CDBG-DR procurement guide

How recovery contracts actually get awarded — the money flow from HUD to grantee to subrecipient, and the federal rules that govern the buy.

The money flow (where you come in)

CDBG-DR is the biggest source of long-term recovery money. The chain runs: disaster declaration → Congressional supplemental appropriation → HUD allocation to the grantee (a state, territory, tribe, or hard-hit local government) → HUD-approved Action Plan → subrecipients (cities, counties, agencies) → procurement of consultants who run the programs. More than $111 billion has been appropriated since 1993, roughly $65 billion of it since 2016. The appropriation is only the starting gun — every grantee and subrecipient then has to procure the firms who do the work, and each procurement is its own compliance-heavy RFP.

The rules that govern the buy: 2 CFR 200

Federal grant procurement follows the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200). It recognizes a handful of procurement methods, and a responsive proposal shows you understand which one applies:

• Micro-purchase — small purchases below the micro-purchase threshold, minimal process.
• Small purchase — informal quotes for purchases below the simplified acquisition threshold.
• Sealed bids — for well-defined requirements awarded on price (common for construction).
• Competitive proposals — for professional services scored on qualifications and approach (where most consulting awards live).
• Noncompetitive — sole-source, only under specific justifiable conditions.

Cross-cutting requirements you must speak to

CDBG-DR sits on top of HUD's cross-cutting federal requirements. A response has to demonstrate command of them or signal audit risk: Duplication of Benefits (you can't pay for a loss another source already covered), Davis-Bacon prevailing wage on construction, environmental review (NEPA and 24 CFR Part 58), and fair housing, Section 3, and URA/relocation obligations.

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Sources: HUD Exchange CDBG-DR Cross-Cutting Federal Requirements Guide; 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Guidance); CRS CDBG-DR primer (IF13221); Bipartisan Policy Center. For orientation — confirm thresholds and the applicable Federal Register notice for a live pursuit.