Architect-Engineer (A/E) Services for the Tenant Backfill Project at the John Weld Peck Federal Building in Cincinnati, Ohio

PROJECT: J.W. Peck Tenant Backfill, Cincinnati, Ohio BUILDING TYPE: Federal Office Building SIZE: 220,000 square feet BUDGET: $29 to $35 million FUNDING: Funds Are Not Currently Available Continuing a legacy of outstanding public architecture that was initiated with the founding of the nation, the General Services Administration (GSA) Design Excellence Program seeks to commission our nation's most talented architects, landscape architects, interior designers, and engineers to design federal buildings of outstanding quality and value. These projects are to demonstrate the value of true integrated design that balances aesthetics, cost, constructability, and reliability; create environmentally responsible and superior workplaces for civilian Federal employees; and give contemporary form and meaning to our democratic values. In this context, GSA announces an opportunity for Design Excellence in public architecture for performance of Architectural-Engineering Design in accordance with GSA quality standards and requirements. As required by law, the facility will meet Federal Energy Goals and security requirements. The project intends to strive for LEED Gold. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The J.W. Peck Federal Building is a 10 story office building located at 550 Main Street in the heart of downtown Cincinnati. Region 5 has identified the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Department of Energy (DOE), Social Security Administration Office of Disability Adjudication Review (SSA ODAR), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and U.S. Trustees (UST) as tenants who could backfill vacant space within the building. GSA is currently analyzing the available options. The current project proposes to renovate approximately 220,000 sq ft within the J.W. Peck Federal Building. Improvements would include restacking the IRS within the building and renovating their current space, as well as renovating building vacant space for incoming tenants. The project will be renovating only interior customer spaces and will not provide improvements to any public spaces. However, an increased heat load on the building may require modifications to the HVAC system and rebalancing. IRS currently occupies 165,000 USF within the Peck and 65,000 USF in leased space. IRS needs to reduce, collocate, consolidate space and lower their rental costs. They plan to do so by completely eliminating the 60,000 USF of leased space and reconfiguring space within the Peck to implement new workplace strategies. They have requested a final total of approximately 115,000 USF of space in the Peck Building to accommodate this move and restacking effort. This is a large reduction of almost 115,000 USF in total. GSA proposes that 4 other agencies move leases into the Peck building with the following space requirements: DOE at 80,000 sq ft, US Trustees at 4,200 sq ft, SSA ODAR at 21,000 sq ft, and OSHA at 6,500 sq ft. SCOPE OF WORK The scope of professional services will require at a minimum: professional architectural, engineering, interior design, furniture design, interior space planning, and related consulting services for concept design documents, design development documents, construction documents, specifications, cost estimates, value engineering services, Building Information Modeling (BIM), computer-aided design and drafting (CADD), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) administration, Information Technology, Audio Visual, security, and post-construction contract services (PCCS). The project is also to include GSA design standards, conformance to the P-100 (Facility Standards for Public Buildings), minimum LEED Gold requirements, and customer agency requirements. GSA aims to minimize tenant disruption and the use of swing space through construction phasing. SELECTION PROCESS This is a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) of A/E Firms/Lead Designers interested in contracting for this work. The A/E Firm as used in this RFQ means an individual, firm, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity permitted by law to practice the profession of architecture or engineering that will have contractual responsibility for the project design. The Lead Designer is the individual or the team of designers who will have primary responsibility to develop the concept and the project design. The A/E selection will be completed in two stages as follows: In Stage I, interested firms will submit portfolios of accomplishments that establish the design capabilities of the Lead Designer and Design Firm. In Stage II, shortlisted Lead Designer-A/E teams will be interviewed. Stage I All documentation will be in an 8 " x 11" format. The assembled content for the Stage I portfolio should be no more than 1/4 inch thick. Submissions may be double-sided where feasible. The portfolio should include the following: a cover letter referencing the FBO announcement and briefly describing the firm and its location, organizational makeup, and noteworthy accomplishments; Standard Form 330 Architect Engineer Qualifications Part II, and responses to the submission requirements and evaluation criteria listed below. An A/E Evaluation Board consisting of a private sector peer and representatives of the client and GSA will evaluate the submissions. The Board will establish a short-list of the highest rated firms, following an evaluation of qualifications submitted. Identification of team members, other than the Lead Designer(s), is not required at this stage. Consultant and "production firm" (if different from the Design Firm) information should not be included in the Stage I portfolio. Submission Requirements and Evaluation Criteria: PAST PERFORMANCE ON DESIGN (35%): The A/E Firm(s) will submit a portfolio of not more than five projects completed in the last ten years (maximum of five pages per project). The narrative shall address the design approach with salient features for each project and discuss how the client's program, function, image, mission, economic, schedule, and operational objectives were satisfied by the overall design/planning solution. It should comment on the relevance of submitted projects to this project. This section of the submission should include tangible evidence such as certificates, awards, peer recognition, etc. demonstrating design excellence, and provide a client reference contact for each project, including name, title, address, email, phone, and fax numbers. A representative floor plan, a site plan, a building section, or other appropriate drawing, and a minimum of two photographs must be included for each project. PHILOSOPHY AND DESIGN INTENT (25%): In the Lead Designer's words (maximum of two pages), as related to this project, state: the parameters of an overall design philosophy; his/her approach to the challenge of public architecture and related issues; parameters that may apply in creating an attractive and productive workplace. LEAD DESIGNER PROFILE (15%): Submit a biographical sketch (maximum of three pages) including education, professional experience, recognition for design efforts inclusive of the portfolio examples. Identify and describe areas of responsibility and commitment to each project. LEAD DESIGNER PORTFOLIO (25%): Submit a portfolio representative of the Lead Designer's ability to provide design excellence. Address his or her participation in each project. If a single designer, submit a portfolio of up to three projects completed in the last ten years (maximum of five pages per project). If the Lead Designer is a team, submit graphics and a description of up to two projects from each Lead Designer or Lead Design discipline. The narrative shall address the design philosophy with salient features for each project and discuss how the client's program, functional, image, mission, economic, schedule, and operations and maintenance objectives were satisfied by the overall design/planning solution. Include tangible evidence such as certificates, awards, peer recognition, etc., demonstrating design excellence. Where there is duplication with criteria (1) Past Performance on Design, the Lead Designer shall address his or her participation in the project. IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR STAGE I SUBMITTALS Firms having the capabilities to perform the services described in this announcement are invited to respond by submitting Standard Form 330 Architect Engineer Qualifications Part II, which must not be dated more than twelve (12) months before the date of this synopsis along with letter of interest and the portfolio TO: Contracting Officer: Mr. William Chapman Delivery Address: General Services Administration 230 South Dearborn Suite 3600 Chicago, IL 60604 Phone number: 312-353-0868 ALL STAGE I SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE by 2:00PM local time on April 1, 2015. A total of 7 copies comprising of 6 hard copies and one copy on a CD or DVD should be submitted. The following information must be on the outside of the sealed envelope 1) Solicitation Number/Title, 2) Due Date, 3) Closing Time. Late responses are subject to FAR 52.214-7. Businesses of any size may submit for Stage I. If a large business is selected to go to Stage II, the proposed design team must include a small business that will hold the contract with GSA. A small business is defined as a business with $7,000,000 in average annual receipts over the past three years. The following clause must be complied with; your attention is directed to paragraph c part 1 below. 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting. Limitations on Subcontracting (Nov 2011) (a) This clause does not apply to the unrestricted portion of a partial set-aside. (b) Applicability. This clause applies only to- (1) Contracts that have been set aside or reserved for small business concerns or 8(a) concerns; (2) Part or parts of a multiple-award contract that have been set aside for small business concerns or 8(a) concerns; and (3) Orders set aside for small business or 8(a) concerns under multiple-award contracts as described in 8.405-5 and 16.505(b)(2)(i)(F). (c) By submission of an offer and execution of a contract, the Offeror/Contractor agrees that in performance of the contract in the case of a contract for- (1) Services (except construction). At least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern. (2) Supplies (other than procurement from a nonmanufacturer of such supplies). The concern shall perform work for at least 50 percent of the cost of manufacturing the supplies, not including the cost of materials. (3) General construction. The concern will perform at least 15 percent of the cost of the contract, not including the cost of materials, with its own employees. (4) Construction by special trade contractors. The concern will perform at least 25 percent of the cost of the contract, not including the cost of materials, with its own employees. (End of clause) This contract will be procured under the Brooks A/E Act and FAR Part 36. The government will not allow payment for travel, living expense, computer time or hookups for the prime or the consultants during the selection process. This is not a Request for Proposals (RFP). GSA intends to hold a small business networking session in Cleveland, Ohio after the shortlist is developed. The date, time and location will be announced with the short list. This session is intended to assist short-listed lead designers in assembling their full teams. Only Stage I submissions are being requested at this time. The following Stage II information is presented for information only. For more information on the GSA Design Excellence Program, please visit gsa.gov/designexcellence Stage II Following the Stage One Evaluation and development of the short list of lead designers, the short-listed firms will be notified and asked to submit more detailed information indicating each member of the design team, including all outside consultants. Sufficient time will be provided for the Lead Designer-A/E Design Firm to establish its team. The firms will be required to complete Standard Form 330 Architect Engineer Qualifications Parts I and II that reflect the entire design team. Further details of the stage two specific submission requirements and interview parameters will be available to the short-listed firms. The evaluation of the complete design team after stage one will be as follows: (1) Team Design Performance (50%) Lead designer-A/E teams must address issues of historical context, design image, and function as they have been approached on past projects. The presentation of this factor shall draw similarities to the scope and complexity of this project. The proposed lead designer-A/E team should demonstrate it can work together successfully. (2) Team Organization and Management Plan (30%) The management plan shall clearly identify key roles and lines of communication, and shall present the means to integrate client, community, and-when required- preservation input. The plan should explain steps to ensure cost and quality control, as well as identify all review stages. Lastly, the plans should identify the physical location of major design and production work, the coordination plan for consultant work, and for work produced in remote offices. (3) Professional Qualifications (15%) The lead designer-A/E team project manager, lead designer and engineers should demonstrate that they have the qualifications, experience, and commitment to organize all efforts required for this project. The lead designer-A/E team must indicate: - A process where the lead designer plays a substantive leadership role. - A quality control methodology for the design. - A primary commitment from the lead designer to this project. (4) Geographic Location (5%) The lead designer-A/E team must demonstrate capability to perform 35% of the contract effort within the State of Ohio. The Selection Board shall interview each team. Candidates should be prepared to discuss all aspects of the criteria indicated above and evaluation criteria as established for Stage II, and demonstrate their ability to fulfill all project requirements. Emphasis will be placed on the Lead Designer-A/E Team's understanding of the unique aspects of the project, their design philosophy, project management process, and quality assurance plan. Responses to the evaluation criteria and interview questions will be used to rank the Lead Designer-A/E Teams.