Invitation for Business Cases / Request for Funding For Building Repairs & Small Capital Replacement Target Organizations: Emergency Shelters, Drop-In Centres, Women s Transition Houses, Safe Home and Second Stage Program Operators in the Province of British Columbia Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Issued: April 3, 2018 Inquiries: All questions related to submissions must be emailed to Admas Zemariam, Supportive Housing Programs Analyst, Supportive Housing Programs at: azemariam@bchousing.org IMPORTANT DATES: Deadline for Questions: 4:00 PM (PST), Monday, April 9, 2018 Note: All questions submitted will be answered by Monday, April 23, 2018 DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 4:00 PM (PST), MONDAY, April 30, 2018 Page 1 of 6
1. Invitation for Submissions PROJECT DETAILS a. This is an invitation by the BC Housing Management Commission ( BC Housing ) for non-profit entities to submit business cases and funding requests for Building Repairs and Small Capital Replacements, as further described below. b. An applicant must operate: i. permanent year round shelter or drop-in centre that is currently funded by BC Housing under the Emergency Shelter Program (ESP); or ii. women s transition house, safe home or second stage program that is currently funded by BC Housing under the Women s Transition Housing & Supports Program (WTHSP). c. Funding provided as a result of this invitation will comply with the BC Housing Non-Profit Procurement Policy. 2. Background BC Housing was established as an agency of the Province of British Columbia in 1967 to manage provincial and federal-provincial housing and property. In all its programs and activities it is accountable to the provincial ministry responsible for housing. BC Housing provides funding for development of housing for individuals, families, seniors and disabled persons in need of affordable housing and support. BC Housing also provides funding to non-profit housing providers for new and existing housing properties through grants and subsidies. Procurement, as defined under the Trade Agreements, constitutes those acquisitions not including any form of government assistance, such as grants, loans, equity infusions, guarantees or fiscal incentives. In this context, monies expended by BC Housing to nonprofit housing providers are exempt from procurement trade regulations. 3. The Funding a. BC Housing is providing funding of up to $250,000.00 in total to complete building repairs and replace small capital items required for operation in order to assist: i. permanent shelters and drop-in centres, funded by BC Housing s Emergency Shelter Program; and ii. women s transition houses, safe homes and second stage programs, funded by BC Housing s Women s Transition Housing & Supports Program. b. The intent of this funding is for small projects generally requiring no more than $50,000.00 of funding from BC Housing to complete. If your project exceeds this amount, please include additional evidence to support your request. c. BC Housing reserves the right to confirm the necessity of proposed projects and to award a portion of the applicant s full funding request, at the sole discretion of BC Housing. Page 2 of 6
d. In buildings where the Emergency Shelter Program or Women s Transition Housing & Supports Program funded services is not the only service in the building, the Building Repair and Small Capital Replacement Program will only fund a portion of the total project cost equal to the portion of the building occupied by the ESP or WTHSP funded service (exceptions will be made for projects that benefit only the ESP or WTHSP funded service). For example, if an applicant proposes to repair a building that houses an emergency shelter and transitional housing units where the repair will benefit both the shelter and the housing, the proportion of the building that is dedicated to the emergency shelter program will be the portion of the proposal to receive funding. e. BC Housing may advance up to fifty per cent (50%) of the project costs to the selected funding recipients. The remainder of the project costs, up to the approved funding amount, will be paid after successful completion of the project and once copies of all project invoices have been received by BC Housing. BC Housing will not pay for cost overruns unless they have been previously approved by BC Housing. f. BC Housing will only pay for the portion of GST that is non-rebatable. Generally, the registered status of a society determines its eligibility for a full or partial GST rebate through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). In most cases, the GST rebate percentage is 50%. If your organization is a successful proponent of this program, BC Housing will request for your GST rebate percentage, and provide payment for the non-rebatable portion only. g. Final invoices for all projects MUST be submitted to BC Housing by March 1, 2019. 4. Funding Stipulation a. The project to be funded must be for a permanent year round shelter, drop-in centre, women s transition house, safe home or second stage program currently funded by BC Housing s Emergency Shelter Program or Women s Transition Housing & Supports Program. b. The funding available for the Building Repair and Small Capital Replacement Program is limited to building repair projects that are essential to maintain the life and safety systems of the building, crucial to maintain building integrity or immediately address potential risks to client and staff health and safety. Qualified project(s) must: I. Address deficiencies in the life and safety systems of the building. For example, fire detection systems, fire sprinkler systems, heat and smoke detectors, fire suppression equipment, ventilating systems, emergency egress; II. III. Fix deficiencies that may immediately compromise the building s integrity. For example, deficiencies in the building envelope or other major building systems such as mechanical and electrical systems that may compromise the overall building integrity; or Address potential health and safety risks to staff and clients. For example, possible health and safety risks as a result of exposure to falls from unsafe or missing guardrails, improper material storage, exposure to falls from uneven Page 3 of 6
floors and sudden level changes, improper waste collection and storage, potential risks as a result of a lack of surveillance and control of shelter access. c. The business case submitted will include a sound rationale for the proposed project. If an applicant has previously commissioned supporting consultant reports and recommendations from a third party consultant, the business case should include that information. 5. Funding Exemptions. Building Repair and Small Capital Replacement Program Funding will not be provided to: a. Applicants who operate in buildings that are owned by the Provincial Rental Housing Corporation. b. Applicants that are for-profit entities. c. Accumulated surpluses of applicants will be reviewed. If they have sufficient funds to cover the expenses of the proposed project, they may be exempt from this funding. 6. Submission Instructions. a. Only one proposal for one project will be accepted for each applicant. b. Applicants will submit their business case and funding request via email to the BC Housing contact listed below, no later than 4:00 PM (PST), Monday, April 30, 2018. Please submit the proposal as a single attachment, including the quotes from contractors. BC Housing Contact: Admas Zemariam, Supportive Housing Programs Analyst Supportive Housing Programs E-mail: azemariam@bchousing.org c. Submissions received after the submission deadline may be refused and not assessed for funding approval. d. Applicants may not contact individuals employed or engaged by any member of BC Housing, other than the designated BC Housing contact, concerning matters regarding this funding request. Only information received by the designated BC Housing contact in writing will be considered in the submission and assessment process. Any applicant that does not follow these instructions may be excluded from selection. 7. Submission Material & Format. In order to allow for a complete review and assessment, all business cases and funding requests will be submitted in the format requested as follows. BC Housing strongly encourages applicants to complete Appendices A - C electronically to avoid any misinterpretation of handwriting. a. Title Page/Page Numbers. Each page of the submission will be numbered and include the applicant s name. b. BRSC Checklist. Applicants will attach the checklist (Appendix A) as the top page of their submission. Page 4 of 6
c. Overview of the Project and Criteria Alignment Appendix C. Applicants will provide an overview of the building repair or small capital replacement proposal. Detail how the project will address deficiencies in the life and safety systems of the building, how the building integrity may be compromised if the project is not completed, or how the potential health and safety of staff and/or clients is at risk if the project is not completed. Include details regarding the magnitude of the issue, the immediacy of the impact of the issue and a clear demonstration of alignment with the funding priorities. Please keep this overview section to a maximum of two pages. Applicants may attach supporting photos as an appendix. Projects of greater dollar value should expect to require a stronger justification for funding. d. Implementation Plan Appendix C. Provide a statement of expected timelines, key project milestones and the client management plan during construction if applicable (maximum one page). e. Project Team Appendix C. Provide a description of the project team members from your organization. Please do not include any contractors or vendors. Describe each project team member s experience with projects of a similar scope as the proposed project as well as their level of expertise (maximum one page). f. Monetary and/or In-kind Contribution Appendix C. Provide a percentage and amount of the project cost that your organization contributes with a statement of such monetary and/or in-kind contribution to the project (if any). In-kind contributions are cash-equivalent goods or services which, if not donated, would have to be purchased with project funds. Costs for staffing which would normally be required to run the shelter / transition house are not considered in-kind contributions. Note: Your GST rebate amount will not be considered a monetary contribution. g. Proposed Funding Request. Using Appendix B Proposed Funding Request Form, include a detailed budget of the costs to complete the repairs and/or replacement(s). List the cost of installation, GST, and the PST (where applicable) separately. Budgets must be based on the quote(s) from preferred qualified general contractor(s) and/or vendor(s). Note: It is the responsibility of the applicant to solicit, where possible, three quotes from various contractors and/or vendors in an effort to obtain competitive pricing. Include copies of all quotes obtained. If not obtained, provide an explanation as to why three quotes were not possible to obtain. The scope of work in each of the quotes must be the same. h. Supporting Documents. Provide any additional supporting documents applicable to the Project, such as fire chief reports. 8. Review/Assessment of Business Case Submissions. a. All business case submissions will be reviewed and assessed in accordance with the standards established below: Page 5 of 6
Assessment Standards Weighting Overview of the Project and Criteria Alignment 55 % Implementation Plan 10 % Project Team 5 % Monetary and/or In-kind Contribution 10 % Proposed Funding Request 20% Total: 100 points b. At the conclusion of the review and assessment, only the top-ranked submissions will be selected for funding allocation, as funding permits. c. BC Housing reserves the right to consider the geographic location of the projects in an effort to evenly distribute the funding across the province. d. The selected funding recipients will be expected to enter into a Building Repair and Small Capital Replacement Fund Agreement (sample attached as Appendix D) with BC Housing, within the timeframe specified in the selection notice. e. BC Housing s funding decisions after review and assessment are final. Page 6 of 6