Green Rental Housing Ordinance Support Services

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
RFP # 26-33
Green Rental Housing Ordinance Support Services
City of Ann Arbor
Office of Sustainability and Innovations
Due Date: June 3, 2026, by 2:00 p.m. (local time)
Issued By:
City of Ann Arbor
Procurement Unit
301 E. Huron Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION I: GENERAL INFORMATION ........................................................................3
SECTION II: SCOPE OF SERVICES ........................................................................... 10
SECTION III: MINIMUM INFORMATION REQUIRED ................................................. 12
SECTION IV: ATTACHMENTS .................................................................................... 16
APPENDIX A: SAMPLE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT ........................ 24
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SECTION I - GENERAL INFORMATION
A. OBJECTIVE
In 2025, Ann Arbor City Council adopted a Green Rental Housing Ordinance with the
aim of ensuring renters get a minimum baseline of health, comfort, and energy
efficiency. At its core, the Ordinance is a consumer protection ordinance, helping
ensure renters have information about potential future rentals and are, therefore, able
to make informed choices about where to live. With over 55% of Ann Arbor's residents
being renters, the Ordinance is an important part of keeping rental units safe, healthy,
and sustainable.
The Ordinance officially went into effect in January of 2026 and since that time, staff
in the Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations (OSI) have identified a series
of challenges ranging from education and outreach to heavy administrative workloads,
to technical support barriers and compliance hurdles. The purpose of this request for
proposals is to identify firms capable of aiding the City in lessening these challenges,
specifically as it relates to technical assistance.
In total, OSI is seeking support in one workstream: around 16-20 hours a week across
50 weeks a year in technical assistance support for landlords and property managers
working to come into compliance with the Ordinance. More details about the specific
needs can be found in the Scope of Services section, below.
B. QUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS / DESIGNATED CITY CONTACTS
All questions regarding this Request for Proposal (RFP) shall be submitted via e-mail.
Questions will be accepted and answered in accordance with the terms and conditions
of this RFP.
All questions shall be submitted on or before May 14, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., and
should be addressed as follows:
Scope of Work/Proposal Content questions shall be e-mailed to Joe Lange, Senior
Energy Analyst - JLange@a2gov.org
RFP Process and Compliance questions shall be e-mailed to Colin Spencer, Buyer
- CSpencer@a2gov.org
Should any prospective offeror be in doubt as to the true meaning of any portion of
this RFP, or should the prospective offeror find any ambiguity, inconsistency, or
omission therein, the prospective offeror shall make a written request for an official
interpretation or correction by the due date for questions above.
All interpretations, corrections, or additions to this RFP will be made only as an official
addendum that will be posted to a2gov.org and MITN.info and it shall be the
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prospective offeror's responsibility to ensure they have received all addenda before
submitting a proposal. Any addendum issued by the City shall become part of the
RFP, and must be incorporated in the proposal where applicable.
C. PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING
A pre-proposal meeting will be held:
WHEN: May 12, 2026, at 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: This meeting will be held virtually through Microsoft Teams. Interested
parties shall contact Joe Lange, JLange@a2gov.org, to receive this
invitation.
The meeting is not mandatory; however, it is highly recommended that interested
offerors attend the meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the project with
prospective offerors and to answer any questions concerning RFP 26-33. Any
questions and answers furnished in the pre-proposal meeting will not be official until
verified in writing through an addendum.
D. PROPOSAL FORMAT
To be considered, each firm must submit a response to this RFP using the format
provided in Section III. No other distribution of proposals is to be made by the
prospective offeror. An official authorized to bind the offeror to its provisions must
sign the proposal. Each proposal must remain valid for at least ninety days from the
due date of this RFP.
Proposals should be prepared simply and economically providing a straightforward,
concise description of the offeror's ability to meet the requirements of the RFP. No
erasures are permitted. Mistakes may be crossed out and corrected and must be
initialed in ink by the person signing the proposal.
E. SELECTION CRITERIA
Responses to this RFP will be evaluated using a point system as shown in Section III.
A selection committee comprised of staff from the City will complete the evaluation.
The fee proposals will not be reviewed at the initial evaluation. After initial evaluation,
the City will determine top proposals, and open only those fee proposals. The City
will then determine which, if any, firms will be interviewed. During the interviews, the
selected firms will be given the opportunity to discuss their proposal, qualifications,
past experience, and their fee proposal in more detail. The City further reserves the
right to interview the key personnel assigned by the selected offeror to this project. If
the City chooses to interview any respondents, the interviews will be tentatively held
the week of July 13, 2026. Offeror must be available on these dates.
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All proposals submitted may be subject to clarifications and further negotiation. All
agreements resulting from negotiations that differ from what is represented within the
RFP or in the proposal response shall be documented and included as part of the final
contract.
F. SEALED PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
All proposals are due and must be delivered to the City on or before, June 3,
2026, at 2:00 p.m. (local time). Proposals submitted late or via oral, telephonic,
telegraphic, electronic mail or facsimile will not be considered or accepted.
Each respondent must submit in a sealed envelope
* one (1) original proposal
* one (1) digital copy of the proposal preferably on a USB/flash drive
as one file in PDF format
Each respondent should submit in a single separate sealed envelope marked
Fee Proposal
* two (2) copies of the fee proposal
The fee proposal and all costs should be separate from the rest of the
proposal.
Proposals submitted should be clearly marked: "RFP# 26-33 - Green Rental
Housing Ordinance Support Services" and list the offeror's name and address.
Proposals must be addressed and delivered to:
City of Ann Arbor
c/o Customer Service
301 East Huron Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
All proposals received on or before the due date will be publicly opened and recorded
on the due date. No immediate decisions will be rendered.
Hand delivered bids may be dropped off in the Purchasing drop box located in the Ann
Street (north) vestibule/entrance of City Hall which is open to the public Monday
through Friday from 8am to 5pm (except holidays). The City will not be liable to any
prospective offeror for any unforeseen circumstances, delivery, or postal delays.
Postmarking on the due date will not substitute for receipt of the proposal. Offerors
are responsible for submission of their proposal. Additional time will not be granted
to a single prospective offeror. However, additional time may be granted to all
prospective offerors at the discretion of the City.
A proposal may be disqualified if the following required forms are not included
with the proposal:
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* Attachment C - City of Ann Arbor Non-Discrimination Declaration of
Compliance
* Attachment D - City of Ann Arbor Living Wage Declaration of Compliance
* Attachment E - Vendor Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form of the RFP
Document
Proposals that fail to provide these forms listed above upon proposal opening
may be deemed non-responsive and may not be considered for award.
Please provide the forms outlined above (Attachments C, D and E) within your
narrative proposal, not within the separately sealed Fee Proposal envelope.
All proposed fees, cost or compensation for the services requested herein
should be provided in the separately sealed Fee Proposal envelope only.
G. DISCLOSURES
Under the Freedom of Information Act (Public Act 442), the City is obligated to permit
review of its files, if requested by others. All information in a proposal is subject to
disclosure under this provision. This act also provides for a complete disclosure of
contracts and attachments thereto.
H. TYPE OF CONTRACT
A sample of the Professional Services Agreement is included as Appendix A. Those
who wish to submit a proposal to the City are required to review this sample agreement
carefully. The City will not entertain changes to its Professional Services
Agreement.
The City reserves the right to award the total proposal, to reject any or all proposals
in whole or in part, and to waive any informality or technical defects if, in the City's
sole judgment, the best interests of the City will be so served.
This RFP and the selected offeror's response thereto, shall constitute the basis of the
scope of services in the contract by reference.
I. NONDISCRIMINATION
All offerors proposing to do business with the City shall satisfy the contract compliance
administrative policy adopted by the City Administrator in accordance with the Section
9:158 of the Ann Arbor City Code. Breach of the obligation not to discriminate as
outlined in Attachment C shall be a material breach of the contract. Contractors are
required to post a copy of Ann Arbor's Non-Discrimination Ordinance attached at all
work locations where its employees provide services under a contract with the City.
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J. WAGE REQUIREMENTS
The Attachments provided herein outline the requirements for payment of prevailing
wages or of a "living wage" to employees providing service to the City under this
contract. The successful offeror must comply with all applicable requirements and
provide documentary proof of compliance when requested.
K. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE
The City of Ann Arbor Purchasing Policy requires that the consultant complete a
Conflict of Interest Disclosure form. A contract may not be awarded to the selected
offeror unless and until the Procurement Unit and the City Administrator have
reviewed the Disclosure form and determined that no conflict exists under applicable
federal, state, or local law or administrative regulation. Not every relationship or
situation disclosed on the Disclosure Form may be a disqualifying conflict. Depending
on applicable law and regulations, some contracts may awarded on the
recommendation of the City Administrator after full disclosure, where such action is
allowed by law, if demonstrated competitive pricing exists and/or it is determined the
award is in the best interest of the City. A copy of the Conflict of Interest Disclosure
Form is attached.
L. COST LIABILITY
The City of Ann Arbor assumes no responsibility or liability for costs incurred by the
offeror prior to the execution of a Professional Services Agreement. The liability of
the City is limited to the terms and conditions outlined in the Agreement. By submitting
a proposal, offeror agrees to bear all costs incurred or related to the preparation,
submission, and selection process for the proposal.
M. DEBARMENT
Submission of a proposal in response to this RFP is certification that the Respondent
is not currently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, and declared ineligible
or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any State or Federal
departments or agency. Submission is also agreement that the City will be notified of
any changes in this status.
N. PROPOSAL PROTEST
All protests must be in writing and filed with the Purchasing Agent within 5 business
days of any notices of intent, including, but not exclusively, divisions on pre-
qualification of bidders, shortlisting of bidders, or a notice of intent to award a contract.
Only bidders who responded to the solicitation may file a bid protest. The offeror must
clearly state the reasons for the protest. If an offeror contacts a City Service Area/Unit
and indicates a desire to protest an award, the Service Area/Unit shall refer the offeror
to the Purchasing Manager. The Purchasing Manager will provide the offeror with the
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appropriate instructions for filing the protest. The protest shall be reviewed by the City
Administrator or designee, whose decision shall be final.
Any inquiries or requests regarding this procurement should be only submitted in
writing to the Designated City Contacts provided herein. Attempts by the offeror to
initiate contact with anyone other than the Designated City Contacts provided herein
that the offeror believes can influence the procurement decision, e.g., Elected
Officials, City Administrator, Selection Committee Members, Appointed Committee
Members, etc., may lead to immediate elimination from further consideration.
O. SCHEDULE
The proposals submitted should define an appropriate schedule in accordance with
the requirements of the Proposed Work Plan in Section III.
The following is the schedule for this RFP process.
Activity/Event Anticipated Date
Pre-Proposal Virtual Meeting May 12, 2026, 1:00 p.m.
Written Question Deadline May 14, 2026, 10:00 a.m.
Addenda Published (if needed) Week of May 18, 2026
Proposal Due Date June 3, 2026, 2:00 p.m. (Local Time)
Tentative Interviews (if needed) Week of July 13, 2026
Selection/Negotiations July 2026
Expected City Council Authorizations August 2026
The above schedule is for information purposes only and is subject to change at the
City's discretion.
P. IRS FORM W-9
The selected offeror will be required to provide the City of Ann Arbor an IRS form W-
9.
Q. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS
1. The City reserves the right in its sole and absolute discretion to accept or reject
any or all proposals, or alternative proposals, in whole or in part, with or without
cause.
2. The City reserves the right to waive, or not waive, informalities or irregularities in
of any proposal if determined by the City to be in its best interest.
3. The City reserves the right to request additional information from any or all offerors.
4. The City reserves the right to reject any proposal that it determines to be
unresponsive and deficient in any of the information requested within RFP.
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5. The City reserves the right to determine whether the scope of the project will be
entirely as described in the RFP, a portion of the scope, or a revised scope be
implemented.
6. The City reserves the right to select one or more consultants to perform services.
7. The City reserves the right to retain all proposals submitted and to use any ideas
in a proposal regardless of whether that proposal is selected. Submission of a
proposal indicates acceptance by the firm of the conditions contained in this RFP,
unless clearly and specifically noted in the proposal submitted.
8. The City reserves the right to disqualify proposals that fail to respond to any
requirements outlined in the RFP, or failure to enclose copies of the required
documents outlined within RFP.
R. ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT
The City of Ann Arbor recognizes its responsibility to minimize negative impacts on
human health and the environment while supporting a vibrant community and
economy. The City further recognizes that the products and services the City buys
have inherent environmental and economic impacts and that the City should make
procurement decisions that embody, promote and encourage the City's commitment
to the environment.
The City strongly encourages potential vendors to bring forward tested, emerging,
innovative, and environmentally preferable products and services that are best suited
to the City's environmental principles. This includes products and services such as
those with lower greenhouse gas emissions, high recycled content, without toxic
substances, those with high reusability or recyclability, those that reduce the
consumption of virgin materials, and those with low energy intensity.
As part of its environmental commitment, the City reserves the right to award a
contract to the most responsive and responsible bidder, which includes bids that bring
forward products or services that help advance the City's environmental commitment.
In addition, the City reserves the right to request that all vendors report their annual
greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, miles traveled, or other relevant
criteria in order to help the City more fully understand the environmental impact of its
procurement decisions.
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SECTION II - SCOPE OF SERVICES
1. Background
In 2025, Ann Arbor City Council adopted a Green Rental Housing Ordinance with the
aim of ensuring renters get a minimum baseline of health, comfort, and energy
efficiency. At its core, the Ordinance is a consumer protection ordinance, helping
ensure renters have information about potential future rentals and are, therefore, able
to make informed choices about where to live. With over 55% of Ann Arbor's residents
being renters, the Ordinance is an important part of keeping rental units safe, healthy,
and sustainable.
The Ordinance officially went into effect in January of 2026 and since that time, staff
in the Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations (OSI) have identified a series
of challenges ranging from education and outreach to heavy administrative workloads,
to technical support barriers and compliance hurdles. The purpose of this request for
proposals is to identify firms capable of aiding the City by providing technical
assistance to lessen these challenges.
To support this work OSI is seeking technical assistance support for landlords and
property managers working to come into compliance with the Ordinance. The City
anticipates awarding a two-year contract to complete these services with a one-year
optional extension. Bidders are anticipated to provide 16-20 hours a week of support
over approximately 50 weeks a year.
2. Work Stream Details
Technical Assistance for Landlords and Property Managers to Aid in Complying
with Green Rental Housing Ordinance
To-date, City staff have provided significant support to help individuals come into
compliance with the Green Rental Housing Ordinance. While this assistance has been
gladly offered, it is taking significant staff time and capacity, meaning that other
workstreams are being neglected. But, what has been learned through these
engagements to-date is that numerous folk will always be looking to call or talk to
someone, despite having answers easily findable online. As such, OSI is seeking
technical assistance support to provide both tools and personal response services to
landlords and property management firms working to come into compliance with the
Green Rental Housing Ordinance.
Specifically, OSI is seeking a firm that will make themselves available around 16-20
hours a week across 50 weeks a year to answer questions, respond to inquiries,
and generally support individual properties with completing their compliance
documentation for the Green Rental Housing Ordinance. This support must also
include helping standardize submission formats to ensure timely compliance with the
Ordinance. OSI envisions this support being similar to the type of support the 2030
District provides for the City's Energy and Water Benchmarking Ordinance whereby
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