Notice is hereby given that the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to obtain the services of a firm to perform professional consulting services to the Band. We are requesting proposals from qualified individuals and firms for professional services for a proposed low-income housing tax credit development to be located in the District 1 Vineland Community.

The intent of this proposal is to assist with the following:

All necessary work to submit an LIHTC application, additional optional grant applications, close with an investor, provide initial asset management services, and associated requirements.

Note: The Consultant, will also recommend needed third party services for various documents/reports, including, but not limited to Architect, Engineer, Environmental Professional, Market Analyst, etc. Mille Lacs Band Community Development will be responsible for posting, contracting, and supervising these additional consultants. The cost of those items will be under a separate contract with each of the providers.

Bids will be due Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 3:00 PM. Bids received will be opened and qualified by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe on Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 10:00 AM.
No proposal will be accepted after the deadline for the receipt of proposals. The Band reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or to waive any informalities, irregularities, or defects in any proposal, should it deem to be in the best interest of the Band to do so.

A mandatory pre-bid site visit will be held on Wednesday January 22th, 2024 at 1:00pm via zoom. Please email contact info to be included in the zoom.

Work Scope Description

General Background

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe will be submitting an application for an award of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to Minnesota Housing by no later than April 30, 2025. The Project in general is a 30 to 40-unit Apartment Complex and associated site work including Parking, utilities, etc. The project will be sized as to maximize the number of units that can be built using the available funding cap limits set by Minnesota Housing.

Time is of the Essence

Time is of the essence on this project. The successful firm must be available to begin work immediately following the award to be able to meet the required deadline for submission of the application.

Qualifications

1. Experience related to LIHTC services:

a. Please describe the relevant experience of the individual(s) or firm submitting the proposal, including length of time in business and core competencies.

b. Please describe the relevant experience of the individual(s) or firm submitting the proposal in providing consulting services for LIHTC developments.

c. Please describe the relevant experience of the assigned staff in providing consulting services for LIHTC developments, whether with this firm or in previous employment.

d. Please describe the firms experience in working with Tribes or Tribally Designated Housing Entities including any relevant experience of the firm, involved principals and/or any assigned staff for projects located on tribal trust land.

2. Give a brief background and qualification summary for each key member of your staff that will be assigned work.

3. References: Please include a minimum of five references. If you have previously worked with any Tribes or Tribally Designated Housing Entities on applying for LIHTCs in the last 12 months, include those as references.

4. Disclosure of Claims: Please disclose any claims, lawsuits, or formal disputes for work or services previously or currently being performed.

Project Award

The rating factors and values to be used in award of this contract are as follows and out of a possible 100 points:

Points

References 10
Relevant Experience 30
Availability / Proposed Schedule 15
Cost 30
Indian Preference 15

Format for Proposals

• Title Page: Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Project Proposal, your company name, address, telephone number, email address and primary contact person.
• Cover Letter: signed by the person or persons authorized to sign on behalf of your company.
• References: Provide the information requested and any other relevant information.
• Availability / Proposed Schedule: List a logical breakdown of project tasks and phased milestones.
• Fees: Build a detailed list of expected fees and give a brief summary of the total cost for your proposed contract. If your price excludes certain fees or charges you must provide a detailed list of excluded fees with a complete explanation of the nature of those fees. Describe prices charged for similar contracts over the last 24-month period. If the price for this contract deviates from the average contract price, provide an explanation.
Indian Preference: Any firm seeking Indian preference must provide evidence that it is not less than 51% Indian owned and controlled. Indian preference applies to the work under this contract pursuant to 24 CFR 1000.48 thru 52.
• Sub-contractors: In the execution of the contract your company requires the hiring of sub-contractors, you must clearly state this in your proposal. Sub-contractors must be identified and the work they will perform must be defined. In your proposal please provide the EIN of the sub-contractor. Sub-contractors must meet the Indian preference requirements, and provide an Indian preference statement. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe will not refuse a proposal based upon the use of a sub-contractor; however, we retain the right to refuse the sub-contractors you have selected.

Contract Terms

The Mille Lacs Band will negotiate contract terms upon selection. All contracts are subject to review by the Band, and a contract will be awarded, which outlines terms, scope budget and other necessary items.

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe will award the contract or contracts to the responsible firm whose proposal is the most advantageous to the Band, subject to the negotiation of an acceptable contract and approval of the contract. The Band reserves the right to amend or withdraw this request for proposals in whole or in part; to accept or reject any or all proposals received or portions thereof; to waive any formalities or technicalities; to interview one or more proposers; and to obtain additional information to determine a proposer’s responsibility and/or capacity, and to negotiate terms and conditions with any proposer. All or part of a proposal may be incorporated into the final contract. Withdrawal of this request for proposal or the rejection of a proposal for any reason, or no reason, shall be without liability on the part of the Band for any costs, fees, damages or penalties or any other remedy on behalf of any proposer. All documents, analysis, reports, designs, drawings, specifications and other work developed in the performance of this agreement by Contractor shall become the sole property of the Band and shall not be used for any other purpose or released to any third party without the express written consent of the Band.

Contacts:
Interested bidders shall contact Mike Moilanen by email at mike.moilanen@millelacsband.com to be included on Mandatory Zoom and to be included on the bidder’s list in the event that any addendums are issued for this project. All persons or companies who download this RFP are requested to register their name and email address by sending an email to mike.moilanen@millelacsband.com . Any revisions to or corrections on this RFP, after it has been advertised, will be communicated to those registered RFP holders. Failure to register your contact information as described is at your own risk. A proposal will not be considered if it fails to include all requested information as detailed in this original RFP and any subsequent modifications.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT/PROJECT MANAGEMENT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY AND ALL BIDS FOR ANY REASON.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WILL, TO THE GREATEST EXTENT FEASIBLE, GIVE PREFERENCE IN THE AWARD OF CONTRACT TO INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIAN-OWNED ECONOMIC ENTERPRISES.

All proposals must be mailed and labeled as follows:
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
Commissioner of Community Development
Sealed bid: Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Project Consultant Study
PO Box 509
Onamia, MN 56359

Please note that the bids submitted via mail to the P.O. Box. FedEx and UPS will not deliver to a P.O. Box and the Onamia post office will not accept hand delivered items. Please plan accordingly to ensure the timely receipt of your bid submittal. Do not require delivery signature.

**The Band reserves the right to reject any bid that it is unable to collect at the Onamia post office by the bid deadline date and time, provided that the Band has made diligent and reasonable efforts to collect the bid. The Band reserves this right even in the event that the bid has been postmarked before the deadline.

PROPOSALS NOT SUBMITTED IN THIS MANNER WILL BE REJECTED.

Licensing:
Firms must be licensed with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. A copy of this license (or the license application) must accompany each bid. Licensing process can take several weeks. If you are not currently licensed with the MLBO, please submit a copy of your license application along with your proposal. Contact Elizabeth Thornbloom at (320)532-8274 or via email at EThornbloom@grcasinos.com with questions regarding licensing and for the license application.