Community Development Agency
www.santa-ana.gov/cd
Item # 4
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
October 20, 2026
TOPIC: On-Call Agreements for Affordable Housing Financial, Analytical, and Advisory Services
AGENDA TITLE
Agreements with Harris & Associates, Inc., Keyser Marston Associates, Inc., and RSG, Inc. for on-call Affordable Housing Financial, Analytical, and Advisory Services (Specification No. 26-034A) (Non-General Fund)
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Authorize the Executive Director of the Housing Authority to execute joint on-call consultant Agreements for affordable housing financial, analytical, and advisory services with Harris & Associates, Inc., Keyser Marston Associates, Inc., and RSG, Inc. for a three-year term beginning October 20, 2026 and expiring October 19, 2029, with the option for the City to grant up to two 1-year extensions, in a total shared amount not to exceed $300,000 (Contingent upon approval of City Council Item # 12) (Agreement Nos. A-2026-XXX, A-2026-XXX, A-2026-XXX).
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: Yes
DISCUSSION
To provide affordable housing for our residents, the Community Development Agency manages a large volume of grants and programs that require specialized expertise in affordable housing development finance, real estate development, land use, and federal, state, and local grant programs. This includes at least nine (9) sources of federal, state, and local affordable housing funds (HOME, CDBG, HCV, CalHOME, Inclusionary, PLHA, LMIHAF, HHAP, and Housing Authority Issuer Fees).
To manage these various grants and programs, staff is supported by specialized real estate consultants who provide affordable housing financial, analytical, and advisory services. These consultants provide comprehensive financial, real estate, land use, compliance monitoring, and advisory services related to housing and community development activities carried out with these grant funds. These types of consultant services are typical for a large city such as Santa Ana and necessary for staff to meet the goals in our Housing Element.
On-Call Agreements for Affordable Housing Financial, Analytical, and Advisory Services October 20, 2026
Toward this end, on August 20, 2026, staff issued Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 26- 034A on the City’s online bid management and publication system. A summary of vendor participation and results is as follows:
240 Vendors notified
11 Santa Ana vendors notified
26 Vendors downloaded the RFP packet
6 Responsive proposals received
0 Responsive proposals received from Santa Ana vendors
Proposals were solicited, opened, and evaluated on September 9, 2026. Six (6) proposals were submitted before the RFP deadline and were determined to be responsive to the specifications and met the City’s requirements. An evaluation committee reviewed and rated the proposals according to the criteria listed in the RFP.
Following this procurement process, staff recommends awarding three joint on-call consultant agreements to Harris & Associates, Inc., Keyser Marston Associates, Inc., and RSG, Inc. Due to the volume and specialization of affordable housing activity as a large city, staff recommends approving agreements with more than one firm in cases where additional assistance is needed or specialized knowledge and services are not available from one firm, but may be available from one of the other two firms. Each firm brings decades of experience, knowledge, and expertise in providing advisory services related to housing and community development activities.
Proposed Agreement
The proposed agreements would authorize the City of Santa Ana and the Santa Ana Housing Authority to obtain affordable housing financial, analytical, and advisory services from the three firms on an as-needed basis (Exhibits 1, 2, and 3). Services include financial feasibility and subsidy layering analyses, developer proposal evaluation and transaction structuring, inclusionary housing and land use analyses, and monitoring of affordability covenants, operating budgets, and loan repayment requirements. These services are not meant to be exhaustive or exclusive to affordable housing, and may include any form of general land use and real estate development services for housing, community and economic development purposes to support the City (e.g. Surplus Land Act compliance, Community Financing Districts, etc.).
The agreements provide for an initial three-year term beginning October 20, 2026 and ending October 19, 2029, with up to two 1-year extensions at the City’s option. Total compensation would not exceed a shared amount of $300,000 across all three firms for the entire term, including any extensions; this is not a separate allocation to each firm.
Assignments would be made at the City’s discretion based on availability and specialization, with priority given to Keyser Marston Associates, Inc., the highest-ranked firm. Consultants would be paid only for actual services performed at the rates and charges established in their respective agreements, with no guaranteed minimum compensation.
On-Call Agreements for Affordable Housing Financial, Analytical, and Advisory Services October 20, 2026
Qualifications and Experience of Each Firm
Keyser Marston Associates, Inc. (KMA), founded in 1973, has more than 50 years of experience providing real estate, affordable housing, financial, and economic consulting services to California public agencies. Its expertise includes project underwriting, financial gap and subsidy layering analyses, developer selection, transaction structuring, inclusionary housing policy, Surplus Land Act, and affordability and residual receipts monitoring (Exhibit 1). KMA has provided on-call services to Santa Ana and its Housing Authority since the late 1970s, with regular assistance on affordable housing development since 2015. Other municipal clients include Anaheim and Long Beach, where KMA has provided comparable affordable housing financial analysis, transaction support, and program advisory services.
RSG, Inc., (RSG) founded in 1979, has more than four decades of experience assisting California public agencies with affordable housing finance, real estate analysis, housing program administration, and regulatory compliance (Exhibit 2). Its expertise includes development underwriting, subsidy layering analyses, developer evaluation, property disposition, affordability monitoring, residual receipts reviews, and preparation of housing policies and procedures. The firm’s proposed team includes personnel with annual compliance monitoring experience covering 325 affordable housing projects and more than 13,300 affordable units. RSG also brings familiarity with Santa Ana through its assistance with the development, implementation, and administration of the City’s Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance since 2021. Other clients include Irvine, Chula Vista, Murrieta, and the County of Orange.
Harris & Associates, Inc., (Harris) founded in 1974, is an employee-owned multidisciplinary consulting firm that has provided affordable housing financial, analytical, and advisory services to California public agencies since 2012 (Exhibit 3). Its expertise includes financial feasibility and pro forma review, subsidy and funding analysis, developer proposal evaluation, grant applications and program administration, inclusionary housing studies, and loan and compliance monitoring. Recently for the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust, Harris helped secure more than $5.1 million in grant funding and allocate more than $13.5 million to 13 developments supporting the creation of more than 700 affordable housing units. Other municipal clients include Hawthorne, Irvine, and Santa Monica, with assignments involving affordable housing financial reviews and funding administration, inclusionary housing and in-lieu fee analyses, and loan monitoring.
The Community Development Agency relies on specialized consultant support to manage its large volume of housing and community development grants and programs and the financial, real estate, land use, and compliance responsibilities associated with these resources. Approval of the proposed agreements would continue this support and give staff access to necessary expertise and additional capacity to support informed funding decisions, oversight of the City’s affordable housing investments, and implementation of the City’s Housing Element goals. The cost for these consultant services does not impact the City’s General Fund.
On-Call Agreements for Affordable Housing Financial, Analytical, and Advisory Services October 20, 2026
FISCAL IMPACT
Prior to utilizing any of these on-call services, staff will ensure sufficient funds are available in the appropriate program budget and will track expenditures to ensure the City and Housing Authority do not exceed the aggregate $300,000 maximum total.
The Housing Authority anticipates a variety of federal, state, and local housing and community development grant funds may be utilized for these agreements, including, but not limited to, the following programs:
Accounting UnitAccount Fund Description Accounting Unit, Account Description
13018780-62300 HOME Program HOME, Contract ServicesProfessional 13518780-62300 Community Development
Block Grant
CDBG, Contract ServicesProfessional
14018760-62300 Housing Choice Vouchers HCV, Contract ServicesProfessional 14318760-62300 CalHOME CalHOME, Contract
Services-Professional
41718820-62300 Inclusionary Housing
Inclusionary Housing,
Contract ServicesProfessional
15818703-62300 Permanent Local Housing
Allocation
PLHA, Contract ServicesProfessional
60718810-62300 Low and Moderate Income
Housing Asset Fund
LMIHAF, Contract ServicesProfessional
12218719-62300 Homeless Housing,
Assistance and Prevention
HHAP, Contract ServicesProfessional
13318780-62300 Housing Authority Issuer Fees Issuer Fee, Contract Services-Professional
EXHIBIT(S)
1. Agreement with Keyser Marston Associates, Inc.
2. Agreement with RSG, Inc.
3. Agreement with Harris & Associates, Inc.
Submitted By: Sylvia Vazquez, Deputy City Manager/Acting Executive Director of Community Development Agency
Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager