City of Cedar Hill Request for Qualifications Architectural Design and Construction Design Services for Cedar Hill Zula B. Wylie Library and Cedar Hill Museum of History Joint Project 1.0 GENERAL The City of Cedar Hill (hereafter referred to as City ) is issuing a Request for Qualifications (hereafter referred to as RFQ) from firms to provide architectural design and construction management services for the renovation and expansion of the Zula B. Wylie Library (hereafter referred to as Library ) and the construction of the Cedar Hill Museum of History (hereafter referred to as Museum) joint project. Firms with relevant design and management experience are encouraged to apply. Consideration will be limited to firms that have demonstrated successful experience in the design of libraries and museums or facilities of a similar scope for a public sector owner. The intent of joining these two facilities is to continue to explore the extent to which the library and museum can work together for joint / shared spaces and take advantage of all possible synergies in and throughout this project. Firms from outside the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex will be required to commit to an affiliation with a local office if accepted. Additionally, major consultants must have affiliation within the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. These affiliations are not necessary for the first submission of qualifications, but will be required of firms selected to submit responses in the second step of the review process. The City will engage the successful firm in a four-phase project. Phase I will cover schematic design of the Library and Museum. Phase II will include the technical design development of the Library and Museum. Phase III will be the construction bid/proposal phase. Phase IV will be the construction phase of the project. 1
2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION In 2003, the citizens of Cedar Hill voted in favor of a $4.9 million bond issue to renovate the existing library facilities and for the purpose of constructing a Cedar Hill Museum of History. At the time, these bonds were approved by adding approximately 19,500 square feet of library space and an unknown amount of museum space. Cedar Hill currently has a population of approximately 43,500. The location selected for the new library is on 2.57 (best estimate) acres of land south of West Beltline Rd and west of Hwy. 67, otherwise known as 225 Cedar Street. The newly renovated and expanded Library/Museum should lend distinction to the City of Cedar Hill, strive toward the goal of becoming a Third Place and be a focus of community life and civic pride. This facility will: House the library materials collection House the museum s collection House the museum s exhibit spaces Provide specialized library areas, including but not limited to adult, teen, children, reference, and advanced technology service centers Provide study areas, reading areas, meeting rooms Provide public assembly areas Provide public parking areas Provide staff work areas Provide storage areas Provide administrative areas Upon selection of design firm, the library and museum shall partner in providing the architect with detailed building needs and expectations, and with detailed information about the site, including a boundary survey, topographic information, and information on its relationship to other facilities planned in the development. The architect will be expected to review both entities needs to ensure clear understanding of both the Library s and Museum s goals and to clarify issues it presents before proceeding to the schematic design phase. The current library property to be renovated / expanded is located within the City s uptown overlay district, which is governed by a City Ordinance and has additional architectural requirements. 2
3.0 ANTICIPATED SCHEDULE RFQ Solicitation November 2008 Architect Selected January 2009 Design Team Notice to Proceed January 2009 Schematic Design Approved May 2009 Design Development Approved August 2009 Construction Documents Accepted October 2009 Construction Commences December 2009 Construction Complete December 2010 Open February 2011 NOTE: The City may elect to select a Construction Manager or Construction Manager at Risk to oversee the project. 3
4.0 STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS Each responding firm s submitted Statement of Qualifications (hereafter referred to as SOQ) shall include the following: 4.1 Letter of Interest 4.2 Executive summary 4.3 Demonstration and recognition of previous design excellence 4.4 Experience of the firm as lead architect with five buildings/construction projects of similar scale, complexity, and budget emphasizing firm s record of meeting estimated budgets 4.5 Experience of the firm with the design and construction of libraries and museums 4.6 Identification, resumes, and availability of personnel to be directly involved in this project including experience of the proposed personnel with similar facilities, emphasizing similar budgets and schedules: (i.e. principal project architect and others expected to perform work included but not limited to those in affiliation with or subcontracting with lighting, mechanical, geotechnical, interior design, space planning, landscaping, parking area, post construction award services, and submittal reviews). 4.7 Identification of current and anticipated workload of firm and personnel assigned to said projects 4.8 Demonstration of experience in environmentally sustainable architectural design 4.9 Description of the firm s design and project management philosophy 4.10 Description of professional consultant services or contractors the County will be expected to provide 4.11 References (point of contact, phone number, fax number, and email) from recent similar projects, to include: key owner personnel, citizen participant, and contractor s project manager. 4.12 Recent sample certificate of insurance indicating firm s professional liability and other insurance coverage. No statement of fees shall be included in the submission The SOQ may not exceed 25 pages in length (8 ½ x 11 with minimum page margins of ½ all around), including cover letter, title page, table of contents, tables and figures, photos or graphic materials, and appendices. Tabs with graphics or foldout pages will be counted toward the 25-page total. The type style should be Times Roman, or a similar readable font, with a minimum font size of 10-point type with the exception of occasional features such as footnotes. The SOQ shall include all documentation required by this RFQ. Failure to provide this information may result in rejection of the SOQ. 4
5.0 CRITERIA FOR SELECTION The newly renovated and constructed Library and Museum should have visual distinction and be a source of civic pride. The City has an expectation of design excellence, exemplified by a durable, flexible, functional, and efficient design. The following criteria will be used for screening and selecting an architectural team: Experience with building libraries and museums Experience with buildings of similar complexity and scale Experience with a public owner/client on projects of similar scale Examples of building designs that provide functional excellence Examples of building designs that are sensitive to site context Examples of sustainable building designs: e.g., use of natural light, building orientation, and building materials effectively promoting energy efficiency, and building materials from renewable sources History of effective schedule and budget management for buildings of similar scale and budget Availability of sufficient qualified licensed professional staff in all disciplines for the project throughout its development Building Committee members or their representatives will make reasonable attempts to visit libraries designed by architectural firms that submit SOQs before selection of firm is made. 5
6.0 EVALUATION PROCESS Twelve (12) copies of the complete RFQ shall be sealed and submitted no later than 2:00 p.m. local time on November 20, 2008 to: Greg Pervis Position: Purchasing Manager City of Cedar Hill Address: 285 Uptown Blvd., Building 100 Cedar Hill, TX 75104 Selection will be a two-step submission process. A Building Committee comprised of Library and Museum staff, Library and Museum Board members, and community members will review the submitted SOQ s. The evaluation criteria will be grouped into percentage factors as follows: 30% Qualifications and experience 20% Project understanding approach/scope 20% Project team/size of staff devoted to this project 20% Reference/professional reputation 10% Project plan and schedule Upon completion of the first stage, a short list of submitters will be selected to make an interview/presentation to the Building Committee. The City will contact submitters separately to schedule the interview/presentation. The submitter s project manager must be present for the submitter s presentation and interview. Submitters may bring any additional personnel needed, although it is preferable that only those persons directly related to this engagement be present. Additional information and preliminary response to this library/museum program or site may be required of firms selected for the second stage of consideration. Upon completion of the second stage, the Design Selection committee will recommend a firm to the City Council for design services and the Council will make the final selection and award the contract. 6
7.0 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Interested firms may want to examine any additional background information that may be provided on the City s website at www.cedarhilltx.com All inquiries or requests for clarification shall be in writing and directed to: Melissa Stephens Assistant to the City Manager City of Cedar Hill 285 Uptown Blvd., Building 100 Cedar Hill, TX 75104 Fax: (972)291-5199 Responses to inquiries will be sent to all firms of record. Any interpretations, corrections, or changes to this RFQ will be made by addenda. Addenda will be mailed and/or emailed to all that are known to have received a copy of this RFQ. Please note that a non-mandatory question and answer briefing will be held at the Cedar Hill Government Center, Building 100, 4 th floor conference room located at 285 Uptown Blvd., Cedar Hill, TX 75104 on November 10, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. The Library Director will be available to answer questions about the proposed site and the operation of the present library, and a representative from the Historical / Museum Board will be present to answer questions about the proposed operation of the new museum. After this briefing, City and/or Museum staff will not be available to respond to questions from individual firms regarding the project, but responses to questions at the meeting will be provided as an addendum to the RFQ to all firms of record. 7