Bid Notice.pdf

SAN CARLOS SCHOOL DISTRICT

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) # 26-1112

ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that San Carlos School District (“District”) is seeking qualified persons, firms, partnerships, corporations, associations, or professional organizations to provide full architectural planning and designing services for selected projects under District’s Measure H Bond Program, future bond programs, and other facilities improvement projects relating to other construction, expansion, modernization, and/or renovation.

Respondents to the RFQ should submit one (1) electronic copy of their Submittal in PDF format via email, with the subject line “RFQ #26-1112 Submittal,” to email address:

jgaboury@scsdk8.org

Jennifer Gaboury, Chief Operations Officer, Bond Project/Construction Manager Facilities Maintenance and Operations

SAN CARLOS SCHOOL DISTRICT

1200 Industrial Road, Unit 9

San Carlos, CA 94070

ALL RESPONSES ARE DUE BY 2:00 P.M. ON Thursday, November 12, 2026. Oral, telegraphic, facsimile, and/or telephone, Submittals will not be accepted. Submittals received after this date and time will not be accepted.

Questions regarding the RFQ may be directed to Jennifer Gaboury at jgaboury@scsdk8.org and must be submitted in writing on or by 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, October 29, 2026.

Each Submittal must conform and be responsive to the requirements set forth in the RFQ.

District reserves the right to waive any informalities or irregularities in received Submittals.

Further, District reserves the right to reject any and all Submittals and to negotiate contract terms with one or more Respondents for any portion of the services. District retains sole discretion to determine issues of compliance and to determine whether any Respondent is responsive, responsible, and qualified.

RFQ #26-1112 - Architectural Services Page 1 San Carlos School District

I. RFQ Response Schedule

District reserves the right to change the dates on the schedule without prior notice.

DATE/TIME EVENT

October 15, 2026 Release and Advertisement of RFQ.

October 29, 2026 at 2:00 P.M. Deadline to receive written questions from Respondents.

November 4, 2026 Deadline for District to issue Addenda to answer questions / clarifications.

November 12, 2026 at 2:00 P.M. Deadline for Submittals in response to RFQ.

Week of November 16 , 2026 Shortlist of Qualified Applicants Released and Interview Notification (if applicable)

Week of November 16, 2026 Interviews, if any, of Respondents.

Anticipated December 10, 2026 Board approval of selected, qualified Respondents

II. Background

The San Carlos School District, located in San Mateo County on the San Francisco Peninsula, serves approximately 3,048 students in transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. The district operates four elementary schools serving grades P–3rd grad, two upper elementary schools serving grades 4 and 5, and two middle schools serving grades 6–8.

Briefly stated, the District is seeking experienced and proven design professionals to provide planning, programming, and design services on an as-needed basis for its projects.

III. Qualified Pool and Recertification

District may use this RFQ to maintain a pool of qualified Respondents for future consideration. Requests for recertification may be sent in District’s sole discretion.

Respondents who do not timely satisfy recertification requirements may be deleted from the prequalified pool, at the sole discretion of District. Additional firms may be added to the pool, at District’s sole discretion.

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IV. Scope of Services

Any firm selected based on this RFQ process must be capable of providing full architectural services through the design and construction phases of any and all selected projects. The architect will also prepare budgets for selected projects and meet, as needed, with District staff and consultants, school and neighborhood organizations, and upper-level District administrators.

The anticipated Scope of Services is set forth at Exhibit A to District’s form of Agreement for Architectural Services (“Agreement”), which is distributed with this RFQ as Attachment A and incorporated herein by this reference. The exact scope of services and final fee, however, will be negotiated with the selected firm and finalized in any resulting contract.

V. Form Of Agreement

Respondent must be capable of executing and performing in accordance with District’s form of Agreement for Architectural Services (“Agreement”), which is distributed with this RFQ as Attachment A and incorporated herein by this reference. Any proposed changes to the form of Agreement must be identified in Respondent’s Submittal; undisclosed change requests may not be entertained.

VI. Limitations

This RFQ is neither a formal request for bids, nor an offer by District to contract with any party responding to this RFQ. All decisions concerning selection will be made in the best interests of District. The awarding of a contract pursuant to this RFQ, if at all, is at the sole discretion of District.

District makes no representation that participation in the RFQ process will lead to an award of contract or any consideration whatsoever. District shall in no event be responsible for the cost of preparing any Submittal in response to this RFQ.

Submittals and any other supporting materials submitted to District in response to this RFQ will not be returned and will become the property of District unless portions of the materials are designated as proprietary at the time of submittal and are specifically requested to be returned. Vague designations and/or blanket statements regarding entire pages or documents are insufficient and will not bind District to protect the designated matter from disclosure. Pursuant to Michaelis, Montanari, & Johnson v. Superior Court (2006) 38 Cal.4th 1065, Submittals shall be held confidential by District and shall not be subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act until after either: (1) District and the successful Respondent have completed negotiations and entered into an Agreement, or (2) District has rejected all Submittals. Furthermore, District will have no liability to Respondent or other party as a result of any public disclosure of any Submittal.

VII. Full Opportunity

No Respondent will be discriminated against on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, or military and veteran status in any consideration leading to the award of the contract. The District also affirmatively ensures that Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (“DBE”), Small Local Business Enterprises (“SLBE”), Small Emerging Local Business Enterprises (“SELBE”), and Disabled Veterans Business Enterprises (“DVBE”) shall be afforded full opportunity to respond to this RFQ.

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VIII. Restrictions on Lobbying and Contacts

From the period beginning on the date of the issuance of this RFQ and ending on the date of the award of the contract, no person, or entity submitting in response to this RFQ, nor any officer, employee, representative, agent, or consultant representing such a person or entity shall contact through any means or engage in any discussion regarding this RFQ, the evaluation or selection process/or the award of the contract with any member of District, Governing Board, selection members, or any member of the Citizens’ Oversight Committee.

Any such contact shall be grounds for the disqualification of Respondent.

IX. Relationship to Outside Governmental Agencies

Depending upon the scope of work, Respondent may be required to assist District in working with various outside governmental agencies, including but not limited to, the following as applicable: City or County Planning Commissions and Departments, the Department of Toxic Substance Control (“DTSC”), the regional air quality control district, the State and regional water quality control boards, the State Department of Education, the Division of the State Architect, the State Allocation Board, and the Office of Public School Construction.

Respondent shall discuss its relevant experience with these agencies.

X. Conflict of Interest

Respondent shall certify that no official or employee of District, nor any business entity in which an official of District has an interest, has been employed or retained to solicit or assist in the procuring of the resulting contract, nor that any such person will be employed in the performance of any contract without immediate divulgence of this fact to District.

XI. Submittal Requirements

A. Format

Respondents to this RFQ must comply with the following format requirements. Material must be in 8-1/2 x 11 inch format. Submittals shall include divider tabs labeled with boldface headers below; e.g. the first tab would be entitled “Cover Letter”, the second tab would be entitled “Business Information”, etc. Submittals shall be no more than twenty four (24) single-sided pages. This page limitation excludes front/back covers, divider sheets/tabs, and allowed appendices. Submittals containing more than the authorized number of pages will not be considered. Each bidder is solely responsible for timely submission of its bid; the District is not responsible for any technological issues affecting a respondent’s ability to timely submit its RFQ or portion thereof. Each RFQ submittal emails must attach all documents as required herein.

Provide one (1) electronic copy of the Submittal.

● The electronic copy shall be marked “Copy for Reproduction”, and shall be formatted as follows:

o Pages with proprietary information removed.

o A cover sheet listing the firm’s name, the total number of pages, and identifying those pages that were removed due to proprietary information.

● The electronic copy will only be accepted via email in PDF format.

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B. Content

1. Cover Letter

Provide a letter of introduction signed by an authorized officer of Respondent. If Respondent is a joint venture, duplicate the signature block and have a principal or officer also sign on behalf of each party to the joint venture.

Include in the cover letter all of the following:

● Brief description of why Respondent is well suited for, and can meet, District’s needs.

● Identification of individual(s) who are authorized to speak for Respondent during the evaluation process.

● One (1) of the follow statements:

“[INSERT RESPONDENT’S NAME] received a copy of District’s form of Agreement for Architectural Services (“Agreement”) attached as Attachment A to the RFQ. [INSERT RESPONDENT’S NAME] has reviewed the Agreement, including, without limitation, the indemnity provisions and insurance provisions.

If given the opportunity to contract with District, [INSERT RESPONDENT’S NAME] has no objections to the use of the Agreement.”

OR

“[INSERT RESPONDENT’S NAME] received a copy of District’s form of Agreement for Architectural Services (“Agreement”) attached as Attachment A to the RFQ. [INSERT RESPONDENT’S NAME] has reviewed the Agreement, including, without limitation, the indemnity provisions and insurance provisions.

If given the opportunity to contract with District, [INSERT RESPONDENT’S NAME] has objections to the use of the Agreement, all of which are identified in the Appendix to this Submittal.”

A copy of District’s form of Agreement is attached to this RFQ as Attachment A.

To the extent Respondent has any objections to the form agreement, Respondent must state the objection, and must provide a reasonable description of its requested change in response to the objection. The District will not entertain unidentified objections or vaguely described objections during any contract negotiation. Objections may be attached as an Appendix to Respondent’s response and will not count toward the page limit.

● Certification that no official or employee of District, nor any business entity in which an official of District has an interest, has been employed or retained to solicit or assist in the procuring of the resulting contract(s), nor that any such person will be employed in the performance of any/all contract(s) without immediate divulgence of this fact to District.

● Certification that no official or employee of Respondent has ever been convicted of an ethics violation.

● Evidence that Respondent is legally permitted to conduct business in the State of California and properly licensed for the scope of services.

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● Above the signature(s) the following language: “By virtue of submission, [INSERT RESPONDENT’S NAME] declares that all information provided in the Submittal is true and correct.”

2. Business Information

● Company name.

● Address.

● Telephone.

● Website.

● Name and email of main contact.

● Federal Tax I.D. Number.

● License or Registration Number.

● Type of organization (e.g., corporation, partnership, etc.). If a joint venture, describe the division of responsibilities between participating companies, offices (location) that would be the primary participants, and percentage interest of each firm.

● A brief description and history of Respondent, including number of years Respondent has been in business and date established under this name.

● Number of employees.

● Location of office where the bulk of services solicited will be performed.

● Location of Respondent’s nearest office to District.

● State of California certification of Small Business or Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise status, if any.

3. Relevant Qualifications

Describe your firm’s experience, expertise, and approach in the following areas:

● Working with the Division of the State Architect (“DSA”) and DSA processes.

● Working with the Office of Public School Construction (“OPSC”) and working within the OPSC processes.

● Quality control/assurance procedures, including coordination of design disciplines and DSA final certification.

● Conformance with federal/state/local applicable code requirements.

● Construction cost reduction measures such as, but not limited to, value engineering.

● Pre-checked designs, giving specific project details.

● Modernization projects versus new construction projects.

● Commissioning process.

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● Designing safety upgrades for schools or similar facilities.

● Sustainable design and approach to designing energy efficiency and water conservation systems for schools or similar facilities.

● Alternative delivery methods projects.

● Facility Master Planning integration.

4. Relevant Project Experience

Provide information about prior professional services furnished by your firm in the last ten

(10) years on a minimum of five (5) TK-8 educational projects, and list the following for each project:

● District name and name of contact person, title, telephone number, and email address to be contacted for a reference.

● Project name and location.

● Beginning and end dates of project (i.e., Notice of Completion and DSA final certification).

● Square footage.

● Main program elements.

● Original budget, bid amount & final amount at close-out.

● Number of RFI’s and Change Orders.

● Project delivery method utilized.

● Briefly state relevance of the project for consideration in this RFQ.

● Specify role of firm or individual if work was not exclusively by the firm (i.e., joint venture, association).

● Key individuals of the firm involved and their roles in the project.

● Any sub-consultants that worked with the firm.

Identify any and all TK-12 educational projects that have not been closed-out by DSA and provide explanation.

5. Proposed Project Team

Identify key team members, including sub-consultants, and state their qualifications relevant to the scope of services and anticipated role in delivering the services. Describe for each his/her/their experience with public school construction projects, including identifying the projects for the past five (5) years.

District expects that the team shall remain intact through the duration of any contract. If a team member must leave, District reserves the right to approve that team member’s replacement.

6. Litigation History

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Provide a comprehensive five (5)-year summary of Respondent’s litigation history (including arbitration and mediation) with any clients (current or previous). This includes current/ongoing matters. State the issues in the litigation, the status of the litigation, names of parties, and outcome. A Submittal failing to provide the requested information on litigation history will be considered non-responsive.

7. Fee Information

Based on the anticipated scope of services, provide detailed fee information that will enable District to evaluate Respondent’s pricing and, if selected, facilitate a fee negotiation. At a minimum, include the following information: hourly billing rates by position, staffing plan, and reimbursable schedule.

8. Appendix

Shall include:

● Certificate(s) of Insurance identifying Respondent’s current insurance coverages.

May include:

● Key team member resumes.

● Identification and explanation of any and all objections to the form of Agreement.

XII. SELECTION PROCESS

A. Selection Criteria

Each Submittal must be complete. Incomplete submittals will be considered nonresponsive and grounds for disqualification. District retains sole discretion to determine issues of compliance and to determine whether a Respondent is responsive, responsible, and qualified. District may elect to conduct interviews with some or all of Respondents.

The criteria for evaluating Respondents may include, without limitation, the following:

● Overall responsiveness of the Submittal;

● Experience and performance history of Respondent with similar services;

● Experience and results of proposed personnel;

● Value of services under proposed fees;

● Nearness of Respondent’s closest office to District;

● References from clients; and

● Technical capabilities and track record of use.

District will identify Respondents that can provide the greatest overall benefit to District for inclusion in a qualified pool for consideration for future contracts.

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B. District Investigations

District may perform investigations of Respondents that extend beyond contacting the references identified in the Submittal. District may request a Respondent submit additional information pertinent to the review process.

C. Interviews

District, at its sole discretion, may elect to interview one or more Respondents. If a Respondent is requested to come for an interview, the key proposed staff will be expected to attend the interview. Any proposed changes to the form of Agreement attached hereto as Attachment A shall be provided with the Submittal and may be the subject of inquiry at the interview.

D. Final Determination and Award

District reserves the right to contract with any entity responding to this RFQ for all or any portion of the services described herein, to reject any Submittal as nonresponsive, and/or not to contract with any Respondent for the services described herein. District is compiling a pool of qualified architectural services firms for consideration for future contracts and makes no representation that participation in the RFQ process will lead to an award of contract or any consideration whatsoever. District reserves the right to contract with any person or firm not participating in this process. District shall in no event be responsible for the cost of preparing any Submittal in response to this RFQ, including any supporting materials.

WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST!

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ATTACHMENT A

Form of Agreement

Attached starting on next page.

RFQ #26-1112 - Architectural Services Attachment A