Public Notice in English

Notice is hereby given that the COUNTY OF UNION will receive and open proposals on Friday, April 21, 2023 at 11:30 a.m. in the Union County Administration Building, 10 Elizabethtown Plaza, Department of Economic Development, Community Services/Bureau of Housing Conference Room, 3rd Floor, Elizabeth, New Jersey, for:

HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM – UC-HOME RFP

Proposals are being solicited through a fair and open process in accordance with N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.4.

This notice solicits proposals from providers of housing for the purpose of providing affordable housing for the residents of Union County. The County of Union intends to invest HOME funds into projects that further expand the availability of affordable housing through rental new construction, rental rehabilitation, tenant-based rental assistance (TBRA) or homebuyer new construction and rehabilitation for low income households.

The HOME Program is designed to form partnerships with non-profit organizations and private developers committed to affordable housing, and may be mixed-income and/or mixed use.

The County of Union reserves the right to review the amount and form of any investments(s) with any number of partners in order to achieve its affordable housing goals.

This notice announces that approximately $2,700,000.00 may be available from the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, of which approximately $206,000.00 will be available for activities provided by Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO). HOME Investment Partnerships Program funding is governed by the federal National Affordable Housing Act; further information is available in the Application Package. The County of Union reserves the right to amend, modify, or waive conditions of this Requests for Proposals (RFP) and/or reject any or all proposals submitted.

The RFP may be obtained either by downloading it from the County of Union’s website http://ucnj.org/vendor-opportunities/rfqs-and-rfps/current or via U.S. Postal Service upon written request. Fax your request for an RFP package to: (908) 352-3980 or write to: HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Division of Community Services/Bureau of Housing, Union County Administration Building, 10 Elizabethtown Plaza, 3rd floor, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07207 beginning on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. The RFP may also be obtained upon request by calling the Bureau of Housing at (908) 527-4258. All questions regarding the RFP must be submitted in writing by no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 18, 2023. Questions may be emailed to Nicholas Micheludis in the Division of Community Services/Bureau of Housing at nmicheludis@ucnj.org. Proposers should be aware that the County of Union may issue addenda to the RFP package. The County of Union is only obligated to inform proposers of such addenda if they have obtained a package directly from the County of Union or have downloaded it from the County of Union’s website. It is the sole responsibility of the proposer to be knowledgeable of any and all addenda related to this procurement. Therefore, interested parties should check the website throughout the RFP process for any updates.

Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the Technical Assistance Meeting. The Technical Assistance Meeting will be held for all interested proposers via Zoom on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at 1:00 P.M via the link provided below:

• https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84490264980?pwd=anhqV1YzNVRiZHFRbFIrNXZJVk5TQT09
• Meeting ID: 844 9026 4980
• Passcode: 974250

Proposers are reminded to review their submissions for any information they consider to be confidential. The County of Union is not responsible for the release of any information contained in the proposal package which may be subject to confidentiality.

Proposal delivery is strongly encouraged to be made via commercial mail carrier (USPS, FedEx, UPS) so that tracking information is confirmed. The County of Union is not responsible for late delivery by the U.S. Postal Service or any other carrier. No late proposals will be accepted. Proposals submitted by fax or e-mail will not be accepted.

If a proposal will include relocation of individuals, the proposer must submit a comprehensive relocation plan. The proposer must send General Information Notices (GIN) to all of their tenants via certified mail prior to application. When the time comes to submit the proposals to the County of Union, the proposer will need to include a minimum of ten (10) General Information Notices, with certified mail proof. Regulations: Home Final Rule: 24 CFR 92; HOME Program Recordkeeping regulations: 24 CFR 92.508; HOME Program Relocation regulations: 24 CFR 92.353.

All information requested in the RFP must be provided or the proposal may be disqualified. All proposals must be sealed and CLEARLY labeled Attention: “PROPOSAL FOR HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM UC-HOME RFP”. Proposals must be submitted in the form required by the specifications including one (1) original paper hard copy, along with nine (9) paper hard copies and one (1) electronic copy of the Application Package, in Word and Excel application format, with the required scanned attachments on a USB drive. Proposals must be received by 11:30 a.m. on April 21, 2023.

Packages may be received prior to the due date and should be addressed to:

Joseph J. Altavilla, Jr., Esq.
County of Union
Office of the County Counsel
10 Elizabethtown Plaza, 5th Floor
Elizabeth, NJ 07207
Attention: PROPOSAL FOR HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM:
UC-HOME RFP

The Board of County Commissioners reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, to waive any informality in the RFP process, and to accept any proposals which, in their judgment, are most advantageous, price and other factors considered, and will best serve the interest of the County of Union.

Proposers are required to comply with the requirements of N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27.

If English is not your first language and you need an interpreter, or you need to have documents translated from English to your native language, please contact our office. Furthermore, the County requests a notice in advance for any residents with disabilities so reasonable accommodations can be made. If you would like to attend the technical assistance meeting, please call Nicholas Micheludis at 908-527-4258 or email nmicheludis@ucnj.org for links and/or additional information.

“Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 17:44-2.2, the vendor shall maintain all documentation related to products, transactions or services under this contract for a period of five (5) years from the date of final payment. Such records shall be made available to the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller upon request.”