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Frequently Asked Questions about the Williams Village IIa Residence Hall
1) Who is on the Selection Committee?
Selection Committee for this project will be composed of Chair, Thomas Goodhew, Planner, Facilities Planning, Katherine Dunklau, Design & Construction, Candy Roberts, Design Review Board, Curt Hueston, Steve Hecht, and Heidi Roge, representing Housing and Dining Services. Other members may be added to the selection committee in the next week or so.
Phone numbers can be obtained by searching the CU-Boulder Phone Directory .
2) Does any firm have an advantage in the selection process?
The University of Colorado at Boulder selects firms solely on the qualifications listed in the RFP and expanded in the Information Packet. Prior work of any kind at the university is not a guarantee that a particular project will be given to a firm. On the other hand, the second criteria, (Understanding of the Project), often is demonstrated by firms familiar with the building and programs. Clearly, any firm that can thoroughly research the project, synthesize concepts for the successful execution of the idea, and demonstrate that for the selection committee will succeed in getting this project.
3) How does the university feel about out-of-state consultants?
CU-Boulder has no policy prohibiting or encouraging out-of-state firms, however experience has shown that in-state firms provide better service to the university. Out-of-state firms must demonstrate that their experience is superior to that of in-state firms. Firms that partner with local firms should have experience with other projects, so that contractual arrangements have been worked out in advance of this project.
4) What are the WBE/MBE goals for the project?
The university's goal for MBE participation is 17%. For WBE, the goal is a range from 8% to 23.8%. Firms submitting may be required to demonstrate that they have made an effort to obtain qualified sub-consultants.
5) Are there any specific sub-consultants that are needed for this project?
The University is looking for a complete Design-Build team. Consultants who will have a major role in or provide a specialized service critical to this project (e.g. mechanical, electrical, telecommunications consultants) along with other sub-consultants (e.g. structural, civil, landscape architecture, cost consultants) should be included in the submittal package.
6) The RFP implies that in-state firms must be in the lead, is that correct?
No, that assumption is incorrect. The RFPs wording is to make sure that the general contractor and architect of record is licensed in the State of Colorado. Any firm holding such a license may submit as the lead firm. Please refer to Question Three above and note that an out of state firm will have to demonstrate how their level of service will exceed that of in-state firms, particularly in the areas of capability, understanding of the project and methodology.
7) Was the Program Plan completed in house or was there a Program Architect?
The Program Plan was prepared in 2008 by OZ Architects. A copy is available through the project page.
8) We noticed the Pre-application meeting was mandatory; could a firm that did not attend the meeting still be considered?
The pre-submittal meeting is an opportunity for firms to find out general information about the project and the submittal process. We require that each respondent team have at least one representative at this meeting.
9) Where and how do we submit our RFP?
Submittal procedures are explained in the RFP information packet; however, some additional clarification is required about addressing mail to Facilities Management. When mailing items through the US Postal Service the item must go through Campus Mailing Services, which exclusively uses the campus mailbox designation 453 UCB. Express services (e.g. FedEx, UPS, Airborne) and couriers deliver directly to Facilities Management's offices located at 1540 30th Street.
If a firm elects to use US Postal service, allow an extra day for delivery, and address the package as:
Thomas E. Goodhew, Planner
Facilities Planning
Facilities Management
453 UCB
Boulder, Colorado 80309-0453
Express mail and couriers should be addressed to:
Thomas E.Goodhew
Facilities Planning
Facilities Management
1540 30th Street, Room 301
University of Colorado at Boulder
Boulder, Colorado 80309
Of course, you may always deliver the submittals in person to the 30th Street address, Room 301.
10) Is there a preferred or required software format for the building information model?
Recognizing that the industry is still sorting out the advantages and disadvantages of the software, we have not established a requirement or standard. Please also refer to CAD office standards for drawing submittals.
11) Will the consultant be expected to do LEED Commissioning?
The university is its own commissioning agent. The consultant team will be expected to participate in the commissioning process but not serve as the commissioning agent.
12) Will the energy modeling services be provided by the University's independent consultant or does the design team proposal needs to include these services?
The University will hire Architectural Energy Corporation for energy modeling and LEED consulting services to assist the selected design-build team during design development and construction. Respondents may wish to include consultants to assist the design team during the final step of the selection process [Technical (Design) /Cost Proposal].
13) On Page 19 is says: “At least one (1) project/program shall demonstrate D/B services provided as a team similar to those described in this RFP and its Appendices.” What is the Intent? The concern is that the RFP may be designed and targeted for a specific team without consideration for other qualified GC’s and Architects?
Our goal is to hire a team. The intent of the question is for teams to provide an example to help us to understand how the team will resolve issues with your internal contract management, communication, and project responsibilities that are a critical part of the D/B process. A key reason for us to go the D/B route is that we want a single entity that works well together. We also know that members of teams change. We have no pre-conceived notion of what team we would select or hope to see as a finalist. Any submittal will have to show us that the group has experience in the building type, has experience in the Colorado market, and understanding of the UCB campus and design standards. The best submittals will also show us how the members of the team compliment each other, that they start the project understanding each others roles, and can support each other so the sum of the parts is greater than the whole.
14) Does the Design Build Contractor responding to a D/B RFP need to have a Colorado Office in order to be considered? The requirements state that to be considered as qualified, interested firms shall as a minimum: “Provide Design Build Services….utilizing the expertise available through their Colorado Office”.
Out-of-State firms are welcome to submit. Over the years, we have found that having an established knowledge and track record in the State is important for our contractors and aids in the communication for the project. We encourage teams to include in their submittal a description of the method they would use to handle the day-do-day communications with the university, both on the design side and the construction management side of the project if they do not have a local office.
15) Can we tour some of your existing facilities?
We will offer tours of some of our residence hall projects to the three finalists as we begin the technical/design phase of selection. You are welcome to wander around the project site and other areas of campus at your convenience. We would like to limit tours of the residence halls facilities as these are homes for our students and we greatly value their privacy and security.
16) Do we need to list individual sub consultants as part of our team?
We would like to gain as much knowledge about the team you propose to work with and whom we would be working with as possible. We would like to get an idea of what expertise will be provided by the core team members and what resources you may look to for help in an effort to develop the best project possible. We also recognize that there are many quality sub consultant groups to choose from and that with as many D/B team as we anticipate submitting, that it may be hard to commit to any one team. We encourage you to list multiple consultants as you feel may be appropriate and we can discuss a final selection of sub consultants with those teams that are shortlisted for the interview process. We are not encouraging or discouraging teams to list multiple choices for there consulting teams. We do want to make sure that we understand this as a viable way to describe your team during the initial submittal review.
We anticipate that 5-6 teams will be interviewed, depending on the natural break-point in the initial scoring.
18) Will the attendance list from the pre-submittal meeting be available?
This list is posted on the web site at: http://fm.colorado.edu/planning/consultantselection/documents/WillVillPre-SubAttendees.pdf
19) Will students be represented on the selection committee?
No students are directly on the committee. We will have members of the Residence Life staff on the selection and design committee representing the students; communication with the student population will go through them.
20) Which RAP program will be in the facility? Are RAP’s new to the campus.
The Residential Academic Program (RAP) program utilizing the facility will be selected during the construction phase of this project. CU-Boulder currently offers eight RAPs ranging in topic areas from natural sciences and the environment, liberal arts, and the American West, to international interests, fine arts, humanities, and leadership from a multicultural and global perspective.
21) How much design would CU expect to see in the initial submittal?
None. The initial submittal will look at your qualification and experience only.
22) Do subcontractors team with GC’s or does CU select subcontractors?
All subcontractors are to be hired directly by the General Contractor and it is the GC’s responsibility to qualify their team. GC’s may consult with the CU Facilities department as a reference should they desire.
23) Will the DRB keep teams design proposals confidential during the competition phase?
CU and the DRB will do their best to keep the designs confidential, and not share design concepts with other teams. Design review meetings and workshops meetings will be private.
24) How much time will shortlisted firms have during the interview?
Interview will be scheduled for a 50 minute time slot. The typical format is a 30 minute presentation by the D/B team with a 20 minute Q&A session.
25) Are Soils report and survey information available?
These studies are currently in the process and will be made available to the three finalist teams upon selection.
26) Are infrastructure and water improvements included in the project and will CU do any site preparation prior to construction?
All site work is to be part of this project budget and to be the responsibility of the DB team.
27) Do we need to maintain the recreational facilities and parking areas adjacent to the site?
The Parking and recreation facilities are an important amenity to the students living in the Williams Village community. We anticipate that there may be some disruption in the access and use of these amenities, but will be looking to maximize the availability of these throughout the construction period, particularly while classes are in session.
28) When do you anticipate the next phase to be developed?
The next phase, including additional residence hall and parking structure, would be 3-5 years behind this project. Landscape and roadway improvements included in the project should be considered permanent installations.
29) Could you please elaborate on what is meant by "Staff Savings" in the RFP, #4 -Project Background Success, Letter B6.
This item is about how you and the key members of the DB team manage their staff. Staff involvement has an ebb and flow through a project - how do you balance staff availability for projects needs, while controlling billable hours to the project.
30) Is the phase IIa program created by OZ meant to be strictly implemented or is it just intended to be a guideline?
For the Program Plan, OZ provided a test floor plan layout to confirm that the program requirements could be achieved on the building site considering the criteria and design guidelines. These floor plans are only a concept sketch and we would anticipate that any design groups in the final round would test multiple concepts of their own to understand the program, site influences, and design constraints which come to the project.
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