Capital Needs Assessment

Introduction:

THA is seeking proposals for Capital Needs Assessment services to be provided on an as needed and/or recurring basis. Contracts will be for an initial one-year term with optional project specific renewal.

Schedule:

Scope of Work:

Five-Year Capital Needs Assessment – 2027

Every five years, THA hires a third-party consultant to assess our portfolio’s capital needs. The last CNA was produced in 2022 making the next report due in 2027.

The 2022 reports also included energy audits. THA plans to leverage the 2027 CNA and accompanying energy audits to support the creation of newly state-required Clean Buildings Energy Management Plans for each Tier 2-qualifying property, due July 1.

Ensuring that these CNA reports accurately and meaningfully reflect the condition of the properties rather than applying industry-standard formulas is key to effectively planning THA resources.

Scope of Work

Portfolio Capital Needs Assessment (CNA), Energy Audit, Energy Management Plan (EMP), and Operations & Maintenance (O&M)

Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) seeks professional consulting services to perform a comprehensive portfolio-wide Capital Needs Assessment (CNA), Energy Audit, Energy Management Plan (EMP) development, and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Program development for its affordable housing portfolio.

The purpose of this work is to:

• Assess existing building conditions and capital needs.
• Evaluate building energy performance through an energy audit.
• Identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption, improve building performance, lower utility costs, extend equipment life, and support long term capital planning.
• Develop Energy Management Plans compliant with the Washington State Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS). See Exhibit A for EMP template example from the CBPS.
• Collect inventory of each energy system at the property and develop Operations & Maintenance Programs that are compliant with Clean Building Performance standards.
• Establish long-term capital planning and energy management strategies.
• Provide an annual, itemized summary of capital needs for each property, spreading the capital needs over a 20 year period.   Provide this information in a format that THA can manipulate and use to manage capital needs over this period. 

Capital Planning Integration

The Contractor shall integrate energy audit findings with the Capital Needs Assessment and reserve planning process.

For all major building systems, the Contractor shall:

• Visit the subject property to observe the current general condition of the building and site improvements, interview on-site personnel about the property, and review available construction documents to become generally familiar with the depicted construction, life safety, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, and general building environment. 
• Observe and provide specific comment upon the interior condition of approximately 25% of the units.
• Provide a general description of the property and improvements, including flood-zone designation, and comment generally on observed conditions.
• Contractor will catalog existing equipment and appliances inventory.
  • Installation year, if known.
  • Remaining useful life.
  • Recommended replacement year.
  • Energy-efficient replacement alternative.
  • Estimated replacement cost.
• Provide a limited statement of observations regarding the property’s general compliance with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This will not constitute a full ADA survey but will help to indicate whether the Client is exposed to accessibility issues and whether a more comprehensive review is advisable.
• Identify those components observed that are exhibiting deferred maintenance issues and provide estimates for “immediate” and “replacement reserve” costs based on observed conditions, available maintenance history and industry-standard useful life estimates. Replacement reserve term will be 20 years. If applicable, this analysis will include the review of any available documents pertaining to capital improvements completed within the last five (5)-year period, or currently under contract. CONTRACTOR shall also inquire about available maintenance records and procedures and interview current available on-site maintenance staff.  
• Assess Elevator  conditions and review reports

Major building systems include, at a minimum, fire alarm, HVAC, boilers, water heaters, roofs, and electrical systems at each property.

Energy Audit

Prior to conducting site assessments, the Contractor shall:

• Utilized the shared data of each property on ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager created by THA.
• Establish baseline energy performance metrics including EUI, WNEUI, energy cost trends, and utility consumption patterns.
• Identify buildings or systems exhibiting abnormal energy consumption.
• Develop a baseline against which future energy performance improvements may be measured.

Energy Analysis

The Contractor shall evaluate the condition, operation, efficiency, and remaining useful life of major energy-consuming systems including:

• Building envelope systems.
• Roofing and insulation systems.
• Exterior walls and weather barriers.
• Doors, windows, and air sealing systems.
• Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems.
• Domestic hot water systems.
• Lighting systems and controls.
• Building automation systems (BAS).
• Energy management systems (EMS).
• Electrical distribution systems.
• Water-consuming fixtures and equipment.
• Renewable energy systems, if present.

The assessment shall identify operational deficiencies, deferred maintenance, control issues, and equipment nearing the end of its useful life that negatively impact energy performance.

For each recommended energy efficiency measure (EEMs) identify in the energy audit, the Contractor shall provide an implementation plan that includes:

• Estimated installation cost.
• Estimated annual energy savings.
• Estimated annual utility cost savings.
• Remaining useful life impacts.
• Recommended implementation priority.

Operations and Maintenance Review

The Contractor shall evaluate existing operations and maintenance practices and identify measures to improve energy performance and extend equipment life.

Recommendations shall include:

• Preventive maintenance procedures.
• Recommended maintenance intervals and inspection of energy systems.
• Operational best practices for energy systems and equipment.
• Ongoing monitoring recommendations.

Staff Training Assessment

The Contractor shall identify operational areas where staff training could improve building performance and support Energy Management Plan objectives.

Recommendations shall address:

• HVAC operations.
• Building automation systems.
• Lighting controls.
• Energy systems inspection.
• Preventive maintenance.
• Utility management practices.
• Training options, courses, and trainers to be included within recommendations.

Proposal Requirements:

For the proposals to be considered responsive, vendors should submit the following with their bid packet:

• Cover Letter
• Company Profile and Qualifications
• Completed Contractor/Vendor Intake Form – Exhibit A
• OMWBE Certification if applicable
• MWBE Self-Attestation if applicable

Evaluation Criteria:

Proprietary Proposal Material:

Any records or materials submitted to THA are public records under Washington State law and subject to public disclosure (see RCW Chapter 42.56, the Public Disclosure Act at https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=42.56.

Exhibits to RFP:

• Exhibit A: Contractor/Vendor Intake Form
• Exhibit B: MWBE Self-Attestation Form
• Exhibit C: THA Insurance Requirements (Vendors)
• Exhibit C(b): THA Insurance Requirements (Professional Services)
• Exhibit D: THA Sample Contract(s)
• Exhibit E: Energy Management Plan Template
• Exhibit F: Example Physical Needs Assessment
• Exhibit G: Example Maintenance Assessment
• Exhibit H: Clean Buildings Performance Standard (July 2026)