Taos City Council on Friday approved staff's recommendation to multi-award RFP 24-25-02 for affordable-housing consulting services to Economic and Planning Systems Inc. (EPS) and Project Moxie, authorizing staff to negotiate contracts and return them to the council for approval.

The recommendation, presented by Chief Procurement Officer Bailey, would split the RFP scope so EPS handles tasks 1'through'4 (program development, needs assessment, housing development consulting, second-mortgage components and program implementation) and Project Moxie handles tasks 5'through'7 (home-buyer education, ongoing community education and income certification for town housing programs). Bailey said the specific scope and costs will be negotiated with each consultant after council approval and that both firms will provide quarterly reports to council and monthly updates to the town manager.

The move to multi-award followed staff's recommendation that both firms bring complementary expertise. "The intent for award is to assign the RFP scope of work task 1 through 4 for program and Chamisa Verde development to EPS and 5 through 7 'education for community members and home buyers'to Project Moxie," Bailey said. Bailey also explained that Project Moxie would subcontract to Taos Housing Partnership for parts of its work.

Why it matters: Council members raised urgency about moving from planning and workshops to building inventory. Councilor Fernandez and others repeatedly pressed staff about shortening consultant timelines and ensuring the town does not lose federal funding. Town Manager Lutha Martinez told the council the immediate consultant funding would come from a $400,000 ARPA allocation, and warned that approximately $2.9 million in other funds could be at risk if the town does not encumber certain funds promptly.

Council discussion focused on three themes: 1) whether Taos Housing Partnership should have been the prime applicant rather than subcontractor to Project Moxie and whether local dollars and capacity would be prioritized; 2) the need for HUD-certified documents because federal grant requirements were cited as requiring HUD standards for development documents; and 3) schedule and deliverables, including council direction that staff negotiate deadlines (some councilors requested that an Invitation to Bid for developers be issued within 30 days of contract execution). Bailey and staff said those negotiation items can be included in the contract terms returned to council for approval.

Council members asked about prior work already completed by Taos Housing Partnership and whether consultants would duplicate existing studies and outreach. Bailey said tasks can be tailored during contract negotiation to avoid unnecessary duplication and that EPS's proposal included a 10-month worst-case timeline for completion of development and implementation documents but that timeline could be shortened during negotiations given work already done by local partners.

Funding and technical requirements: Staff said the consultant awards under discussion would be paid from a $400,000 ARPA allocation set aside for consultant work. Martinez said federal funding rules tied to the grants for the larger development project require HUD standards when federal funds are used for development documents; councilors and staff debated whether the town could instead hire a local architect or use existing contracts, and whether HUD certification could be obtained locally.

Votes at a glance: The motion to approve the multi-award passed 3-1. Mayor Pro Tem Framrose voted yes; Council member Fernandez voted yes; Council member Ortega voted yes; Council member Oswald voted no. The motion authorized staff to enter contract negotiations and return contract(s) to council for final approval.

What happens next: Staff said contracts will be negotiated and brought back to council for final approval (staff hoped to have contracts ready by the council's January meeting). Councilors indicated they would use the contract review as the opportunity to add binding schedule requirements or conditions (for example, a requirement to release an ITB/RFP for developers within a set number of days after contract execution). Bailey said both consultants would present their detailed scopes, deliverables and timelines to council after contracts are executed, and councilors would have an opportunity to question them.

Councilors and staff also discussed operational coordination: consultants will provide monthly updates to the town manager, and Bailey said consultants will coordinate with local developers and Taos Housing Partnership; staff identified the town manager or assistant manager as the staff contact during implementation.

Ending: With the council split over the best path to keep work local while meeting federal requirements and funding deadlines, members approved the multi-award and directed staff to negotiate contracts that reflect the council's timing and coordination concerns. The contracts must return to council for final approval before consultant work begins.