HUD specifications

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Author Message David G. Axt, CCS, CSI ,SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1413 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 04:54 pm:    I have been asked to submit a proposal for a multi-family building that will be financed by the department of Housing and Urban Development. Has anyone written a project manual for a HUD project? What are some of the pitfalls that I need to watch out for? Thanks. David G. Axt, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant/Web Publisher www.localproductreps.com Curt Norton, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: curtn Post Number: 224 Registered: 06-2002 Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 05:14 pm:    Make sure your contract is clear about getting paid when you finish your work. It took me months to get paid because funds weren't released to the architect. Also, if they redesign the building make sure you get paid for the extra work. My agreement wasn't as clear as it should have been(or I was being stupid) and wrote several new sections for free when they completely changed the type of structure. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1323 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 05:42 pm:    David, be prepared to loose money on your first HUD project, there are too many rope tricks to learn, esp when it comes to reading the mind of the peer review group. In Florida AHCA assigns peer review to a company called the Dominion Group, a form of document gestapo that reviews the documents like no peer review you have ever been through. If you use the words "or equal" any where in your specs now, take them out as those words will surely set off a flag. I've prepared specs for at least a half dozen HUD funded projects and even though I am considered a seasoned veteran I avoid these jobs like the plague. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1324 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 05:58 pm:    David, the Dominion Due Diligence Group is based in Virginia, so perhaps they will be preparing the Peer Review for your project. I think I have your email address on file, If you want I will send you an invaluable document from D3D that I use for reference on my HUD projects, perhaps it will save you some of the aggravation I've been through, I wish I'd received a copy when I did my first set of HUD specs. Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 655 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 05:59 pm:    My experience is a bit dated, but HUD requires (or at least use to) conformance with UFAS, which adopts the FHA and pretty much all of the relevant ANSI standards for everything. Often, the region your HUD project is in will have its own jurisdictional requirements, often based on the IBC. UFAS does not equal IBC, which is further complicated by AADAG being different from both. So, other than the CODE snafu's that your architect will struggle through, I don't recall any major pitfalls that would impact the specifications. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1325 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 06:09 pm:    Curt is right on the money, you had better have an iron clad agreement, there will be many changes before a contract is signed. I guess it depends on what type of projects you are used to working on, for me it is always a challenge to work on a HUD project. Sheldon Wolfe Senior Member Username: sheldon_wolfe Post Number: 856 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 09:12 pm:    Talk with the local office to find out what they want. We did two HUD projects a couple of years ago, in adjoining states but out of separate offices. One office had a long list of stuff we had to do, the other office required only about a quarter as much. David J. Wyatt, CDT Senior Member Username: david_j_wyatt_cdt Post Number: 107 Registered: 03-2011 Posted on Thursday, May 21, 2015 - 10:50 am:    David: My office designs several HUD-funded projects each year for various public housing agencies in the state of Ohio. Some public housing agencies (PHAs) are quite knowledgeable about the bidding and contracting requirements, while others depend on us to put together the proper documents in the proper sequence. All of the documents are available for free on line. The ones I suggest you read first are HUD 5369 Instructions to Bidders, HUD 5370 General Conditions, and HUD 5369A Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Bidders. They will acquaint you with the terminology and procedures. None of them are long, and as a specifier, you might find them interesting. The HUD 5370 General Conditions is concise, yet it covers the waterfront of Division 01 topics so well you will not need much over and above that. Pay close attention to their terminology as it varies somewhat from AIA terminology. But, behind the veneer of terminology, the concepts are fairly consistent. One issue that trips people up is the wage determination. HUD-funded projects follow Davis-Bacon wage requirements rather than the prevailing wage requirements for other state-funded projects. Some HUD-funded projects qualify for the lower residential Davis-Bacon rates. You will do your client a great service if you understand the difference. In theory, most of these issues are supposed to be understood and the documents provided by the PHA engaging you for the design, but you should understand them anyway. Contrary to some comments, you will not necessarily "lose money" on your first HUD projects. But read the documents cited before you start. Feel free to write to me if you want to compare notes. My e-mail address is dwyatt@tcarchitects.com.