In an August 25^th letter to Secretary Fudge, LeadingAge and fifteen other housing organizations urged HUD to further extend the period to submit public comment on the draft contracts for Performance-Based Contract Administrators (PBCAs) to 90 days. HUD recently agreed to extend the deadline, but only for a total of 60 days.

PBCAs handle much of the day-to-day contract administration for nearly 17,000 contracts between HUD and private property owners and manages of affordable housing. HUD’s draft Request for Information for new draft PBCA contracts, to take effect in 2023, is necessarily complex and would have an enormous impact on residents, HUD-assisted properties, and housing providers.

Among other proposed changes, the draft rebid of the PBCA includes a restructuring from more than 50 contractors to 15, resulting in significant data and process transfer across HUD’s Section 8 portfolio. The draft solicitation also adjusts which actions are controlled by HUD and which are handled by the contractor, including shifting significant responsibilities back to HUD.

With an initial comment date of only 30 days, HUD published the draft solicitation at the end of July, during Congressional recesses when many stakeholders and policymakers are focused on their home districts.

LeadingAge looks forward to working in coalition and with HUD to amend the draft contracts to achieve effective contract administration throughout affordable housing. The coalition letter to HUD is available here, and more information is available here.