RFI_Responses_Alex_Hamilton.pdf

Request for Information Responses Date 5/9/19

Subject: AE RFI Responses - Alexander Hamilton Water Infiltration Project

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISION

OPERATIONS BRANCH C

1 WORLD TRADE CENTER

NEW YORK, NY 10007

Question 1: Can you tell us who is on the selection panel?

Response 1: No. The names of those on the selection board will not be revealed prior to stage two interviews. However, by policy the board will include five professionals: a Design Excellence peer from the private sector, a GSA regional architect, a GSA regional engineer, a qualified representative from the tenant, and a design professional from the Office of the Chief Architect.

Question 2: The RFQ states that both a lead architectural designer and a lead engineer designer are required. Given that, how should the following evaluation criteria be addressed if the two lead designers are from separate firms:

a.) Past Performance on Design – Do you want separate firm portfolios for the architect’s and engineer’s firms (up to five projects each for a total of up to ten projects) or a single portfolio that represents both the architect’s firm and the engineer’s firm (up to five projects total)?

b.) Philosophy and Design Intent – Do you want a single philosophy statement from the two lead designers (up to two pages) or separate statements from both the architect and engineer (up to four pages total)?

c.) Lead Designer Profile – Do you want a 3-page profile for each lead designer?

d.) Lead Designer Portfolio – Please confirm we should submit up to two projects per lead designer for a total of four projects. If one of the projects involved both lead designers does this count as just one of the four projects?

Response 2:

a.) A single portfolio of up to five projects total are to be provided. These projects may represent the work of the architecture, engineering or both firms. The A/E firm that will have contractual responsibility for the project design must be represented in the portfolio submission.

b.) A single two-page Philosophy and Design Intent is to be provided. This may be authored by either the architect, engineer or together.

c.) Yes, offerors are asked to provide a 3-page profile for each lead designer proposed. Offers will provide individual profiles for both the lead architect and lead engineer.

d.) Offerors shall submit up to two projects per lead designer for a total of four projects if there are two team members. If one of the projects involves multiple lead designers - e.g. lead architect and lead engineer - it counts as just one of the four projects.

Question 3: What will the requirements in Stage II be for M/WBE, Small Business, and Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses?

Response 3: The specific certifications of MBE and WBE are not applicable to this procurement;

however, refer to the section of the synopsis/solicitation, “SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS”, for information on subcontracting considerations. GSA’s FY19 Subcontracting Goal percentages, which should serve as a guide for the development of the Stage II written subcontracting plan, are as follows:

● 5 percent of subcontracts for women-owned small businesses

● 5 percent of subcontracts for small disadvantaged businesses

● 3 percent of subcontracts for HUBZone small businesses

● 3 percent of subcontracts for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses

Question 4: Will a blast consultant be hired directly by GSA, or part of the design team?

Response 4: Blast mitigation design is included in the scope of A/E services; a consultant will not be hired directly by GSA and is anticipated to be included in the design team.

Question 5: Does the GSA have a standard regarding the design of blast proof windows, such as Department of Defense Anti-Terrorism Standards, or other standards?

Response 5: The basic project criteria is PBS-P100, "Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service,".

Additional information is available at the Security Engineering page of the GSA.gov website;

https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/design-construction/engineering-and-architecture/security-engineerin g

Question 6: Should blockades/bollards or other barriers be included as part of the sidewalk re-construction design, and should those also be designed to any particular blast or impact ratings or Department of Defense Anti-Terrorism standards?

Response 6: Currently Phase I of the project does not include new barriers.

Question 7: If probes are required, will a contractor perform the probes under the design consultant’s contract, or will the contractor work directly for the GSA?

Response 7: In general, any necessary probes shall be performed under the design contract.

Question 8: Will cost estimates be required as part of deliverables?

Response 8: Yes, cost and schedule management deliverables will be required in accordance with PBS-P120, “Public Buildings Service Cost and Schedule Management Policy Requirements.”

Question 9: Will the Water Infiltration Study (completed ~2014) be available to offerors prior to the Stage 1 submission?

Response 9: The study will be made available to the shortlisted participants after Stage 1.

Question 10: If Phase II moves forward, will it include replacement of the skylight, or repair only?

Response 10: Based on the feasibility study, replacement of the skylight and repair of the lay light are included in the Phase 2 scope to mitigate water and air infiltration. The scope of A/E services will include investigating existing conditions to confirm and validate the feasibility study findings, which may lead to alternative recommendations.

Question 11: Does this project require the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM)?

Response 11: Yes. Details can be found at gsa.gov/bim and within our Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service found at gsa.gov/p100.

Question 12: Design Portfolio is maximum of five pages. Is that five pages single-sided, or double-sided?

Response 12: For submission purposes, if printing on two-sides of the page, that is considered two pages.

Question 13: IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR STAGE I SUBMITTALS states that: SF330 Part II, letter of interest, and portfolio should go to Jordana Covrigaru with a copy to Doug Tumbrello. It also states that a total of five paper copies and one electronic copy should be submitted. Does this mean 6 copies in total (5 to Jordana, and 1 to Doug), along with 2 electronic copies (1 to Jordana, and 1 to Doug)?

Response 13: Please send 5 hard copies to Attn: Jordana Covrigaru, Douglas Tumbrello at One World Trade Center, 55th Floor, Room 55W09, New York, NY 10007. Please send 1 electronic copy via email to Jordana.covrigaru@gsa.gov with a CC to douglas.tumbrello@gsa.gov.

Question 14: This question is related to the definition of a “Lead Engineer” and “Lead Designer”. Should the “Lead Engineer” be an individual of an engineering firm, or can it be a team of engineers from a single engineering firm or multiple engineering firms of various specialty disciplines?

Response 14: The “Lead Designer” is defined as the individual or the team of designers who will have primary responsibility to develop the concept and the project design. The “Lead Engineer” or “Lead Architect” is not required to be a single individual. It can be more than one person from the same firm or more firms.

Question 15: If the Lead Designer is a team of different design firms (for example, an architectural firm and an engineering firm), should the biographical sketch that is to be submitted for the Lead Designer

Profile for the Stage I evaluation be a firm profile or a profile of the key individuals from the firm who will be involved in the project (such as project manager and principal in charge)?

Response 15: Lead Designer Profiles (Biographical sketches) should be submitted for the individuals or the team of designers (not the firm(s)) who will have primary responsibility to develop the concept and the project design.

Question 16: Could a “Lead Engineer” be on more than one design team?

mailto:Jordana.covrigaru@gsa.gov mailto:douglas.tumbrello@gsa.gov

Response 16: Yes.

Question 17: Since the project is heavy on civil/geotechnical/structural for the first phase and the second phase is mostly façade and skylights, could the “Lead Engineer” for the first phase and second phase be different?

Response 17: We understand during design the task at hand may require different specialties, but for the purposes of this submission, the “Lead Engineer” will be evaluated with respect to the total project (Phase 1 and Phase 2).

Question 18: In the second phase of work, will a specific threat assessment be required to establish the design blast loading, or will the published GSA blast criteria be followed?

Response 18: Criteria will be shared with the selected firm.

Question 19: Please confirm if GSA would be willing to release the most recent studies/reports that formed the basis of the current scope of work.

Response 19: The studies will be made available to the short-listed participants after Stage 1.

Question 20: Is the Lead Designer being referred to as one individual from the firm, or the firm itself?

Please clarify if this means that we should include several biographical sketches (resumes) in our submission, or just one from the presumable individual who will take the lead on this project.

Response 20: The lead designer is the individual or the team of designers who will have primary responsibility to develop the concept and the project design. Generally where the announcement refers to a designer, it is referencing individuals, and where the announcement refers to an A/E firm, it means the entity that would be a party to the resulting contract.

Question 21: Is there a difference between the roles of “lead designer” and “design firm” as referenced under the Selection Process of the RFQ?

Response 21: The A/E firm as used in this RFQ means an individual, firm, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity permitted by law to practice the profession of architecture or engineering that will have contractual responsibility for the project design. The lead designer is the individual or the team of designers who will have primary responsibility to develop the concept and the project design.

Question 22: Please clarify the differentiation between part 1 and 4 of the submission requirements.

Please explain the definition of what “design excellence” means to the GSA and how that definition will be graded during the evaluation.

Response 22: Factor 1 addresses past performance with a focus on the A/E Firm. Factor 4 is more focused on the lead designer(s). Carefully review and respond to the statements of the submission requirements and evaluation criteria. For a deeper understanding of how GSA views design excellence refer to the Design Excellence Program page on the gsa.gov site, and the Design Excellence: Policies and Procedures contained therein.

https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/design-construction/design-excellence/design-excellence-program

Question 23: If the proposer is submitting their qualifications as a team composed of one architectural firm and one engineering firm, how does this effect the total number of pages and project examples the team is allowed to submit? The submission requirements instruct that the A/E firm(s) should submit their qualifications following the guidelines of certain page limitations, so please confirm whether this means the two firms should combine their pages to equal the page limits of one A/E firm, or if these page limits can be doubled since the team is technically two separate firms.

Response 23: Refer to Question and Response 2.

Question 24: Under 1 Past Performance, can you clarify whether it is five projects for the lead architecture firm and five projects for the lead engineering firm (for a total of ten projects) or whether it is a combined five projects total for both the lead architecture firm and the lead engineering firm.

Response 24: Refer to Question and Response 2.

Question 25: Under 3 Lead Designer Profile, can you clarify whether the biographical sketch is three pages total for the entire team or three pages per individual.

Response 25: Offerors are asked to provide a 3-page profile for each lead designer proposed. Offers will provide individual profiles for both the lead architect and lead engineer.

Question 26: Can an individual lead designer be on more than one lead designer team?

Response 26: Yes.

Question 27: Are the submitting firms required to meet ay MBE/WBE goals or requirements?

Response 27: Refer to Question and Response 3.

Question 28: Can the Lead Project Engineer be a sub-consultant to the Lead Project Architect?

Response 28: Yes.

Question 29: Can the pre-design report be provided prior to submission of the Stage 1 portfolio?

Response 29: The study will be made available to the shortlisted participants after Stage 1.

Question 30: Are there CAD or REVIT files of the building that will be provided to the selected A/E firm for use?

https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/design-construction/design-excellence/design-excellence-program

Response 30: Limited CAD files exist, and will be made available to the selected A/E firm. The A/E will perform existing conditions surveying as needed and develop models in accordance with PBS-P100, Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service.

Question 31: Has a Historic Structure Report been prepared for the building, and if so when and by whom?

Response 31: Historic Structure Report was prepared by M. Breuer Assoc. & J.S. Polshek and Partners in 1982.