201 S. Anaheim Blvd.
Suite #1003
Anaheim, CA 92805
Tel: (714) 765-4300
Fax: (714) 765-4630
www.anaheim.net
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
City of Anaheim
HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT
DATE: FEBRUARY 24, 2026
FROM: HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: APPROVE A FIVE-YEAR MASTER AGREEMENT WITH
BENEVATE, LLC DBA NEIGHBORLY SOFTWARE FOR GRANT
ADMINISTRATION SOFTWARE
ATTACHMENT (Y/N): YES ITEM # 12
GOVERNMENT CODE § 84308 APPLIES: YES
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council, by Motion:
1. Waive Council Policy 4.1 and approve a SaaS Subscription and Services Agreement with Benevate, LLC dba Neighborly Software for grant management software for a term commencing February 14, 2026 and ending January 31, 2031 for an amount not to exceed $250,000;
2. Designate the Director of Housing and Community Development, or designee, as the Certifying Official authorized to execute the agreement and all documents related to the administration, management, and implementation of the agreement.
DISCUSSION:
The City of Anaheim’s Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) receives funding allocations from local, state, and federal grant sources to address critical, unmet local needs in the areas of affordable housing, public facilities, homelessness, infrastructure, economic development, and public services. On an annual basis, HCD receives over $10M in funding from various sources. These funds are administered through agreements with local service providers, managed for regulatory and statutory compliance, and reported back to funders as part of responsible grant management.
It is common practice amongst federal and state grantees with a large number of subrecipients to invest in and procure grants administration software as a way to effectively manage grant agreements, progress towards stated objectives and goals, and facilitate reimbursement for services rendered. Such software typically offers both a front and back end user experience, allowing service providers to apply for funding, upload documents, submit performance reports, and invoices. It also allows City staff to systematically pull down documents, evaluate performance, and approve reimbursements.
Approval of Five-Year Master Agreement with Benevate dba Neighborly Software February 24, 2026
In 2018, City staff solicited demonstrations from qualified vendors to evaluate software for local use, including Benevate dba Neighborly Software. Following this review, City staff determined Neighborly Software offered the most comprehensive and customizable service to fit the various programmatic and fiscal needs of the HCD’s grants management team.
Neighborly Software services were procured in December 2018, including customization of a virtual portal with fields tailored for data collection, subrecipient invoicing and reporting capabilities, client documentation storage modules, and ongoing technological assistance beyond initial launch.
Since 2018, HCD has utilized Neighborly Software and has continued to periodically engage vendors of similar software for compatibility with the City’s needs. Other software programs have been found to be incompatible or the cost prohibitive, particularly due to the start-up costs associated with customizing new software to meet City needs.
While the City originally procured Neighborly Software for management of U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) dollars, use of the portal has expanded to include State of California Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program (HHAP) and Proposition 47 dollars; federal Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program dollars; Opioid Remediation Settlement Funds; and the City’s newly launched Project Lease Up Housing Match (PLUHM) system. A change in grant management software would necessitate substantial data migration and increase total projects costs because Neighborly Software holds all contract management materials and confidential client data for HCD dating back to 2018.
Given that there are few commercially available products to meet the unique demands of grant administration, the City’s extensive history with Neighborly, and the costs involved with tailoring a software and data migration, City staff recommends City Council approve a new five-year master agreement with Neighborly Software starting February 14, 2026 through January 31, 2031 in a total amount not to exceed $250,000. This master agreement proposes 15 annual licenses for City staff and subrecipients. The first year of Neighborly Software services under this new master agreement is expected to be February 14, 2026 (in alignment with the ending of the previous Neighborly Software subscription fee) through January 31, 2027 for a total amount of $33,840 or $2,256 per license. City staff expect there to be year-over-year variation in the annual reimbursement amount for Neighborly Software throughout the five-year term including fluctuations for added or deleted licenses and nominal increases in license fees which are reflected in the proposed agreement attached. The request to City Council includes a small contingency to cover the cost of added licenses and potential future modules to meet programmatic demand. All other services offered by Neighborly Software such as technological assistance and modifications to customized modules are included in the cost of the license fee.
These requests directly support the City’s Strategic Plan Goal B: Enhance Livability, Strategy 2: Develop strategies to stabilize and expand affordable, workforce, and home ownership housing options for low-income residents, and Strategy 9: Maintain and expand services to address homelessness and its impacts.
Approval of Five-Year Master Agreement with Benevate dba Neighborly Software February 24, 2026
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
All activities related to the five-year master agreement are anticipated to be fully funded by available HCD grants, and the first year is included in the Housing and Community Development Department’s FY 2025/26 budget. In the event grant funds are reduced or eliminated, the agreement will only support activities that are fully funded by available grant allocations.
Respectfully submitted,
Grace Ruiz-Stepter
Housing and Community Development Director
Attachment:
1. Proposed Five-Year Master Agreement with Benevate dba Neighborly Software