[Consultantservices] RFQ: County of Venango, PA - posted on 5/30/08 @ 9:06 a.m.

[Jeri Parish]

Housing Needs Assessment and Strategy
The County of Venango, Pennsylvania
Submittal Deadline: June 27, 2008
Project Background
The County of Venango installed an advisory board two years ago to focus
on the affordable housing needs of the County. Since its inception, the
Affordable Housing Trust Board (AHTB) has overseen an upper-story reuse
project that created two new affordable housing units in the County
seat, and also a Down Payment Assistance Program that has helped
fourteen (14) families become new homeowners. To ensure that County
funds continue to be used in the most meaningful and beneficial ways,
the County of Venango, at the request of the AHTB, has opted to carry
out a housing needs assessment, housing market study and trust fund
investment strategy.
Purpose of the Request for Qualifications
The County of Venango (Pennsylvania) is requesting submission of
qualifications from experienced firms to provide the County with an
assessment of the existing and future housing needs and market analysis
within Venango County, and a realistic strategy to best address those
needs. The end result of this project is envisioned to be a planning
document to be used by decision-makers in the County, as well as a tool
for private developers looking to fill unmet housing needs within the
County. A component of the assessment must involve a descriptive
inventory for any and all subsidized housing and special needs housing
in the County, including but not limited to, public housing, Section 8
Vouchers, PHFA properties, emergency and transitional housing, and
permanent supportive housing. Another required component of the
assessment will be an analysis of the private housing market. At the
completion of the study, the successful proposer will be expected to
hold two workshops that are designed to review the study results and to
educate the County staff and public study participants of the public and
private trends and projections. A housing development project proforma,
representative of most of the County's unmet housing needs must be
prepared, which can be used as an example of the different funding
avenues available to private and public housing developers in Venango
County.
Qualification Package Requirements
Description of Firm
Describe your firm's legal structure, areas of expertise, length of time
in business, number of employees, and any other information that would
help to characterize the firm. If more than one office exists, give the
address of the office that will manage the project.
Experience - Briefly describe other projects executed by your firm that
demonstrate relevant experience. Extensive descriptions of vaguely
related projects are discouraged. List all public sector clients. For
each project mentioned, list the name, address and phone number of a
contact person. When submitting projects for which your firm worked in
an auxiliary capacity or as a joint venture, include the name, address
and contact phone number for the lead firm.
Personnel - Provide a professional resume for the key people proposed to
be assigned to the project (including any and all sub-consultants) and
describe their relevant related experience. Describe key personnel's
proposed roles and responsibilities on this project. Identify the
project manager who will be responsible for the day-to-day management of
the project tasks and the primary point of contact.
Project Approach - Describe the tasks that must be accomplished, in your
professional opinion, to complete the project, while meeting the goals
listed in Section II. above. Provide a narrative description of how the
firm proposes to execute the tasks. Discuss any unique aspects of the
project or any work tasks that may be accomplished with County
personnel. Your firm should rely on its expertise and experience in
developing your approach and in demonstrating the worthiness of your
approach. This is a very important component of this RFQ .
Project Schedule - Provide a realistic schedule of general project
activities, indicating the estimated duration of each and of the total
project.
Appendix - Brochures or other material that may be helpful in our
evaluations may be included in an appendix of the proposal.
Additional Information
Questions regarding the project may be directed to Judith Downs,
Executive Director, Venango County Regional Planning Commission, 1168
Liberty Street, P.O. Box 831, Franklin, PA 16323, 814-432-9681, or by
e-mailing her at jdowns at co.venango.pa.us.
Proposal Deadline
One (1) original and six (6) copies of the proposal must be submitted to
the County at the address below by 4:00 PM (EST) on June 27, 2008. No
faxed or emailed submissions will be accepted. 
Selection Process
All proposals will be reviewed by the Affordable Housing Trust Board and
a short-list of the most responsive and qualified firms will be
determined. The short-listed firms will be asked to submit a detailed
fee proposal and subsequent interviews may be arranged. However, at its
discretion, the AHTB and the County of Venango may dispense with
interviews and select a firm to perform the work. Firms will be
evaluated on the basis of the following factors:
*	Firm history and capability to perform the project
satisfactorily. 
*	Relevant project experience. 
*	Qualifications of the project personnel. 
*	Project approach and schedule. 
The County will seek to negotiate a contract, which includes the
detailed scope of work, fees, work schedule, number of copies of final
product, etc. with the preferred firm. If unable to reach agreement, the
County will terminate negotiations and commence negotiations with the
second-ranked firm, and so forth. 
The Affordable Housing Trust Board and the County of Venango reserve the
right to reject any and all proposals, to withhold the award for any
reason determined appropriate, and to waive any irregularities in any
proposals, if deemed in the best interests of the County.
Send proposals to:
Judith Downs, Executive Director
Venango County Regional Planning Commission
1168 Liberty Street, P.O. Box 831 
Franklin, PA 16323 


Jeri Parish
Advertising Manager
Planning Magazine
312-786-6704
Fax: 312-431-9985
jparish at planning.org



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