BLUFFTON TOWNSHIP FIRE DISTRICT REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFP )

Transcription

1 BLUFFTON TOWNSHIP FIRE DISTRICT REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFP ) The Bluffton Township Fire District (District) is soliciting sealed proposals from qualified design-build teams to provide architectural design and construction services for a new fire station. Responses are due no later than 3:00 PM, Friday, the 3 rd day of June, Four (4) copies of the sealed proposal should be hand carried or delivered by traceable means (i.e. FedEx) to John Thompson, Deputy Fire Chief for the District at 357 Fording Island Road, Bluffton, SC Ensure that proposals are labeled on the outside of the envelope or package with the following; RFP : Design/Build Team Proposal for Bluffton Fire Station #30. Proposals will be opened in the District conference room at 3:05 PM the same day. Inquiries regarding this solicitation should be directed to Deputy Fire Chief John Thompson, at (843) during normal business hours of 8:00 am through 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The District reserves the right to refuse any and all responses and to waive any technicalities and formalities. This solicitation does not commit the District to award a contract or to pay for any costs incurred in the preparation or submission of a proposal. The District reserves the right to negotiate with all qualified vendors and to cancel in part or in its entirety this request if it is in the best interest of the District to do so. The proposal must be firm for a period of at least 90 days from the due date of the proposal. The proposal must be signed by an official of your company authorized to commit to and enter into a formal contract for good or services. The District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in employment or in the provision of goods and services. To facilitate your proposal preparation the following organizational and demographic information is provided of 7 --

2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION The Bluffton Township Fire District is a full service fire department providing service to all areas of Southern Beaufort County with the exception of Hilton Head Island and Daufuskie Island. The District covers a geographical area of approximately 250 square miles with six (6) strategically located fire stations. The department is a career fire department with 110 full time personnel. The District responded to 4500 emergency incidents in The District currently operates six (6) engine companies, one (1) truck company, and one (1) service/support unit. Three (3) of the engine companies are staffed as Advanced Life Support (ALS) engines. Emergency medical services are currently provided by Beaufort County s EMS division which is not affiliated with the District. EMS crews do, however, share space in three (3) of the District s fire stations and will share space in this station. SCOPE OF WORK Although the economy has slowed, Bluffton still has the potential to expand. Prior to the economic slowdown Bluffton had an annual growth rate of approximately 20%. At that time the Fire District realized its emergency services need to expand with the growth. For this reason the five year plan for the district indicated at least five (5) additional fire stations would be required to adequately provide service to our citizens. As the slowdown occurred, all new stations were placed on hold, not due to a lack of revenue for the design and construction of the stations, but due to a lack of revenue required for staffing the stations. Therefore, the District re-evaluated its plans and decided to concentrate on strengthening and updating its current facilities. Fire Station #30 is the District s oldest station and is located in close proximity to the downtown area of Bluffton. The station is in a bad state of repair and an engineering study completed in 2010 indicated the station should be replaced within a two (2) to three (3) year timeframe. The project contained in this Request for Proposals is to design and build a replacement station for the current Fire Station #30. In December of 2010, the Fire District secured a 9.2 acre site for the new station on Burnt Church Road (see attachment 1). The site is approximately ¼ mile from the current station location. As part of the project the Fire District would also like the chosen vendor to provide land planning services for other fire department uses for those areas of the site not required for the Fire Station. In essence this would be a master plan for the site. Realizing that development will eventually return and there will be a need for additional fire stations, the District would like to develop this design as a prototype fire station design for its future fire station construction. The prototype station will -- 2 of 7 --

3 have a set floor plan, but also have the flexibility for its exterior to be adapted to the community or neighborhood in which the station is placed. Each of these stations will house an engine company and potentially a medical company. Total staffing will not exceed ten (10) firefighters at any given time. It is our desire to duplicate the prototype station to reduce design costs each time a new station is built. PROCESS PARAMETER - Design-Build Team The District would like a proposal from you to design and build a prototype fire station. The District has chosen the design-build method of construction management for this process. The District envisions that the following will occur as a result of utilizing the Design-Build Process: District will select a single team including the Architect, Design Engineers and Contractor as the Design-Builder. The Design-Build team will be chosen based upon experience of the members of the proposed team, qualifications of the project team, financial strength of the companies represented by the proposed team members and general conditions costs. The District desires a single contract with Design Build team rather than separate contracts with each company represented by the proposed team. The Design-Build Team will then work with the District to prepare the design program and preliminary floor plans, building elevations and site plan for the District s approval. Once the District has approved the preliminary plans, the Design-Build team will prepare a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) estimate for the project for review by the Fire District. Once the GMP estimate is approved, the Design- Builder is at risk to design and deliver the project at or below the agreed to budget. During the design phase, the Design-Build team will meet frequently with the District for approval of the design as it progresses. The Design-Builder is also responsible for managing the approval process, preconstruction and construction schedule and managing and coordinating the whole project delivery process. PROCESS PARAMETER Prototype Station The prototype station will contain at a minimum the following areas or spaces: -- 3 of 7 --

4 Individual sleeping quarters for up to ten (10) personnel. Adequate kitchen, eating, dayroom, exercise, office and computer work spaces to support the operation of the fire station. Adequate male and female restrooms to support up to ten (10) firefighters as well as meet ADA compliance. Two apparatus bays with adequate space to house two (2) pumpers and one (1) advanced life support ambulance. A decontamination area for cleaning soiled uniforms and medical equipment. Adequate laundry facilities to support the operation of the fire station. Adequate storage areas for lawn maintenance equipment, personal protective clothing, cleaning supplies and other station related materials. Adequate storage areas for station records and documents. Adequate lobby/reception/wait area with public restroom. It is our intent that the apparatus bays be designed using a pull-through principle and be at least deep enough to hold two fire engines each. The station should be designed so a third apparatus bay may be added at a later date if needed for storage of apparatus. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS The vendor wishing to submit a proposal must at a minimum, provide the following information: 1. A statement of the design-build team s qualifications to perform the requested work, including professional resumes and professional licenses of key personnel to be assigned to this project. 2. A comprehensive description of the team s approach to the design-build project including, if appropriate, a narrative regarding methodology and processes for managing the project life cycle. 3. A statement from each of the member companies represented on the designbuild team that indicates it currently maintains the necessary licenses and certificates required to provide the work in accordance with all applicable rules, ordinances, and regulations of Beaufort County, South Carolina. 4. Detailed information describing all firms involved with team s experience with Fire Station design and construction. Please include a history of such projects completed within the last five (5) years of 7 --

5 5. List all fire station projects completed by the submitting design-build team (contractor/architect) within the last five (5) years. 6. A statement from each of the member companies represented on the designbuild team that it maintains the necessary worker s compensation and liability insurance required to work in Beaufort County, South Carolina. The firms will be required to provide proof of insurance should they be selected. 7. A list of references of at least three (3) clients for whom a comparable project has been conducted within the past five (5) years. Include a contact name, telephone number, client size, and a description of the project. 8. A detailed description of services the vendor proposes to deliver consistent with the scope of services and required work contained within this RFQ. Include a description of the proposed process by which the project would transition from the design phase to construction, including but not limited to, approval processes, contract provisions, handling budget-induced design revisions or project cancellation, and related provisions. 9. A proposed time table in outline form which details the steps that will be taken to bring the project to completion. Please assume the earliest possible start date of July 1, 2011 and the latest possible end date of August 1, Describe any special experience, insight, or qualifications the design-build team has which may differentiate it from others in the field and prove beneficial to this project. 11. The proposal must be signed by an official of the lead firm for the design-build team that is authorized to bind the firms into a contract. The proposal shall include a statement that the proposal is valid and firm for ninety (90) days from the date of submission and that the vendor understands and agrees to the terms and conditions of this RFP. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION Proposals will be evaluated and ranked based on, but not limited to, the following criteria: 1. Nature, level, type, and quality of the design-build teams experience with previously completed public safety facilities work -- 5 of 7 --

6 2. Understanding of the project requirements and proposed approach to the project. 3. Ability to customize the design to the needs of the Bluffton Township Fire District. 4. Qualifications of personnel assigned to the project. 5. Proposed schedule including the availability to deliver the services required with flexibility in scheduling. 6. Review of references. 7. Flexibility in transition from design to the construction phase of the project. 8. History of previous design-build projects final cost compared to original budget. 9. Proposals including qualified local vendors will be given additional consideration. 10. Unique approaches and intangible factors demonstrated by the vendor. EVALUATION Qualified responses shall be reviewed by the Fire Chief and other selected members of the administrative staff within two (2) weeks of the submittal deadline. If warranted, additional information may be requested by the District. The Bluffton Township Fire District reserves the right to request oral presentations if deemed necessary. A qualified short list of firms will be developed. The District reserves the right to choose the most qualified firm. The District also reserves the right to accept or reject any part or the entire submitted proposal. The District further reserves the right to cancel in part or in its entirety this RFP if it is in the best interest of the Bluffton Township Fire District to do so. CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS The District will negotiate a contract to perform the requested services with the highest ranked firm. If a contract cannot be negotiated, the District will negotiate -- 6 of 7 --

7 with the next highest ranked firm. The contract will comply with all applicable laws, standards, and regulations. The contract will generally contain: 1. Detailed scope of services. 2. Schedule for providing services. 3. Not-to-exceed cost for the services. The District expressly reserves the right to cancel the contract by written notice, in whole or in part, without cause and at its sole discretion. Payment to the firm will be made for services actually performed prior to cancellation of 7 --