City of Cortland RFQ - Engineering Services City Hall Accessibility Study- 3.6.25.docx

CITY OF CORTLAND

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Engineering Services for an Accessibility Study at Cortland City Hall

Background & Scope of Work The City of Cortland, located in Cortland County, New York, is soliciting qualifications from experienced and qualified engineering and/or architectural firms to conduct a study of needed accessibility improvements at Cortland City Hall. The facility currently presents challenges with accessible entry, mobility between levels, and non-ADA- compliant public restroom facilities. The proposed study will evaluate existing conditions, identify feasible solutions to achieve full ADA compliance, and provide the City with detailed recommendations and associated cost estimates for the necessary upgrades.

The City has been served by City Hall at 25 Court Street since its construction in the mid-1960s. The split-level, mid-century modern building houses the Police Department on the lower level, City administrative offices on the main floor, and City Court on the upper level. Now more than 50 years old, the building has received limited capital improvements since its original construction. In addition to challenges with accessible entry and difficulty navigating between levels, the public restroom facilities are not fully ADA-compliant and require renovation.

The City does not have existing floor plans, construction documents, or electronic CAD files for the building. While destructive investigations are not expected, assessment of key structural areas may be required.

City Hall is only partially accessible with an elevator that is only accessed from the rear of the building. The proposed study will determine the best approaches to correcting the problem with associated costs. Proposed solutions must also maintain appropriate security measures and allow for the continued operation of essential City services.

The City was awarded $50,000 in CDBG funding for this study. This will be the first important step in ensuring that City Hall is fully accessible to all residents.

RFQ REQUIRED INFORMATION & FORMAT

· Firm Summary/Profile

· Summaries of at least three (3) similar projects previously completed, including project budget

· Summaries of State/Federal Grant and Loan experience

· Resumes of key staff that will be assigned to work on the project

· Three (3) client references

· Describe the tasks that must be accomplished to complete the project. Provide a narrative description of how the firm proposes to execute the tasks. Your firm should rely on its expertise and experience with similar projects to demonstrate how it will effectively complete this project.

· Provide a schedule of general project activities indicating the duration of each activity and the total project, including a schedule of Personnel to be assigned to project. The schedule should reflect realistic activity durations.

· Include a high-level opinion of probable construction costs.

· Acknowledgement of Addenda (if applicable).

Brochures or other material that may be helpful in evaluating your firm may be included in an appendix of the qualifications package.

If partnering with a qualified MWBE firm, please include all applicable information, including resumes for key personnel, within your response.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

All proposals received will be evaluated and ranked by City staff according to the following criteria:

RFQ SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

An electronic copy of the complete RFQ document, support reference documents, and any issued addenda can be obtained via download from the City of Cortland ’s website:

www.cortlandny.gov/Bids Prospective respondents are encouraged to visit the site to verify existing site conditions for the project. M/WBE and Section 3 firms are strongly encouraged to submit proposals.

QUESTIONS DUE- March 17th, 2026, 12:00 PM (Noon) Questions regarding any part of the RFQ must be submitted in writing via e-mail to Randi Mowry, rmowry@cortlandny.gov. All written requests for clarifications must be received no later than March 17th, 2026, 12:00 PM (Noon) Responses to questions will be issued by March 20th, 2026.

BID SUBMISSIONS DUE – April 1, 2026, 12:00 PM (Noon) All submitted proposals will be carefully evaluated by City staff. The City reserves the right to conduct interviews with consultants selected for further consideration. The staff recommendation will be presented to the Cortland Common Council for final review and approval.

Submissions Submit Proposals to: City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, 25 Court St. Cortland, NY 13045 All proposals should be clearly marked "Qualifications- for Engineering Services for Cortland City Hall Accessibility Study” on the outside. Submission of one (1) hard copy is required and may be delivered by mail or in person. In addition, an electronic copy is requested and may be submitted via email to rmowry@cortlandny.gov or provided on a flash drive accompanying the hard copy. Electronic submissions alone, without the required hard copy, will not be accepted.

Any proposal received after 12:00 PM (Noon) on April 1, 2026, whether delivered in person or by postal mail, will be disqualified.

The City of Cortland reserves the right to reject any or all proposals submitted.

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