AUTHORIZATION TO PUBLISH
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)
FOR ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES
The Flathead County Board of Commissioners is requesting Statement of Qualifications from firms or teams of firms interested in providing architectural and design services to Flathead County pursuant to the requirements of Section 18-8-201 et seq., M.C.A. Services needed include preliminary design and cost estimating, public education, final design, construction plans, bid specifications, contract administration, and construction inspection for the Flathead County Public Safety Facility. The selected firm will work in partnership with a General Contractor Construction Manager (GCCM). The project includes facility design through construction management for a new adult detention center, sheriff’s department and courtrooms for Flathead County, MT. The project will be located at 225 Snowline Lane in Kalispell, MT.
Copies of the detailed RFQ, including a description of services to be provided by respondents, the minimum content of proposals, and the factors used to evaluate the proposals, can be found on the Flathead County webpage at: https://flathead.mt.gov/department-directory/commissioners-office/public-notices or by contacting Whitney Aschenwald, Flathead County Commissioners Office, 800 South Main, Room 302, Kalispell, MT 59901 - (406) 758-2467 / . All statements must be submitted to the Flathead County Commissioners Office, 800 South Main, Room 302, Kalispell, MT 59901, by 4:00 pm local time on July 1, 2024. Flathead County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Dated this 23rd day of May, 2024.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Flathead County, Montana
By: _/s/Randy L. Brodehl______
Randy L. Brodehl, Chairman
Publish on May 28 and June 4, 2024
RFQ Q&A Response: Flathead County Public Safety Facility
The following information is made a part of this RFQ. The purpose of this response is to address project questions received as follows:
Question 1: On page 9, it states “firms scoring a minimum of 80% on evaluation criteria 1-5 will be requested to host a site visit, tour, and interview with County officials and staff.” Does this mean the firm must get a perfect score on items 1-5, or is it 80% of the points possible for items 1-5?
Answer 1: Proposals will be scored on a 1,000-point system. Scoring criteria 1-5 total 800 points. Firms must receive 80%, or 640 points out of the 800 points possible on criteria 1 – 5 to be selected for an interview/site visit.
Question 2: For the Statement Content on p. 7, the RFQ calls out: “…If multiple firms are teaming up, the following should be provided for each firm. Responses should include:..” Are you expecting completed and signed RFQ cover sheets for each firm or are you more looking for us to include resumes, project sheets etc. from each?
Answer 2: The County only needs 1 signed RFQ cover sheet, even if multiple firms are teaming up together. Please have the primary firm sign the cover sheet (the firm the County would be signing a contract with).
All other information requested in the RFQ should be provided for each firm included on the team. We would like responses to clearly show the specific individuals that would be assigned to our project and their experience.
Question 3: Is the Slate team precluded from pursuing this RFQ?
Answer 3: No
Question 4: Is there anything significant the County found undesirable in the 2023 Masterplan, especially in terms of design layout?
Answer 4: No
Question 5: When will the GCCM RFQ be advertised?
Answer 5: Flathead County will work with the selected design firm to develop an overall project schedule, but initial plans have GCCM selection scheduled for October. The selected design firm will help facilitate the GCCM selection process.
Question 6: Will there be any grant dollars involved in this project and if so what type? (We did see that you may pursue a bond, mill levy or both). If so, are there any milestone date strings attached to said grant funding dollars of which we need to be aware?
Answer 6: No grant funding is anticipated at this time.
Question 7: Does the County have a desired occupancy date?
Answer 7: A specific date has not been set. Due to overcrowding and continued population growth, the sooner the better. The project is dependent on a successful voted bond. The timing of bond approval will greatly impact the overall project schedule.
Question 8: Does the County have a preference for either premanufactured steel or concrete cells?
Answer 8: At this time, the County is open to and interested in both construction types. The County would like the selected design firm to help evaluate the pros and cons of each construction method with the County to determine which system would be the best for our project.
Question 9: Please confirm if the County will be operating the housing units utilizing Direct Supervision, Indirect Supervision, or a combination?
Answer 9: Combination
Question 10: Who will serve on the selection committee. If names cannot be furnished perhaps you could provide roles in the County or their background (engineers, Sheriff’s staff, etc).
Answer 10: The selection committee will include the members of the Sheriff’s department, detention center, Commissioners office and finance department.
Question 11: Are scores cumulative from proposal and presentation stage or do all shortlisted firms start at zero?
Answer 11: Scores will be cumulative and based on the 1,000-point scoring system provided in the RFQ.
Question 12: Do you have a projection of when interviews and site visits will be held?
Answer 12: Specific dates have not been set yet. Once proposals are reviewed and scored, Flathead County will reach out to the firms selected for site visits/interviews to schedule dates.
Question 13: Is there a geographic limitation on the “host site visit”?
Answer 13: Within the United States.
Question 14: How will #5 “consultant location” be scored? Is it subjective or is there a predefined milage range chart that you can share with us?
Answer 14: It is subjective, no predefined milage range chart. Scoring in this category also includes the firm’s explanation of how they would effectively manage the project (from where they are located). A firm located far away that provides a thorough, well thought out plan for managing the project from design through construction may score higher than a firm located in closer proximity.
Question 15: Please confirm if the County desires the budgets noted in the Slate Master Plan ($115-$134 Million) to be updated by the awarded team?
Answer 15: Yes. The design firm will be expected to update the project budget periodically. It will be very important for the selected design firm to work closely with the selected GCCM to review the budget and revise based on updated designs and construction climate. The County will utilize this budget to calculate the bond amount required to finance the project.
Question 16: The comment about providing industry standard contract... We want to clarify that the AIA contract documents will suffice? Most specifically the A133 and A201?
Answer 16: Yes, AIA contracts are acceptable. The County still reserves the right to review and propose modifications.
Question 17: You had instructed having the Bond issue before the voters by March 2025. We think this means having the language and PR documents ready by March. If so, do you know if the County was planning for the vote to be conducted in June 2025 or November 2025?
Answer 17: No, the County’s intent would be to hold the public vote in March, if possible. The ballot language and Resolution are required to be filed with our Election department 85 days in advance. Special elections can be scheduled at any time.
Question 18: On page 5, the fifth bullet point under "Scope of Work for Architectural Services says: “Contract with a public involvement firm to lead the public education/bond and or mill levy campaign. Assist the public involvement firm with graphics/renderings as needed for public education."
Would you like the design team to select and engage a public involvement firm or will the County be selecting this firm for the design team to work with?
Answer 18: Our intent is to have the design team select and engage the public involvement firm. The County envisions having one contract with the design firm.
Question 19: On page 7, the third Statement Content requirement says "The experience, qualifications and assigned roles of any and all staff to be assigned to the project. At a minimum include qualifications for assigned project manager, public involvement lead, detention consultant, any proposed bond counsel, and any principal(s) that will be directly involved with the project."
Is the architect required to include bond counsel services as part of the scope of work included in this RFQ? In our experience, the County engages bond counsel, and the architect will work with them as required to get through the bond or mill levy finance process.
Answer 19: The County will contract directly with bond counsel. This is not required by the design firm.
All other information provided in the Flathead County Public Safety Facility RFQ remains unchanged.