The NYCHA Journal

The NYCHA Journal has informed and inspired residents since 1970, covering the news, contributions, and uplifting stories of the NYCHA community while providing the latest information on Authority initiatives.

NYCHA 2.0 PACT Top Story 

NYCHA Seeks Community Partners to Join PACT Program

Vincent Echavaria

On February 23, 2021, NYCHA announced the re-release of the PACT Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to solicit prospective rehabilitation partners. The RFQ supports the Authority’s aim to undertake the largest Section 8 conversion program in the country through NYCHA’s Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) initiative. The PACT RFQ enables NYCHA to streamline the PACT procurement process by creating pre-qualified lists of developers, property managers, general contractors, and social service providers to partner with NYCHA on forthcoming PACT conversions. This prequalification list is currently refreshed annually and may also be reissued at additional points through the coming year.

The goal for NYCHA’s PACT pipeline is the successful conversion of 62,000 apartments in order to bring the benefits of comprehensive apartment repairs and building upgrades to more than 142,000 residents, all while retaining tenant protections and public control of NYCHA’s housing stock. Since the program’s inception in 2016, NYCHA has successfully generated almost $2 billion in capital repair work across the city, modernizing 9,517 homes through PACT.

“Our goal of comprehensively rehabilitating 62,000 apartments while serving the needs of our residents requires the skills and expertise of a wide range of partners,” said NYCHA’s Executive Vice President of Real Estate Jonathan Gouveia. “The Authority is focused on investing in, stabilizing, and preserving affordable housing, while protecting resident rights for generations. These requests for qualifications ensure we are getting the most talented partners to deliver on our goals.”

“Improving the lives of 62,000 households under the PACT program is an ambitious goal, and we need the help of community partners from across the city,” said NYCHA’s Executive Vice President of Community Engagement and Partnerships Sideya Sherman. “We are committed to including a wide network of qualified organizations to reach our benchmarks.”

Following the release of the RFQ, the Authority will make its pre-qualified lists of partners public in order to facilitate the creation of comprehensive development teams. The RFQ will be followed by solicitations for specific PACT projects of NYCHA developments.

As part of NYCHA 2.0, a 10-year plan to ensure quality housing for all NYCHA residents, the Authority will address $24 billion in vital repairs in New York City’s aging public housing and ensure residents have safe, decent, and affordable homes. A critical part of NYCHA 2.0, PACT is the umbrella name for three tools that enable NYCHA to comprehensively renovate public housing apartments. Under PACT, NYCHA creates public-private partnerships and converts developments from Section 9 public housing funding (and, in some cases, an “unfunded” status) to stable, project-based Section 8 funding. In doing so, PACT enables NYCHA and its development partners to make full repairs to developments, while preserving long-term affordability and maintaining equivalent resident rights through statutory and contractual requirements. To guarantee public control and stewardship, NYCHA retains public ownership of the land and buildings, as well as control over affordability requirements and resident protections, and administers the Section 8 funding contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  

The RFQ outlines how developers, general contractors, property managers, and social service providers can become official partners with NYCHA to rehabilitate and financially stabilize properties. Interested entities can learn more about the PACT program, specific opportunities for developers, general contractors, property managers, and social service providers, as well as the RFQ, at an upcoming information session scheduled for Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at 10 a.m. on Zoom. There will be an additional information session exclusively for social services providers on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, at 10 a.m. In addition, NYCHA and Enterprise Community Partners will host a PACT 101 presentation on Thursday, March 11 from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the PACT program and hear from current PACT development teams. For access to either of the information sessions or PACT 101, please RSVP to pact.partners@nycha.nyc.gov. More details are also available on the NYCHA PACT Website. 

Developer, general contractor, property manager, and social service provider responses are due by 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 25, 2021.

To view and respond to the RFQ, interested parties should download the RFQ from NYCHA’s PACT website and register for NYCHA’s iSupplier system. The RFQ is listed on the NYCHA Procurement Opportunities website under Negotiation Number #224842 for developers, general contractors, property managers, and social service providers.

Photo caption: Example of renovations accomplished at Baychester Houses as part of NYCHA’s PACT initiative.