1.0 DESCRIPTION

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Development (RD), is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) regarding Nationwide Single Family Housing Appraisal Services for market research purposes only. The applicable North American Industry Classification System is 531320, Offices of Real Estate Appraisers, and the Small Business Size Standard is $9.5 million.

This RFI shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a Request for Quotation (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP). The tasks listed in Exhibit A are only the contemplated possible scope of services and may vary from the final Performance Work Statement (PWS) included in any subsequent RFQ or RFP. No solicitation document exists, and the Government may or may not issue a formal solicitation as a result of the responses received to this RFI. No content in this RFI shall be interpreted as a commitment of the Government to enter a contract with any respondent or to make any procurement.

Failure to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future solicitation. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s capabilities.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information submitted. Potential offerors are responsible for monitoring Government websites such as GSA eBuy or SAM.gov for any potential opportunities. Responses to this RFI do not guarantee award nor exclude/include your firm in any potential acquisition process. No feedback or evaluations will be provided regarding any response to this RFI.

The Government’s explicit intent through this RFI is to obtain general information. The Government is not requesting and does not want to receive from respondents any proprietary data, trade secrets, business sensitive information, or information considered CONFIDENTIAL under 18 U.S.C. §1905. The Government’s constraint does not in any way relieve contractors from their responsibility to properly mark proprietary data when it is provided, nor does it alleviate any requirement for the Government to protect marked data. The Government is not obligated to protect unmarked data.

The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. All submissions become the property of the Federal Government and will not be returned. The Government will not pay for any response or demonstration expenses. By submitting a response to this RFI, each respondent agrees that any cost incurred in responding to this request, or in support of activities associated with this RFI, shall be the sole responsibility of respondent. The Government shall incur no obligations or liabilities whatsoever, to anyone, for any costs or expenses incurred by the respondent in responding to this RFI.

2.0 BACKGROUND

The RD is a mission area of USDA which provides support and services that improve the quality of life in rural communities through our Rural Housing Service (RHS), Rural Business and Cooperative Service (RBS) and Rural Utilities Service (RUS). RD programs help rural communities build or improve housing, community facilities, and extend utilities, including water, electricity, and telecommunications services. RD programs also create jobs by funding the growth and creation of rural businesses and cooperatives. RD provides assistance through direct or guaranteed loans, grants, technical assistance, research, and educational materials.

RHS provides loans to low and moderate-income applicants located in rural geographic areas to assist them in obtaining single family housing through multiple programs. A limited number are larger than one acre of land with the home. The Single-Family Housing Direct loans (502 Program) are located in each of the 50 states and U.S. territories that include Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, and Western Pacific.

The objective of the RD regarding this RFI is to obtain information from industry on current capabilities in response to the RFI questions on the property appraisal processes, current lead time and availability of qualified personnel to provide appraisal services. Please see Exhibit A for details on the types of appraisal requirement services anticipated.

3.0 SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION

Interested parties, who consider themselves qualified and that can provide property appraisal services in rural, remote rural, and non-rural areas are invited to complete an online questionnaire. The online questionnaire associated with this RFI can be assessed at: https://forms.office.com/g/QnR4rjYJNA.

Responses to this questionnaire must be completed by the date and time set forth in this RFI notice. Responses received after this date and time may not be considered in the Governments market research. Responses to this RFI must be submitted by no later than 3:00PM EST, September 20, 2024.

An unfillable PDF version of the questions included in the online questionnaire is included in Exhibit B of this RFI notice. You may use it to prepare answers for your response, but the online survey must be used to submit your response. Any additional information can be emailed directly to SAD2Acquisitions@usda.gov with the subject line “Recapture Appraisal Services.”

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