This is a service / maintenance or supply contract in Avondale, Arizona. Contact the soliciting agency for additional information.

1.1. Summary The City of Avondale (the "City") is issuing this Request For Qualifications (this "RFQ") seeking statements of qualifications ("SOQ") from qualified, licensed firms ("Vendors") interested in providing a warehouse feasibility study ("feasibility study"), including Space Needs Program, Site Remediation, and Design Work, which will involve the development and evaluation of plans continuing through the Schematic Design Phase for one municipal warehouse (the "Services"). 1.2. Background The City's population and infrastructure has grown at a rapid pace in the last 5 years. City operations have been keeping up with the demand and now require additional warehouse for the supplies and equipment each department requires to maintain operational services. The warehouse would solve a long-term problem for the departments, enhance logistical organization, and improve service delivery. 2.1. Purpose; Scope of Work The City of Avondale (the "City") is issuing this Request For Qualifications (this "RFQ") seeking statements of qualifications ("SOQ") from qualified, licensed firms ("Vendors") interested in providing a warehouse feasibility study ("feasibility study"), including Space Needs Program, Site Remediation, and Design Work, which will involve the development and evaluation of plans continuing through the Schematic Design Phase for one municipal warehouse. (the "Services"), as more particularly described in the Scope of Work. The construction of the municipal warehouse may be completed through a Construction Manager at Risk ("CMAR") project delivery method. The procurement for the CMAR will be solicited separately. In accordance with the City's Procurement Code, the City will accept sealed SOQ for the Services specified in the Scope of Work. The City intends to engage the service(s) of a firm having specific experience and qualifications in one or each of the areas identified in this RFQ. For consideration, SOQs for the project must provide evidence of the firm's experience and abilities in the specified area(s) and other disciplines directly related to the proposed service. 2.2. Preparation/Submission of SOQ Vendors are invited to participate in the competitive selection process for the Services outlined in this RFQ. Responding parties shall review their SOQ submissions to ensure the following requirements are met. 1. Irregular or Non-responsive SOQ. The City may consider as "irregular" or "non-responsive" and reject any SOQ not prepared and submitted in accordance with this RFQ, or any SOQ lacking sufficient information to enable the City to make a reasonable determination of compliance to the minimum qualifications. Unauthorized conditions, limitations, or provisions may be cause for rejection. An SOQ may be deemed non-responsive at any time during the evaluation process if, in the sole opinion of the City, any of the following are true: 1. Vendor does not meet the minimum required skill, experience or requirements to perform or provide the Service. 2. Vendor has a past record of failing to fully perform or fulfill contractual obligations. 3. Vendor cannot demonstrate financial stability. 4. Vendor's SOQ contains false, inaccurate or misleading statements that, in the opinion of the City Manager or authorized designee, are intended to mislead the City in its evaluation of the SOQ. Cost of SOQ Preparation The City does not reimburse the cost of developing, presenting or providing any response to this solicitation. An SOQ submitted for consideration should be prepared simply and economically, providing adequate information in a straightforward and concise manner. The Vendor is responsible for all costs incurred in responding to this RFQ. All materials and documents submitted in response to this RFQ become the property of the City and will not be returned. 2.4. Inquiries A. Written/Verbal Inquiries. Any question related to the RFQ, including any part of the Scope of Work, shall be directed only to the Question & Answers section of OpenGov. Questions shall only be accepted through OpenGov and submitted before the date and time indicated in the section Selection Schedule. Any inquiries related to this RFQ shall refer to the title and number, page and paragraph. Any Vendor found to be communicating with any member of City staff about this solicitation shall be prohibited from submitting an SOQ, or if an SOQ is received, such SOQ shall be deemed non-responsive. B. Inquiries Answered. All inquiries must be directed to Question & Answers section of this project posted on the City's OpenGov portal. Verbal or telephone inquiries will not be answered and Vendors attempting to do so will be directed to submit inquiries through OpenGov. A compilation of all questions received in the proper manner and official answers will be made available on the City's OpenGov portal. The City shall endeavor to post the compilation not later than five (5) days after the inquiry deadline. C. Pre-Submittal Conference. A Pre-Submittal Conference may be held. If scheduled, the date and time of this conference will be indicated in the section Selection Schedule. Vendors are strongly encouraged to attend the Pre-Submittal Conference, even if designated as non-mandatory. The purpose of this conference will be to clarify the contents of this RFQ in order to prevent any misunderstanding of the City's requirements. Any doubt as to the requirements of this RFQ or any apparent omission or discrepancy should be presented to the City at this conference. The City may issue a written amendment or addendum to this RFQ. Oral statements or instructions are provided for informational purposes only and do not become a part of this RFQ. Any change to the RFQ shall be made in the form of an addendum. 2.5. Addenda Any addendum issued as a result of any change in this RFQ shall become part of the RFQ and must be acknowledged on OpenGov prior to submitting an SOQ. It shall be the Vendor's responsibility to check for addenda issued to this RFQ. Any addendum issued by the City with respect to this RFQ will be posted on the City's Solicitation website at www.avondaleaz.gov/procurement. 2.6. Public Record All SOQ shall become the property of the City and shall become a matter of public record available for review, subsequent to the award notification, in accordance with the City's Procurement Code. 2.7. Confidential Information If a Vendor believes that an SOQ or protest contains information that should be withheld from the public record, a statement advising the RFQ Administrator of this fact shall accompany the submission and the information shall be clearly identified. The information identified by the Vendor as confidential shall not be disclosed until the City Manager, or authorized designee, makes a written determination. The City Manager, or authorized designee shall review the statement and information with the City Attorney and shall determine in writing whether the information shall be withheld. If the City Attorney determines that it is proper to disclose the information, the RFQ Administrator shall inform the Vendor in writing of such determination. 2.8. Vendor Licensing and Registration Prior to the award of the Agreement, the successful Vendor shall be registered with the Arizona Corporation Commission and authorized to do business in Arizona. The Vendor shall provide licensure information with the SOQ. Corporations and limited liability companies shall be able to provide a Certificate of Good Standing from the Arizona Corporation Commission. 2.9. Certification By submitting an SOQ, the Vendor certifies: A. No Collusion. The submission of the SOQ did not involve collusion or other anti-competitive practices. B. No Discrimination. It shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment in violation of Federal Executive Order 11246. C. No Gratuity. It has not given, offered to give, nor intends to give at any time hereafter, any economic opportunity, future employment, gift, loan, gratuity, special discount, trip favor or service to a City employee, officer or agent in connection with the submitted SOQ. It (including the Vendor's employees, representatives, agents, lobbyists, attorneys, and subcontractors) has refrained, under penalty of disqualification, from direct or indirect contact for the purpose of influencing the selection or creating bias in the selection process with any person who may play a part in the selection process, including the Selection Committee, elected officials, the City Manager, Assistant City Managers, Department Heads, and other City staff. All inquiries must be addressed to the City's RFQ Administrator. Any attempt to influence the selection process by any means shall void the submitted SOQ and any resulting Agreement. D. Financial Stability. It is financially stable, solvent and has adequate cash reserves to meet all financial obligations including any potential costs resulting from an award of the Agreement. E. No Signature/False or Misleading Statement. The signature on the cover letter of the SOQ is genuine, and the person signing has the authority to bind the Vendor. Failure to sign the cover letter, or signing either with a false or misleading statement, shall void the submitted SOQ and any resulting Agreement. F. Professional Services Agreement. In addition to reviewing and understanding the submittal requirements, it has reviewed the attached sample Professional Services Agreement, including the Scope of Work and other Exhibits, and agrees to be bound by its terms. 2.10. Award of Agreement A. Evaluation; Selection. A Selection Committee composed of representatives from the City will conduct the selection process according to the section Selection Schedule. The Selection Committee will create a final ranking of the Vendors based strictly on qualifications and using the criteria and weighting shown in PART 3 and PART 5 of this RFQ. The Selection Committee will rank the SOQ, developing a single final (short) list of at least three (3) and not more than five (5) of the highest ranked Vendors. Total points will be utilized as a tiebreaker. No interviews will be conducted during this phase of the selection process. If there are less than three firms that submit SOQ, the number of firms ranked will be adjusted accordingly. B. Oral Interviews. The Selection Committee will provide interview criteria and conduct interviews with the firms on the short list. Interviews shall be for the purpose of clarification to assure full understanding of the solicitation requirements and for each firm to demonstrate why they are the best qualified to perform the services required. After the interview, the Selection Committee shall select at least three (3) and not more than five (5) highest ranked firms for the final list using ordinal scores based only on the selection criteria and relative weight of the selection criteria specified as provided in PART 4 of this RFQ and rank the firms on the final list in order of preference, of one to three most qualified Vendors. The City will select the firms on the final list and their order on the final list solely through the results of the interview process. C. Form of Agreement. The highest ranked Vendor will be required to immediately begin negotiations following the City's notice of intent to award, in order to meet the target award date as listed in this RFQ. The selected Vendor will be required to execute the City's standard Professional Services Agreement in a form acceptable to the City Attorney. A sample of the Professional Services Agreement is included with this RFQ. The City may terminate negotiations at any time if the City determines that it will not be able to satisfactorily negotiate a contract by the target award date listed in this RFQ. If the City is unsuccessful in negotiating an Agreement with the highest-ranked Vendor, the City may then negotiate with the second, then third, highest-ranked Vendor until an Agreement is executed. City Council approval may be required. The City reserves the right to terminate the selection process at any time. D. Award. The City may award one (1) contract for Vendors to provide the Design Services, or multiple contracts for different phases of a single project. E. Oral Waiver; Rejection; Reissuance. Notwithstanding any other provision of this RFQ, the City expressly reserves the right to: (1) waive any immaterial defect or informality, (2) reject any or all SOQ or portions thereof and (3) cancel or reissue an RFQ. F. Protests. Any Vendor may protest this RFQ, the proposed award of an Agreement, or the actual award of an Agreement. All protests will be considered in accordance with the City Procurement Code. 2.11. Offer An SOQ submittal is an offer to contract with the City based upon the terms, conditions and specifications contained in this RFQ and the Vendor's responsive SOQ, unless any of the terms, conditions, or specifications are modified by a written addendum or agreement amendment. Provided, however, that no contractual relationship shall be established until the Vendor has signed, and the City has approved, a professional services agreement between the City and the Vendor in the form acceptable to the City Attorney. A sample Professional Services Agreement is included herein. 2.12. Cancellation of RFQ The City reserves the right to cancel a RFQ, reject in whole or in part any or all submittals or determine not to enter into one or more of the multiple contracts as specified in the solicitation if the City determines in its absolute and sole discretion that such action is in the best interest of the City. Scope : The City is seeking statements of qualifications ("SOQ") from qualified Arizona registered architectural consulting individuals or firms ("Vendor") to perform a warehouse feasibility study ("feasibility study"), including Space Needs Program, Site Remediation, and Design Work, which will involve the development and evaluation of plans continuing through the Schematic Design Phase for one municipal warehouse ("Project"). The Feasibility Study shall include a study of all alternatives and contain all information required, but not limited to, a preliminary design program, space summary, budget statement for the warehouse. The Vendor will be responsible for conducting the Feasibility Study, providing design services, and working with the City for the duration of the Project. The City will select one firm and enter multiple contracts for different phases of the project. Phase I: The initial contract will include Phase I Services only. The fee for the Phase I Services will be negotiated with the top-ranked applicant. Phase I Services should be completed within 180 calendar days of Notice to Proceed. Phase II: Final design services may include, design development, development of plans and specifications, studies, surveys, environmental tests, development of construction bid documents, bidding support services, construction phase services, and more, hereinafter referred to as Phase II Services. The City is seeking a Vendor to perform the following services, hereinafter referred to as Phase I Services: 1. Develop a warehouse needs program for Parks and Recreation, Facilities, Traffic Operations, and Public Safety to accommodate current and projected assets and operational requirements, by interviewing key staff and in-person review of current storage facilities. 2. Prepare site and conceptual building plans based on the program including floor plans, and sections. Multiple conceptual plans may be possible. 3. The City has identified a vacant parcel for the project located at 1211 S. 4th Street (APN 500-55-005). This parcel was formally the office location for several City departments and has since been used as a staging and dumping ground. 4. Perform site, zoning, and environmental analysis. The City has a dated Phase I Environmental Assessment, but not a Phase II Environmental Assessment. The parcel is currently zone as R1-6 and will need to be rezoned. 5. Identify other potential uses for the site if the building and associated features do not maximize the area. 6. Perform analysis to evaluate the design costs and the projected expenses associated with the construction phase of the project, including possible environmental remediation of the site. 7. Determine infrastructure impacts including, but not limited to, parking, IT, utilities, and traffic. 8. Assist the City in identifying available grants and funding from State and Federal programs and recommend how to maximize. 9. Develop a detailed construction cost estimate for the conceptual plan including, but not limited to: 1. Building and associated site work (parking, lighting, materials storage) 2. Furniture, fixtures and equipment 3. Security and network 4. If required, environmental remediation 5. Related and required infrastructure even if not on the project site including traffic signal 6. Recommended contingency for unknown conditions and construction contract changes 7. Building operating, replacement and maintenance costs for a project appropriate period of time. 8. Corresponding detailed project schedule including design, bidding, procurement, construction (phasing), commissioning, occupancy and project close-out 10. Provide a complete program budget for the conceptual plan including, but not limited to, costs for design and construction documents, civil and site costs, bid advertisements and plan distribution, all capital costs identified in the detailed construction cost estimate, contract administration (off and on site) and a project contingency. The City has not programmed construction costs for this project; it is assumed at this time that this project would be included within a larger bond question. 11. If multiple conceptual plans are developed, provide an evaluation for each option and recommendation for that option which is the most cost effective and meets the program requirements. 12. May be asked to provide presentation materials and displays for public review and comment for each conceptual plan. May be asked to assist with the presentation for City Council Meeting. 13. Prepare and issue a final report including description of the agreed program requirements, all site and building plans, narrative descriptions of each option and their corresponding cost estimates and recommendations. Project Schedule. Provide a project schedule showing key project milestones and deliverables to provide the most expeditious project completion. The schedule shall demonstrate Vendor's ability to meet the designated milestones as listed below. 1. Assumptions used in developing the schedule shall be identified and, at a minimum, the proposed schedule shall include the following dates: 1. Contract Award Date August 29, 2024 2. Notice to Proceed Date September 5, 2024