San Antonio previews RFQ to expand contractor list, launches scorecard for home-repair programs

City of San Antonio officials on Dec. 17 presented a pre-solicitation briefing for a request for qualifications to establish an updated courtesy contractor list for the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department's home-rehab programs.

Veronica Gonzalez, assistant director of NHSD, said the city uses three main programs — major rehabilitation, minor repair and an "Under 1 Roof" initiative — to address health-and-safety issues and to preserve aging housing stock. "Affordable housing remains a top priority for San Antonio and home preservation is a key part of that commitment," Gonzalez said. She told councilmembers the programs have an estimated value of about $20 million annually and roughly $100 million over five years and that the current courtesy list includes 15 independent contractors.

The RFQ, Gonzalez said, will establish an updated pool of licensed and insured residential rehab contractors that homeowners may use as a courtesy resource; contractors selected through the solicitation would be eligible to remain on the list for five years. She described the planned evaluation criteria as experience (60 points), proposed plan (35 points) and a Veteran-Owned Small Business preference worth up to 5 points. Gonzalez also said federal grant rules prohibit applying local preference points for this solicitation.

Councilmembers pressed staff on oversight, homeowner protections and capacity. Mayor Pro Tem raised two central concerns: that placing the onus on homeowners to choose contractors could be burdensome and could expose residents to conflicts of interest when they hire neighbors or acquaintances, and whether the city could provide legal help for homeowners who face contractor disputes. "I worry ... we're placing a pretty large burden on homeowners for a program that we administer," the Mayor Pro Tem said. NHSD responded that the courtesy list is intended to reduce the research burden and that homeowners may still choose contractors outside the list if they obtain multiple bids and meet program standards. Staff said the city attorney cannot provide direct legal advice to private homeowners under the charter, but NHSD has agreements with outside legal partners that can provide limited services such as title-clearance assistance and referrals.

Councilmember Castillo welcomed the contractor scorecard as a tool to track performance and to document warranty and dispute-resolution activity. "This will provide an opportunity ... for our constituents to understand that if there are concerns, whether it's with timeline or quality, that it will be tracked," Castillo said. Gonzalez said the scorecard will evaluate schedule performance, budget adherence, workmanship, responsiveness and homeowner satisfaction; results will inform annual contractor reviews and future selection decisions.

Councilmembers and NHSD staff also discussed program capacity. Staff said minor repair projects can go up to $25,000, major rehab up to $130,000 for construction costs alone, and full reconstruction can approach $185,000. Gonzalez noted the city uses a mix of federal grants (about $8 million for major rehab), bond proceeds and general funds to support the work and that NHSD expanded third-party inspection capacity this year to improve oversight. Several members urged staff to include solicitation language and outreach strategies designed to recruit more contractors, and staff said the RFQ can signal that council may increase funding in future budgets to attract additional bidders.

NHSD said it expects to release the solicitation next month with a closing in February, and that recommendations from the evaluation committee and a post-solicitation briefing are planned for the June B session, with council consideration later that month. Staff committed to return with follow-up materials that lay out what expanding the program would require — both contractor numbers and internal staffing — and to provide more detailed nonprofit capacity data when the post-solicitation report is presented.

The briefing closed with staff promising to incorporate council feedback on dispute documentation, recruitment and solicitation language. No formal action or vote took place during the session; the meeting adjourned at 2:56 p.m.