Last updated: July 2026
Purpose, Scope, and Goals
Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) uses Prequalification to confirm that developers, co-developers, consultants, general contractors, management entities, and sponsors/owners are capable, prepared, and in good standing before entering the funding application process.
As a critical first step, prequalification evaluates organizations through a variety of qualification standards, including but not limited to:
- Performance of its existing portfolio
- Development track record (when applicable)
- Legal standing
Any deficiencies must be resolved before advancing, ensuring both resident protection and the long-term sustainability of OHCS-funded projects. Organizations submit their
Prequalification Request Form through the OHCS website each year. Prequalification must be updated on an annual basis (12 months following approval). Applicants must be prequalified by OHCS before moving past the Impact Assessment standards review step. Prequalification approval is solely a determination of eligibility and does not imply endorsement of any entity by OHCS.
The goals of Prequalification are to:
- Reduce administrative burden for partners and OHCS by reviewing key eligibility factors once per year.
- Complete entity review tasks earlier so they don't delay project evaluations.
- Ensure organizations working with OHCS are legally sound, financially stable, and ready to complete projects successfully.
- Support equitable access by maintaining a transparent, consistent, and uniform review approach statewide.
- Identify where OHCS can offer support, technical assistance, or conditions that strengthen project readiness.
- Provide a defensible and standardized process for determining partner eligibility.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Agreement
Developers (lead and co-developers) and development consultants complete a short online survey. This survey will direct applicants to submit an initial agreement or a renewal agreement, required annually. Partners will select goals related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and report progress on them each year.
Instructions for submittal
- Submit the Initial or Renewal DEI Agreement within 15 calendar days of an entity’s Prequalification request submission.
- Submit the Prequalification submission form.
-
Requirement to meet this standard: Initial or Renewal DEI Agreement has been submitted, reviewed by OHCS and confirmed that previously set goals remain unchanged (for renewals only). If previously stated goals have changed, a short explanation is required.
Types of Organizations Reviewed & Criteria
Architects
This is an individual, group or organization that provides architectural designs, instructions, site plans, exterior elevation and floor plans. Entities must be prequalified prior to Impact Assessment Standards Review of a project.
-
Track record of consulting on OHCS-funded projects: Demonstrated history of providing architectural services on housing, community development, or other multifamily, publicly funded initiatives.
-
Legal good standing: The OHCS Integrity Certification form is designed to assess an organization’s legal and ethical standing. As part of this review, applicants must disclose information related to debarment, pending or past lawsuits and judgments, financial insolvency, organizational restructuring, conflicts of interest, and any criminal history tied to business integrity. The form also addresses matters of moral turpitude and financial responsibility. Together, these disclosures allow OHCS to gain a clear picture of whether an organization can operate responsibly and uphold the standards required for partnership.
Capital Needs Assessment (CNA) Vendors
CNA vendors shall respond to questions in the prequalification form consistent with requirements outlined in section Architectural Index Module 03.01. Requirements for qualified CNA vendors include:
- Appropriate licensure
- Appropriate experience
- Resume
- Acknowledgement of identity of interest requirements
- Legal good standing: The OHCS Integrity Certification form is designed to assess an organization’s legal and ethical standing. As part of this review, applicants must disclose information related to debarment, pending or past lawsuits and judgments, financial insolvency, organizational restructuring, conflicts of interest, and any criminal history tied to business integrity. The form also addresses matters of moral turpitude and financial responsibility. Together, these disclosures allow OHCS to gain a clear picture of whether an organization can operate responsibly and uphold the standards required for partnership.
All details on CNA Vendor requirements can be found in the Architectural Index.
Developers (Lead or Co-Developer)
Includes nonprofit, for-profit, public, Tribal, and joint-venture entities acting as sponsors/owners or developers of affordable multifamily rental housing. Developers are required to remain committed in each project’s development through financial closing. Entities must be prequalified prior to Impact Assessment Standards Review of a project.
Criteria reviewed:
-
Portfolio performance: Information on project challenges and issues will be gathered to understand how OHCS can better support developers and their projects. Problems with existing properties in OHCS’s portfolio of properties need to be addressed before the applicant can be prequalified. Examples include:
- Extended vacancies
- Unresolved compliance findings
- Unaddressed health or safety concerns
- Past projects that require material corrective action
-
Debt Coverage Ratio (DCR) and Occupancy Rate: OHCS reviews DCR and occupancy rate information for each OHCS portfolio property as part of prequalification. OHCS may request additional information if available data is incomplete, outdated, or requires clarification. OHCS retains the right and discretion to enforce requirements such as property improvement plans or improved portfolio performance requirements to retain eligibility for new investments.
-
Development experience: Development experience is assessed by evaluating the number of affordable rental housing projects an entity has successfully developed through financial closing and in Oregon with public funding. Qualified project development must be within the past 10 years to be considered. The minimum requirement is one project as lead developer or two projects as co-developer. Responses to this may lead OHCS to require applicants to include assistance from another prequalified developer or development consultant.
-
Legal good standing: The OHCS Integrity Certification form is designed to assess an organization’s legal and ethical standing. As part of this review, applicants must disclose information related to debarment, pending or past lawsuits and judgments, financial insolvency, organizational restructuring, conflicts of interest, and any criminal history tied to business integrity. The form also addresses matters of moral turpitude and financial responsibility. Together, these disclosures allow OHCS to gain a clear picture of whether an organization can operate responsibly and uphold the standards required for partnership.
-
Organizational continuity: The organization’s ability to maintain stable leadership and staffing, including managing turnover in key leadership roles.
-
OHCS-Funded Properties form: This form is required when an entity has any previous projects funded by OHCS.
-
DEI Agreement: Applicant has submitted their DEI Agreement. Applicants submit an initial agreement and then a renewal agreement each year.
-
For nonprofits: Additional questions are required for nonprofit applicants within prequalification to identify the role in community and capacity of the organization. This includes but is not limited to:
- Mission statement
- Website
- Proof of nonprofit status: 501c3, SOS registration, registration letter/Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Two years operating budgets: organizational financial statements
- List of board members: identify positions and term i.e. chair, three-year term, begin Jan 2026
- Attorney or community letter of support: Renewed every two years and/or at key turnover or change. Change means but is not limited to adding new partner, new organization structure, new mission or name.
- Letter from another funder or Sponsoring Jurisdiction: Renewed every two years and/or at key turnover or change. Change means but is not limited to adding new partner, new organization structure, new mission or name.
-
Note: Community in this context is to mean individuals who have been served by the work of the organization in the nonprofit capacity.
Please submit all required documentation to as a part of prequalification.
Development Consultants
Professionals engaged by project sponsors or developers to support development tasks such as project management, financing, feasibility, or compliance. Development consultants are required to remain committed in each project’s development through financial closing. Entities must be prequalified prior to Impact Assessment standards review of a project. Within a project, consultants must be third parties that are unrelated to any of the sponsor, developer, or borrower.
Criteria reviewed:
-
Track record of consulting on OHCS-funded or comparable public projects: Demonstrated history of providing consulting services on housing, community development, or other multifamily, publicly funded initiatives.
-
Organizational or individual expertise relevant to assigned project roles: Demonstrated experience providing technical assistance, project management, or advisory services on initiatives funded by OHCS or similar public agencies.
-
Legal good standing: The OHCS Integrity Certification form is designed to assess an organization’s legal and ethical standing. As part of this review, applicants must disclose information related to debarment, pending or past lawsuits and judgments, financial insolvency, organizational restructuring, conflicts of interest, and any criminal history tied to business integrity. The form also addresses matters of moral turpitude and financial responsibility. Together, these disclosures allow OHCS to gain a clear picture of whether an organization can operate responsibly and uphold the standards required for partnership.
-
DEI Agreement: Applicant has submitted their DEI Agreement. Applicants submit an initial agreement and then a renewal agreement each year.
-
For nonprofits: Additional questions are required for nonprofit applicants within prequalification to identify the role in community and capacity of the organization. This includes but is not limited to:
- Mission statement
- Website
- Proof of nonprofit status: 501c3, SOS registration, registration letter/Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Two years operating budgets: organizational financial statements
- List of board members: identify positions and term i.e. chair, three-year term, begin Jan 2026
- Attorney or community letter of support: Renewed every two years and/or at key turnover or change. Change means but is not limited to adding new partner, new organization structure, new mission or name.
- Letter from another funder or Sponsoring Jurisdiction: Renewed every two years and/or at key turnover or change. Change means but is not limited to adding new partner, new organization structure, new mission or name.
-
Note: Community in this context is to mean individuals who have been served by the work of the organization in the nonprofit capacity.
Please submit all required documentation as part of prequalification.
General Contractors
Builders responsible for delivering OHCS-funded projects. Entities identified in the Development Team Capacity Worksheet must be prequalified prior to a project moving into Impact Assessment Standards Review. Entities not identified in the worksheet will be required to complete prequalification during the Financial Eligibility step.
Criteria reviewed:
-
Experience with affordable housing construction: Involvement in affordable housing projects, including the scope, complexity, and successful completion of developments that meet community needs.
-
Capacity for project scale: Assessment of organizational resources, staffing, financial strength, and operational systems to determine whether the applicant can manage projects of the proposed size and complexity.
-
Experience with state and federal labor standards and federal cross-cutting requirements: Review of familiarity and compliance with Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) prevailing wage law, Davis-Bacon labor standards, Section 3 requirements, and other state and federal cross-cutting regulations that apply to publicly funded housing projects.
-
Performance history on public projects: Consideration of past performance on projects funded by public entities, including timeliness, budget adherence, regulatory compliance, and overall quality of outcomes.
-
Licensing: Verification of an active Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB) license, including license type, number, and expiration date, to ensure the contractor is legally authorized and in good standing to perform construction work in the state.
-
Legal good standing: The OHCS Integrity Certification form is designed to assess an organization’s legal and ethical standing. As part of this review, applicants must disclose information related to debarment, pending or past lawsuits and judgments, financial insolvency, organizational restructuring, conflicts of interest, and any criminal history tied to business integrity. The form also addresses matters of moral turpitude and financial responsibility. Together, these disclosures allow OHCS to gain a clear picture of whether an organization can operate responsibly and uphold the standards required for partnership.
Management entities
Entities identified in the Development Team Capacity Worksheet must be prequalified prior to a project moving into Impact Assessment standards review. Entities not identified in the worksheet will be required to complete prequalification during the Financial Eligibility stage.
Criteria reviewed:
-
Management capabilities: A narrative description of property and asset management capabilities, including systems, processes, and tools used to oversee operations.
-
Licensing and registration: Verification of Oregon Real Estate Agency (OREA) Principal Broker or Property Management License, including registration details and expiration dates.
-
Regulatory standing: Confirmation that the portfolio is in good standing with OHCS, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Agriculture -Rural Development (USDA-RD), lenders, and investors, with disclosure of any resolved or pending noncompliance issues.
-
Default history: Disclosure of whether any properties currently or previously managed have experienced a default, including circumstances and resolution.
-
Receivership experience: Disclosure of whether the entity has managed or been appointed receiver for defaulted or foreclosed properties, and whether developments returned to sustainable status.
-
Fair Housing compliance: Disclosure of whether, in the past five years, the entity or its personnel have been subject to housing discrimination complaints, lawsuits, or fair housing law violation actions, including details and resolutions.
-
Organizational continuity: The organization’s ability to maintain stable leadership and staffing, including managing turnover in key leadership roles.
-
Legal good standing: The OHCS Integrity Certification form is designed to assess an organization’s legal and ethical standing. As part of this review, applicants must disclose information related to debarment, pending or past lawsuits and judgments, financial insolvency, organizational restructuring, conflicts of interest, and any criminal history tied to business integrity. The form also addresses matters of moral turpitude and financial responsibility. Together, these disclosures allow OHCS to gain a clear picture of whether an organization can operate responsibly and uphold the standards required for partnership.
Sponsor/Owner
This is an individual, group or organization that provides resources, support, and leadership to the project team and generally “owns” the affordable housing development Project. Entities must be prequalified prior to Impact Assessment standards review of a project.
Criteria reviewed:
-
Portfolio performance: Information on project challenges and issues will be gathered to understand how OHCS can better support developers and their projects. Problems with existing properties in OHCS’s portfolio of properties need to be addressed before the applicant can be prequalified. Examples include extended vacancies, unresolved compliance findings, unaddressed health or safety concerns, and/or past projects that require material corrective action.
-
Debt Coverage Ratio (DCR) and Occupancy Rate: OHCS reviews DCR and occupancy rate information for each OHCS portfolio property as part of prequalification. OHCS may request additional information if available data is incomplete, outdated, or requires clarification. OHCS retains the right and discretion to enforce requirements such as property improvement plans or improved portfolio performance requirements to retain eligibility for new investments.
-
Legal good standing: The OHCS Integrity Certification form is designed to assess an organization’s legal and ethical standing. As part of this review, applicants must disclose information related to debarment, pending or past lawsuits and judgments, financial insolvency, organizational restructuring, conflicts of interest, and any criminal history tied to business integrity. The form also addresses matters of moral turpitude and financial responsibility. Together, these disclosures allow OHCS to gain a clear picture of whether an organization can operate responsibly and uphold the standards required for partnership.
-
For nonprofits: Additional questions are required for nonprofit applicants within prequalification to identify the role in community and capacity of the organization. This includes but is not limited to:
- Mission statement
- Website
- Proof of nonprofit status: 501c3, SOS registration, registration letter/Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Two years operating budgets: organizational financial statements
- List of board members: identify positions and term i.e. chair, three-year term, begin Jan 2026
- Attorney or community letter of support: Renewed every two years and/or at key turnover or change. Change means but is not limited to adding new partner, new organization structure, new mission or name.
- Letter from another funder or Sponsoring Jurisdiction: Renewed every two years and/or at key turnover or change. Change means but is not limited to adding new partner, new organization structure, new mission or name.
-
Note: Community in this context is to mean individuals who have been served by the work of the organization in the nonprofit capacity.
Please submit all required documentation as part of prequalification.
Required Conditions
- Prequalification renewals may be submitted no earlier than ten months following the prior approval date. Submissions received earlier than this window will not be accepted unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate a substantive change that materially affects eligibility or risk. This timing is intended to reduce unnecessary administrative burden and ensure that prequalification reviews remain meaningful, current, and efficient for both applicants and OHCS. Where no material change has occurred, early resubmissions provide no program benefit and will be returned without review.
- Applicants must respond to OHCS requests for clarification, correction, or missing information and submit all required documentation, using the correct forms and current legal entity names, within 15 calendar days of OHCS outreach.
- Failure to respond or to provide complete and accurate information within the 15-day period will result in denial of the prequalification request.
- If a required DEI Agreement is not submitted within the response period, the prequalification request will not be approved.
- If a Culturally Specific Organization (CSO) Certification Form (when applicable) is not submitted or confirmed within the response period, the organization will be treated as not CSO-registered for that Prequalification Request.
- Organizations whose prequalification requests are denied due to non-response or incomplete documentation may submit a new request when ready to provide complete and accurate information.
- OHCS requires all entities to register their business in the state of Oregon with the Secretary of State (SOS).
- Housing authorities are exempt from this requirement. Housing authorities established under ORS 456.075 are exempt from Oregon Secretary of State registration requirements. However, if the housing authority is operating through a separate business entity, such as an LLC, housing authorities must provide the Oregon Secretary of State registration number for that entity.
- Entity name submitted in the Prequalification Request must match the SOS website.
- Organizations operating under an Assumed Business Name (ABN) (aka: Doing Business As (DBA)) must clearly show this in the “Entity Name” field of the Prequalification Request Form.
- Additional information may be required depending on the applicant type. OHCS may require additional information to aid OHCS in understanding proposed partnerships, enabling OHCS to identify any potential conflicts of interest and help OHCS understand organizational structures.
What to Expect After Submittal
After submission, OHCS will review the form along with any attachments provided. During this process, staff may reach out to request clarifications or additional documents if needed. The typical review period may take up to 10 business days before a decision or next steps are communicated. At the conclusion of the review, the outcome will be one of three possibilities. The applicant is:
- Prequalified
- Prequalified with conditions (such as the requirement to partner with a consultant or co-developer)
- Not prequalified
OHCS maintains a
Housing Development Network to support connections within the affordable housing sector and help communities explore potential solutions to housing challenges. This list shows the entities that are prequalified and the primary contact information they provided.
How to Appeal or Request a Waiver
If an organization disagrees with a determination or wishes to request reconsideration email the Applications Team at
app.team@hcs.oregon.gov. OHCS will review appeals on a case-by-case basis.
Appeals may include:
- Clarifying information
- Documentation correcting or explaining issues;
- Updated materials
- A request for a legal good standing waiver, which must be approved by the Deputy Director of Affordable Rental Housing Development.
OHCS Discretion, Reservations, and Disclosures
OHCS maintains full discretion and authority to determine whether an entity is eligible to conduct business with the state through its housing programs. This includes:
- Determining whether an applicant’s experience and performance meet minimum standards
- Placing reasonable conditions on prequalification
- Requiring additional oversight or review
- Denying prequalification request when necessary to protect program integrity, public resources, and resident safety
- Revoking or suspending prequalification if material issues arise
Prequalification is not a guarantee of funding. It simply confirms that an organization is eligible to participate in OHCS programs and that its team has acceptable experience, standing, and performance history to apply for funding.
Public Records
Information submitted via the Prequalification Request Form is subject to Oregon Public Records Law (ORS 192.311). OHCS may publish certain information, including the primary contact email provided, on its public registry.
This is Version 2026.2 of the Prequalification Guidelines.
Visit our
Printing Help webpage for instructions on printing or saving this guidance as a PDF.