REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL — TECHNICAL PROPOSAL
Housing Program Management Software
LIHTC | Multi-Family Asset Management | NSPIRE Inspections| Grant Program Management
| RFP Number | 2026-04-OPS-IT-02 |
| Issuing Agency | PHFA |
| Submission Deadline | July 8, 2026 |
| Supplier Legal Name | |
| Primary Contact | |
| Email / Phone | |
| Proposed Solution Name | |
| Version / Release | |
| Date Submitted |
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Instructions
Provide a concise (no more than one page) summary of your solution, your organization's relevant experience serving housing finance agencies, and why your platform best meets the Agency's needs. Address LIHTC, multi-family asset management, and NSPIRE inspection capabilities prominently.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION 1 — VENDOR QUALIFICATIONS & ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
This section establishes your organization's credibility and relevant experience. Proposals from vendors without demonstrated housing finance agency experience will receive lower scores on this criterion.
1.1 Company Profile
Instructions
Complete each field.
| Field | Response |
| Year Founded | |
| Headquarters Location | |
| Total Employees | |
| Software Employees (Dev/QA/Impl) | |
| DUNS / UEI Number | |
| Annual Revenue Range | |
| Ownership Structure (public/private/non-profit) | |
| HUD-Approved / GSE-Certified (if applicable) |
1.2 Housing Finance Agency Experience
Describe your organization's experience specifically serving state or local Housing Finance Agencies, Housing Authorities, or similar public housing program administrators. Indicate the number of active HFA clients and total LIHTC units under management in your platform.
Required Data Points
Total active HFA clients: ___ | Total LIHTC units under management: ___ | Years serving HFAs: ___ | States / jurisdictions represented: ___
1.3 Client References
Instructions
Provide three references from housing finance agencies or comparable public housing organizations. The Agency may contact all references during evaluation.
| Reference 1 |
| Organization: Contact Name: Phone / Email: Contract Dates: Modules Implemented: Total Portfolio Size / Units: Brief description of engagement: |
| Reference 2 |
| Organization: Contact Name: Phone / Email: Contract Dates: Modules Implemented: Total Portfolio Size / Units: Brief description of engagement: |
| Reference 3 |
| Organization: Contact Name: Phone / Email: Contract Dates: Modules Implemented: Total Portfolio Size / Units: Brief description of engagement: |
1.4 Key Personnel
Instructions
Identify the proposed project team. Attach resumes as part of A__ttachment 1. All key personnel must remain assigned for the duration of the initial contract term. Any substitutions must be approved by PHFA in advance.
| Role / Title | Proposed Individual | Years Experience | Relevant Certifications |
| Executive Sponsor | |||
| Project Manager (PMP or equivalent) | |||
| Implementation Lead | |||
| LIHTC / Compliance Subject Matter Expert | |||
| NSPIRE / Physical Inspection Specialist | |||
| Lead Software Engineer | |||
| Data Migration Specialist | |||
| Training Lead |
SECTION 2 — LIHTC APPLICATION & TAX CREDIT MANAGEMENT
The Agency administers the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program under IRC §42. This section evaluates the supplier's ability to support the full LIHTC lifecycle from pre-application through placed-in-service/8609 issuance, long-term compliance monitoring, and recapture risk management.
2.1 LIHTC Application Intake & Eligibility
Provide a summary of how the platform supports applicant-facing intake for competitive LIHTC rounds, including QAP alignment, threshold eligibility screening, and document management. In addition, respond to the requirements listed below.
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Pre-application portal | Online pre-application with eligibility screening against current QAP threshold requirements | |
| Application form builder | Configurable fields to match Agency's annual QAP without vendor involvement; changes effective within 5 business days | |
| Document checklist management | Dynamic required document list based on application type (9% vs 4% LIHTC, bond-financed) | |
| Bulk upload & large file support | Support for architect plans, environmental studies, market studies; minimum 500 MB per submission | |
| Applicant status notifications | Automated email/SMS at key workflow stages (received, complete, under review, decision) | |
| Multi-round management | Ability to run concurrent application rounds with independent deadlines, criteria, and pools | |
| Parent Child Bundle Deals | Allow the ability for projects to be bundled under a parent project. |
2.2 Underwriting & Financial Analysis
Describe the platform's underwriting tools, proforma modeling capabilities, and integration with standard financial analysis inputs. In addition, respond to the requirements listed below.
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Pro forma modeling | 15-year/30-year cash flow projections; DSCR, LTV, and debt coverage calculations | |
| Equity gap analysis | Automated calculation of equity gap, basis limits, applicable fraction, and maximum credit amount | |
| HUD income / rent limits | Annual import of HUD AMI, income limits, and rent limits by bedroom size and percentage of AMI | |
| Funding Sources and Programs | Ability to accommodate multiple funding sources/programs such as HOME, HTF, CMF, and LIHTC. | |
| Tax credit pricing | Configurable equity pricing assumptions; current applicable federal rates (AFR) integration | |
| Basis & eligible costs tracking | Eligible basis calculation including applicable fraction, land, commercial space exclusions | |
| Scenario comparison | Side-by-side comparison of at least 3 financing scenarios per application | |
| Audit trail on underwriting | Full version history of underwriting changes with user, timestamp, and change summary | |
| Financial spreadsheet data import | Ability to extract data from applicant-submitted financial spreadsheets and forms (e.g., underwriting/proforma workbooks) and automatically populate corresponding fields within the system, reducing manual data entry and transcription errors. (preferred) |
2.3 QAP Scoring Engine
Describe the scoring engine's configurability, staff review workflow, and support for committee-based scoring panels. In addition, respond to the requirements listed below.
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Configurable scoring rubric | Agency staff can define criteria, weights, sub-scores, and tiebreaker rules without vendor assistance | |
| Set-aside / preference categories | Support for geographic, population, and program set asides (non-profit, rural, special needs, preservation, etc.) | |
| Weighted scoring | Numeric and percentage-based weighting; automatic recalculation on criteria changes | |
| Committee scoring interface | Individual reviewer scorecards; blind scoring option; automatic score averaging with outlier flags | |
| Conflict of interest screening | COI disclosure workflow with automated reviewer exclusion based on declared relationships | |
| Score reporting | Ranked award list, score summary by criterion, and publicly postable award notices |
2.4 Tax Credit Allocation, Carryover & 8609 Issuance
Instructions
Describe workflow automation, approval chains, and document generation for each milestone below.
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Reservation letter generation | Configurable templates; automated generation upon award approval; e-signature integration | |
| Carryover allocation tracking | 10% test documentation & worksheet with comparison to reservation, carryover agreement generation, and deadline monitoring with alerts, various reporting capabilities by allocation year, tracking of annual credits allocated/available, reporting for NCSHA survey, etc. | |
| Cost certification review | Final cost certification intake, auditor certification document upload, basis reconciliation, AF, worksheet, cost limits edit checks, comparisons, tracking for developments that have not yet submitted a cost certification package. | |
| IRS Form 8609 issuance | Automated 8609 population from approved allocation data; per-building issuance; IRS-format output, reuploads of info without manual rekeying, developments with multiple allocation years | |
| Placed-in-service tracking | Certificate of occupancy (CO) tracking (new construction as rehab does not always receive new COs), initial compliance year designation, and first-year credit period selection by building. | |
| Credit amendment workflow | Ability to amend reservations, reallocate credits, and maintain amendment history. Ability to track previous BINs, TC numbers for resyndication deals. |
2.5 Long-Term LIHTC Compliance Monitoring
Describe how the platform supports the Agency's role as the monitoring agency during the 15-year compliance period and extended use agreement. In addition, respond to the requirements listed below.
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Annual owner certification (AOC) | Electronic AOC collection, validation, and acknowledgment; configurable due date reminders | |
| Tenant income certification (TIC) | TIC upload and validation against applicable rent and income limits; batch import support | |
| Unit transfer & vacancy reporting | Next available unit (NAU) rule tracking; vacancy chain logging; available unit rule compliance | |
| Compliance calendar | Per-project compliance deadlines; automated escalation to project staff and owners | |
| Recapture risk monitoring | Automatic flagging of at-risk projects; recapture event calculation and IRS notification workflow | |
| Extended use agreement tracking | 30-year / 50-year agreement terms; right of first refusal (ROFR) expiration alerts | |
| State LIHTC compliance reports | IRS Form 8823 preparation; state-specific monitoring reports; HUD reporting integration | |
| Compliance and Reporting for Housing Supportive Services | Support Housing Services Supportive Services: collection of services provided by property and by owner | |
| Electronic signature on IRS forms | Support for electronic signatures on IRS forms (including Form 8609 and related certifications), with audit trail of signatories and timestamps.; Electronic submission of 8823s to the IRS | |
| Electronic Form 8823 submission to IRS | Ability to electronically generate and transmit Form 8823 (noncompliance and disposition) directly to the IRS, with submission confirmation and status tracking. | |
| Average Income compliance monitoring | Support for monitoring and reporting compliance under the Average Income minimum set-aside, including unit level designation tracking and portfolio average calculation per IRS requirements. | |
| HOME and HTF rent and income limit compliance | Support for HOME and Housing Trust Fund (HTF) program-specific rent and income limit calculations and compliance monitoring, in addition to LIHTC limits. | |
| Resyndication compliance (concurrent affordability periods) | Ability to track and monitor compliance for resyndicated properties with overlapping or concurrent IRC §42 compliance periods and extended use/affordability periods. | |
| Parent Child Bundle project compliance (multi-county) | Ability to link and manage parent child bundled projects spanning multiple counties or jurisdictions, with consolidated compliance tracking and reporting across the bundle. |
SECTION 3 — MULTI-FAMILY ASSET MANAGEMENT
The Agency oversees a portfolio of affordable multi-family properties including LIHTC, HOME, CDBG, and Section 8 assisted developments. This section evaluates the platform's ability to manage asset health, financial performance, covenant compliance, and owner/investor relationships across the full portfolio lifecycle.
3.1 Portfolio Dashboard & Property Inventory
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Portfolio-level dashboard | Summary view of total units, occupancy rate, compliance status, inspection scores, and reserve balances across all properties | |
| Property & unit registry | Individual property records with address, ownership, financing sources, affordability layers, and regulatory agreements | |
| Unit-level tracking | Unit type, bedroom count, current tenant, income/rent designation, accessibility features of unit, and compliance status | |
| Affordability layer management | Multiple simultaneous layers (LIHTC, HOME, CDBG, Section 8) with independent compliance terms per layer | |
| Geographic visualization | Map view of portfolio with status indicators; filter by program, compliance status, or jurisdiction | |
| Portfolio search & filtering | Full-text search and multi-criteria filtering across all property and unit attributes | |
| Portfolio Risk Rating Scores | Ability to generate risk rating scores for all compliance monitoring activities (compliance, inspections, financials etc.). Ability to generate reports for the entire portfolio, owners, agents, and counties. |
3.2 Financial Monitoring & Reporting
Instructions
Describe how the system ingests, validates, and analyzes owner-submitted financial data including audited financials and operating statements.
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Annual financial statement intake | Structured upload of audited financials; validation against prior-year actuals; variance flagging | |
| Operating expense benchmarking | Per-unit expense comparison against HUD operating cost norms and portfolio averages | |
| Debt service coverage monitoring | Automated DSCR calculation; alert when DSCR falls below covenant threshold | |
| Replacement reserve tracking | Reserve balance, required deposits, drawdown history, and CNA-based adequacy assessment | |
| Capital needs assessment (CNA) management | CNA upload, 20-year capital schedule, component tracking, and reserve sufficiency analysis | |
| Budget vs. actual comparison | Year-over-year operating budget comparison; trend charts; export to Excel | |
| Owner / investor reporting portal | Secure portal for owners and limited partners to access property reports and submit required documents |
3.3 Regulatory & Covenant Compliance
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Regulatory agreement tracking | Upload and indexing of all regulatory agreements with key covenant terms (AMI limits, unit mix, term dates) | |
| Deed restriction management | Deed restriction recording, covenant term monitoring, and expiration alert workflow | |
| Section 8 HAP contract management | HAP contract terms, rent adjustment schedule, expiration dates, and renewal workflow | |
| HOME & CDBG compliance tracking | Period of affordability, income targeting, and expenditure compliance per federal requirements | |
| Covenant violation workflow | Violation documentation, cure period tracking, corrective action plan, and resolution recording | |
| Annual monitoring visit scheduling | Monitoring visit calendar, pre-visit checklist generation, and findings documentation |
3.4 Utility Allowances & Rent Management
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Utility allowance schedules | Ability to import utility allowances by unit type, bedroom size, and utility type | |
| Gross rent calculation | Automatic gross rent ceiling calculation (maximum rent + applicable utility allowance) | |
| Rent schedule management | Per-property rent schedules with affordability designation (30%, 50%, 60%, 80% AMI) | |
| Rent increase workflow | Owner-submitted rent increase requests; Agency review and approval workflow |
SECTION 4 — NSPIRE PHYSICAL INSPECTION TOOL
The Agency conducts physical inspections of its assisted housing portfolio under HUD's National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE), effective October 1, 2023. The inspection tool must support the full NSPIRE protocol, offline mobile operation, deficiency documentation, and corrective action tracking.
Regulatory Alignment Required
Proposals must demonstrate full alignment with the NSPIRE Final Rule (24 CFR Parts 5, 200, 882, 884, 886, 891, 965, and 966) and the current NSPIRE Standards published by HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing.
4.1 Mobile Inspection Application
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| iOS & Android support | Native or hybrid app available on current iOS (17+) and Android (12+) operating systems; no browser dependency during inspection | |
| Full offline functionality | Complete inspection workflow available without internet connectivity; automatic sync on reconnection | |
| NSPIRE deficiency catalog | Full catalog of NSPIRE inspectable items, observable deficiencies, and severity classifications as published by HUD; updated within 60 days of HUD revision | |
| Guided inspection workflow | Unit-by-unit, building-by-building, and site inspection sequences; skip logic for unit type and occupancy status | |
| Photo capture & annotation | In-app camera with geo-tagging, timestamp, and annotation; minimum 10 photos per deficiency; auto-linked to deficiency record | |
| Voice-to-text notes | Inspector can dictate deficiency notes; auto populated into narrative field | |
| Barcode / QR unit identification | Unit and building identification via QR code or barcode scan to eliminate manual entry errors |
4.2 Deficiency Scoring & Classification
Instructions
Describe how the system implements NSPIRE's life-threatening, severe, moderate, and low deficiency classifications and score calculations.
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| NSPIRE severity classification | Automatic classification of each deficiency as life-threatening (LT), severe, moderate, or low per NSPIRE Standards | |
| Life-threatening deficiency protocol | Immediate alert to property management and Agency upon identification; 24-hour corrective action deadline; auto-escalation if not resolved | |
| Score calculation engine | NSPIRE inspection score calculation per HUD methodology; building, unit, and site sub-scores; final rolled-up score | |
| Deficiency weighting | Accurate application of NSPIRE point-loss weights by inspectable area and severity | |
| Recurring deficiency tracking | Flag deficiencies that recur across inspection cycles; trend reporting by property and deficiency type |
4.3 Corrective Action Plan (CAP) Management
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Automated CAP generation | CAP generated from inspection findings; due dates calculated per NSPIRE severity timelines (LT: 24 hrs, severe: 30 days, moderate: 60 days) | |
| Owner notification workflow | CAP delivered to owner / management agent via portal with acknowledgment tracking | |
| CAP response & documentation | Owner submits corrective action evidence (photos, invoices, certifications) through portal | |
| Reinspection scheduling | Automatic reinspection triggering for life-threatening and severe findings; inspector assignment and calendar integration | |
| CAP status dashboard | Agency-wide view of all open CAPs by severity, property, deadline, and resolution status | |
| Enforcement escalation | Automated escalation workflow for overdue CAPs; generates enforcement notices and tracks responses |
4.4 Inspection Management & Analytics
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Annual inspection scheduling | Portfolio-wide inspection calendar; risk-based scheduling prioritization; inspector workload balancing | |
| Inspector credential management | Inspector certifications, HUD-approved inspector status, and certification expiration alerts | |
| Inspection history & trending | Score trends by property over time; portfolio-level deficiency heat maps by inspectable area | |
| Comparative analytics | Benchmarking of individual property scores against portfolio average and HUD national averages | |
| Executive dashboard | Portfolio-wide inspection score distribution, average score, percent passing, and properties requiring attention |
SECTION 5 — GRANT APPLICATION MANAGEMENT
Describe the platform's applicant-facing grant application portal, document management, eligibility screening, and notification capabilities for non-LIHTC housing programs (HOME, CDBG, ESG, HOPWA, HTF, and similar federal and state programs). This may include the HEMAP and PHARE programs as described in the RFP.
5.1 Applicant Portal & Intake
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Public-facing portal | Accessible via standard web browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari); WCAG 2.1 AA compliant; mobile-responsive | |
| Self-service account creation | Applicant registration with email verification; secure password management; account recovery | |
| Configurable application forms | Agency staff can create and modify application forms without coding; conditional logic; field validation | |
| Program catalog | Public-facing list of open funding programs with eligibility summaries, deadlines, and application links | |
| Save & resume | Applicants can save incomplete applications and resume without data loss; session timeout warnings | |
| Multi-language support | Minimum support for English and Spanish; additional languages configurable; UI strings translatable | |
| Document upload | Support for document upload with file type and size validation | |
| Eligibility pre-screening | Pre-screening tools to assess applicant eligibility before full application submission | |
| Autofill for returning applicants | Auto-fill capabilities to pre-populate fields for returning applicants using previously submitted data |
5.2 Eligibility Screening & Document Management
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Automated eligibility screening | Pre-qualification questions with real-time eligibility determination before full application submission | |
| Document upload & management | Secure upload of required documents; virus scanning; version management; document expiration tracking | |
| Electronic signature | Integrated e-signature (DocuSign, Adobe Sign, or equivalent); audit trail of signatures | |
| Incomplete application management | Automated reminders for incomplete applications; configurable reminder schedule; agency-initiated requests for additional information | |
| Application submission confirmation | Timestamped receipt confirmation; application ID generation; applicant copy via email | |
| Deadline extension per application | Ability for staff to extend submission deadlines at the individual application level | |
| Post-submission applicant modification | Ability for applicants to modify submitted applications at the discretion of program staff |
SECTION 6 — APPLICATION REVIEW, WORKFLOW & SCORING
Describe the staff-facing review interface, case management, configurable scoring, and committee workflow capabilities for all program types. In addition, respond to the requirements listed below.
6.1 Staff Review Interface & Case Management
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Reviewer dashboard | Personalized queue showing assigned cases, status, deadlines, and priority flags | |
| Case assignment | Manual and rule-based assignment; workload balancing; supervisor override | |
| Parallel review | Multiple reviewers can assess the same application simultaneously with independent checklists | |
| Completeness review | Structured completeness checklist; automated deficiency letters with applicant response portal | |
| Internal notes & collaboration | Reviewer notes, @mentions, and discussion threads at application level; not visible to applicants | |
| Correspondence management | Templated letters (request for information, award, denial, appeal); automated log of all correspondence |
6.2 Configurable Scoring & Committee Management
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Scoring rubric builder | Agency defines criteria, weights, scales (numeric, pass/fail, percentage), and maximum scores | |
| Blind scoring option | Configurable option to hide applicant identity from reviewers during initial scoring phase | |
| Committee panel management | Define panels, assign members, set quorum requirements, and track completion | |
| Score aggregation & tie-breaking | Automatic averaging, median, or weighted aggregation; configurable tie-breaking rules | |
| Appeals & reconsideration | Formal appeals intake, reviewer assignment, independent scoring, and resolution documentation | |
| Award recommendation workflow | Ranked award list generation; supervisor approval chain; conditional award management | |
| Panel review workflows | Support for panel-based review processes including multi-reviewer panels, quorum rules, and aggregated scoring (preferred) |
SECTION 7 — COMPLIANCE, REPORTING & DATA SECURITY
7.1 Regulatory Compliance & Audit Trail
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Immutable audit log | All user actions logged with user ID, timestamp, IP address, and before/after values; logs non-editable and retained minimum 7 years | |
| HUD IDIS / eCon Planning Suite | Data export compatible with HUD IDIS for CDBG/HOME reporting; structured data fields mapping | |
| Supportive Services Reporting | Service Data Collection, Impact Analysis, Source of Funds, Hours Tracking, Data Analysis cross referencing 3 Year Compliance Plans. (preferred). Ability to add custom fields for reporting purposes. | |
| Fair Housing & AFFH reporting | Demographic data collection, fair housing analysis outputs, and AFFH tool-compatible export | |
| Environmental review tracking | Level of environmental review per activity, responsible entity, and tiering documentation | |
| Federal financial reporting | SF-425 Federal Financial Report data compilation; expenditure tracking by federal award | |
| Report submission compliance | Enforcement of reporting deadlines and required submissions; automated alerts for overdue compliance reports | |
| Submission validation rules | Configurable validation rules to prevent incomplete or non-compliant submissions from being accepted | |
| External partner compliance uploads | Ability for external applicants and partners to upload or complete compliance reports through the portal | |
| Right to Know / FOI compliance | Ability to export and provide data in response to Right to Know (Freedom of Information) requests |
7.2 Data Security & Hosting Requirements
Minimum Security Requirements
The Agency requires at minimum: FedRAMP Moderate Authorization (or active pursuit), SOC 2 Type II, AES-256 encryption at rest and in transit, MFA for all users, and US-only data residency. Proposals not meeting these minimums may be disqualified.
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| FedRAMP / StateRAMP | FedRAMP Moderate Authorization or equivalent state authorization; provide current authorization status and ATO date | |
| SOC 2 Type II | Current SOC 2 Type II report covering all five Trust Service Criteria; report dated within 12 months; attach in Attachment 2 | |
| Encryption | AES-256 encryption at rest; TLS 1.3 in transit; encrypted backups; key management documentation | |
| Multi-factor authentication | MFA required for all staff and admin users; SSO/SAML 2.0 integration with Agency identity provider | |
| Role-based access control | Granular RBAC with principle of least privilege; Agency-managed roles without vendor involvement | |
| Data residency | All production and backup data hosted exclusively in US-based data centers; attestation required | |
| Penetration testing | Annual third-party penetration test; results and remediation summary provided to Agency | |
| Disaster recovery | RTO <= 4 hours, RPO <= 1 hour; DR test results from prior 12 months; geographic redundancy |
7.3 Reporting & Analytics
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Pre-built and customizable reports | Pre-built standard reports as well as Agency-configurable custom reports covering all program areas | |
| Dashboard views for program performance | Configurable dashboards providing at-a-glance visibility into program and portfolio performance metrics | |
| Export capabilities | Data export in CSV, Excel, and PDF formats for all reports and data sets | |
| Demographic and geographic data tracking | Ability to query and report on data by County, political district, zip code, and other geographic attributes to support equitable program administration | |
| Compliance and audit reporting | Dedicated compliance and audit reports supporting regulatory obligations and internal quality review |
7.4 Communication Tools
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Automated email notifications | Automated email notifications triggered by configurable workflow events and status changes | |
| Messaging portal | Secure messaging portal enabling direct communication between applicants and Agency administrators at the application level | |
| Template-based communications | Library of configurable message and letter templates for common communications (awards, denials, requests for information, etc.) | |
| Applicant status updates | Real-time or near-real-time status updates delivered to applicants as their applications progress through the review workflow |
7.5 Payment & Funding Tracking
| Requirement | Description / Acceptance Criteria | Supplier Response |
| Financial system integration | Integration with Agency financial systems (e.g., Workday) for seamless data exchange and elimination of duplicate data entry | |
| Grant award tracking and disbursement schedules | Tracking of grant awards, disbursement schedules, and payment history per project and program | |
| Milestone-based payment tracking | Support for milestone-based payment workflows including milestone definition, verification, and coding by funding source | |
| Financial reporting | Financial reporting capabilities covering disbursements, outstanding awards, and funding utilization by program and period |
SECTION 8 — SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE & INTEGRATION
8.1 Technical Architecture
Instructions
Provide an architecture diagram in Attachment 2. Describe your hosting model, technology stack, and scalability approach.
| Architecture Component | Supplier Response |
| Hosting model (SaaS / PaaS / On-Premise / Hybrid) | |
| Primary cloud provider & region(s) | |
| Database platform(s) | |
| Application framework / language | |
| API protocol (REST / GraphQL / SOAP) | |
| Browser & OS compatibility | |
| Mobile platform(s) | |
| CDN / performance optimization | |
| Uptime SLA (99.9% minimum required) |
8.2 Integration Capabilities
Describe available integrations and your approach to custom integration development. Indicate which integrations are included in base pricing and which require additional cost. In In addition, respond to the examples listed below (note: not all of these are required)
| Integration | Native / OOB? | Add-On Cost? | Notes / Protocol |
| HUD TRACS | |||
| HUD PIC | |||
| HUD iREMS | |||
| HUD IDIS (CDBG/HOME) | |||
| IRS MeF / FIRE (8609) | |||
| PHFA data systems | |||
| HMIS (homeless mgmt.) | |||
| DocuSign / Adobe Sign | |||
| Agency Workday Finance and HR system | |||
| Agency identity provider (SSO/SAML) | |||
| GIS / ArcGIS / Google Maps |
SECTION 9 — IMPLEMENTATION APPROACH & TIMELINE
Provide a detailed implementation plan for all modules. Assume a go-live priority of: (1) LIHTC 9% Application (2) PHARE and HEMAP Grant Application/Review/Compliance (3) LIHTC 4% Application (4) Asset Management, (5) NSPIRE Inspection Tool
9.1 Implementation Methodology
Instructions
Describe your project management methodology (Agile, Waterfall, hybrid), approach to change management, data migration strategy, and how you handle scope changes.
9.2 Data Migration Approach
Describe your approach to migrating legacy data including historical LIHTC files, property records, tenant certifications, inspection histories, and financial data. Specify data validation, reconciliation, and acceptance testing procedures.
9.3 Proposed Implementation Milestones
Instructions
Complete the milestone table below. Add rows as needed. Indicate week number relative to contract execution (Week 1 = contract start).
| # | Phase / Milestone | Start (Week) | End (Week) | Key Deliverable |
| 1 | Project kickoff & governance setup | |||
| 2 | Discovery: LIHTC, asset management & inspection requirements | |||
| 3 | Data migration plan finalized & approved | |||
| 4 | LIHTC module configuration complete | |||
| 5 | Multi-family asset management configuration complete | |||
| 6 | NSPIRE mobile app configured & device provisioned | |||
| 7 | HUD system integrations tested (TRACS, IDIS) | |||
| 8 | User acceptance testing (UAT) — LIHTC & asset management | |||
| 9 | User acceptance testing (UAT) — NSPIRE inspection tool | |||
| 10 | Grant application & review module configuration | |||
| 11 | Compliance & reporting module configuration | |||
| 12 | Full system UAT & sign-off | |||
| 13 | Staff training — all modules | |||
| 14 | Parallel operation period | |||
| 15 | Phase 1 go-live: LIHTC | |||
| 16 | Phase 2 go-live: PHARE and HEMAP (State Grant Programs) | |||
| 17 | Phase 3 go-live: Asset Management & NSPIRE Inspection tool | |||
| 18 | Post go-live stabilization & hypercare | |||
| 19 | Project closeout & knowledge transfer |
9.4 Risks & Mitigation
Instructions
Identify at least five implementation risks specific to housing finance agency deployments and describe your mitigation approach.
| # | Risk Description | Likelihood / Impact | Mitigation Strategy |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 |
SECTION 10 — TRAINING, SUPPORT & SLA COMMITMENTS
10.1 Training Plan
Instructions
Describe your training approach for each user role. Indicate what is included in base pricing versus billed separately.
| User Role | Training Format | Duration | Included in Base? | Notes |
| System Administrator | ||||
| PHFA Technical Support Staff | ||||
| PHFA Business Users | ||||
| External users (property managers, developers, etc.) | ||||
| Help Desk / IT Staff |
10.2 Service Level Agreements
| Service / Metric | Agency Requirement | Supplier Commitment | Remedy if Missed |
| System uptime (production) | >= 99.9% measured monthly; excludes scheduled maintenance windows | ||
| Scheduled maintenance window | <= 4 hours/month; nights or weekends only; 5 business days notice | ||
| Emergency (P1) response time | <= 1 hour; defined as system-wide outage or data integrity issue | ||
| High (P2) response time | <= 4 business hours; major feature unavailable | ||
| Medium (P3) response time | <= 1 business day; significant degradation | ||
| Low (P4) response time | <= 3 business days; minor issue or enhancement | ||
| NSPIRE catalog update timeline | <= 60 days after HUD publishes updated NSPIRE Standards | ||
| HUD AMI / income limit update | <= 30 days after HUD publishes annual limits | ||
| Data backup frequency | Daily minimum; encrypted; geographically redundant | ||
| Disaster recovery RTO | <= 4 hours | ||
| Disaster recovery RPO | <= 1 hour |
SECTION 11 — REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS & ATTESTATIONS
The authorized representative must initial each item and provide final signature below. Incomplete certifications will result in proposal disqualification.
| Initial | Certification Statement |
| All information provided in this Technical Proposal is accurate, complete, and verifiable. | |
| The proposed solution is production-ready; not a prototype, beta, or roadmap item unless explicitly labeled as such. | |
| All LIHTC, NSPIRE, and compliance features described are available in the current generally available release. | |
| The supplier holds or is actively pursuing FedRAMP Moderate Authorization (or state equivalent); current status disclosed in Section 7. | |
| A current SOC 2 Type II report is attached. | |
| The solution supports full offline inspection functionality on iOS and Android devices. | |
| The NSPIRE deficiency catalog is current as of the latest HUD publication and will be updated within 60 days of any HUD revision. | |
| The supplier is not currently debarred, suspended, or excluded from federal or Commonwealth of PA contracting. | |
| No organizational conflict of interest exists between the supplier and the Agency. | |
| Key personnel named in Section 1.4 are available and committed for the duration of the implementation. | |
| The supplier consents to client reference checks and authorizes the Agency to contact all references listed. | |
| The supplier agrees to participate in a product demonstration if requested by the Agency during evaluation. |
11.1 Exceptions & Deviations
List any exceptions to requirements stated in this RFP. Undisclosed exceptions discovered after award may be grounds for contract termination.
| Section # | Requirement | Proposed Alternative / Explanation |
11.2 Final Authorization
| Authorized Signature: | Title: |
| Printed Name: | Organization: |