Request for Proposals Fair Housing Services

City of Sandusky, Ohio
Community Development Block Grant Program
Fair Housing Services
Request for Proposals and Cost
RFP Available - July 2nd, 2026
Proposal Due Date - July 23rd, 2026
City of Sandusky
Community Development Department
240 Columbus Avenue
Sandusky, Ohio 44870
www.cityofsandusky.com
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Background
The City of Sandusky, Ohio is soliciting proposals with a cost from qualified
organizations for the development, implementation, and administration of a Fair Housing
Program. The program shall include a Fair Housing educational element, a Fair Housing
outreach element, a Fair Housing Testing component, and a Fair Housing referral
element. The program will be funded through U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and is
required to be operated in compliance with all pertinent federal regulations, including but
not limited to 24 CFR Part 570 and OMB Circular A-122 and A-133.
The initial term of the contract shall be for a period of 12 months, beginning on the date
of July 1, 2026 through June 31, 2027 with an option for the City to extend the contract
for two additional one-year periods, at the discretion of the City, depending upon
determination by the City of satisfactory performance by the contractor and availability
of funding. The maximum service cost for a one-year period may not exceed $10,000.
Eligibility Information
Open to all agencies, non-profit and for-profit. Applicant must demonstrate a thorough
knowledge of fair housing laws and regulations, as well as experience in implementing
fair housing programs.
Accessibility to Persons with Disabilities
Programs, information, participation, communications and services must be accessible to
persons with disabilities and comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
requirements.
Scope of Work
The proposal shall include all necessary items to ensure the City of Sandusky is in
compliance with the Fair Housing Act and all laws and Presidential Executive Orders as
may be amended. The proposer shall be responsible for the development, implementation
and administration of an on-going Fair Housing Program, which shall include, at a
minimum, the following components:
Fair Housing Education
* Develop a seminar on Fair Housing law and issues for private sector, non-profit
agency, government agency, and/or other appropriate audience as directed by the
City and conduct a minimum of two (2) outreach seminars per year. The
consultant may use a webinar format.
* Provide training and technical assistance to City staff and others as requested
regarding Fair Housing issues, laws, reasonable accommodation, resources, and
current events.
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Fair Housing Outreach
* Develop and produce required Fair Housing brochures and/or pamphlets
regarding fair housing law and regulatory issues. These materials shall be
available in both English and Spanish.
* Develop a comprehensive geography outreach plan and a means for outreach
education.
* Address findings and activities identified in the City of Sandusky's Analysis to
Impediments to Fair Housing Update the Analysis to Impediments to Fair
Housing as applicable and/or as requested by the city.
Fair Housing Testing
* Develop and be responsible for conducting fair housing testing. This will include
a minimum of 2 testing sites (paired test format) based on criteria as directed by
the City, as well as additional testing sites as needed based on complaints. This
shall include both rental and sales tests of randomly selected listings.
Fair Housing Referral
* Develop and maintain a well-publicized system to receive fair housing
complaints, to resolve or refer such complaints to the appropriate source for
resolution, and to maintain and provide to the City complete statistical records on
all complaints and their resolution on a quarterly basis
Reporting Requirements
* Contractor will keep records and report all complaints received from City of
Sandusky residents and the disposition of these complaints.
* Contractor will keep records and report the results of random testing.
* Contractor will maintain "receipts" from organizations receiving contractor
literature. City will forward "receipts" to the contractor.
* Contractor will provide agendas, minutes and sign-in sheets for fair housing
training sessions.
* Contractor will submit quarterly reports outlining the progress of activities
performed pursuant to contract requirements.
The proposer selected will be required to submit regular financial and performance
reports as follows:
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Financial Reports/Reimbursement Performance Reports Due:
Claims Due:
October 9th, 2026 October 9th, 2026
January 15th, 2027 January 15th, 2027
April 16th, 2027 April 16th, 2027
July 16th, 2027 July 16th, 2027
Please note this is a cost reimbursement program and that no funds will be provided up
front. Verifying documentation will be required for all costs submitted for
reimbursement. Only those items included in the approved budget, or through an
approved budget amendment, will be eligible for reimbursement.
Evaluation Criteria
A Selection Committee intends to review the proposals received by the City. The City
reserves the right to make such follow-up requests for additional and supplemental
information as the City determines necessary and intends to select one or more proposers
for the purposes of preliminary negotiations. Proposals will be evaluated and final
selection made by the City. In evaluating the submitted proposals, the City will consider
the criteria outlined below.
The successful proposer with the highest overall score will be selected. The City reserves
the right to accept or reject in part or reject all proposals and to re-solicit new proposals.
The City may also reject any proposals that are incomplete or non-responsive.
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Evaluation Criteria Points
Possible
Fair Housing Experience - General 25
* Years of experience with Fair Housing counseling similar to the
services required in this RFP.
Fair Housing Experience - Municipal & Entitlement Communities 25
* Years of experience providing fair housing counseling services for
a municipality.
* Years of experience providing fair housing counseling services for
an entitlement community.
* Number of municipalities and entitlement communities for which
firm has provided fair housing services.
Budget & Budget Narrative 10
* Clarity of budget & budget narrative.
* Value of services offered vs. price of services.
* Reasonableness of budget figures.
Qualifications 30
* Educational or professional levels of management and supervisors.
* Training requirements for staff answering inquiries.
* Ability to assist persons with limited English proficiency.
* Ability to work collaboratively with landlords, property managers,
and other community stakeholders.
Proposal Presentation 10
* Organization and completeness of response.
* Clarity and brevity of response.
Total Points Possible 100
The City reserves the right to obtain clarification of any point in a proposal or to obtain
additional information necessary to properly evaluate a particular proposal.
Application Process
There will be no applicant workshop or pre-proposal conference for this Request for
Proposals. Requests for clarification related to definition or interpretation of the RFP
shall be made in writing by email only prior to, July 23rd, 2026 at 5 p.m. Questions must
be submitted in writing via e-mail to Nicole Grohe at ngrohe@cityofsandusky.com . No
questions will be accepted via telephone.
Proposal Instructions
1. Review the RFP Guidelines carefully.
2. Obtain Board approval to submit an application, if applicable.
3. Complete the Application Worksheet.
4. Complete a Project Narrative - be sure to include all requested information.
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5. Complete the Budget Summary Worksheet.
6. Complete a Budget Narrative.
7. Utilize the Application Checklist to ensure that all components have been
included.
8. Utilize the Supplemental Documents Checklist to ensure that all required
documents have been included.
Deadline
Proposals must be received by 5:00 p.m., Thursday day, July 23rd, 2026. Proposals may
be submitted via e-mail only in Adobe PDF format to the following addresses:
ngrohe@cityofsandusky.com.
If you are interested in reviewing the City's PY2026 Action Plan and current Analysis of
the Impediments to Fair Housing please send an email to ngrohe@cityofsandusky.com.
SPECIFIC PROJECT TIMELINE
July 2nd & 9th, 2026 Advertise in the Sandusky Register that the City of Sandusky is
accepting Proposals and the Request for Proposals/Specifications packets are available.
Document will be posted on the City's Website July 2nd, 2026 by 5PM
Last day to submit questions and clarifications regarding the Request for Proposals July
23rd, 2026
Deadline for submittal of Proposals to the City of Sandusky July 23rd, 2026 by 5 PM
Review and evaluate proposals to formulate the top three Proposer/Contractor. July 24th,
2026
Agreement will go to City Commission for approval once a signed grant agreement is
received from HUD for PY 26
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City of Sandusky, Ohio
Fair Housing Services
Application Worksheet
Applicant Information
Agency Name:
Street:
City/State/Zip Code:
Phone Number:
Fax Number:
Tax ID Number:
Authorized Official
Name:
Title:
E-mail Address:
Contact Person (if other than Authorized Official)
Name:
Title:
Phone Number:
E-mail Address:
Total Project Budget
12 months:
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Applicant Certification:
To the best of my knowledge and belief, the information contained in this application is
true and correct, the document has been duly authorized by the governing body of the
applicant, and the applicant will comply with all assurances, federal, state, and local laws
and regulations if funding is approved.
_________________________________ _____________________________
Typed Name and Title Signature of Authorized
Official
PROJECT NARRATIVE
The Project Narrative portion of the application is limited to 7 page (maximum) and must
include the following sections:
a) Project Description
Describe the proposed Fair Housing Program, to include a Fair Housing
educational element, a Fair Housing outreach element, , and a Fair Housing
referral element, as described in the RFP.
b) Performance Measurements and Timeline
Provide a detailed scope of work for the program. For each activity, list the
objective, outcome, and outcome measurement. Describe how data will be
collected, tracked and stored. Prepare a timeline for implementation /
completion of the program activities.
c) Organizational Capacity
Describe your organization's knowledge of fair housing laws and regulations,
as well as related services. Discuss your experience in providing Fair
Housing services, specifically as it relates to: education, outreach, testing, and
referral. If you are proposing to subcontract any portion of this program,
describe the work to be completed by the subcontractor and their experience
in providing that/those services. Include a letter of commitment from any
proposed subcontractors.
Describe the experience of the staff that will work on the program, including
subcontractors (if applicable) and those that will be providing program
oversight. If proposing to subcontract, describe lines of authority and
oversight. Include an organizational chart that includes the proposed program.
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Describe the financial system utilized by the agency, including how CDBG
funds will be tracked separately from other funding sources. Identify whether
your organization has sufficient funds to sustain the program for a minimum
of three months until reimbursement of expenditures are received.
Identify whether your agency has a personnel policy manual with an
affirmative action plan and grievance procedure. If not, explain why not.
Attach a list of the Board of Directors and resumes of key staff including
program manager and fiscal officer, if applicable.
Identify whether or not the agency has liability insurance coverage, in what
amount, and with what insuring agency. Also identify whether or not the
agency pays all payroll taxes and workers' compensation as required by
Federal and State law.
PROJECT BUDGET
On a separate page, prepare a detailed budget summarizing the use of proposed funding.
A suggested budget summary worksheet is included on the following page. Please revise
the form and annotate budget items as they relate to your project.
BUDGET NARRATIVE
Provide a detailed explanation of each line item in the project budget, indicating how the
amounts were determined and justifying the need for the item.
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BUDGET SUMMARY WORKSHEET
12 MONTHS
Budget Category Description/Computation Cost
a. Salaries & Wages
b. Fringe Benefits
c. Consultant/Contract
Services
TOTAL PERSONNEL: $
d. Office Rent
e. Utilities
f. Telephone
g. Office Supplies
h. Equipment
i. Printing/Duplication
j. Travel/Conferences
k. Other (specify)
TOTAL NON- $
PERSONNEL:
TOTAL PROJECT $
BUDGET:
** Please revise this form and annotate budget items as needed.
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