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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - Homestay/Short Term Housing

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - Homestay/Short Term Housing

 

Issue Date: 11/13/2025   

Proposal Due Date: 11/30/25  

 

To Whom It May Concern:

IREX, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization and implementing partner of the US Department of State on the Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) Program (https://www.irex.org/project/community-engagement-exchange), requests information and preliminary proposals for homestays/short-term housing for 148 international fellows ages 21-27 from March 27 – June 22, 2026. During this time, fellows will complete in-person/hybrid practicums.

Practicum/host cities for housing may include (but are not limited to):

Note: housing providers may provide a bid for a specific city or multiple cities indicated below. IREX may select multiple vendors to provide housing in specific U.S. cities/regions. Potential vendors are encouraged to highlight areas/cities where they have significant resources or housing availability. 

  • Phoenix, AZ
  • Denver, CO
  • Washington, DC
  • Atlanta, GA
  • Chicago, IL
  • New Orleans, LA
  • Portland, OR
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • Houston, TX
  • Cleveland, OH
  • Minneapolis, MN
  • Bozeman, MT
  • New York, NY
  • Boston, MA
  • Milwaukee, WI
  • Oklahoma City, OK
  • Des Moines, IL
  • Lincoln, NE
  • Kansas City, KS
  • Salt Lake City, UT

The anticipated award will be a cost reimbursable/fixed price subcontract.  IREX reserves the right to withdrawal this request for proposal at any time up to award of the contract. 

Proposal Requirements

Companies interested in providing this service must submit a proposal, including a breakdown of estimated costs per unit and additional fees, which demonstrates the company’s capacity to provide homestay housing or short-term housing that meets the following specifications:

Homestay Housing 

  • Ability to match fellows with a safe, comfortable, and supportive homestay family. Preference for families with previous homestay experience.
  • Fellow homestay accommodations should include:
    • Access to private bedroom and private/shared bathroom
    • Access to personal or shared living spaces (living area, dining room) and basic amenities (air conditioning, internet, laundry)
    • Access to kitchen facilities with appliances, cookware, utensils, and dinnerware
    • If access to meal plan (example, 2 meals per day during the week and 3 meals per day on the weekend), please include.
    • Access to public transit and/or near city centers (fellows will not have cars in the U.S.)
      • Preference for homestays that are close to downtown or main business area and within walking distance of and/or short distance via reliable public transportation grocery stores, restaurants, libraries, and other community amenities.
  • Homestay placement located in safe neighborhoods with a low-crime rates
  • Transparent vetting and preparation of homestay families, including background checks and inspections of homes to ensure safety and cleanliness.
  • Ability to provide IREX with timely, accurate, and itemized invoices, including fellow-specific costs.
    • All estimated state and local taxes should be included in proposal, including notes on possible tax refunds or waivers based on IREX’s 501(c)3 status (certificate provided upon request) and/or local laws on occupancy duration
  • Additionally, vendors should demonstrate their capacity to provide a high level of customer service and personalized attention to the Fellows. Such features may include but are not limited to detailed instructions from the airport to the housing location, move-in/move-out instructions, dedicated vendor staff for each location, welcome packages, and other personal touches.
  • Dedicated, professional, and responsive support staff to troubleshoot homestay issues, investigate problems as they arise, and provide timely solutions.

Short-term Furnished Housing 

  • Ability to place fellows at a short-term apartment, corporate housing, or long-term hotel units, which can include:
    • Individual studio or efficiency units
    • 2+ bedroom apartments (to house multiple Fellows of the same gender, each with their own private bedroom) with other shared spaces, such as a bathroom, kitchen, living room, etc.
    • Multi-bedroom units must also meet the following criteria:
      • Each bedroom must be of similar size and contain commensurate furniture and clothing storage options, including a closet and/or wardrobe.
      • Each bedroom must contain at least a full/double size bed (single/twin beds are not acceptable).
      • If a multi-unit apartment has only one bathroom, it must be accessible via common living spaces, not only via the master bedroom.
        • If a vendor’s multi-bedroom units do not meet these criteria, the proposal should include an explanation and proposed solution to bring the unit(s) up to meet these specifications.
  • Fully furnished (e.g. bed, dresser, table, couch, chairs, etc.)
  • Kitchen facilities with appliances, cookware, utensils, and dinnerware
  • Linens included (e.g. sheets, comforter, towels, etc.)
  • Laundry facilities in unit or on-site
  • Access to public transit and/or near city centers (fellows will not have cars in the U.S.)
    • Preference for housing that is close to downtown or main business area and within walking distance of and/or short distance via reliable public transportation grocery stores, restaurants, libraries, and other community amenities.
  • Building(s) located in a safe neighborhood with a low-crime rate
  • Building(s) well maintained with designated maintenance staff
  • All utilities and fees included in price, including water, gas, electric, heat and air conditioning, and internet (wired or Wi-Fi), and basic television service
  • Ability to provide IREX with timely, accurate, and itemized invoices, including fellow-specific costs.
    • All estimated state and local taxes should be included in proposal, including notes on possible tax refunds or waivers based on IREX’s 501(c)3 status (certificate provided upon request) and/or local laws on occupancy duration

Proposals should also include a vendor’s capacity to provide ADA-compliant or similar units that meet the following specifications for Fellows with disabilities (specific accommodations required to be provided by individual programs at a later date):

  • Wheelchair and/or scooter accessible
  • Suitable for residents with a variety of mobility issues, such as grab bars, handicap accessible shower, lowered countertops and cabinets, etc.
  • Suitable for residents who are deaf or hard of hearing, such as lighted doorbells and alarms, systems for communicating with building staff, etc.
  • Suitable for residents who are blind or have reduced sight

The exact number of Fellows that will be placed in each city has not yet been determined, but IREX will communicate city placements as soon as confirmed and no later than December 19, 2025. Vendors should indicate if they have the capacity to provide housing units in pre-identified practicum/host cities, and proposals can include additional cities where homestay/short-term housing options are readily available. Preference will be given to vendors who can provide housing in multiple locations and competitive prices. 

While not required, vendors who are able to do the following are preferred:

  • Provide a master lease
  • Waive normal minimum lease requirements (i.e. no 6-month minimums)
  • Allow lease cancellations for small fees and/or the option to switch leases between buildings
  • Accept ACH payments
  • Provide itemized monthly invoices and bulk payments for all units being rented
  • Waive move-out notice requirements and associated fees (move out dates will be pre-established in contract) 

Additionally, vendors should demonstrate their capacity to provide a high level of customer service and personalized attention to the Fellows. Such features may include but are not limited to detailed instructions from the airport to the housing location, move-in/move-out instructions, dedicated vendor staff for each location, welcome packages, and other personal touches. It is preferred if there are established modes for Fellows to communicate directly with the building or vendor staff regarding maintenance or other housing issues.

Proposals must be accompanied by a budget in sufficient detail to determine the price elements, resumes of key staff that will be assigned the project, a detailed description of the method used to perform the tasks outlined, and a list of five similar projects, with contact information for the clients.

Proposal Submission

Homestay housing proposals should include the following details:

  1. Organizational purpose, mission, and/or guiding philosophy
  2. Organizational structure and dedicated points of contact
  3. Current homestay inventory
    1. List of cities with readily available homestay inventory to include pre-determined practicum/host cities and other cities (excel spreadsheet)
    2. Sample unit(s) can be included
  4. Homestay recruitment and vetting
    1. Outreach and recruitment strategies (specifically for new/low-inventory areas)
    2. Homestay family background and inspection process
    3. Approach to last-minute housing shifts
  5. Homestay onboarding process
    1. Description of homestay onboarding timeline and process
    2. Homestay expectations, code of conduct, and/or signed agreements
    3. List of mandatory/optional trainings available to homestay hosts (if applicable)
  6. Homestay and fellow matching
    1. Outline of process and matching timeline
    2. Provide preference forms and/or links to virtual portals (if applicable)
    3. Guest code of conduct
    4. Additional services available upon request (airport pickup, local transportation, etc.)
    5. Process for
  7. Conflict and emergency management
    1. Process for reporting and addressing issues
    2. Response to frequently recurring issues
    3. Guidelines for re-housing fellows
    4. Emergency preparedness and resources
  8. Finance and invoicing
    1. Provide monthly price estimates for pre-identified practicum cities and/or high inventory cities
    2. Invoicing process and payment timelines
  9. Disability support and ADA compliance
  10. Other/Miscellaneous
    1. Sample homestay with photos/floor plans
    2. References
    3. Additional information as appropriate

Short-term Furnished Housing proposals should include the following details:

  1. Organizational purpose, mission, and/or guiding philosophy
  2. Organizational structure and dedicated points of contact
  3. Current short-term furnished housing inventory (Excel spreadsheet)
    1. List of cities with readily available short-term housing inventory to include pre-determined practicum/host cities and other cities
    2. Specific locations and buildings under consideration
    3. Total number of fellows who can typically be housed at each location
  4. Short-term furnished housing selection and vetting process
    1. Outreach and recruitment strategies (specifically for new/low-inventory areas)
    2. Inspection process
    3. Approach to last-minute housing shifts
  5. Fellow placement strategy
    1. Outline of process and timeline
    2. Provide preference forms and/or links to virtual portals (if applicable)
    3. Guest code of conduct
  6. Conflict and emergency management
    1. Process for reporting and addressing issues
    2. Response to frequently recurring issues
    3. Guidelines for re-housing fellows
    4. Emergency preparedness and resources
  7. Finance and invoicing
    1. Daily/weekly price estimates, both per unit and per Fellow, if units listed are multi-bedroom units. Price estimates should also be broken down to show component costs, such as base rent, utilities, and/or other fees as well as expected taxes. If price estimates fluctuate depending on the season, please provide year-round price estimates.
    2. Invoicing process and payment timelines
  8. Disability support and ADA compliance
  9. Other/Miscellaneous
    1. Sample property with photos/floor plans
    2. References
    3. Additional information as appropriate

Proposal Evaluation

IREX reserves the right not to accept proposed properties if they do not meet the necessary requirements for fellows. 

If you are interested in furnishing this service, please e-mail a proposal to Alex Joensen at Ajoensen@irex.org. Proposals must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on November 30, 2025. Questions may also be directed to Alex Joensen in advance of the proposal submission deadline. All proposals submitted must be valid for a period of not less than sixty (60) calendar days from the proposal due date indicated above. 

The criteria are listed in descending order starting with the most important factors to be evaluated.

1) Overall price competitiveness and adherence to proposal requirements (20%)

2) Sufficiency of inventory and recruitment (20%)

3) Fellow matching methodology (20%)

3) Flexibility and customer service (15%)

4) Emergency preparedness and response (15%)

4) Organizational mission and capacity (10%)

Evaluation and ranking of proposals will be done by IREX in Washington, DC. IREX may at its discretion ask for additional information or perform site visits. IREX does not guarantee that any contract will be awarded under this request for information. However, IREX anticipates that more than one or more contracts may be awarded, with a portion of the project awarded to each selected vendor.

Contract Awarding

After a vendor(s) has been selected, individual contracts will be signed. Contracts may also be awarded with or without further negotiation with the selected vendor(s). No number of rooms or room nights is guaranteed until individual vendor and/or property contracts are signed.

Contact Information

Alex Joensen – ajoensen@irex.org 

Senior Program Officer II 

IREX

1350 I Street, NW, Suite 1100

Washington, D.C. 20005