OwnPGH Homeownership Program - Mortgage Lending Services - Request for Qualifications

The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) requests qualifictions from a variety of lending institutions (“the Applicant”) to provide mortgage lending services in partnership with the OwnPGH program.

The URA is the City of Pittsburgh's economic development agency, committed to creating jobs, expanding the City's tax base, and improving the vitality of businesses and neighborhoods. Incorporated in 1946 as one of the first redevelopment authorities in the United States, the URA achieves this mission by assembling, preparing and conveying sites for major mixed-use developments; and by providing a portfolio of programs that include financing for business location, relocation and expansion, housing construction and rehabilitation, and home purchases and improvements.

The OwnPGH program is a first-time homebuyer program that provides up to $90,000 to homebuyers seeking to purchase a home within the City of Pittsburgh.

More information regarding OwnPGH can be found at OwnPGH Homeownership Program.

The selected applicants will be eligible for selection by OwnPGH applicants to provide mortgage lending services.

The selected applicants must:

• Have a minimum of 5 years of experience lending to and serving low income populations in the Pittsburgh area
• Be willing to adhere to the processes and procedures of the OwnPGH program.

Additionally: Prior acceptable experience with the URA will be considered.

Each submission should include the following:

1. Title Page - Include the lender’s name, contact person, and contact information
   
   
2. Table of Contents
   
   
3. Primary Qualifications - Provide a brief narrative that explains why your institution is well qualified to provide the services for which your institution would like to be considered. Describe similar work your institution or team has completed. Include information on how your institution markets to low income households, what, if any, first mortgage programs are specifically offered to this segment of the market, and efforts your institution has made to reduce barriers for low income first time homebuyers.
   
   
4. Lender Profile - Provide a brief profile of your institution, including:
   a. Number of total employees; and
   b. Number and names of employees who will be dedicated to the OwnPGH program.
   
   
5. Biography of Key Personnel - Identify the staff within the organization who will be actively working on the OwnPGH program. Please include the individuals’ relevant experience and their work location.
   
   
6. References - Provide two (2) references from entities that have worked with your institution on similar projects. Provide only references who have directly worked with one or more members of the institution’s proposed team. Include the reference’s name, title, address, direct telephone number, and email address.
   
   
7. Minority and Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Narrative - The URA has a long history of diversity and inclusion within all its programs and other activities. The URA encourages the full participation of minority and women business owners and professionals in this effort. The URA requires that all respondents demonstrate a good faith effort to obtain minority and women-owned business participation in work performed in connection with URA projects. In the form of a narrative, state as succinctly as possible your firm’s efforts to provide opportunities for MWBE firms. MWBE participation can be satisfied by:
   a. Ownership/partnership of firm;
   b. Use of minority- or women-owned businesses as vendors for legal, printing, office supplies, travel, etc.; and
   c. Subcontracting with organizations owned and controlled by minorities and/or women. If this is to be done, that fact, and the name of the proposed subcontracting organizations, must be clearly identified in the proposal.
   **Any questions about MWBE requirements should be directed to MWBE@ura.org.**
   
   
8. Other Information - Please provide any other information which you believe is pertinent to the URA’s consideration of your institution.

All inquiries related to this RFQ are to be directly emailed to ownpgh@ura.org.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Monday July 31st, 2023 at 5:00 PM

The applicant should submit one (1) electronic copy delivered in PDF format via email. All submissions are to be submitted to ownpgh@ura.org.

• The qualifications review committee (“Committee”) will consist of the members of the URA’s Housing Department, Communications, Performance and Compliance, and Legal Departments.
• The Committee will check responses against mandatory criteria. Responses not meeting all mandatory criteria will not be considered for review.
• Formal interviews of applicants may be scheduled at the discretion of the Committee.
• During the evaluation process, the URA reserves the right to request additional information or clarifications from the applicants or to allow corrections of errors or omissions.
• The Committee shall recommend to the URA Board of Directors a list of applicants based upon institutions’ responses to this RFQ.

RFQ Evaluation Period: Tuesday, August 1, 2023 – Thursday, August 31, 2023
URA Board Approval and Final Notification: Thursday, September 14, 2023

• Experience – The applicant’s experience in providing services similar to those within the Scope of Services described herein; the quality of the applicant’s management, reputation and references; the applicant should have at least 5 years of experience providing the services specified in its response.
• Quality of Submission – The quality of the submission and the degree to which it demonstrates the team members’ full understanding of the ability to perform the services to be rendered; the content of the response should demonstrate the applicant’s full understanding of the Objectives, along with sample materials.
• MWBE Strategy or if the Applicant is a MWBE

• The applicant, including any and all team members, must have no conflict of interest with regard to any other work performed by the applicant for the URA or related entity.
• The applicant must adhere to the instructions contained in this RFQ in preparing the submitted proposal.
• The URA requires that all applicants demonstrate a good faith effort to obtain MWBE participation in work performed in connection with URA initiatives. Any questions about MWBE requirements should be directed to MWBE@ura.org.

The URA intends to select one or more applicants based upon information in the response to the RFQ submitted by the applicants, performance in previous undertakings and other pertinent factors. The selected applicant(s) will be chosen on the basis of the selection criteria listed above.

The URA shall be the sole judge as to which applicant(s) meet the selection criteria. The URA reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject any or all responses received, to waive any submission requirements contained within this RFP, and to waive any irregularities in any submitted response.

The URA reserves the right to verify the accuracy of all information submitted.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh abides by all applicable laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and refrains from discriminating on the basis of age, race, color, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, political or union affiliation, and/or disability. No person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination solely on the basis of any of the above factors under the loan and grant programs operated by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.