The Chief Procurement Officer and the Director of Housing and Community Development Department are requesting Council approval of an ordinance amending Ordinance Number 2020-393 to increase the maximum contract amount by $2,080,000.00 using funds from the City’s Cares Act 2020 fund for the agreement between the City of Houston and BAKERRIPLEY, INC. (“Agreement”), through which BakerRipley administers the City’s COVID-19 rental assistance program for Houstonians delinquent on residential rental payments (the “Program”).

It is necessary to extend the Program to continue to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by reducing both evictions and new entries into homeless shelters and provide grants to landlords/small businesses to reimburse the costs of business interruption caused by COVID-19 closures. This funding may allow for a one-time payment of $400 in utility assistance for up-to 5,000 individuals ($2,000,000.00 total utility assistance) to assist with any utility needs incurred from May 2020 through December 2020. A Management Fee of no more than 4% of utility assistance expended, and not to exceed $80,000.00, will be paid to BakerRipley to administer the program.

Accordingly, the proposed ordinance authorizes the Mayor or his designee to modify the Program (which modifications may include but are not limited to assistance for utility payments and modifying the Program’s structure, guidelines, eligibility criteria, and amount of assistance) and to amend the Agreement to make changes to enable and effectuate administration of the Program, as modified (which amendments may address matters such as the project scope and budget, vendor compensation, and the Program and its guidelines).

This recommendation is made pursuant to Chapter 252, Section 252.022 (a) (7) (A): “a procurement necessary to preserve or protect the public health or safety of the municipality’s residents” of the Texas Local Government Code for exempt procurement.

MWBE Participation:

OBO approved the waiver of an M/WBE goal on this procurement because, as per Chapter 15 of the Code of Ordinance, a waiver is appropriate when the service is non-divisible and/or a public or administrative emergency exists which requires the goods or services to be provided with unusual immediacy.

Disaster Note:

This item is related to the impact of COVID-19 and expenditures eligible to be paid under the federal funding source are subject to applicable requirements of the Federal Government related to the funding source.

Fiscal Note:

No Fiscal Note is required on grant items

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 Jerry Adams                                                                   Tom McCasland, Director

 Chief Procurement Officer                                              Housing & Community Development Dept.