Wayne County panel approves large amendment to TDA Consulting contract after procurement questions; Wilson abstains

Wayne County commissioners' economic development committee voted to approve Amendment 1 to a three‑year professional services contract with TDA Consulting LLC to continue consulting and technical assistance for the county's affordable housing programs and initiatives.

The committee approved the amendment after a lengthy discussion about scope, funding and procurement procedures. Betsy Palazzola, division director for community development, said the contractor has helped shape policies and program underwriting for the county's housing work. Lucius Anthony, assistant director for economic vitality, told commissioners the original award followed an RFP and that TDA has been supporting the county’s housing commission and other HUD‑funded programs.

The amendment increases the contract above the original $125,000 three‑year award; staff described the change as necessary to provide technical capacity while the county ramps up internal staffing to administer large, recently awarded federal programs. Anthony said the county was awarded a community development disaster recovery grant of just over $70 million and that a substantial portion of the additional TDA funding would support administration, oversight and program design tied to those federal funds. He also said the contract is a not‑to‑exceed agreement that runs through 2027.

The committee’s legal counsel questioned whether the original $125,000 award reasonably anticipated the county’s needs for a three‑year period and noted the county’s procurement ordinance expects procurement officers and departments to reasonably estimate needs before awarding contracts. Counsel said the ordinance’s intent is to avoid repeatedly returning to the commission to amend contracts that should have been sized to cover a known multi‑year scope.

Commissioners sought more detail about how the additional funds would be spent. Anthony and Palazzola outlined program areas the consultant will support: administrative oversight for the disaster recovery program (CDBG‑DR), assistance implementing HOME‑ARP and other HUD programs, underwriting and drafting program RFPs, and capacity building while the county recruits permanent staff. Palazzola described TDA as "a contractor that has really proven its worth," saying the firm brings both local and federal experience and helps build internal capacity so contracts can eventually be reduced or ended.

Commissioner Peterson Mayberry asked whether any local firms bid for the work; Anthony said only two vendors responded to the RFP and there was not a local prime contractor among them, though staff said a key consultant assigned to the county is a Metro Detroit resident. Commissioner Wilson pressed for clearer line‑item detail, noting the amendment represents a substantial increase over the original $125,000 award and asking how staff arrived at the new total.

To address those procurement concerns, the motion to approve the amendment included a requirement that staff meet with procurement and representatives from the CEO’s office to review the procurement ordinance and the procurement process used in this case. Commissioner Wilson recorded that he did not have sufficient information to make an informed decision and asked the clerk to record his abstention; the motion carried with that recorded abstention.

Discussion versus decision: commissioners debated procurement practice and program needs (discussion), instructed staff to meet with procurement and the CEO’s office to review the process (direction), and approved Amendment 1 to TDA Consulting’s contract (formal action).

Clarifying details included in the committee record: the original contract amount was $125,000 for three years; staff sought and described an additional allocation of approximately $640,000 (amount added to the original contract was described in discussion as $640,000) to support program administration and technical assistance tied to a roughly $70,000,000 community development disaster recovery grant; the TDA contract term remains unchanged and runs through 2027; the contract is described by staff as a not‑to‑exceed agreement.

The committee moved on to other business after the vote; staff said they would return with additional program items for the committee’s consideration as work on the disaster recovery and HOME‑ARP programs proceeds.