Title Services - City of Pittsburgh

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 PLB is a Single Purpose entity that facilitates the transition of distressed real property into productive reuse, whether public use or private development. The PLB is an affiliated entity of the URA.

The URA seeks to create a panel of qualified firms to conduct as-needed services related to title and settlement work. To effectively accomplish the URA’s objectives, the URA is soliciting information from interested firms on their ability to perform these services, including scale, volume and price structure.

The URA researches and acquires approximately 100 parcels annually. These properties can be broken down into two main categories: private arm’s-length transactions, and public transactions. Public transactions comprise the bulk of the URA’s acquisitions purchased from the City of Pittsburgh’s Three Taxing Bodies’ inventory. The PLB is expected to transact on properties beginning in 2021. These will primarily be public transactions.

As these different types of inventory vary greatly in the types and complexity of title-related services required, the URA has set a fixed rate of payment for some components of this work, while the applicants to this RFQ will submit a fee schedule for other services the applicants would be interested in performing under a contract for this work.

Applicants may provide one or more of the services listed below to include in their submission:

• Title Examinations*
  • Title Commitment
  • Current Owner Search
  • Lien Search*See Supplemental Information for requirements for Title Commitments for Three TaxingBodies’ inventory
    *Set fee for Title Commitments for Three Taxing Bodies’ inventory:
    • $400 per parcel
    • $50 bonus if completed and delivered under 30 calendar days
      
      
• Preliminary Title Reports
  
  
• ClosingsProperty Acquisitions
  • Related Deed Recording and fee payment activities
  • Satisfaction of Dockets
  • Property Dispositions
    • Tax certificates
    • No Lien letters
    • Dye Test
    • Zoning Certifications
      
      
• Title Insurance Underwriting**
  **The URA follows the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) fee schedule for titleinsurance services

The selected firms must have:

• An experienced staff with the expertise to address all questions that may arise, includingcomplex title questions
  
  
• The ability to conduct settlements, clear title exceptions, etc.
  
  
• Their own staff, which includes personnel with legal expertise competent to appear andtestify in court if required
  
  
• A sufficient number of examiners and title officers to promptly examine titles and holdsettlements
  
  
• Sufficient office space to hold settlements and preserve records
  
  
• The ability to transmit title reports electronically.
  
  

The selected firm(s) must demonstrate sufficient financial ability to indicate that it can pay losses, if any, under the title insurance issued.

• 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 3-5 years of experience providing the services specified in itsresponse to organizations like the URA.
  
  
• 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 – Respondent’s strategy for incorporating MWBE participation in this opportunity.

Mandatory Elements

1. The applicant, including any and all team members, must have no conflict of interest with regardto any other work performed by the applicant for the URA or related entity.
   
   
2. The applicant must adhere to the instructions contained in this RFQ in preparing the submittedqualification response.
   
   
3. The respondent must include a MWBE narrative.

Respondents must submit their qualification responses electronically via IONWAVE (IWT). Reponses received via other means will not be considered. ALL RESPONSES MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE RESPONSE DUE DATE AND TIME AS STATED IN THE RFQ FOR CONSIDERATION. THIS WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL AWARDED

Please note that the URA uses IONWAVE (IWT) as its bid notification, Q&A, and RFQ submission platform. All questions about this RFQ must be submitted through this RFQ’s IONWAVE (IWT) page. 

Instructions for registering on IONWAVE (IWT) are labeled as Exhibit “A” in the links of this RFQ. Registration can be done by using the following link: Supplier Registration (ionwave.net)

• The qualifications review committee (“Committee”) will consist of the members of the URA Legal, Compliance and Transaction Team.
  
  
• The Committee will check responses against mandatory criteria. Responses not meeting allmandatory 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 their response to this RFQ.

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.

1. The URA shall have the right to verify the accuracy of all information submitted and to make such investigation as it deems necessary to determine the ability of each applicant to perform the obligations in the response. The URA in its discretion reserves the right to reject any response when the available evidence or information does not satisfy the URA that the applicant is qualified to carry out properly the obligations of the response.
   
   
2. The URA shall be the sole judge as to which, if any, Applicant best meet the selection criteria. The URA reserves the right to reject any or all responses, to waive any submission requirements contained within this response, and to waive any irregularities in any submitted response.
   
   
3. This form is submitted subject to errors, omissions, and/or withdrawal without notice by the URA at any time.
   
   
4. All responses, including attachments, supplementary materials, addenda, etc. shall become theproperty of the URA and will not be returned.
   
   
5. Applicants and team members must disclose any conflict of interest, or potential conflict ofinterest, with regards to any employee or staff of the URA or the City of Pittsburgh, and/or anywork performed by the Applicant for the URA, the City of Pittsburgh, or any related entity.