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Seeking proposals for short-term housing for 280 YLAI Professional Fellows during 4-week professional placements across the United States.

Seeking proposals for short-term housing for 280 YLAI Professional Fellows during 4-week professional placements across the United States.

IREX, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization and implementing partner of the US Department of State on the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program, requests information and preliminary proposals for short-term housing for 280 YLAI Fellows across 20 cities across the United States. 

A maximum of 14 YLAI Fellows will be placed in each city during a 4-week professional placement across the United States. IREX will consider extended-stay housing vendors providing contracts for accommodation in single cities or multiple cities, depending on local market competitiveness. 

Issue Date:  August 14, 2024 
Proposal Due Date:  September 18, 2024 
Anticipated Award Ceiling: $20,000 – $800,000 (depending on number of contracts provided) 
Reservation Request Dates: May 15 – June 15 (31 nights) 

Cities for housing include:

Albuquerque, NM                               Kalamazoo, MI                                 Philadelphia, PA 

Austin, TX                                               Kansas City, MO                              Phoenix, AZ

Boston, MA                                            Lincoln, NE                                        Portland, OR

Burlington, VT                                      Miami, FL                                           San Diego, CA

Chicago, IL                                             Minneapolis, MN                             San Francisco, CA

Denver, CO                                             New Orleans, LA                              Washington, DC

Detroit, MI                                              New York, NY                           

Eligibility Requirements:

Companies interested in providing this service must submit a proposal, including a breakdown of total cost by city, including estimated costs per unit and additional fees, which demonstrates the company’s capacity to provide housing that meets the following specifications: 

  • Short-term apartment, corporate housing, or long-term hotel units, for up to 280 Fellows with 14 Fellows in each city, which can be: 
    • Individual studio or efficiency units 
    • 2+ bedroom apartments (to house multiple Fellows of the same gender, each with their own bedroom) with other shared space, such as a bathroom, kitchen, living room, etc.  Multi-bedroom units must also meet the following criteria:
      • Each bedroom must be of similar size and contain commensurate furniture and clothing storage options, including a closet and/or wardrobe. 
      • Each bedroom must contain at least a full/double size bed (single/twin beds are not acceptable). 
      • If a multi-unit apartment has only one bathroom, it must be accessible via common living spaces, not only via the master bedroom. 
      • If a vendor’s multi-bedroom units do not meet these criteria, the proposal should include an explanation and proposed solution to bring the unit(s) up to meet these specifications. 
  • Fully furnished (e.g. bed, dresser, table, couch, chairs, etc.) 
  • Kitchen facilities with appliances, cookware, utensils, and dinnerware 
  • Linens included (e.g. sheets, comforter, towels, etc.) 
  • Laundry facilities in unit or on-site 
  • Building(s) central to downtown or main business area and within walking distance of and/or short distance via reliable public transportation grocery stores, restaurants, libraries, and other community amenities. Preference given to locations with higher Walk Scores (in the 70-100 range per www.walkscore.com) 
  • Building(s) centrally located within walking distance of and/or provides shuttle to reliable public transportation (please specify if public transportation is bus, metro, light rail, etc. – Fellows will not have cars while in the U.S.) 
  • Building(s) located in a safe neighborhood with a low-crime rate 
  • Building(s) well maintained with designated maintenance staff 
  • All utilities and fees included in price, including water, gas, electric, heat and air conditioning, and internet (wired or Wi-Fi), and basic television service 
  • All estimated state and local taxes included in proposal, including notes on possible tax refunds or waivers based on IREX’s 501(c)3 status (certificate provided upon request) and/or local laws on occupancy duration (30+ days) 

Proposals should also include a vendor’s capacity to provide ADA-compliant or similar units that meet the following specifications for Fellows with disabilities (specific accommodations required to be provided by individual programs at a later date): 

  • Wheelchair and/or scooter accessible  
  • Suitable for residents with a variety of mobility issues, such as grab bars, handicap accessible shower, lowered countertops and cabinets, etc.  
  • Suitable for residents who are deaf or hard of hearing, such as lighted doorbells and alarms, systems for communicating with building staff, etc. 
  • Suitable for residents who are blind or have reduced sight 

The exact number of Fellows that will be placed in each city has not yet been determined and is subject to change, but each city will house approximately 10 – 14 Fellows. Vendors should indicate if they can provide housing units in any or multiple of these cities, and proposals can include any of these proposed metropolitan areas and properties.  Preference will be given to vendors who demonstrate strong customer service and flexibility to meet contractual requirements in alignment with program needs and IREX’s administrative requirements.  In the case that new metropolitan areas are added at a later date, the winner(s) of the contract(s) will be given preference for those new contract(s). 

While not required, vendors who are able to do the following are preferred: 

  • Provide a master lease 
  • Waive normal minimum lease requirements (i.e. no 2-month minimums) 
  • Allow lease cancellations and/or the option to switch leases between buildings 
  • Accept ACH payments 
  • Provide itemized monthly invoices and bulk payments for all units being rented 
  • Waive move-out notice requirements and associated fees (move out dates will be pre-established in contract) 

Additionally, vendors should demonstrate their capacity to provide a high level of customer service and personalized attention to the Fellows. Such features may include but are not limited to detailed instructions from the airport to the housing location, move-in/move-out instructions, identifying dedicated vendor staff for each location, welcome packages, and other personal touches. It is preferred if there are established modes for Fellows to communicate directly with the building or vendor staff regarding maintenance or other housing issues. 

Proposals should include the following details in the form of a spreadsheet using the downloadable template provided here: IREX Participant Housing Proposal & Procurement Template 

  • Confirmation of number of cities they wish to be considered for, and details outlining these options for both a master lease as well as individual cities. 
  • Specific locations and buildings under consideration, including the exact street address and website link showing the property specifications.  
  • Total number of Fellows who can typically be housed at each location available during the dates provided. 
  • Daily/weekly price estimates, both per unit and per Fellow, if units listed are multi-bedroom units.  
    • Spreadsheet includes all details required for consideration by IREX, such as:  
      • Price estimates broken down to show component costs
      • Location details 
      • Base rent 
      • Utilities 
      • Room type and amenities included
      • Other fees as well as estimated taxes 
      • If price estimates fluctuate depending on the season, please provide year-round price estimates in addition to the price estimate for the season in which the program falls (include in “Additional Notes” section of the spreadsheet) 

Proposals must be accompanied by a website link and/or photos and floor plans of the property(ies) proposed that show building features, representative units, and the surrounding area; description of building and community amenities in the vicinity or short distance via public transit, such as grocery stores, restaurants, and libraries. If this information is provided via hyperlinks, those links should not expire. Proposals may also include a list of 2-3 similar projects, with contact information for the clients. 

IREX reserves the right not to accept proposed properties if they do not meet the necessary requirements for Fellows. 

If you are interested in furnishing this service, please e-mail a proposal to Ian McInturf at imcinturf@irex.org. Proposals must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the closing date indicated above. Questions may also be directed to Ian McInturf in advance of the proposal submission deadline.  All proposals submitted must be valid for a period of not less than ninety (90) calendar days from the proposal due date indicated above.  

Proposal Evaluation 

The criteria are listed in descending order starting with the most important factors to be evaluated. 

  1. Overall price competitiveness and adherence to accommodation and contractual requirements 
  1. Geographic centrality within the city and/or convenience of use of mass transit 
  1. Organizational capacity 
  1. Flexibility & customer service  
  1. Past performance references 
  1. Number of cities in which the vendor can provide services 

Evaluation and ranking of proposals will be done by IREX in Washington, DC. IREX may at its discretion ask for additional information or perform site visits.  

Contract Awarding 

After a vendor(s) has been selected, IREX will request a room block of ninety (90) days and submission of final official contract for review and internal administrative processing while gaining necessary approvals to comply with federally funded awards of this scale. Once internal administrative processing has received all necessary approvals, final contracts will be signed for corresponding properties included in the vendor’s contract provided. Contracts may also be awarded with or without further negotiation with the selected vendor(s). No number of rooms or room nights is guaranteed until individual vendor and/or property contracts are signed. IREX does not guarantee that any contract will be awarded under this request for information. However, IREX anticipates that more than one contract may be awarded, with a portion of the project awarded to each selected vendor.  

Renewal 

IREX reserves the right, based on availability of funding and vendor performance, to enter into subsequent contractual agreements with the winning vendor(s) for a period of up to 3 years without issuing a new RFP. 

Contact Information 

Ian McInturf 
Program Coordinator 
IREX 
1275 K Street, NW, Suite 600 
Washington, DC 20005 
imcinturf@irex.org  
+1 (202)-372-0917