Section Ii: Procedures and Instructions

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SECTION I: INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION

Missouri Housing Development Commission: / The Missouri Housing Development Commission (“MHDC” or the “Commission”) is a governmental instrumentality of the state of Missouri and a body corporate and politic. In 1969, the 75th General Assembly of Missouri, in the face of a general housing shortage severely affecting low and moderate income persons, established the Commission in order to increase the availability of decent, safe and sanitary housing at prices within the means of low and moderate income persons. The Commission’s authority is derived from Chapter 215 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri, as amended and supplemented. Further information about the Commission and its programs is available on the Commission’s website at
Through its Rental Production Department, the Commission administers a variety of state and federal funding sources to finance the construction and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing for low-income Missourians. Funding is made available through a combination of issuing tax credits and tax-exempt bonds, providing grants, and making low-interest loans. Sources include the Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Missouri Low Income Housing Tax Credit, HOME Investment Partnership Program (“HOME”), federal Risk-Share insurance ("Risk-Share"), National Housing Trust Fund (“HTF”), and the Affordable Housing Assistance Program, as well as the Commission’s own general fund balances. The Commission’s rental production activities are governed by the laws and regulations of each particular funding source as well as Commission policy.
Purpose of RFQ: / The purpose of this Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) is to obtain statements of qualifications and work samples (each a “Proposal” and collectively the “Proposals”) from environmental, ecological, engineering, and geological consulting firms (“Environmental Firms) to review the environmental work submitted to MHDC related to multi-family rental residential property developments that include federal funding. MHDC requires developers to submit site specific environmental reviews that include, but are not limited to, a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment report and if applicable Phase II Environmental Site Assessment report, lead paint / soil reports, asbestos reports, radon reports, and wetland, floodplain, and noise reports.
For the purposes of this RFQ, the Environmental Analyst(s) ("Analyst(s)") are Environmental Firms engaged directly by developers to conduct environmental review of existing and proposed multi-family property developments. The Environmental Consultant ("Consultant(s)") are disinterested third party Environmental Firms, engaged directly by MHDC to independently review Analyst work. The Consultant must have no identity of interest to the developer or other parties related to the transaction. Review by the Consultant is required for all multi-family rental property developments utilizing federal funds, such as the HOME, Risk-Share, or HTF programs. The Consultant will review for compliance with federal and state law as well as U.S. Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) and MHDC requirements.
The Proposals will be used to identify and retain a pool or list of qualified Environmental Consultants to serve the Commission’s needs to review Analyst work for environmental compliance relating to existing and proposed multi-family residential rental properties in Missouri. Such properties have been approved for financing utilizing at least one federal subsidy program.
Scope of Services: / The Consultant must be familiar with federal regulations 24 CFR part 50.4 and 24 CFR part 58.6, as well as 24 CFR part 58.5 (the "Statutory Checklist"). The review may also expand to an Environmental Assessment ("EA") depending on the specific nature of a development. MHDC does not participate in environmental reviews known as Environmental Impact Statements ("EIS").
Consultants are expected to ensure that all environmental reviews conform to state and federal rules and regulations including guidelines per MHDC’s most current Environmental Guidelines posted on MHDC’s website. (see the most current Environmental Review Guidelines Form 1400, Developer’s Guide) Environmental guidance provided by any other applicable government entity, specifically HUD, must be fully complied with at the time such review is conducted.
Consultants will also be responsible for working with MHDC and the Analyst on deficiencies found in the Analyst submissions. This will include providing recommendations for correcting any such deficiencies.
Consultants will be responsible, only after providing hard copies and receiving approval from MHDC,for uploading the Environmental Review and supporting documentation into the HUD Environmental Review Online System (HEROS). Access to HEROS will be provided by MHDC.
Any compliance with environmental regulations requiring notice, comment, or publication shall be the responsibility of MHDC and the Consultant shall not engage in this activity in any manner unless directed by MHDC.
If any portion of a Consultant’s review is developed by a person or entity other than the Consultant that portion must be disclosed and will remain subject to the certification provided that the review conforms to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Upon request by MHDC, Consultant shall provide the qualifications of any such entity and MHDC, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disallow an entity from contributing to the review. All reviews provided by the Consultant must identify the MHDC as an intended user that may rely upon the information.
Exhibit A of this RFQ is a general guide for the types of services MHDC may engage a Consultant for. This is subject to change due to modifications to the MHDC Environmental Review Guidelines Form 1400, Developer’s Guide, state and federal regulations, and/or development modifications.
Respondents selected as a Consultant may not serve as an Analyst on the same project but are otherwise not prohibited from serving as an Analyst on other unrelated projects.
Term of Service: / It is anticipated that the selected Consultants will be listed by the Commission for three years commencing July 1, 2018(ending June 30, 2021).
MHDC reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to end the term of service for any firm selected pursuant to this RFQ, at any time prior to the expiration of the stated term of service. This right reserved to MHDC to remove a firm is a unilateral right in the sole discretion of MHDC and may be undertaken at any time with or without cause. Selection of a firm to be added at such time may be made from among respondents to this RFQ(each a “Respondent” and collectively the “Respondents”) or pursuant to such other selection process as MHDC shall determine at that time.
Submission of Proposal: / For this submission, provide onehard copy of the Proposal, plus one electronic copy of the Proposal on a flashdrive. In addition, provide one color hard copy of each of the following:
Environmental Phase I report (conforming to ASTM E1527);
Environmental Phase IIreport;
Lead analysis report;
Asbestos analysis report;
Radon analysis report;
Noise analysis report;
If available, a completed HUD 8 Step Process for Floodplain and Wetland;
An example of a report evaluating in more detail at least one specific environmental issuecontained in the Statutory Checklist;
If available, provide examples(no more than three) of an Environmental Review or related analysis for a Phase I or Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) report.
If the Respondent has completed an EA in the last three years, please provide at least one example. The EA considers additional factors that include: environmental justice, land development, socioeconomic, community facilities and services, natural features, Flood Disaster Protection Act (flood insurance), Coastal barriers Resources Ac / Coastal Barrier Improvement Act, or airport runway clear zone disclosure and notification.
The samples developed by the Respondent will preferably involve analysis of a multi-family residential rental LIHTC or HOME propertylocated in the Midwest, dated within the past three years (no earlier than April15, 2014). Also, put a searchable PDFcopy (or similar format) of the sample work on the flash drive. The Proposals must be submitted by the Proposal Due Date (Monday, March 5, 2018) to the following address:
Karen Justice
Production Specialist, Environmental Compliance
Missouri Housing Development Commission
920 Main Street, Suite 1400
Kansas City, Missouri 64105
Each Proposal shall include all information required by this RFQ and must be delivered (personally, or via U.S. Postal Service, Fed Ex, UPS, etc.) in printed bound form, along with one electronic copy on a flash drive, in a sealed envelope marked “Proposal to MHDC to Provide Environmental Analysis Review Services”.
Please Note: Environmental Analysis submitted as a response to this RFQ shall meet current Environmental Guidelines.
The envelope shall be marked with the name of the firm submitting the Proposal. (Neither faxed copies nor electronic submissions will be accepted.)
Proposal Due Date: / Monday March 5, 2018by 4:30 P.M. Central time
Anticipated Timetable for RFQ and Proposals: / RFQ Release date
Proposals Due
Decisions Announced / Monday, January29, 2018
Monday, March 5, 2018
Monday, April 9, 2018

SECTION II: PROCEDURES AND INSTRUCTIONS

Questions: / Questions regarding this RFQ should be directed to the Commission in writing by mail or electronic mail, as follows:
Karen Justice
Production Specialist, Environmental Compliance
Missouri Housing Development Commission
920 Main Street, Suite 1400
Kansas City, Missouri 64105
Phone: (816)759-6842 E-mail:
Notice Regarding Distribution of Questions and Answers
NOTICE: For the purpose of transparency and in an effort to prevent any real or perceived unfair advantage, all questions or requests for additional information submitted to MHDC regarding this RFQ and the corresponding answers will be published on MHDC’s website or otherwise made available to all Respondents.
Standards of Conduct: / Every Respondent, including, but not limited to, their respective principals, key employees and agents acting on their behalf, is obligated to abide by the rules and restrictions imposed by the MHDC's Standards of Conduct, including the rules governing contact with Commissioners and MHDC employees. The failure of any Respondent to abide by the rules and restrictions established by the Standards of Conduct may result in the disqualification of that Respondent's Proposal. Therefore, each Respondent is strongly encouraged to review and familiarize itself with the Standards of Conduct. The Standards of Conduct areavailable on MHDC’s website.
Furthermore, pursuant to the Standards of Conduct, any Proposal under this RFQ shall disclose the name of the individual, entity and/or entities having ownership interests in the Respondent. All entities identified in this disclosure shall be reduced to their human being level irrespective of the number of entity layers which may be present for any disclosed entity. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, to the extent any Respondent under this RFQ is a publicly traded corporation, such a Respondent may limit this disclosure to all board members, officers (and other key employees) and any shareholders owning or controlling ten percent (10%) or more of the corporation. Questions regarding this requirement or any other requirements or restrictions imposed by the Standards of Conduct may be directed to the Commission’s General Counsel, Katherine Jeter-Boldt, by phone at 816-759-6835 or email at
Modifications to Proposals: / No Respondent may modify or correct its Proposal any time after the Proposal Due Date, except in direct response to a request from the Commission for clarification.
Revisions to this RFQ: / In the event that it becomes necessary to revise any part of the RFQ, the Commission will provide an addendum to each firm receiving this RFQ. Any additional information required to clarify portions of this RFQ will be issued in the form of an addendum.
Expense of Preparation of Proposals: / The Commission is not responsible for any expense incurred in preparing and submitting a Proposal, or taking any action in connection with the selection process, or for the costs of any services performed in connection with submission of a Proposal.
Reservation of Rights: / The Commission reserves the right to conduct any investigation of the qualifications of any Respondentthat it deems appropriate; negotiate modifications to any of the items proposed in the Proposal; request additional information from any Respondent; reject any or all Proposals; and waive any irregularities in any Proposal.
The engagement described in this RFQ is not exclusive and MHDC expressly retains the right at any time to retain any other firm or firms to provideother environmentalservices without violating the engagement contemplated by this RFQ.
Public Records: / Respondentsresponding to this RFQ should be aware that the Proposals are public records in accordance with state law, after the evaluation and selection process is completed.
Visits and Interviews / Respondents to this RFQmay be required to schedule a visit to its offices or to another location upon request by the Commission. In addition, Respondents to this RFQ may be interviewed byMHDC staff organized to review applications submitted under this RFQ (the "Committee")as a part of the selection process.

SECTION III: STRUCTURE OF PROPOSAL

1. Each Proposal shall include a transmittal letter signed by an authorized representative of the Respondent. In the transmittal letter the respondentshall certify (i) that no elected or appointed official or employee of the Commission is financially interested, directly or indirectly, in the performance of the services specified in the RFQ, (ii) that the information included in the Proposal is true and correct to the best of its knowledge and (iii) that the person signing the transmittal letter is authorized to execute the Proposal on behalf of the Respondent.

1. Proposals should be organized in the same manner as the individual information request contained in Section V: Proposal Details. Responses to each numbered question shall begin on a separate page (e.g., answers to Question 2 should begin on a separate page from the response to Question 1).

1. The Commission desires to consider Proposals in a consistent and easily comparable format as established in this RFQ. Proposals not organized as set forth in this RFQ may, at the Commission’s discretion, be considered unresponsive. Do not refer to other parts of your Proposal in lieu of answering a specific question. Do not provide references to filings or forms publicly available, including on the firm’s website or in publicly available sources, in lieu of providing specific information in the Proposal.

1. Exhibits containing additional information may be attached to provide more detailed responses, but only if clearly identifiable as related to a specific question.

SECTION IV: MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OF RESPONDENT

Respondent must:

1)Demonstrate that it meets the federal standard to be considered an “Environmental Professional” as described in 40 C.F.R. Section 312.10(b)(2) which requires that the authorized signatory of the Consultant:

a.Be a Professional Engineer (“P.E.”)or Professional Geologist (“P.G.”) licensed to practice engineering or geology, in the state of Missouri with at least three (3) years of full-time relevant experience; or

b.Have achieved a Baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited institution of higher education in a discipline of engineering or science and at least five (5) years of full-time relevant experience; or

c.Have the equivalent of ten (10 years) full-time relevant experience.

Relevant experience as used in Section IV, subsection 1 (a-c) above shall follow the definition established in 40 C.F.R. Section 312.10(b) meaning “participation in the performance of all appropriate inquiries investigations, environmental site assessments, or other site investigations that may include environmental analyses, investigations, and remediation which involve the understanding of surface and subsurface environmental conditions and the processes used to evaluate these conditions and for which professional judgment was used to develop opinions regarding conditions indicative of releases or threatened releases (see § 312.1(c)) to the subject property.”

2)Remain current in their related field through participation in continuing education or such other activities.

3)If engaging other individuals or entities to complete any portion of MHDC ConsultantReview, Respondent must have the ability to certify that such person or entity has conducted the relevant work under the direct supervision of the Consultant who is responsible for that work in accordance with 40 C.F.R. Section 312.10(b)(5). Additionally, Respondent must certify that the work conforms to the standards of HUD, MHDC, or other such appropriate entities.

4)Have the ability to write a MHDC Consultant Review report that, at a minimum, clearly shows the methodology used to arrive at intermediate and final conclusions and follow MHDC, HUD, and statutory environmental guidelines and regulations. This includes providing all supporting documentation required in paper and electronic format.

5)Be familiar with or able to familiarize themselves with the Environmental Guidelines established by MHDC, the Developer’s Guide, the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), HUD, and other related laws, rules, and regulations.

6)Have the ability, if necessary, to upload documentation into electronic systems (including the HUD Environmental Review Online System “HEROS”) developed and supported by MHDC and/or HUD.

7)Not have any violations of record related to the professional work requested by this RFQ with any court, governmental body, or environmental related regulatory or licensing entity.

8)Not have any violations of record related to the professional work requested by this RFQ with MHDC, HUD, or any other state housing finance agency.

9)Be able to work under tight deadlines.

10)Have substantial knowledge and experience withEnvironmental Analysis and assessments. Knowledge of the LIHTC, HOME, Risk-Share, and/or HTFprograms is preferred.

11)Have the ability to provide independent opinions and officially and affirmatively certify the accuracy of their work.

12)Conform to and provide analysis compliant with the most current version of Environmental Assessment and Risk Management Standards established by ASTM International. This includes specifically, conformance withmost current version of ASTM E1527outlining the “Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process.”

13)Maintain professional liability/errors and omissions insurance. The limit of liability shall be no less than $1 million per occurrence. The Consultant, its directors, officers, and key individuals being designated in this Proposal shall be named as “additional insureds” under such policy. Consultant must also provide evidence that it maintains current workers’ compensation insurance.