RFP for Systems Replacement Plan Engineer

NFF offers Systems Replacement Plan (SRP) assessments to nonprofits that either lease or own facilities to support their financial planning. We are seeking to expand our partnerships with facilities consultants to provide SRPs to our nonprofit clients.  

NFF is a nonprofit lender, consultant, and advocate. For more than 40 years, we’ve helped organizations access the money and resources they need to realize their communities’ aspirations. Alongside others, we’re working to build community wealth and well-being and put affordable housing, essential services, quality jobs, and excellent education within reach of more people.  

We have provided customized consulting to thousands of organizations throughout the country. In 2023, NFF provided direct, tailored financial management and financial consulting to 208 organizations, with the goal of helping to build their capacity and sustainability as they work to create a more just and vibrant society.     

Since its founding in 1980, NFF has been a partner to nonprofits as both a lender and thought partner in facilities-oriented projects. NFF has also conducted facilities-oriented trainings, deep dive technical assistance engagements, and integrated capital planning projects with hundreds of organizations throughout the United States.  

Among other services, NFF’s Consulting team manages and delivers SRP assessments to nonprofits that either own or lease facilities. To prepare the SRP, NFF partners with facilities consultants to create a 20-year capital needs assessment that combines the Property Condition Assessment (PCA) prepared by our facilities consultant with NFF’s understanding of nonprofit financial management. NFF currently provides SRPs to nonprofit organizations across the US with facilities of all sizes. The majority of our SRP work has historically been with cultural facilities ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 square feet.   

What’s Included 

• A review of the building's key systems and energy efficiency as determined by NFF's facilities consultant, including but not limited to the following major building systems: infrastructure, roof, exterior, interior, equipment, mechanical, electrical, energy efficiency, plumbing infrastructure, life safety systems, and ADA compliance.   
• A report detailing the findings and an accompanying 20-year Systems Replacement Plan (SRP) forecasting the necessary replacement of specific systems and equipment, presuming routine maintenance. The plan covers the building envelope, mechanical systems, and certain types of flooring/finishes with limited usable-life expectancy.   
• A report detailing the results of the facilities consultant’s Property Condition Assessment detailing where facilities can be improved for energy efficiency and, if appropriate, climate change remediation.   
• A customized planning tool, adjusted for inflation and capital growth, to help meet savings goals, and a facilitated training on the content of the PCA report as well as NFF's tool and its ongoing use.   
• A presentation of the SRP findings to management and leadership; instruction on how to use and update the SRP tool so that leaders can customize their own replacement timelines to align with organizational capacity.  

NFF is looking to expand our partnerships with facilities engineering consultants to provide SRPs to our nonprofit clients. The chosen firm will be expected to: 

• Attend introductory calls, led by NFF, to discuss clients’ goals for the analysis 
• Conduct on-site inspections for our clients; the majority of inspections currently take place in Massachusetts, but on occasion have happened across the US 
• Provide facilities surveys for nonprofit clients
• Surveys will include:  
  • A description, including observed condition, and picture of each item or system within a facility that will need to be repaired or replaced during the subsequent 20 years 
  • The approximate age and useful life of each of these items or systems 
  • The approximate cost, in today’s dollars, to replace each item or system including the cost of disposal, labor, re-finishing, etc. Where applicable, this should include the cost per unit and number of units used to determine this cost (e.g., 100 square feet of tile at $20 per square feet) 
• Surveys should generally cover: 
  • Building envelope (e.g., roof, windows, doors, structure) 
  • Mechanical systems (e.g., HVAC, plumbing)​​ 
  • Flooring, finishes, certain fixtures 
  • Electrical and lighting systems​​ 
  • Life safety systems (e.g., fire suppression, emergency lighting)​ 
• Prioritize and deliver timely analyses to nonprofit clients; the final survey will be delivered within 30 days following an in-person site visit  
• Offer a nuanced and relational style to working with nonprofit clients  
• Foster positive relationships with NFF clients, with an understanding of the meaning/importance of community facilities  

Beyond the immediate scope of the SRP, NFF is expanding its own strategy and presence to work with alternative and equitable models of community ownership – including but not limited to community land trusts and non-financial asset management. We look forward to exploring ways to partner beyond this initial work. 

• Comfort interfacing with nonprofit clients and an understanding of the unique challenges of facility ownership and management in the nonprofit space  
• Comfort interacting and engaging with NFF as a partner and tailoring facility assessments, where appropriate, to client priorities 
• Have a strong relationship-building approach with the ability to center the needs of clients and communities 
• Embody NFF’s mission and core values

To submit an application for this SRP, please email the following information to [email protected] with the subject line “SRP RFP Submission [DATE].” 

1. Name 
2. Organization Name  
3. Location 
4. Please describe the services offered by your organization 
5. Please describe why your organization would be a good fit for providing Systems Replacement Plan Assessments 
6. Share how your organization has partnered with nonprofit clients
7. Please describe your experience, if any, working with buildings on the National Register of Historic Places 
8. A fee proposal for how assessments will be priced. Historically, fees have been assessed based on the size of the facility and number of buildings on the site (though we are open to other models).   

Additional optional attachments may include:  

• An example of a facility assessment/report you have provided in the past. This can be anonymized to preserve client confidentiality 
• Any written testimonials from clients served that speak to the value of assessment provided 

Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis.  

NFF is an equal opportunity contractor and does not discriminate against any applicant or consultant because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or military or veteran status in accordance with federal law. In addition, NFF complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in every jurisdiction. NFF also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable laws.  

This posting provides a general list of the needs and expertise required for this engagement. It does not represent a contract with NFF and NFF reserves the right to change the posting at any time without notice.  

When applying, please do not include any sensitive or personal information with your application. 

Thank you for your interest in our RFP! If you have any questions about NFF, the SRP assessment, or any components of this application, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Vishal Makhijani at [email protected]. We look forward to reviewing your application.