PROJECT TITLE:  ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Washington State Rental Registry Study

PROPOSAL DUE:  April 1, 2024 at 12:00pm, Pacific Time, Olympia, WA

The Washington Department of Commerce is initiating this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit responses from qualified firms interested in studying the scope of work, requirements, and potential costs to implement a statewide Rental Registry in Washington State. This work will be in support of the proviso below.

Commerce has budgeted an amount not to exceed $395,000 for this project. This projects spans two state fiscal years. Specifically, $145,500 is budgeted for the period between April 26, 2024 and June 30, 2024, with the remaining $250,000 designated for the period between June 30, 2024 and June 30, 2025.

Proviso - Section 129: (82) $215,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2024 and $345,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2025 are provided solely for the department to produce a report to the legislature detailing the scope of work, cost estimates, and implementation timeline to create or procure an online registry of rental units in Washington state subject to state information system planning and oversight requirements. The online rental unit registry must have the capacity to collect and report out timely information on each rental unit in the state. Information to collect includes, but is not limited to, the rental unit's physical address, identity of the property owner, monthly rent charged, and vacancy status. The scope of work must assume integration with existing rental registries operated by local governments. Cost and timeline estimates must provide two alternatives with one assuming statewide implementation and the other assuming implementation in the six largest counties of the state. The department shall consult with landlord representatives, tenant representatives, local governments operating existing rental registries, and other interested stakeholders as part of the process of developing the scope of work and timeline for the online rental unit registry. The department must submit the report to the legislature by December 1, 2024

Full RFP details can be accessed on the Department of Commerce website: Request for Proposals - Washington State Rental Registry Study - Washington State Department of Commerce

If you have questions or need assistance contact Augustine Sughrua at Augustine.sughrua@commerce.wa.gov.

UPDATE: Q&A Posted March 22,  2024: https://deptofcommerce.app.box.com/s/mb00zqp4acqwcay621vh9q3y3i5jm5ga