FY27 Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF)

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by the Central Purchasing Division (CPD) in coordination with the Office of Affordable Housing (OAH) is to solicit sealed proposals through a competitive process to establish contracts for projects that advance affordable housing in the City of Santa Fe. This RFP is focused on supporting eligible costs associated with both rental and ownership projects. Rental projects include new construction development acquisition, renovation/rehabilitation, preservation, supportive housing and mixed income housing developments. Ownership of affordable housing—or related supporting affordable housing infrastructure for rental or affordable housing homeownership are eligible for proposal submission.

All proposed projects must align with the community’s established affordable housing goals and priorities, as defined under the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) and related City plans and policies. As codified in Santa Fe City Code (SFCC) 26-3, the primary purpose of the AHTF is to increase and preserve the supply of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents in the City of Santa Fe.

Housing Development and Preservation (Infrastructure-Focused)

The AHTF supports projects that involve the creation, rehabilitation, or preservation of affordable housing units, including associated infrastructure necessary to support housing development.

The City is seeking proposals that will advance the development of for-sale affordable housing to include but not limited to single-family homes, condominiums, townhomes, duplex, triplex or rental of developed Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) that expands long-term affordability and supports neighborhood stability.

Priority consideration will be given to development teams that demonstrate the ability to:

• Deliver high-quality affordable to low- and moderate-income households
• Provide a mix of affordability levels that serve workforce and entry-level homebuyers
• Incorporate long-term affordability mechanisms such as:
  • Deed restrictions
  • Ground lease structures
  • Shared equity approaches

Resultant projects shall:

• Include innovative resident engagement models that enhance onsite safety and community stability, including voluntary residency by qualified public safety personnel in exchange for defined community participation activities, consistent with all applicable fair housing and funding requirements 
• Maximize the number of affordable units delivered per site
• Support pathways to homeownership for income-qualified households
• Utilize cost-effective design and construction methods to improve attainability
• Include infrastructure and site improvements within the development scope
• Align affordability periods with long-term community housing goals

Proposals shall incorporate innovative development solutions that increase health and safety, and approaches designed to minimize reliance on direct public subsidy, while ensuring long-term affordability.

The City is particularly interested in developments that create sustainable homeownership opportunities, promote neighborhood integration, and ensure the long-term availability of single-family housing and/or multi-family housing development for income-qualified residents.

This solicitation is also open to multi-family deep affordable housing developers for maximum unit count.

Background

The New Mexico Affordable Housing Act (The “Act”) and its implementing regulations establish the framework for eligible uses of funds, applicant eligibility criteria, and proposal requirements to ensure compliance with the State of New Mexico’s Anti-Donation Clause. Oversight and enforcement of the Act are administered by the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority (MFA) through the Affordable Housing Act Rules.

Under the Act, the City is authorized to support the following costs related to affordable housing initiatives:

• Acquisition of land on which affordable housing will be constructed;
• An existing building that will be renovated, converted, or demolished and reconstructed as affordable housing;
• Costs related to the acquisition, development, construction, financing, operation, or ownership of affordable housing;
• Costs of financing or infrastructure necessary to support affordable housing.

All proposals must demonstrate consistency with the “Act” and the “Rules” and clearly identify how the requested funding supports the development, sustainability, or facilitation of affordable housing in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Awards under this RFP are subject to the availability of funds in the AHTF. All allocations are contingent upon current and projected revenue into the Fund from designated sources, as well as annual budget appropriations approved by the City’s Governing Body. The Community Development Committee (CDC) will review and evaluate eligible proposals and make formal recommendations to the City’s Governing Body, which retains final authority on funding awards.

Project Details

• Reference ID: FY26-RFP-076
• Department: Affordable Housing
• Department Head: Faviola Chavez (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-04-24T23:00:00.663Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-04-28T23:00:10.605Z
• Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2026-04-22T21:30:45.209Z — Virtual Meeting Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZTEyMmZlNzMtYTI0MS00NThhLWI5YjktYjg5YTlhNWZjOTE0%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2277b69f5a-55ed-4363-8616-4867b0bc707f%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%228d3a19bb-3961-4588-8915-1014f4def1c1%22%7d

Evaluation Criteria

• Team Qualifications & Past Relevant Projects (10 pts)
• Clarity, Logic, and Execution Strategy (10 pts)
• Affordability Duration (10 pts)
• Leverage (10 pts)
• Investment Impact (15 pts)
• Readiness & Feasibility (25 pts)
• Resident Well-Being (10 pts)
• Sustainability (10 pts) —

  Sustainable environmental efforts that will be incorporated into the project

• Local Preferences (6 pts) —

  3% or 6% of the total available points

Submission Requirements

• NMBTIN# (required) —

  Formally known as NM CRS#

• Identify the individual(s) authorized by the organization to contractually obligate to queries on behalf of this Offeror: (required) —

  Please provide the following:

  • Name
  • Title
  • Email
  • Telephone Number
• Identify the individual(s) authorized by the organization to negotiate to queries on behalf of this Offeror: (required) —

  Please provide the following:

  • Name
  • Title
  • Email
  • Telephone Number
• Identify the individual(s) authorized by the organization to clarify/respond to queries on behalf of this Offeror: (required) —

  Please provide the following:

  • Name
  • Title
  • Email
  • Telephone Number
• Will you require the use of subcontractors? (required)
• Subcontractors (required) —

  Please provide a list of subcontractors who will be used in the performance of any resultant contract.

• Describe any relationship with any entity (such as the City of Santa Fe, State Agency, reseller, etc. that is not a subcontractor(s) listed above), if any, which will be used in the performance of any resultant contract. (required) —

  N/A, None, Does not apply, etc. are acceptable responses to this item.

• Minimum Eligibility Requirements (required) —

  All proposals submitted must meet minimum eligibility requirements before advancing to the evaluation stage. By submitting a proposal, the Applicant certifies compliance with the applicable standards and acknowledges the ability to complete the project and AHTF contract within 12 to 18 months of award. The City may request additional documentation to verify compliance.

  Applicants may include nonprofit housing providers, mission-aligned for-profit entities, community-based organizations, and other qualified agencies. All selected contractors must:

  • Be appropriately licensed and insured;
  • Comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations;
  • Demonstrate capacity to manage the scope, scale and capacity of the proposed project.

  Eligible Applicant Types

  Funding through the AHTF is available to developers of affordable housing, including:

  • Partnerships
  • Corporations
  • Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)
  • Joint Ventures
  • Public/Private Partnerships
  • Non-Profit Organizations

  Eligible entities must:

  • Be legally organized under state, local, or tribal law;
  • Provide verifiable documentation of legal organization;
  • Demonstrate financial capacity and organizational experience sufficient to implement proposed activities.

  The City must certify that each Offeror qualifies as a "Qualifying Grantee" per MFA Housing Act Rules, including:

  • Proof of organization under applicable laws;
  • A functioning accounting system in line with GAAP;
  • A mission that includes affordable housing or services to low-to-moderate income individuals;
  • For nonprofits, assurance that no net earnings benefit any private individual;
  • Full compliance with submittal requirements.

  Development & Preservation – Pass/Fail Thresholds

  Demonstrated Organizational Capacity

  • Operated for at least 3 years
  • Completed at least one relevant project in the past 5 years, on time and on budget
  • Experience with projects involving multiple public agencies
  • Experience using public funds (e.g., AHTF, HUD, MFA, LIHTC)

  Project Relevance and Feasibility

  • Demonstrate a 3:1 or greater match of non-AHTF funds
  • Has completed a similar project
  • Located within Santa Fe city limits
  • Serves households at or below 80% - 120% AMI
  • Site control is established (ownership, lease, or option)
  • Appropriate zoning or rezoning is in progress
  • Ready to begin within 12 months
  • Affordability maintained for at least 20 years
  • Aligns with eligible AHTF uses
  • Complies with fair housing, accessibility, and anti-discrimination laws

  Legal, Financial, and Administrative Soundness

  • No litigation related to fraud/misuse of public funds
  • Registered with Sam.gov and not disbarred from receiving federal awards
  • Experience managing government-funded contracts
  • No bankruptcy in the past 5 years
  • Current on all taxes
  • Passed financial audit in the last 2 years from owner of development
  • passed 8609 showing experience with LIHTC projects or past awards from HUD, AHTF or MFA

   

• Scope/Level of Expertise Plan, Application & Proforma Workbook —

  Please see each section requiring responses below.

• Scope/Level of Expertise Plan (SC/LE) (required) —

  Please download the below document, read the instructions and upload your narrative in response to each bullet point here.

   

• Application (required) —

  Please download the below document as required by the bullet point named "Readiness & Feasibility" in the Scope/Level of Expertise Plan, complete, and upload.

• Proforma Workbook (required) —

  Please download the below document as required by the bullet point named "Readiness & Feasibility" in the Scope/Level of Expertise Plan, complete, and upload.

• Financial Commitment —

  Offeror should provide a Soft Commitment Letter from a Financial Institution or other Lending Institution if available. 

• Financial Statements (required) —

  Offeror MUST include two (2) years of audited Financial Statements. Please upload these documents here. 

• Reference List (required) —

  Provide Reference List here.

• Draft Contract —

  Please download the below document, redline if needed and upload.

• Clarification Phase Guide —

  Please download the below document.

• Did you complete and upload the necessary forms from the RFP and include them with your submission?
• RFP Acknowledgement —

  By clicking "Please confirm" below, the Authorized Signatory attests to the accuracy and veracity of the information provided on this form, and explicitly acknowledges the following:

  • On behalf of the submitting-organization, I accept the Conditions Governing the Procurement, as required of this RFP;
  • I concur that submission of our proposal constitutes acceptance of the Evaluation Factors contained in Section "Evaluation" of this RFP; and
  • I acknowledge receipt of all amendments to this RFP, if any. 
• Brief Description of Service(s)/Product(s) (required)
• Resulting award for contract (required)
• Which apply to your project? (required)
• Pre-Proposal Meeting Attendance Required? (required)
• Address for Site Visit (required)
• Will this project be federally funded? (required)
• Pricing (required) —
  • Choose Option 1 when you have set line items, for example:
    • This is a quote for goods or commodities.
    • This is a public works bid, with a pricing table that can be uploaded into OpenGov Procurement from an Excel spreadsheet.
    • Seeking services for hourly rate schedules.
  • Choose Option 2 when you need vendors to provide you with the line items.