Hillsborough County panel rejects two bids, awards Sunshine Community Housing 103-point consensus in RFP review

The Hillsborough County Affordable Housing evaluation committee reviewed three proposals for RFP 600101 and by consensus scored the Sunshine Community Housing Development Organization proposal 103 points, after finding two other submissions unacceptable.

Lisa Damina, the county’s chief buyer for the project, opened the meeting and announced that AAA Builders LLC and Habitat for Humanity in Hillsborough County, Florida, Inc. had been judged unacceptable and would not be evaluated further. Damina said the meeting was being recorded and reminded members that a cone of silence remained in effect for the procurement.

Committee chair Willette Hollinger, Land Resource Manager for Affordable Housing Services, led committee members through each scoring category. On organizational information, capacity and experience, reviewers raised concerns about a recent name and registered-agent change for the applicant but resolved the issue after reviewing staff resumes and organizational history. “I looked at the staffing, the organization history, and it was just…it wasn’t like it was a new organization,” a committee member said when explaining a 15-point consensus in that category.

The committee assigned consensus scores in the following categories: organizational capacity and experience, 15 points; performance as a past subrecipient, 13 points; project timeline, 10 points; ability to proceed (shovel-ready), 5 points; construction features and green-energy design, 5 points; market study, 10 points; leveraging, 20 points; financial capacity, 15 points; and two available 5-point bonuses (project located within one mile of mass transit and project located in a targeted area), producing a total of 103 points.

Committee members discussed evidence of site control (title documentation) and the proposal’s affordability targeting, noting that the units would be set at 80 percent of area median income, which influenced the points assigned for affordability-related scoring elements. James Blank, of Hillsborough County Building Services, said his site visits indicated the property was under adequate control and supported awarding site-control points.

During scoring, a committee member raised the organization’s recent rebranding from Habitat for Humanity to Sunshine Community Housing Development Organization as a factor that initially gave pause; other members cited resumes showing individual team members with decades of experience and agreed the team’s track record supported higher scoring.

Damina recorded the consensus totals for each criterion, confirmed committee agreement, and said she would finalize the scoring spreadsheet and obtain signatures. She again reminded members that the cone of silence applied and adjourned the meeting.

The evaluation committee did not take a formal public vote on contract award at the meeting; it recorded consensus scores and deemed two proposals unacceptable. Next procedural steps are for staff to post required notices and for Damina to finalize the scoring documentation for signature and procurement file completion.