Cobalt Engineering tells Hillsborough County it can speed CDBG home‑repair plans with proprietary templates

Curtis Hampton, owner of Cobalt Engineering, told Hillsborough County procurement officials on Friday that his firm can accelerate Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) single‑family housing repair and replacement projects by using preengineered master plan sets and an internal plan‑generation tool.

Hampton said Cobalt’s proprietary software can generate site‑specific permit packages from a library of mastered floor plans and that automated project schedules prepopulate target turnaround times so delays surface in real time. “We’ve developed an internal, and proprietary software that can generate master plans that regenerate site specific plan sets off of a predesigned master plan set to reduce time on delivery,” Hampton said.

The claim of speed was quantified during questions: Hampton told the committee the approach typically saves about four weeks per site‑specific permit package versus developing plans from scratch. He said typical internal targets include a 14‑day turnaround for boundary surveys and brief engineering windows that are prepopulated in the firm’s project management system.

Hampton said Cobalt has worked on hundreds of projects across Florida and other states and specifically referenced projects in Hillsborough County. He told the committee the company employs more than 100 full‑time staff and that it does not use subcontractors for the services described. “We do not use subcontractors,” Hampton said. “Everything that Cobalt does is based on full time employees of the company.”

County members pressed Cobalt about homeowner interactions and field conduct. Hampton described a prescriptive approach: field staff introduce themselves, explain the homeowner applied for a grant program, limit on‑site commentary about entitlements, collect contact information for questions and follow a cease‑and‑assist policy if confrontations arise.

Committee members also asked about design materials. Hampton said Cobalt can produce concrete masonry unit (CMU) designs but noted that, following flood and hurricane damage, elevated wood construction is often preferred to keep costs lower so programs can serve more homeowners.

Hampton acknowledged program complexities in other jurisdictions. He said a second‑phase Restore Louisiana project proved complicated and that in western North Carolina Asheville declined to participate in the broader program, which affected local rollout. He framed those examples as administrative and contractual constraints rather than firm performance failures.

Procurement staff opened the public, recorded interview and advised participating firms of a 30‑minute slot (15 minutes presentation, 15 minutes Q&A). Kersey closed the interview and asked attendees to monitor the county procurement portal for updates; the committee scheduled another meeting for 3:15 p.m. the same day.

No formal action or award was made during the session; the interview was part of the competitive selection process for RPS 25‑00379.