SLED Opportunity · WASHINGTON · CITY OF SEATTLE
AI Summary
The City of Seattle seeks architectural and engineering teams for the renovation and seismic upgrade of the historic Columbia Branch Library, including design and construction administration services. The project involves historic preservation, seismic retrofitting of an unreinforced masonry building, building envelope restoration, and accessibility improvements.
The Seattle Public Library seeks architectural and engineering (A/E) teams to provide design and construction administration services for the renovation of its Columbia Branch Library. The building totals approximately 12,225 square feet and includes a historic Carnegie section (approximately 6,825 SF, constructed in 1915) and a 2004 addition (approximately 5,400 SF). The A/E team must prepare documents to meet Library requirements for review at programming, schematic design, 30% construction documents, 60% construction documents, permit set and submittal, 90% construction documents, 100% construction documents, bid set, and addendums.
The Columbia Branch Library has served the Columbia City neighborhood since 1915, when the original 6,825 square-foot Carnegie building was constructed with funds from an Andrew Carnegie grant. The building was designed by architects W. Marbury Somervell and Harlan Thomas in Georgian Revival style with brick construction. The branch is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a contributing structure in the Columbia City Landmark District.
The facility has undergone two significant renovations since its opening: a major remodel in 1986, and a 2004 expansion that added approximately 5,400 square feet, bringing the total to approximately 12,225 square feet. The 2004 addition created the current two-wing configuration and expanded library programming capacity while the original Carnegie wing continues to serve as the historic heart of the branch.
A 2016 seismic survey by the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection identified the Columbia Branch as high-risk for earthquake damage due to its unreinforced masonry (URM) construction. Seismic vulnerabilities exist in both the original 1915 Carnegie structure and the 2004 addition. The structural upgrade is to comply with Damage Control concepts.
This seismic renovation is the final phase of a multi-phase renovation. Phase 1 — HVAC electrification and electrical upgrades — will be complete prior to the start of this project. A primary objective of the design is to protect the newly installed HVAC systems and ensure that seismic retrofit and building envelope work does not damage or require rework of Phase 1 improvements. In addition to the seismic upgrade, this project will include building envelope restoration, accessibility improvements, and interior renovation, updating the library to comply with current building and accessibility codes for the City of Seattle, the State of Washington, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
| Event | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Interviews if Conducted (estimated) | Interviews will be conducted via TEAMS |
Provide a certificate or documentation from the Secretary of State in which you incorporated that shows your company legal name. Many companies use a “Doing Business As” name or nickname in daily business; the Library requires the legal name for your company. When preparing all forms below, use the proper company legal name. Your company’s legal name can be verified through the State Corporation Commission in the state in which you were established, which is often located within the Secretary of State’s Office for each state. For the State of Washington, see http://www.secstate.wa.gov/corps/
Provide a single page that lists each Minimum Qualification, and exactly how you achieve each minimum qualification. Remember that the determination you have achieved all the minimum qualifications is made from this page. The evaluation committee is not obligated to check references or search other materials to make this decision
This response is mandatory. The determination you have achieved all minimum qualifications is made from this section alone, and therefore, the Evaluation Committee is not obligated to check references or search other materials in your proposal to make this decision.
For each Minimum Qualification listed below, please describe how you meet the minimum qualification.
Minimum Qualification #1
Provide Minimum Qualification
Minimum Qualification #2
Provide Minimum Qualification
Minimum Qualification #3
Provide Minimum Qualification
Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.
Please download the below document, complete, and upload.
Provide information to the extent this information is available. If your response is incomplete or requires further description, the City may request additional information within a specified deadline, or may determine the missing information is immaterial.
Make requested changes to the Contract language using track changes and upload here.
Are there qualifications the Consultants must have to even be considered? Minimum qualifications should ONLY be those that the Consultant must meet to have their proposal considered, meaning you will toss the proposal out in full if the Consultant cannot meet the minimum qualifications.
Minimum qualifications can sometimes be important, such as a professional license. If you require a Minimum Qualification, ensure it is fair, appropriate and reasonable. Consultants can protest these if they seem exclusionary and unnecessary. In addition, some federal requirements may restrict or prohibit the use of such qualifications. Review the terms of the grant to ensure compliance with all such requirements. Minimum Qualifications are only for factual yes/no items which can be easily proven as a matter of fact and on the face of the RFQ response. These are NOT subjective such as “Company needs to be experienced” or “needs to have good references.” These are instead hard and fast criteria we check off “yes or no,” and we will toss them out without further consideration if they say no.
Note to department – All non-federally funded contracts above $395,000 require an Inclusion Plan. If potential work, including all phases, is above $395,000, retain the Inclusion Plan as a required submittal. The Mayor’s 2010 policy requires you to score the WMBE response, for no less than 10% of total points.
Departments are encouraged to list the core Scope of Work items that the department has determined to be available for subcontracting.
Contracts with FEDERAL FUNDING may require different or additional social equity requirements, such as federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) requirements, which are required for US DOT funded projects, such as FTA projects.
Exceptions: Exceptions to the Inclusion Plan requirement are rare. Departments must notify their WMBE IDT representative and PC for a review and written approval of an exception. An exception does not relieve the Consultant of its responsibilities to seek WMBE inclusion if changes to the contract provides opportunities for WMBE inclusion.
For assistance, contact Miguel Beltran at Miguel.Beltran@Seattle.gov or 206-684-4525.
State law requires the City to select the firm deemed to be the most highly qualified to provide A&E services. The City cannot ask for pricing before selecting the most highly qualified vendor.
Per RCW 18.08.320, Architecture includes: the rendering of any service or related work requiring architectural education, training, and experience, in connection with the art and science of building design for construction of any structure or grouping of structures and the use of space within and surrounding the structures or the design for construction of alterations or additions to the structures, including but not specifically limited to predesign services, schematic design, design development, preparation of construction contract documents, and administration of the construction contract.
Per RCW 18.43.020, Engineering is any professional service or creative work requiring engineering education, training, and experience and the application of special knowledge of the mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences to such professional services or creative work as consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, design, and supervision of construction for the purpose of assuring compliance with specifications and design, in connection with any public or private utilities, structures, buildings, machines, equipment, processes, works, or projects.
Per RCW 18.96, Landscape Architecture is the rendering of professional services in connection with consultations, investigations, reconnaissance, research, planning, design, construction document preparation, construction administration, or teaching supervision in connection with the development of land areas where, and to the extent that, the dominant purpose of such services is the preservation, enhancement, or determination of proper land uses, natural land features, ground cover and planting, naturalistic and aesthetic values, the settings and approaches to structures or other improvements, or natural drainage and erosion control. This practice includes the location, design, and arrangement of such tangible objects as pools, walls, steps, trellises, canopies, and such features as are incidental and necessary to the purposes in this chapter. Landscape architecture involves the design and arrangement of land forms and the development of outdoor space including, but not limited to, the design of public parks, trails, playgrounds, cemeteries, home and school grounds, and the development of industrial and recreational sites.
Q (3D Laser Scan to BIM): Can a consultant bid solely on taking 3D laser scanning data to create a Revit BIM model, and then generating 2D PDF drawings?
A: The answer is no. This not a bid but an RFQ all you need to do is submit documentation saying you know how to 3D scan. We can publish who does the voluntary walkthrough and you can try to be a sub to one of those architects.
Q (Years of experience): Regarding the experience requirements: does the 8 years continuous experience apply to the individual consultant or the firm itself? Our firm is under 8 years old, but our professionals exceed the 8-year requirement.
A: The 8-years-continuous-experience requirement is intended to apply to the consultant entity (firm or named team) — not to a single individual within the firm. That said, we evaluate experience holistically. A firm that is younger than 8 years can still submit and be considered qualified if its key personnel meet or exceed the 8-year individual experience threshold. As part of our evaluation, however, we will weigh the depth of a firm's track record of working together on similar projects: a team that has delivered projects together over many years will generally score higher than a newly assembled team of individually experienced practitioners. We encourage you to submit and to make a clear case for both your firm's collective history and your professionals' individual records.
Q (Ergonomic Design): Do you wish to have Ergonomic Design included to optimize and protect staff beyond ADA compliance?
A: Thank you for reaching out. Ergonomic design beyond ADA compliance is not within the scope of this solicitation, and we are not requesting it be added to the consultant team's services. ADA accessibility will, of course, be addressed through the architectural scope.
Q (Structural Engineering Qualifications): Does the selected structural consultant need to specifically have library experience, or just historic and seismic renovation experience in order to be qualified?
A: The library-experience requirement applies to the consultant team as a whole, not to every individual sub-consultant. For the structural engineering role specifically, we are looking for demonstrated experience in historic landmark renovation and seismic upgrades of unreinforced masonry buildings — library-specific experience is not required for the structural consultant. We do, however, expect the prime consultant or another team member to bring the library programming/design experience to the overall team. We encourage you to submit.
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
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