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Chesterfield schools outline architect selection; FW Architects to lead design work
Summary
District staff told the board they selected FW Architects after a two-phase RFQ process and executed a contract on Oct. 7, 2024; board members asked for more detail on minority subcontracting and confirmed the RFQ evaluated qualifications, not price.
Chesterfield County School District staff told the board they followed a two‑phase request‑for‑qualifications process to select an architect and identified FW Architects as the top‑ranked firm.
The district issued the RFQ in June and received seven proposals. An evaluation panel of two school principals, the current facilities director, a past facilities director and a retired architect scored qualifications in Phase 1 and invited finalists to scripted presentations in Phase 2. FW Architects was the highest‑ranked offeror, and a contract using the AIA B101 form was executed on Oct. 7, 2024, district staff said.
The process focused on qualifications, not price. "Cost is not an evaluated criteria in the RFQ process. It's strictly qualifications," Mr. Evans told the board when asked whether the selection considered price. Mr. Evans said the RFQ scoring considered factors the state model sets out: past performance, professional personnel, timelines and budgets, local knowledge, current workload, related experience and equitable distribution including minority business participation.
Hal Fuller, president of FW Architects, said his firm is small and intends to carry a consistent team through design and construction administration. "The people that are here today are the people that will carry you through the entire project," Fuller said, describing the firm’s long record of school work in South Carolina.
Board members pressed staff for more detail about minority subcontracting listed in proposals. Mr. Evans said he did not have the subcontractor minority‑participation percentages available at the meeting but offered to provide that information later.
District staff also listed the seven firms that submitted proposals: McMillan, Paz and Smith; Jumper Carter Cease; Motor Architect; Moseley Architects; F and W Architects; CP and L Architects; and Hoard, Copeland and Mop Architects (as listed in submission materials). Jarrett Burr, facilities director, participated in drafting the solicitation and will work with the selected architect during the design‑bid‑build process described by staff.
No new board motion to award the contract was reported on the record at this meeting; staff presented the procurement approach, evaluation steps and the signed AIA B101 contract to the board for information.
The selection, staff said, followed state procurement guidance cited in the presentation (transcript references to South Carolina law sections provided in the solicitation text) and included a mandatory seven‑business‑day protest period before contract execution.
Next steps described by the presenters include site visits, assessments of existing facilities and prioritization of projects with building administrators and the facilities office. Board members asked staff to supply the minority‑contracting percentages and other subcontractor detail to the board after the meeting.
