Home Repair Program Contractor Guidance
To be eligible a contractor must be registered with the State of Iowa. Contact NIACOG for assistance with the registration process. In addition, each contractor must be insured and provide a completed W-9 form. NIACOG can provide the form, upon request. The certificate of insurance and W-9 will be kept on file. New contractors should provide a minimum of three references.
Bidding Process
Once the scope of work is determined a bid document for each project is sent to potential contractors. Each contractor can choose which projects to bid on. The contractor is responsible for providing all sub-contractors for all trades included in the bid document. The bids submitted must be a fixed bid amount for the work items in whole dollar increments. Make sure to include a margin of error to cover minor unknowns. Change orders are available to change the scope of the project for significant unknown structural issues such as over $1,000 of rotted roof decking.
The bids must be submitted by the deadline listed on the bid document. They can be submitted by mail or in person and by fax or email. They should be addressed to the NIACOG contact listed on the bid document. If there are any questions regarding the scope of work, there will be a contact number for the inspector. All other questions are addressed by the NIACOG contact.
Bid Selection
After the bid deadline, NIACOG will send the bid results to all bidders. The winning bidder will be sent the following documents: a Notice to Proceed, a copy of their bid, a construction agreement, lien waiver form, and release of lien form. If the bids come in higher than the available funds budgeted for the project, some work items may be omitted from the scope of work. The contractor is notified of proposed changes at this time.
Work Completion
After the Notice to Proceed is received, the winning bidder should contact the homeowner to set up a time to verify measurements and meet with the homeowner to determine any colors/finishes. Project completion deadlines are typically set at between 90 and 120 days with allowances made for weather and other situations beyond the contractors control.
Change Orders
If a situation arises that is not known at the time of bid submission. A change order will be done upon approval from NIACOG. Change orders are not commonplace. To start the change order process, the contractor is required to contact the inspector listed on the bid document. The inspector may come to the job site to inspect and take pictures or may request pictures sent to them of the area in question. The change order form will be prepared by NIACOG staff and is not approved until signed by the homeowner, contractor, and NIACOG staff.
Extra Work
Occasionally a homeowner will request that the contractor complete work that is outside of the pre-defined scope of work or they may request upgrades to the product bid. It is acceptable for the contractor to do this; however, these are done outside of the scope of the contract, and must be billed to the homeowner for the extra work and not NIACOG. NIACOG will only pay the amount for specified work items in the bid and any change orders.
Partial Payments
A partial payment is permitted during construction. The contractor must submit a detailed invoice and have the homeowner sign off on the completed work. There is a 10% retainage on all partial payments that is paid at the project completion.
Project Closeout
When the project is complete the contractor must schedule a final inspection with the inspector. Once the inspector signs off on the work completed, the contractor can submit a final invoice along with the Lien Waiver form signed by the contractor and all sub-contractors, and the Release of Lien form signed by the homeowner and contractor. The Release of Lien form warranties the work for one year. If not previously submitted, the contractor must also submit a W-9 form. (NIACOG will provide upon request)
Payment Timing
Invoices submitted by Friday are paid by Wednesday of the following week. The contractor may request that the check is mailed or they may pick it up at the NIACOG office
