Resiliency in River Villages Architectural and Structural Assessments

Summary and Background

Buckeye Hills Regional Council (BHRC) is a council of governments established in 1968 and serves the counties of Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry, and Washington in rural Appalachian Ohio. Buckeye Hills administers funding from multiple State and Federal sources in the areas of community and economic development, transportation planning, and aging services to address the needs of member communities.

Project Description

Three major rivers run through the Buckeye Hills region. Many municipalities sit on the banks or in the flood plains of the Hocking River, Muskingum River, Ohio River, or the tributaries to those rivers. To aid in mitigation efforts, Buckeye Hills Regional Council is seeking a firm to assess buildings in downtown areas to ensure they are able to withstand potential natural disasters. BHRC is seeking advisement on the condition and state of downtown buildings, as well as estimates of the costs to update or rehabilitate them. The outcomes of these assessments will directly affect the future development of the region.

Scope of Services

To support municipalities in the region, Respondents should offer professional services divided into the following deliverables: (1) visit eligible downtown buildings to determine needs, (2) summarize and document findings of building investigations in reports for communities, (3) produce high-level cost estimates for building updates.

At a high level, the proposed phases of work may include but would not be limited to the following:

1. Site Visit and Investigation to Determine Condition and Future Needs: By investigating buildings in the downtowns, respondents will be responsible for reporting back to BHRC and village leadership of the needs that must be addressed before the building can be put into use. These may include but are not limited to the following: repair of exterior masonry, siding, and other materials, including repointing, replacement, painting, cleaning, etc., or repairs or replacement of existing doors and windows. In addition, respondents will advise communities on ways to upgrade or repair unique building features, such as interior and exterior architectural features, public art elements, stained glass windows, etc., that are crucial to the historical character of the building. Respondents may also be asked to advise on the repair, replacement, or addition of new elements to support the specified future use of the building. This may include items such as audio-visual equipment, stage/fly gallery, interpretive exhibits, signage, furnishings, kitchen equipment, loading, etc. Respondents may be asked to assess the need and design of additional elevators, ramps, restrooms, automatic doors, and other elements to support ADA accessibility, as well as limited site work to support ADA accessibility. Potential issues, including but not limited to high-level structural, environmental, and MEP improvements to be addressed in the final design, must also be addressed by the respondent once they are determined.  Respondent may also be requested to assess the buildings’ mechanical systems, including but not limited to heating and cooling systems, water supply, sanitary sewer, and stormwater if applicable.

2. Summarize Report of Findings: In their reports, Respondents will be asked to utilize photography to document required repairs, additions, etc. These reports should also provide a limited narrative describing building repairs, design and engineering scope to produce permit and construction documents, and required agency or regulatory coordination such as SHPO, NFIP, USACE, etc. Respondents would also address the approximate time required to complete design and complete construction based on a preliminary understanding of the project scope.

3. High-Level Cost Estimate: To assist stakeholders in fully understanding the next steps, Respondents will be asked to provide soft costs, including design and engineering fees. They may also be asked to help develop high-level construction costs based on the best available information.

Period of Performance

The period of performance for the scope of services will move quickly. All funding for this project must be spent by March 2024. The respondent(s) selected would be expected to serve as a consultant to the assigned community within the BHRC region and BHRC beginning at the contract award and continue until March of 2024, at which time all funds will be spent under the program.

Requirements to be responsive to RFQ

The Request for Qualifications shall be prepared in accordance with the rules codified in 2 CFR 200 (Unified Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards) and submitted with the following listed sections completed as part of one singular document. The submission must be in a digital format with print capabilities. BHRC may solicit additional information at a later time.

Part 1 – Company and Response Information Summary

The respondent must provide information as follows:

1. Company Name and Address in which to send contract/service agreement (if awarded)
2. Company Description and Overview
3. Website Address
4. Name, Bio, Phone Number, Email Address of Key Representative(s) responsible for carrying out project activities, inclusive of billing for services
5. Comprehensive list of company’s technical assistance expertise area(s) relative to the scopes of work

Part 2 – Consultant Qualifications and Experience (50%)

1. Provide a description of the qualifications and experience of key personnel as it pertains to the scope of work for which respondents are submitting. Please specifically include details on work completed within the Appalachian region of Ohio.
2. Provide descriptions of previous projects that the Respondent has undertaken that are similar to this Project. Please include references as detailed in Part 3 of this RFQ
3. Sample client listing of entities receiving similar assistance. Please include dates for provision of service
4. Web links to related projects are encouraged

Part 3 – References (40%)

Provide a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 10 references for clients receiving similar services. References of projects should ideally be similar to those that are in development in the BHRC region. If such references are not available, list references that match as closely as possible.

Part 4 – Cost (10%)

BHRC anticipates entering into an agreement for services with the successful respondent(s). The successful respondent(s) should expect to provide invoices to BHRC on an as-needed basis or at least quarterly for the duration of the project.

Respondents should address the following in response to this RFQ:

1. Total cost of services
2. Retainer fee cost
3. Detailed breakdown of activities/tasks to be completed and cost associated with each
4. Methodology for tracking and billing on an as-needed basis

Timeline and Deliverables

Interested respondents should respond by email to Melissa Zoller, Planning Director, at mzoller@buckeyehills.org. The subject line should read ‘BHRC River Resiliency Technical Assistance RFQ-ARCHITECTURAL.’

RFQ Issued: November 2, 2023

Responses DUE: November 17, 2023

Notification of Award: November 22, 2023

Responses received after the time and date specified are not eligible for consideration.  ALL PROPOSALS MUST BE SIGNED.

Failure to provide this information may result in rejection of the response.

BHRC reserves the right to reject any response not prepared and submitted according to the provisions herein outlined and may reject any or all responses.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The respondent is cautioned against last-minute attempts to meet the due date and time. BHRC will not be responsible for network outages and other related internet malfunctions on the part of the respondent in submitting their proposal.

Evaluation and Selection

All qualified responses submitted in accordance with the terms of the RFQ will be evaluated to determine the most responsive entities. Demand for services and quantity of funds available will determine the number of contractors approved under this RFQ. Contractors will then be on an approved contractor list for community stakeholders to select as buildings are approved to be evaluated. A uniform selection process will be used to evaluate all proposals.

Staff from BHRC will review and evaluate all responses received in response to this Request for Qualifications. Proposals will be evaluated and ranked based on the selection criteria outlined below. After the conclusion of the evaluation process, the firms, groups, or persons qualified and receiving the highest scores will be approved.  Contracts will be negotiated building by building with the Contractor assigned from the Approved Contractor list.  Demand will drive the number of contractors selected as the turnaround for these assessments is a very short window.

In the event BHRC elects to negotiate a contract with a selected firm, group, or person, BHRC reserves the right to negotiate such terms and conditions of the contract, including, but not limited to scope, role, price, and staffing which may be in the best interests of BHRC.

Proposal evaluation will be based upon the following criteria:

Scope of services

• Experience and ability to successfully complete the scope of services
• Experience within working in Appalachian Ohio
• Demonstrated experience from the perspective of references