1The Opening

San José's interim housing sites handled maintenance independently, through prevailing wage contractors and coordination with Public Works. The City's own assessment was that the decentralized approach produced variability in timelines and cost, and affected its ability to meet occupancy standards. The solicitation sought a single contractor across every site.

A Los Angeles-based third-party property management firm pursued it while running a company-wide Yardi integration and a live 1,000-unit transition.

Awarded was hired to run the bid.

2Evaluation Criteria

3The Bid

• Cost Proposal: layered rather than a single rate. Per-unit monthly fees, five hourly labor bands, flat per-unit and per-site charges, and subcontractor pass-through at invoice plus markup. Every rate fixed for the first year, no escalator.
• Staffing: priced at fully burdened hourly rates across 15 sites. 26 technicians, three supervisors, and a facilities director. Regional and executive oversight absorbed into the management fee.
• Wage Compliance: DIR prevailing wage on trades including HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. The City's living wage on covered service classes. Emergency response at the same blended rate with no premium billed.
• Experience and Qualifications: comparable contracts picked for fit and scale. The criterion carried 20% of the score.
• Negotiations: the City requested a Best and Final Offer. Pricing was rebuilt and resubmitted under a second deadline.

4The Presentation

Awarded presented to the Department's evaluators alongside the client's executives, covering transition timelines, retention of current site staff, backfill from the firm's San Francisco resources, and emergency response priorities. The Oral Interview carried 15% of the score.

5The Result

The client was awarded 1,215 units across 15 sites, with transition beginning Fall 2026. It is the firm's fourth municipal contract and the largest it has been awarded. The agreement runs six months with four one-year options to extend.