals and on such other available information that the City determines to be relevant.

The evaluation of proposals may include an on‐site assessment, meetings with authorized personnel,

and may involve the use of a third‐party consultant.

The Respondent selected by the City will be required to enter into a Professional Services Agreement

(PSA) with the City (see Attachment A, the City’s standard PSA form). The establishment of a PSA is

contingent upon approval by City Council for all Agreements in excess of $10,000 or for a period of more

than one year and upon the availability of funds for such an agreement. Unless otherwise stated in the

proposal, the Respondent’s response to this RFP shall be deemed its acceptance of the terms of this

PSA. (Note: Attention is directed to the City’s Living Wage requirements and Minority and Women‐

owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) and Workforce Utilization Goals.

Respondents shall provide sufficient information in their written proposals to enable the City review

team to make a recommendation to the Mayor. The City reserves the right to invite any or all

Respondents to an interview to discuss their proposal. Any expenses resulting from such an interview

will be the sole responsibility of the Respondent. The City is under no obligation to select any of the

responding Respondents or to conduct the Project described herein. The City may amend or withdraw

the RFP at any time, within its sole discretion. The City shall have no liability for any costs incurred in

preparing a proposal or responding to the City’s requests with respect to the proposal.

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

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RFP: Foreclosure Prevention Services

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