About This Solicitation
The Houston Land Bank (HLB) is seeking proposals to provide financial services — including bookkeeping, accounting, and strategic financial consulting with fractional Chief Financial Officer (CFO) support — for an initial two (2) year term beginning with fiscal year 2027, with the option to extend for up to two (2) additional one-year terms. HLB is a not-for-profit local government corporation incorporated in Texas and a component unit of the City of Houston, committed to the equitable redevelopment of Houston neighborhoods and to providing affordable homes for low- and moderate-income Houstonians.
About Houston Land Bank
HLB is the only public land bank in Texas and the largest in the United States by property value. HLB has secured $8.7M in EPA grants and congressional earmarks, reactivated $100M in property value, and supported 385+ affordable homes. In 2025, a Harris County interlocal agreement doubled HLB’s jurisdiction to encompass all of unincorporated Harris County. HLB is actively exploring funding vehicles targeting capital from philanthropic, bank, and institutional investors for redeployment across the HLB footprint. HLB Fund, the organization’s 501(c)(3) affiliate, serves as the fundraising and grant-receiving vehicle and will serve as the fund management entity for lending programs and investment capital deployment. Federal congressional earmarks are being considered for the development of a revolving loan fund.
Scope of Work — Two Tracks
The selected firm must be prepared to support the financial architecture of a complex, growing organization operating at the intersection of public authority, community development finance, and emerging investment capital markets.
Track A — Strategic Financial Advisory (CFO-Level).
• Serve as fractional CFO, attending Board of Directors meetings as the organization’s senior financial advisor and presenting financial reports, forecasts, and capital recommendations to the Board and Finance Committee quarterly.
• Develop and maintain a multi-year financial model for HLB and HLB Fund, including operating budget projections, cash flow forecasting, and scenario planning tied to land disposition, grant cycles, earmark deployment, and earned-revenue development.
• Support the financial architecture and capital structure for the Gulf Coast Community Development Investment Platform — fund accounting setup, investor reporting templates, capital deployment tracking, and compliance frameworks for philanthropic, PRI, and bank capital.
• Design and maintain financial systems for HLB Fund lending programs, including loan loss reserve accounting, revolving loan fund management, and investor-grade reporting.
• Develop and implement a multi-year earned-revenue and financial sustainability strategy to reduce dependence on operating grants.
• Advise on CDFI-adjacent financial compliance readiness, positioning HLB and HLB Fund for potential future CDFI certification or comparable federal designations.
• Support the CEO with financial narratives, data, and projections for major grant applications, funder due diligence, and investor presentations.
• Provide strategic input on investment decisions, capital deployment timing, and growth projections as the platform moves from development to launch.
• Provide coaching and support to the Director of Finance, and guidance on revenue-generating opportunities and supporting systems design.
Track B — Operational Accounting & Compliance.
• Review the general ledger accounting system (QuickBooks Online) to ensure the organization’s financial reporting needs are met.
• Perform monthly reconciliations of the bank account(s) and all balance sheet accounts — including HLB Fund accounts and any new fund accounts established for lending programs — and route them for final approval.
• Assist with the end-of-month close process, including preparation of monthly financial reports and supporting schedules.
• Process vendor payables (Bill.com), routing invoices through the appropriate approval workflow for sign-off by the designated signers.
• Enter and reconcile purchase requisitions and purchase orders.
• Process invoices in a timely manner (30-day timeframe) and file accordingly.
• Assist with processing and documenting payroll and related retirement plan contributions.
• Prepare year-end 1099s for applicable vendors.
• Record transactions for property sales (HLB-owned lots to builders and CDCs); record loan originations, repayments, and capital deployments for HLB Fund lending programs; and prepare documents for incoming money transfers from the City or other sources.
• Process grant invoicing and reimbursements, tagging supporting backup with its invoice identification number on the cadence each grant requires — including federal congressional earmarks, EPA brownfield grants, and any new grants received during the term.
• Support and actively participate in the year-end external audit, preparing requested documentation, schedules, and reconciliations, and responding to auditor inquiries in a timely manner.
Engagement & Reporting
• Track A (Strategic Advisory) is estimated at ~10–15 hours per month.
• Track B (Operational Accounting) is estimated at ~15–20 hours per week during active periods, with peaks at audit preparation, board cycles, and platform development. Certain Track B tasks are performed on-site at HLB offices.
• The consultant(s) report directly to the President & CEO for Track A functions and coordinate with the Director of Finance for Track B operational functions.
Who Should Respond
• Firms with strategic financial advisory and/or fractional CFO capability serving community development finance, government-affiliated nonprofits, and/or local governments and non-profit community development organizations.
• Firms with technical bookkeeping and accounting experience emphasizing investment fund management, multi-year financial planning, and real estate transactions.
• Respondents may propose for Track A only, Track B only, or both tracks.
Evaluation Criteria (100 Points Total)
• Strategic financial advisory experience (nonprofit, CDFI, or community development fund management) — 30 points
• Technical accounting experience with governmental entities and nonprofits — 30 points
• Investment fund, lending program, or CDFI financial management experience — 15 points
• Partnership approach and fit with CEO-level strategic advisory role — 15 points
• Pricing — 10 points
Required Written Scenario Response
A written scenario response is required and does not count toward the 20-page limit. HLB is preparing to launch an investment platform deploying capital through three product lines — (1) land acquisition and predevelopment loans, (2) developer growth capital, and (3) brownfield remediation — with a 501(c)(3) affiliate as the fund management entity. Respondents must describe their approach to: (a) designing the fund accounting and financial management infrastructure; (b) building an investor-grade financial reporting framework for philanthropic and bank capital partners; and (c) advising the CEO on financial sustainability as the platform scales.
Key Dates
• RFP issued: July 13, 2026
• Questions due: July 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM CST — email procurements@houstonlandbank.org
• Proposals due: August 14, 2026 at 5:00 PM CST
• Evaluation of proposals: August 2026
• Submission for Board approval: September 2026
Submission Requirements
• Proposals are limited to 20 pages using standard font sizes and margins. Insurance evidence and financial statements / tax returns (Items 5 and 6) and the required written scenario response do not count toward the maximum page count.
• A $100 nonrefundable application fee must be paid via PayPal for the submission to be considered. Pay here
• The proposal must be signed by an individual authorized to contractually bind the firm, and must give the full firm name and address. A failure to sign will cause the proposal to be rejected as non-responsive.
• Late submissions will not be considered; the Submittable timestamp will be used to determine the time of receipt.
• HLB is not responsible for any costs incurred in developing responses to this RFP.