Council approves RFQ for City Hall complex design; responses due March 28

City staff presented and the council approved a request for qualifications (RFQ) seeking architectural services for the City Hall Complex, which the staff description said includes City Hall, council chambers and the police department.

The staff member said the RFQ asks respondents to provide design, bidding and construction administration services and to submit standardized information about the proposed design team, subcontracting plans, relevant past projects, estimated schedules and technology capabilities. The RFQ sets a submission deadline of March 28; staff said a committee would review materials in April and the council could receive a recommendation by a meeting in April or the first meeting in May.

Staff said the RFQ would be advertised in the city's legal paper and mailed or otherwise sent to firms the city has worked with in the past. The staff member also said the city will ask firms to identify any subcontractors and to describe current workload so the selection committee can evaluate how the city's project would fit the firm's schedule.

Council members discussed but did not appoint a review committee during the meeting; staff said the absence of a committee would not affect the March 28 deadline. The council moved and approved the RFQ by voice vote.

The RFQ text and the evaluation criteria are on the meeting packet (page 37, per the staff presentation). The meeting record does not specify the size of any design budget or an anticipated construction schedule beyond the request for an "estimated schedule" from respondents.