RFP for Legal Services

Request for Proposal Legal Services for Fiscal Year Beginning April 1, 2025

Download a PDF of this RFP here.

Date Issued: July 10, 2025

Proposal Deadline: No later than 5:00 p.m. on July 25, 2025

With Annual Renewal Options for Fiscal Years Ending March 31, 2027, through March 31, 2030

The Housing Authority of the City of Raleigh, NC (“RHA”) is soliciting proposals from law firms to provide general counsel legal services. RHA, a public body corporate and politic and organized under the laws of the State of North Carolina and a “public housing agency” as defined in the United States Housing Act of 1937, was organized in 1938 with the mission of providing safe, quality, affordable housing to low and moderate income families in the greater Raleigh community; and to promote personal responsibility and self-sufficiency of residents while maintaining the fiscal integrity of the agency.

Scope of Services

When and as directed by RHA, the Contractor will perform general counsel legal services to include, but not be limited to the following:

1. General Housing Authority Issues on the federal, state and local level including Preparation and/or review of legal documents and papers. Rendering of advice and assistance to the Board of Commissioners, officers and employees of RHA; attendance at meetings of RHA. Preparation and/or review of resolutions, policies and related documents. Review and legal approbation of minutes of RHA. Consultation with parties having dealings of a legal nature with RHA. Supervision as to legality of the official acts and minutes of the RHA. Rendering of legal opinions on matters submitted by RHA.

2. Landlord/Tenant transactions. Preparation and/or review of documentation related to landlord and tenant transactions for compliance with federal, local and state laws, rules and regulations including but not limited to leases and policies related to admissions and occupancy of the Public Housing and Section 8 programs at RHA. Representation of RHA as needed at legal proceedings resulting from landlord and tenant transactions including eviction proceedings, grievance resolutions, and lease violations. Interpretation of federal, state, and local laws and regulations related to landlords and tenants and provision of advice based on interpretations. Preparation and/or review of correspondence to landlords and tenants in the Public Housing and Section 8 programs at RHA related to tenant or landlord grievances and termination of assistance.

3. Hazardous Materials Liability. Interpretation of federal, state and local laws regarding hazardous materials such as lead based paint, asbestos and mold.

4. Property Acquisition/Disposition. Preparation and/or review of legal documentation required in connection with the acquisition or disposition of property including: rights of first refusal, purchase contracts, deeds, certifications required by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and legal opinions. Title examinations, preparation of title opinions and review of title policies.

5. General Financing. Preparation and/or review of documentation related to general financing including construction financing and general financing between related entities. Coordination of documents required in connection with loan transactions. Provision of legal opinions required by lenders.

6. Tax Credit Compliance and Financing. Preparation and/or review of documentation related to low-income housing tax credit financing. Assist with the legal aspects of applications and structuring the transactions for tax credit financing. Provision of legal opinions required by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, the equity provider and lenders. Rendering of advice and assistance in maintaining compliance with low-income housing tax credit regulations.
7. Construction Contracting. Preparation and/or review of documentation related to advertisement, award and monitoring of construction contracts including review of specifications, bid documents, construction contracts, lien waivers, and payment and performance bonding requirements. Review of documentation for conformance with federal, state and local laws and regulations including but not limited to requirements of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Representation of RHA for contract negotiations and disputes. Representation of RHA in connection with actions initiated by contractors against RHA or that affect RHA.

8. General Development. Preparation and/or review of documentation required in connection with new housing development including approvals for variances from zoning, building and inspection ordinances and regulations. Appearance and representation of RHA before public bodies in connection with matters related to development including zoning commissions, City Council, appearance commissions, and historic commissions. Representation of RHA in connection with compliance with federal, state and local development regulations including storm water management, disposal of hazardous materials, building codes and ordinances.

9. HOPE VI Implementation. Preparation and/or review of documentation related to HOPE VI grant implementation. Preparation and/or review of certifications and assurances required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Provision of legal opinions related to RHA’s HOPE VI implementation. Appearance before public bodies in connection with HOPE VI planning and implementation including City Council, appearance commissions, zoning commissions, and historic commissions. Preparation and/or review of master development agreements, property management agreements, mixed finance documentation, and other necessary documentation in conformance with all rules and regulations of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

10. Property leases. Preparation and/or review of property leases including leases for buildings, portions of buildings, parking spaces, ground leases, and any other leases deemed necessary by RHA.
11. Bond Issuance. Representation of RI-IA in connection with issuance of bonds. Preparation and/or review of documentation required in connection with the issuance of bonds. Appearance before public bodies on behalf of RHA in connection with issuance of bonds.
12. Personnel actions. Representation of RI-IA on litigation or other matters related to personnel actions. Provision of advice and consultation related to employee relations and personnel actions including interpretation of state, federal and local regulations, personnel policies and preparation of legal opinions and documents.
13. Fair Housing Compliance. Interpretation of state, federal and local regulations related to Fair Housing. Review of RHA policies for conformance with Fair Housing rules and regulations. Consultation on compliance by RHA staff with Fair Housing regulations.

14. Litigation. Representation of RHA in litigation matters including landlord, tenant, and contract disputes, personnel matters, landlord and tenant grievances, fraud allegations, evictions and assistance terminations. Appearance on behalf of RHA before public bodies related to litigation in which RHA is involved. When and as directed by RHA, coordination and oversight of any other litigation involving RHA which may involve other RHA attorneys including but not limited to insurance related litigation.

15. Lobbying. Coordinate federal, state and local lobbying activities for RHA. Review lobbyist expense reports. When and as instructed by RHA, they monitor federal, state and local law and regulations changes that affect Housing Authority policies and procedures.

16. District Court. Representation of RHA in tenant and landlord issues appealed to District Court (this will be subject to a separate fee arrangement as described in item # 10 of the Submittal Instructions below).

Submittal Instructions

The following information must be included in the respondents’ proposal. Absence of any of the requested information may lead to a determination of nonresponsiveness that will result in automatic elimination. All proposals must be marked “Proposal for General Legal Counsel -Attention: Procurement Department” and received at RHA by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 25, 2025. Late proposals will not be accepted and will be returned to the respondent unopened. In addition, page limits have been given for several of the items listed below. Where there is a page limit, it has been noted in italics. Proposals exceeding the page limits will not be considered.

1. An overall introduction of the firm, including a statement of the firm’s interest in contracting for fixed term services. Please limit the response to this item to 2 pages.

2. A description of the firm’s understanding of the services to be performed and the breadth and length of the firm’s related experience. Demonstrated knowledge of federal, state and local housing laws including all programs and policies of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. Response limited to 5 pages.

3. Overall experience of the individual(s) responsible for performing the services and the role each individual will play including all attorneys and support staff. Please also indicate the proposed lead attorney. Response limited to 5 pages.

4. Specific qualifications of the individual(s) responsible for performing the services described in the Scope of Services above including all attorneys and support staff. This information should be included in the 5-page limit for item #3.

5. Evidence of ability to perform the work, as indicated by the profile of the firm and the individual(s) responsible for performing the services included in the Scope of Services. This information should be included in the 5-page limit for items 2 and the 5-page limit for items #3 and 4.

6. A list showing the business address and location of the firm and the business address and location of each of the individual(s) along with a notation as to the exact services each individual will be performing from the Scope of Services above. A preference will be given to local firms and lawyers. In addition to the additional cost of communication associated with out-of-town firms, RHA has a great deal of interaction with the City of Raleigh and Wake County, and it is important that RHA’s legal counsel has local experience in order to more efficiently represent RHA’s interest before the local public bodies.

7. Three client references for which the firm and the individual(s) have performed comparable services. Please provide the name of the client, contact person, the address and phone number.

8. Evidence of licenses and professional designations of the firm and the individual(s) who will perform the services.

10. Explanation of the firm’s fee structure relative to the Scope of Services including the fixed fee maximum hourly rate for each level of employee who will be involved in performing the services (i.e., administrative assistant rate, paralegal rate, junior level attorney rate and supervisory attorney rate) and an explanation of any other fees including charges for out-of-pocket expenses. Please limit the response to this item to 2 pages.
11. Amount of the flat fee for landlord and tenant appeals to District Court. District Court representation should be charged on a flat fee per case basis and will not be subject to the fixed hourly fee rate in item #9 above. Please also include a description of the services that will be included in the flat fee and any items for which additional fees will be charged related to District Court cases. This information should be included in the 2-page limit for item #9.
12. Certifications and Representations of Offerors (HUD form 5369-C). HUD form 5369-C must be completed and submitted with all proposals. A copy is attached for submission with each proposal.

Addenda

No change to the Scope of Services, or to the other terms and conditions of this solicitation will be made orally to any respondent. All addenda will be in written form and will be faxed to each potential respondent with an acknowledgement of receipt that must be signed and returned to RHA. Requests for clarifications of this Request for Proposals must be received at least 7 days prior to the proposal submission deadline.

Period of Performance

The period of performance shall be two (2) years. The term of the contract will automatically renew for an additional year unless written notice of termination of legal counsel services is provided by RHA at least 60 days prior to the end of the period of performance. The total duration of this contract, including all options, shall not exceed five years. All pricing should be fixed for the entire contract period.

Selection Process

Selection of the successful firm will be made after a comprehensive review of all proposals. Respondents may be requested to respond to additional questions or to meet with RHA staff to discuss their submissions. Proposals must be valid for a minimum of 60 days after the submission deadline to allow sufficient time for evaluation. All respondents will be notified in writing once a selection has been made. Questions regarding selection should not be directed to RHA during the evaluation period. RHA reserves the right to waive all formalities.

Evaluation Factors

Each submittal will be evaluated on the extent to which it responds to the Scope of Services and considers the best interest of RHA. A rating will be assigned to each respondent based on the following evaluation factors:

Questions

Please direct all questions to Mathieu Torres by e-mail at Purchase@RHANC.gov or by telephone at (919) 508-1370.

Evaluation Factors – RHA Request for Proposals for General Legal Counsel

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