FEMA 2026 Direct Housing Modernization Capabilities Request for Information

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Office of Direct Housing Operations
Request for Information (RFI)
October 2026

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) SUMMARY: This Request for Information (RFI) is issued in accordance with Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulations Overhaul (RFO) 15.101(c). This RFI does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or Request for Quotation (RFQ), and it is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contract, nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response to this request. All information contained in this RFI is preliminary and is subject to change if, and when, a solicitation is issued. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract. If a competitive solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) website. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this RFI, or future solicitations. The Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Office of Direct Housing Operations, is conducting market research to identify and seek capabilities from industry in five primary functional areas:
Automated Real Estate Aggregation and Vacancy Sourcing
- Automated discovery and ingestion of residential rental property listings via Multiple Listing Services (MLS), property management software APIs, commercial rental boards, and direct landlord entry portals.
- Real-time vacancy validation to prevent matching against obsolete or unavailable listings. - Rapid geo-fencing within disaster-declared zones and surrounding reasonable-commute perimeters.
Artificial Intelligence and Algorithmic Matching
- Multi-constraint matching algorithms that pair applicant household profiles with available properties in seconds.
- Multi-point geospatial proximity optimization factoring in school district retention, work commutes, medical/provider travel distance, and essential services. - Household composition sizing aligned with HUD Housing Quality Standards (HQS) and FEMA occupancy guidelines.
Automated Physical Accessibility Verification
- Algorithmic filtering and computer vision inspection tools capable of evaluating floor plans, entry photos, and property specifications against UFAS and ADA physical accessibility standards.
- Rapid identification of barrier-free environments, ramps, ground-floor units, grab bars, and