Reverse Auction Program

Highlights

Annoucement of Upcoming Auction:

The Reverse Auction Program is planning the following auction:

Auction 207 on Saturday, May 18, 2013 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (EST)

Please be advised that inspections in Auction 207 are to be done using 4.0. Originally as discussed during the conference call on 5/8/13, contractors were informed that these would be done in 2.3. That has been changed and they are to be done using 4.0.

(NEW) Preview of Auction 207
(NEW) Auction 207 - includes approximately one-hundred, thirty (130) Multi-Family housing properties in Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. The auction is scheduled for Saturday, May 18, 2013, from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM Eastern time. The period of performance will be sixty four (64) calendar days starting May 22, 2013 and ending July 24, 2013. It is imperative that these inspections be performed within the period of performance. There will be no extensions and no exceptions to the period of performance. All inspections must be completed by 7/24/2013.

*Please note: Inspections awarded in Auction 207 cannot be scheduled or performed on the following HUD proposed Federal Furlough Days.

HUD's Proposed Federal Furlough Days:
May 24, 2013
June 14, 2013
July 5, 2013
July 22, 2013
August 2, 2013
August 16, 2013
August 30, 2013

For this auction, we need to make you aware of the slightly modified Uniform Physical Condition Standard protocol that you should be applying when you conduct an inspection from this auction.

On July 27, 2011, the White House Domestic Policy Council, HUD, Treasury and USDA met with several state Housing Finance Agency (HFA) representatives, the National Council of State Housing Agencies and other stakeholders to discuss the Obama Administration’s efforts over the past year to reduce duplicative regulations by better aligning federally funded affordable rental housing programs.

HFAs from Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin are part of the physical inspection teams testing how to limit the number of federally sponsored physical inspections at each multifamily property financed with multiple federal funding sources.

In order to accommodate the needs of the various agencies involved, the following slight variations to the UPCS standard protocol should be applied when you conduct an inspection under this pilot program:

Inspector will generate sample based on the total number of units
Regardless of the current vacancy rate, vacant units will be inspected when selected as part of the sample.If vacant units come up in sample inspector WILL NOT MARK AS VACANT and go ahead and inspect it (please remember this because if marked as vacant and saved then inspector will not able to inspect unit). Inspector will put comment in the unit comments field – vacant unit inspected. The current protocol of selecting an alternate unit in the sample due to reasons such as resident sickness, unit in litigation, no keys, etc. remains unchanged.
The inspector should add a note as follows: "HUD-IRS-RD Pilot Program" in the property inspection tab comment section, in addition to the vacancy rate and bed bug information like they already do.
The inspector will include the actual occupancy rate in the Property Section comment box.
Inspectors must call the TAC (1-888-245-4860) and get a TAC # on each inspection since the property profile will need to be changed for each inspection due to the inclusion of non-HUD affiliated units.

Please note that only the inspections included in this auction need to follow these slight modifications to the protocol.

To participate in the bid process for Auction 207 there are six (6) mandatory requirements that eligible contractors must meet:

Have attended the mandatory pre-bid teleconference held May 8, 2013;
Be in good standing with HUD and have no outstanding billing issues;
Have no open past due inspections;
Scheduled inspections for recent auctions by the due date;
Be in compliance with confirmation emails for properly scheduled inspections; and
Have no Termination for Default in recent auctions or be prohibited from participating in auctions.

PENALTY: If a contractor is found to be in violation of these terms, the contractor will be notified via email and will be prohibited from participating in the next five (5) auctions.

Ceiling Prices for Auction 207 are as follows:
Duration	Ceiling Price
0.5 Day =	$375
1 Day =	$575
1.5 Days =	$675
2 Days	$1,000
2.5 Days =	$1,150

*IMPORTANT: Notification of Cancellation
Auction 202, Puerto Rico Housing Authority (PRPHA)
Rescheduled Date to be Determined

The Reverse Auction Program is planning Auction 202, an auction of approximately one-hundred, thirty-five (135) public housing properties located exclusively within the Puerto Rico Housing Authority (PRPHA). Auction 202 rescheduled date is to be determined. The period of performance will be one hundred and thirty-five (135) calendar days* beginning April 9, 2013, and ending August 26, 2013. Only contractors who attended the pre-bid teleconference on February 6, 2013 and are in good-standing with HUD are eligible to bid in Auction 202, without exception.

*Please note: Inspections awarded in Auction 202 cannot be scheduled or performed on the following locally-observed holidays and HUD’s proposed federal furlough days; the period of performance has been extended accordingly:

Locally Observed Holidays:

April 15, 2013 – Jose Diego Day
May 27, 2013 – Memorial Day
July 4, 2013 – Independence Day
July 15, 2013 – Luis Munoz Rivera Day
July 25, 2013 – PR Constitution Day
July 26, 2013 – Jose Celso Barbosa Day

HUD's Proposed Federal Furlough Days:

May 24, 2013
June 14, 2013
July 5, 2013
July 22, 2013
August 2, 2013
August 16, 2013
August 30, 2013

Auction 202 inspections will be conducted utilizing the new 4.0 software and a protocol that differs from the current UPCS protocol. Accordingly, it is critical to understand the details of the revised protocol prior to bidding. The "Inspection Protocol for Performing PRPHA Physical Inspections" is available at the following address: http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=DOC_23143.pdf. Only participants of the February 6, 203, pre-bid teleconference call are eligible to participate in Auction 202, without exception. Inspections awarded in Auction 202 are NOT suitable for Phase II Training.

To participate in the bed process for Auction 202, there are six (6) mandatory requirements that eligible contractors must meet:

Participate in the mandatory pre-bid teleconference on February 6, 2013.
Be in good standing with HUD and have no outstanding billings issues;
Have no open past due inspections;
Scheduled inspections for recent auctions by the due date;
Be in compliance with confirmation emails for properly scheduled inspections; and
Have no Termination for Default in recent auctions or be prohibited from participating in the next five (5) auctions.

PENALTY: If a contractor is found to be in violation of these terms, the contractor will be notified via email and will be prohibited from participating in the next five (5) auctions.

If you are not already an eligible contractor, all information must have been submitted by close of business, March 26, 2013.

Ceiling Prices for Auction 201 are as follows:
Duration	Ceiling Price
0.5 Day =	$900
1 Day =	$1,100
1.5 Days =	$1,500
2 Days	$1,650
2.5 Days =	$2,000
3 Days =	$2,200

The RAP Newsletter - November 2012
4.0 Bulk Scheduling Available - RAP contractors and inspectors will begin using newly developed inspection software known as PASS 4.O, in the near future!

An added feature of the new software is the Bulk Scheduling process. For those of you interested in exploring the new 4.0 PASS system and using the “Bulk Scheduling” function in the current PASS System, an XML file must be created. A tutorial is available and an optional tool has been developed to create an XML file for the Bulk Scheduling feature. The XML generator tool checks for the mandatory fields for Bulk Scheduling and does a data validation before uploading the inspection schedule file to Secure Systems.

An overview presentation of the XML file generation and Bulk Scheduling process can be found on the new DCD 4.0 web page. Please click on the “Introduction to the Bulk Scheduling Module” to access to the presentation.

The executable file for the XML File Generator tool and Users’ Manual both are available:
- XML Generator
- XML Generator User Guide

If you have any questions or need additional information concerning the new PASS 4.0 Contractor functions, please email REACReverseAuctionProgram@hud.gov or call the TAC at 1-888-246-4860.

*************************************************************

(NEW) 4.0 PASS Software is Here. On August 9, 2012, a new PASS scoring notice was published with an effective date of September 10, 2012. Effective September 17, 2012, only HUD QA inspectors will begin using the newly developed inspection software known as PASS DCD 4.0. This software has been updated in response to various new industry requirements including: the re-engineering of the aging DCD 2.3 software to HUD’s new standard platform; changes to the Dictionary of Deficiency Definitions; and the implementation of a scoring cap. These changes are designed to enhance the overall inspection process and provide for ease of use with more objective inspection results.

In direct coordination with these changes to the inspection software, the PASS internal systems have been updated to provide stakeholders with more timely and accurate results. These changes include (but are not limited to):

A point loss cap, which limits the number of points that a single deficiency can count against the overall property score
Real time inspection status updates
Immediate availability of HUD approved inspections
Built in flexibility for rapid business changes
Online process for mitigation of Exigent Health & Safety (EHS) deficiencies

The first inspections incorporating these updates will be the upcoming inspections for PHAs with Fiscal Year Ending (FYE) 12/31/12. The implementation date for use with Multi-family properties will begin January 1, 2013.

Further communication and outreach to include: on-line training; webcasts; site visits; and interactive presentations are forthcoming. Please refer to the links below for further information and documentation.

To access the new 4.0 DCD webpage, please click the following link:
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/public_indian_housing/reac/products/prodpass/dcd4.0

To review the Scoring Notice, please click the following link:
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/08/09/2012-19335/public-housing-assessment-system-phas-physical-condition-scoring-notice-and-revised-dictionary-of

To access the training modules, please click the following links:

Multi-Family
Public Housing
Special Offering Statement - The following actions will be cause for termination for default for all awarded inspections:
- Failure to schedule inspections within 20 days of the award email.
- Failure to update and maintain accurate inspection schedule information in HUD's Secure Systems.
- Failure to have an active inspector assigned to a scheduled inspection.
- Failure of inspector to appear for any reason for an inspection scheduled with HUD's Quality Assurance (QA) staff. In these cases QA will conduct the inspection and no payment will be due to the contractor.
Special Announcement: Recently, we have noticed that some contractors are attempting to place last minute bids on several lots during the last hour of the auction. Since several of these lots have proxy bids in place, it may take a few minutes to receive confirmation of a bid. Once the bids are placed, the "Place Bids Button" will be grayed out until the bid is verified; please be patient until the bids are finalized for the lot in question.

All bids placed by the contractors will be finalized on a "first come, first served" basis, and any bids accepted by the auction web site will be considered final. This being said, we expect delays in placing bids during the last hour of the auction, as such we encourage you to place bids as early as possible to ensure that your bids are accepted. HUD will proceed with awarding the auction results based on bids accepted by the auction website. Thank you for your cooperation.
Inspection Review Notice: Contractors should check the Inspection Review Web Page often. It is required that posted challenges be responded to within 3 business days. If no response is received within this time-frame, and REAC was not informed of any IT/ technical difficulties, the inspection WILL BE REJECTED. Rejected inspections are not subject to payment.
Reminder: It is important that inspections are NOT over-scheduled, and that Scheduler is kept up-to-date, as stated in the UPCS protocol. Contractors must ensure that adequate resources are available prior to bidding. Failure to adhere to the UPCS protocol and/or the Purchase Order Terms and Conditions may result in suspension of an inspector, HUD-rejected inspections, and/or denial of participation in the Reverse Auction Program.

UPCS Inspection Protocol Other Hazards - Bed Bug Infestation.

Guiding Documents

Quick References

Contractors

List of Contractors - Please note that this is not an all-inclusive list. It only includes those companies that have approved their information to be posted.

Results

Note: All files below are in MS-Excel format unless otherwise noted.