About HUD
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is responsible for national policy and programs that address America’s housing needs, that improve and develop the Nation’s communities, and enforce fair housing laws. HUD’s business is helping create a decent home and suitable living environment for all Americans, and it has given America’s communities a strong national voice at the Cabinet level. HUD plays a major role in supporting homeownership by underwriting homeownership for low and moderate income families through its mortgage insurance programs.
The primary programs administered by HUD include:
- Mortgage and loan insurance through the Federal Housing Administration;
- Community Development Block Grants to help communities with economic development, job opportunities and housing rehabilitation;
- Rental assistance in the form of Section 8 certificates or vouchers for low-income households; and
- Fair housing public education and enforcement.
HUD Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO)
The CPO serves as the Department’s Senior Procurement Executive. HUD's contracting is conducted by five principal offices: the Administration Support Division, the Program Support Division in Headquarters and the three Field Operations offices located in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Denver. Besides their principal offices, the Field Operations have branches and staff located in other cities within their jurisdictions.
HUD program offices with major procurement activity:
- Government National Mortgage Association
- Office of Administration
- Office of the Chief Financial Officer
- Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer
- Office of the Chief Information Officer
- Office of Community Planning and Development
- Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
- Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control
- Office of Housing
- Office of Policy Development and Research
- Office of Public and Indian Housing
HUD Major Buying Activities
In a typical year, HUD contracts around $1 billion on a variety of services and supplies. A large proportion of the money is used to place task and delivery orders under existing contracts and to exercise options to contracts. The number of new contracts varies from year to year.
HUD’s contracting needs may vary significantly from headquarters to its field offices. At headquarters, for example, contracts and purchases primarily support headquarters programs. They include professional services such as research studies, business process re-engineering, technical assistance to HUD funding recipients and logistical support services for maintenance and supplies.
The majority of HUD’s field contracts and purchases support the field program operations of the Department’s Office of Housing. Under its Single Family and Multifamily Housing programs, HUD manages, markets, and sells single and multifamily real estate properties. Contracted services include property management, property marketing, sales closings, routine inspections and appraisals.
For the mortgage insurance programs, contracted services may include mortgage credit analysis, mortgage insurance endorsement processing, title service and underwriting analysis.
Purchases of general supplies and services to support HUD’s field offices normally do not provide any significant contracting opportunities. Most of these purchases are made with local vendors using simplified acquisition procedures.
Where to Start Contracting with HUD
Thank you for your interest in doing business with HUD. The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) has the primary responsibility to ensure that small businesses including small disadvantaged businesses, 8(a) businesses, women-owned small businesses, Historically Underutilized Business Zones and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses are treated fairly and that they have an opportunity to compete and be selected for a fair amount of the Department’s contracting dollars. The OSDBU has developed this marketing guide to provide valuable information to assist you in your marketing and educational efforts.
The OSDBU’s advice to small businesses interested in federal procurement is very simple: do your homework, list your certifications and credentials, establish relationships and be patient.
Homework: Before you come to HUD, visit www.hud.gov to research the agency and the program office in which you have an interest to understand the Department’s and program office’s mission, objectives and procurement needs. Make sure we procure what you are selling. Review FedBizOpps.gov and HUD’s Forecast of Contracting Opportunities to gain an understanding of procurement opportunities.
Certifications and Credentials: List your certifications such as 8(a), small disadvantaged business and HUBZone certifications on your business cards and capability statements. Your one-page capability statement [example] should specifically indicate your firm’s credentials to compete for the procurement.
Relationships: Establish a relationship with the OSDBU and program office staff. Make an appointment with the OSDBU to introduce your company and its capabilities. Arrange marketing visits with program office staff to discuss contracting opportunities for which you are qualified. Attend one of HUD’s Vendor Outreach Sessions. In this high tech world it is still high touch that will win you your contract!
Patience: Finally, be patient and establish yourself.
Remember that Small Business is BIG at HUD!
Sample Capability Statement
The OSDBU recommends that a company e-mail this one page capability statement or a similar format to the Forecast point of contact to be considered for the best qualified list.
Disclaimer: This sample is provided by the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization to assist small businesses in their marketing efforts to HUD only. No implied representation should be inferred that any use of this format will guarantee an award of a contract.
GSA Procurement
General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedules (also known as Multiple Award Schedules) are contracts that allow federal customers to acquire more than four million products and services directly from 8,000 commercial suppliers.
GSA Schedules cover a vast array of commercial items, from office supplies to furniture, from computers to laboratory equipment, and services ranging from accounting to landscaping. Customers can conveniently order products and services utilizing GSA Advantage! which is an online shopping and ordering system.
To become a GSA Schedule contractor, a vendor must submit an offer in response to the applicable GSA Schedule solicitation. GSA awards contracts to responsible companies that offer commercial items or services falling within the generic descriptions in the GSA Schedule solicitations.
GSA Contracting Officers determine whether prices are fair and reasonable by comparing the prices/discounts that a company offers the government with the prices/discounts that the company offers to its commercial customers. This is commonly known as “most favored customer” pricing. To make the comparison, the GSA requires vendors to provide commercial price lists and disclose information regarding their pricing/discounting practices.
Small businesses interested in applying for the GSA Schedules should first identify the solicitations that best cover their company’s products or services.
For more information on the Schedules visit GSA website.
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