Request for Information

for

Bridging Architectural Services

August 29, 2006

   
 

 

 

Introduction:

San Mateo County Community College District is seeking architectural assistance to develop bridging documents for two (2) design-build projects at the College of San Mateo and Skyline College.  The intent of this RFI is to provide a structured opportunity for the District to explore your interest in providing those architectural services, and to understand your firm’s approach, process, potential timeline and fee to do so. 

 

The District’s Capital Improvement Program

The District consists of three colleges:  College of San Mateo located in San Mateo, opened in 1963; Skyline College, located in San Bruno, opened in late 1968; and Cañada College, located in Redwood City, opened in early 1969.   Together the Colleges serve approximately 50,000 students per year. 

 

In 2000, the District began planning its Capital Improvement Program, a comprehensive facilities renewal program intended to provide 21st century learning environments at its three campuses.  In 2001, a Facilities Master Plan was developed by tBP/Architecture; this document is available at 2001 Facilities Master Plan.  In November 2001, the voters of San Mateo County approved Measure C, authorizing the District to issue $207 million in general obligation bonds to fund facilities capital improvements.  An additional $100 million in other funding was secured from various sources, including redevelopment funds, State Chancellor’s Office program funds, grants, donations, fees, and other miscellaneous funding sources, resulting in the first phase of our construction program valued at $307 million. 

 

Major projects completed or nearing completion in the first phase of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP1) include:

  • New Library/Student Resource Center at Cañada College
  • New Science Building, including a Planetarium and rooftop Observatory, at College of San Mateo
  • New Student Union and Science Annex at Skyline College
  • New law enforcement training facility at College of San Mateo
  • Seismic upgrades and modernizations of three major instructional buildings at College of San Mateo and Skyline College
  • Renovations and upgrades of classrooms, offices, central plants, mechanical/electrical/plumbing systems, energy efficiency projects, exterior campus quadrangles, building envelopes, accessible paths of travel (including elevators and lifts), fire/life safety systems, parking lots and roadways.

 

Earlier this year, the District’s 2006 Facilities Master Plan was developed by Steinberg Architects; this document is available at 2006 Facilities Master Plan.  In November 2005, the voters of San Mateo County approved Measure A, authorizing the District to issue an additional $468 million in general obligation bonds to continue to execute facilities capital improvements.  The District anticipates receiving an additional $40 million in State funding to supplement these local bonds, valuing the second phase of facilities renewal in excess of $500 million, and a total Capital Improvement Program (CIP) of over $800 million.

 

An implementation plan for the second phase of the CIP (CIP2) is currently underway.  The District intends to continue its successful history of the use of the design-build delivery method on a number of CIP2 projects.  (For more information about the District’s ability to use this innovative construction delivery method for its community colleges, please refer to Construction Project Delivery Methods). 

 

Bridging Documents for CIP2 Design-Build Projects

The District will issue a request for proposal (RFP) to design-build teams in late Fall 2006 for two projects:

  1. College of San Mateo.  New Student Services/Administration/Student Activities/Bookstore/Food Services Building, New Faculty Office Building, Main Quadrangle Renovation, and Adjacent Parking Lot Modifications
  2. Skyline College.  New Cosmetology/Wellness/Athletics Building, New Administration/Instructional Building, New Automotive Technology Automatic Transmission Building, Building 8 Gateway Portal, North/East/West Campus Gateways, Demolition of Northern Buildings, Parking Lot and Roadway Modifications

 

Bridging design documents for these two projects are required as part of the District’s RFP to design-build teams.  The District is issuing this Request for Information to seven architectural firms, to allow the District to select one or two firms to develop the bridging documents.  The bridging documents will include but not be limited to:

    • Project intent
    • Project boundary lines
    • Massing diagram(s)
    • Program elements
    • Adjacencies
    • Space array(s)
    • District’s Facilities Design Standards & Guidelines
    • District’s Technology Standards & Guidelines

 

Firms invited to participate in this selection process have been scheduled for interviews/conferences on Tuesday, September 5th and Thursday, September 7th.  Participating firms should be aware that if they are selected to provide bridging architectural services, they would be precluded from participating on design-build teams for that project. 

 

 

Bridging Architect Interview/Conference

The 60-minute interview/conference is an opportunity for your firm to articulate to the committee your firm’s approach, process, potential timeline and fee to prepare a bridging document(s) for our design-build project(s).  You may express interest to us in providing bridging architectural services on one or both projects.  While we do not have a prescribed format for the interview, we would like you to leave the final half hour for a question/answer/discussion period.  If you plan to prepare written or projected materials for your presentation, please bring a CD of the materials that we can keep on file.

 

Cristina Cruz (Facilities Department Staff Assistant) will contact you to advise you of the time, date and venue for your interview/conference.  Please coordinate logistics with her.  You may contact Cristina at 650.574.6512 or cruzc@smccd.edu.

 

Interview/Conference Protocol:

  • When you arrive for your interview/conference, please check in at the District Administration Building, 3401 CSM Drive, San Mateo, and advise the front desk person that Cristina Cruz is expecting you.
  • Cristina will escort you to your conference room, show you where the restrooms are, and assist you in other ways as needed.
  • You will have access to your conference room 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the interview/conference, in case you want to set up audio/video equipment, or presentation materials, or just want to get into the room and get oriented before the committee arrives.
  • The interview/conference will be one hour in duration.
  • You will be able to stay in the conference room for 15 minutes after the interview end time so you can debrief, relax and depart at your leisure.

 

Selection Criteria

Inasmuch as the short-listed firms have previously expressed the possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities and relevant experience required to provide architectural services, the following criteria will be used to evaluate the architectural firms:

 

1.      Demonstrated ability to lead constituent groups through programming activities.  Those constituents include faculty, staff, students, administrators, and other members of the community.

2.      The ability to begin the bridging design process within 15 days of contract award.

3.      Experience of personnel proposed for the project(s).

4.      Results of reference checks from previous clients and other information sources.

5.      Assessment of the process the architectural firm plans to utilize in developing the bridging document(s).

6.      An evaluation of the architectural firm’s proposed fee.

7.      Commitment to a collaborative management style that demonstrates sensitive, respectful and effective interaction with people who are diverse in their interests, cultures, language groups, and abilities.

 

The District reserves the right to waive any irregularities or required formalities or to amend or cancel, in part or entirety, this request for information if it is in the best interest of the District.

 

Cost of Participation in Selection Process

Costs for developing responses to this RFI are entirely the responsibility of the firm and shall not be chargeable to the District.

 

District Contact for Questions Concerning this Request for Information

Please direct any questions concerning this Request for Information to Linda da Silva, Director of Facilities Maintenance & Operations, 3401 CSM Drive, San Mateo, CA 94402, 650.358.6726 (o), 650.642.7143 (m), dasilva@smccd.edu.