HUNTINGTON CONVENTION CENTER of CLEVELAND &
GLOBAL CENTER FOR HEALTH INNOVATION
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
For
CRITERIA ARCHITECT
Date: November 5, 2020
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) ARTICLE 1
INTRODUCTION
SMG, as managing agent (”SMG”) for the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland (the
“HCCC”) and the Global Center for Health and Innovation (the “GCHI”) on behalf of the Cuyahoga County Convention Facilities Development Corporation (“CCCFDC”), is seeking to retain an architectural firm to provide services as a criteria architect under a bridging design- build project delivery system for the project described in Exhibit A attached hereto (the
“Project”). In addition to a Project description, Exhibit A contains a description of the scope of services required (the “Services”). Each firm submitting a response to this RFQ is hereinafter referred to as a “Responding Firm.”
The HCCC (located at 300 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland, Ohio) and GCHI (located at 1 St. Clair Avenue NE, Cleveland, Ohio) are managed by SMG as agent for CCCFDC. (SMG and
CCCFDC are collectively referred to herein as “Owner.”) Project Management Consultants LLC (“PMC”) has been engaged as Owner’s project representative, with Ellis Katz as the point of contact.
ARTICLE 2 CRITICAL DATES 2.1 The following are the critical dates and times:
Response Due Date November 24, 2020, 5 pm EST
*Selection December 4, 2020
*This is a targeted date under optimal circumstances and is tentative based on actual
selection factors. Owner reserves the right to either conduct or not to conduct interviews.
ARTICLE 3
PROCEDURES/CONTENT 3.1 CONTENTS OF RESPONSES
1.) Responses must include the following:
a) Company History: Provide a company overview that includes: (i) years of existence; (ii) legal form of Responding Firm; (iii) state of incorporation of
Responding Firm; (iv) location of home office; (v) number of licensed professionals;
and (vi) general firm history.
b) Qualifications: Provide a qualifications statement that includes the following information relevant to the Responding Firm and any team members that will participate in this Project:
Relevant Experience: Relevant projects of similar nature. Include:
(i) description of the project and the services provided for the project; (ii) start and completion dates for each project; (iii) name, title and telephone number of the client contact most familiar with the Responding Firm's services on the Project.
Project Team and Organization: Resumes for the proposed Project team, including the proposed project manager, project design lead and any other proposed key staff. Each resume should include a one-paragraph description of the duties and responsibilities of the individual's proposed project role. List the prior experience of such key personnel on similar projects and a summary of the proposed time commitment such key personnel shall have to this Project. Also include, to the extent known, any key consultants that will perform services for this Project.
c) Financial Qualifications: Provide evidence that Responding Firm has the financial ability to fulfill its obligations as outlined herein. In the case of a subsidiary,
statements must be on the operating entity.
d) Insurance: Provide a certificate of insurance that shows the Responding Firm’s current limits of liability for commercial general liability, business automobile liability and professional liability insurance.
e) Small Business Enterprise: Owner wishes to achieve certain participation goals related to participation in the Cuyahoga County Small Business Enterprise (SBE) program. If Responding Firm is registered or will retain sub-contractors or consultants that are registered as a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) certified by Cuyahoga County, then so indicate in your Response.
f) Sustainability: Sustainability and efficient energy use is a concern of Owner.
Describe the Responding Firm’s commitment to these items and how they are incorporated into its services. Provide relevant examples.
g) Commitment to Diversity: Owner is interested in doing business with firms that demonstrate a commitment to the establishment and maintenance of a diverse workforce. Please comment on the Responding Firm’s commitment to diversity and identify any individuals assigned to this Project that reflect that commitment.
h) Project Approach: Please provide any observations regarding the intended Project scope and Project delivery approach and ways in which the Responding Firm can add value to the process.
i) All Responses shall be typewritten without erasures or deletions.
j) The Response shall be signed by the person or persons legally authorized to bind the Responding Firm to a contract. A Response by a corporation, limited liability, professional association or partnership shall state whether the Responding Firm is qualified to do business in the State of Ohio.
3.2 SUBMISSION OF RESPONSES
1.) Submit via email in PDF form all information and documents required by Section 3.1 above. The PDF file shall be identified with the Responding Firm’s name and address, and the Response Due Date (defined below). Responses shall be sent to the following address:
Project Management Consultants LLC Attention: Ellis Katz
Email: Ellis.Katz@AboutPMC.com
2.) RESPONSES shall be submitted no later than November 24, 2020, 5:00 p.m. local time (the “Response Due Date”). The Responding Firm shall assume full
responsibility for timely delivery at the location designated for the receipt of Responses. Owner reserves the right to reject responses if not submitted by the Response Due Date. Any and all responses may be rejected if deemed in Owner’s best interest.
3.) Submission of a Response signifies careful examination of the RFQ and complete understanding of the nature, extent and location of the Services to be performed.
3.3 DUE DILIGENCE
1.) Prior to submitting a bid, each Responding Firm shall make all investigations and examinations necessary to ascertain conditions and requirements affecting operation of the proposed Services. Failure to make such investigations and examinations shall be deemed a waiver of any subsequent claim based on facts or circumstances that could have been discovered upon a reasonable investigation or examination of the conditions and requirements affecting operation of the proposed Services.
3.4 NO CONTACT POLICY
1.) No Responding Firm (or subcontractor or consultant to a Responding Firm) shall contact or communicate with the following parties concerning matters directly related to this RFQ, the Project or the Services: (i) any employee, officer, director or member of SMG or CCCFDC, except in the manner described herein; and (ii) any elected official or employee of the State of Ohio or the County of Cuyahoga, Ohio.
.
2.) All comments, questions or requests for information concerning this Request for
Qualifications (and the corresponding procedures and requirements) must be addressed in writing, via email to the following:
Project Management Consultants LLC Attention: Ellis Katz
Email: Ellis.Katz@AboutPMC.com
Owner will respond to all comments and questions to all Responding Firms within three to five (3-5) days of the request being received. All comments, questions or requests for information must be received by Owner at least five (5) days prior to the Response Due Date in order to receive consideration. Owner will not be responsible for comments and/or answers received in any manner other than as described above.
3.) Any contact violation of the above instructions shall be grounds for disqualification and/or rejection of a Response, and in the case of a subcontractor or consultant, the preclusion of that subcontractor or consultant from providing services for the Project.
Each Responding Firm is responsible for notifying its prospective subcontractors and consultants of these instructions.
ARTICLE 4 SELECTION PROCESS 4.1 CONSIDERATION OF RESPONSES
1.) Shortlist: Each Responding Firm will be evaluated and ranked based on its qualifications and the qualifications and experience of the particular individuals identified as the firm's Project team. After evaluating the responses to this RFQ, Owner may select a shortlist of firms that it considers to be the most qualified.
2.) Interviews: Owner may elect to conduct interviews with the short-listed firms. The interviews will be by videoconference, and the purpose of such interviews will be to meet the proposed Project team and to discuss their project approach and ability to meet
Owner's objectives, including the budget and schedule. If interviews will be conducted, Owner will send notice of the date, time and place.
3.) Negotiation: Owner shall rank the firms and negotiate a contract with the firm ranked most qualified to perform the criteria architect design services. Contract negotiations shall be directed toward: (i) ensuring that the criteria architect and Owner have a mutual understanding of the essential requirements involved in providing the services;
(ii) determining that the firm will make available the necessary personnel, equipment and facilities to perform the services within the required time; and (iii) agreeing upon
compensation that is fair and reasonable, taking into account the estimated value, scope, complexity and nature of the services. Upon failure to negotiate a contract with the firm
negotiations and enter into negotiations with the firm ranked next most qualified. If negotiations again fail, the same procedure shall be followed with each next most qualified firm selected and ranked, in order of ranking, until a contract is negotiated.
ARTICLE 5 MISCELLANEOUS 5.1 CANCELLATION/REJECTION
Owner reserves the right to accept or reject any or all qualifications statements and cancel at any time for any reason this RFQ, any portion of this RFQ or any phase of the Project.
Owner shall have no liability to any proposer arising out of such cancellation or rejection.
Owner reserves the right to waive minor variations in the selection process.
5.2 COST
Owner assumes no responsibility for costs incurred by any Responding Firm in its preparation, presentation or submission of its response to this RFQ.
5.3 AMENDMENTS
At its discretion, Owner may amend this RFQ at any time prior to the Response Due Date and distribute the amendments to all firms who are on record with Owner as having requested and been furnished a copy of this RFQ.
Exhibit A
Description of Project and Scope of Criteria Architect's Services
A. The Project.
Opened in downtown Cleveland in 2013, the GCHI (formerly known as the Medical Mart) was originally positioned as a permanent showroom of medical, surgical and hospital goods. Over time, the focus and management structure of the facility has changed, with varying results, while the needs of the adjacent HCCC for additional attractive, flexible and high-tech meeting space has increased. In 2019, CCCFDC retained CSL International to conduct an open “high and best use”
study for GCHI, which resulted in a report, entitled Strategic Assessment of Re-Positioning Options for the GCHI, which is available for general reference at:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qeddscdlg2ej6zh/AABIrZ2nRDdaeJcZpLzKwnKxa?dl=0
Based, in part, upon the findings of CSL, CCCFDC leadership has elected to reposition the GCHI by creating additional meeting space for the HCCC. The vision includes the addition of enhanced exiting, vertical transportation (in the form of escalators) and increased restroom capacity to allow the second and third floors of the facility to be built out with new meeting space. This work will be accomplished in a phased manner, with the first phase being the master design of the new program through Schematic Design, and advancement of the infrastructure work (exiting, vertical transportation and increased restroom capacity) through Design Development and Construction.
Additional limited buildout of second floor meeting space may occur during this phase to the extent that funds are available in the Project budget.
B. Scope of Services. SMG, as managing agent for CCCFDC, is seeking a criteria architect (Criteria Architect) for the Project. The Criteria Architect will be a key member in a fully integrated Bridging Design-Build team for the Project.
The Criteria Architect will be directly engaged by SMG, as managing agent for CCCFDC, and will provide the following services:
o Participate in a kickoff meeting with all key stakeholders to finalize and confirm the project program.
o Utilizing the program, develop Schematic Design documents to convey the programmatic intent.
o Upon approval of Schematic Design, develop Design Development/GMP Pricing Documents for the infrastructure components of the program, which include, but are not limited to, new restrooms, exit stairs, escalators and, to the extent permitted by budget, improvements to back of house service areas, development of IT infrastructure for future meeting space and meeting space improvements.
A separate Design-Build team will be engaged by SMG, as managing agent for CCCFDC, prior to the completion of Schematic Design. The Design-Build team will be responsible for establishing a binding guaranteed maximum price (“GMP”) for the Project based on the Design Development drawings prepared by the Criteria Architect. The Design-Build team, through its Architect of Record, shall produce the construction documents and implement the Criteria Architect’s design intent for the Project through the construction documents as part of the established GMP to meet the Project schedule. The Criteria Architect shall review the construction documents as they are being produced by the Architect of Record to ensure compliance with the design intent of Criteria Architect’s design documents.
After establishment of the GMP, the Criteria Architect shall continue to work for SMG, as managing agent for CCCFDC, and will be responsible for insuring that the design intent and integrity of the Project are maintained and preserved throughout the Project. The Criteria Architect's duties will include reviewing selected shop drawings and other Project submittals, reviewing and certifying Design-Builder pay applications, and verifying the dates of Substantial and Final Completion.
The Criteria Architect may not serve as the Architect of Record. However, consultants engaged by the Criteria Architect are not precluded from working for the Design-Builder or the Architect of Record.
