CTSI Museum AE RFP.pdf

CTSI Museum Architecture & Engineering RFP

CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF SILETZ INDIANS

Request for Qualifications/Proposals

Architectural & Engineering Services

Issue date:

January 23, 2026

Closing location:

Proposals may be submitted via email to Sharla Strong sharlas@ctsi.nsn.us or

MAIL ONLY: COURIER ONLY:

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians PO Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380 Attention: Sharla Strong

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians 201 SE Swan Avenue Siletz, OR 97380 Attention: Sharla Strong

Closing Date and Time:

Response must be received before 4:30 pm Pacific Time on Monday, March 9, 2026.

Contact Person:

Sharla Strong – Museum Project Manager

Direct Line: (541) 444-8374 Email: sharlas@ctsi.nsn.us

PLEASE NOTE

The information contained herein may not be used for any purpose other than that contemplated by the RFP.

Companies may not communicate with any CTSI staff or related third-parties regarding this RFP other than the

CTSI contact. Doing so may result in immediate rejection of that Offeror from the process.

mailto:sharlas@ctsi.nsn.us mailto:sharlas@ctsi.nsn.us

Table of Contents Part I: General Project Information

Introduction

Purpose

Museum Description

Site Information

Additional Objectives

Part II: Services to be Performed

Part III: Minimum Qualifications and Requirements

Part IV: Selection Process

Part V: Proposal Instructions and Format

Instructions to Offeror

Proposal Format

Proposal Sections and Content

Appendix A

Fee Schedule for Professional Services and Expenses

Part I: General Project Information

Introduction

The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (CTSI) is a sovereign Tribal government located in Siletz, Oregon. This

Request for Proposal (RFP) process is intended to facilitate the procurement of a qualified Architecture and

Engineering firm and supporting sub-contractor/consultant team to design a new museum building for CTSI.

Purpose

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (“RFP”) is to solicit proposals for architectural and engineering services for the design of one building, from qualified firms who by reason of their skill, knowledge, and experience are able to furnish project specific Architectural and Engineering (A/E) Services for CTSI. The

Minimum Qualifications and Requirements for this RFP are outlined in Part III and Part IV. CTSI is particularly interested in those firms with experience in sustainable design and energy efficiency.

Proposals must be sent directly to SharlaS@ctsi.nsn.us and shall include full disclosure and breakout information for all sub-contractors for services for which the Offeror is not self-performing.

CTSI requires a building designed and built to meet museum industry standards for preserving and protecting our historical artifacts. This museum will serve as a cultural education space for the Siletz Tribal Community and will house exhibits, collections, office, and cultural education spaces. Design of the museum parking, collections area receiving, event space receiving, and landscaping will all be included as a part of the museum design.

The information within this RFP is furnished to acquaint you with the intentions of CTSI in regard to this building project. You are strongly encouraged to make your own, independent judgment of site conditions, Tribal requirements, and contract requirements to determine your proposal decisions. CTSI is not liable for the accuracy or relevance of information contained herein or through other project specific communications.

mailto:SharlaS@ctsi.nsn.us

Museum Description

CTSI is requesting design of approximately 40,000 square foot museum in Siletz, OR. The development will be a one-story, single structure building, located on a 14.11 acre parcel of land owned by the Siletz Tribe. The immediate area of interest for the project is part of an approximately 4 acre area, which is part of the 14.11 acre parcel.

Construction shall be a Type I or II fire rated, free-standing building, with LEED Silver design/construction or higher. Utilities shall include electrical power, telephone, Broadband/WIFI and Natural gas. Existing utilities will be identified in conjunction with our Geotech survey anticipated to be conducted in January-February 2026.

CTSI’s top priority of this museum is cultural preservation; therefore, the top priority of the museum’s design and construction is the protection of our collections. CTSI expects this structure to last 200 years and possibly longer. The resilience of the museum must not only protect life, but also significantly reduce damage to objects inside. The museum must be hazard resilient—that is capable of being re-occupied and remaining functional during and/or immediately after a disaster.

Climate and Disaster Risks – Due to our rural location on the Oregon coast, Siletz must plan for months of isolation after a disaster event. CTSI expects our museum to protect our cultural collections in the event of such disasters.

Wildfire: Siletz is surrounded by commercial forests and located in a wildfire prone area.

Rain: Siletz is located in a temperate rainforest and receives a significant amount of rain compared to the Willamette Valley. Throughout winter, our town regularly receives 65+ mph winds (gusts 90-145 mph) and heavy rain (average of 70-90 inches of rain per year), therefore extra measures should be taken to reduce moisture infiltration and mold risk. Materials should be chosen carefully, especially due to the corrosive marine air (salt water), which can occur up to 50 miles away from the shoreline.

Flood: Siletz has seasonal flooding and is at risk for future disaster flooding. Due to our expectations that this museum will protect our collections, the building must be designed to withstand floods up to

5 feet above the 100-year flood zone.

Earthquake: Siletz is located within the Cascadia Subduction Zone (See map). Engineers will calculate the earthquake/seismic forces that are expected to be exerted on the building, during the lifetime of the building. CTSI requires that the Architect/Engineering firm advise CTSI on seismic design and cost comparisons. Siletz must be prepared to be isolated from outside assistance for months after a severe earthquake. CTSI expects our museum to protect our collections during and after earthquake events for up to 6 months.

Temperature and Relative Humidity – A stable environment in a museum is critical for artifact preservation.

Rooms that will store or exhibit collections must be carefully planned, and environment controlled 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The HVAC design must use the Smithsonian Design Standards and ASHRAE Handbook chapter on Museums, Galleries, Archives, & Libraries.

https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/HEALTHYENVIRONMENTS/DRINKINGWATER/PLANREVIEW/Documents/seismic-map.pdf

Post-disaster environment stabilization - CTSI expects our museum to protect our collections during and after earthquake events for up to 6 months. To prevent mold or significant damage to collections, pa temperature should not exceed 75° F or drop lower than 40° F; and the relative humidity (RH) range should not exceed 60% or drop below 30% for a significant period of time based on long range environmental monitoring.

Building Areas and Rooms

Temperature and relative humidity (RH) are provided for rooms that require a tightly controlled preservation environment. Collections Room and Archives room must maintain 60° F temperature, with an allowable fluctuation of ±2° F per 24 hours; and 50% relative humidity (RH), with an allowable fluctuation of ±5% per 24 hours. All other rooms must maintain 68° F temperature, with an allowable fluctuation of ±2° F per 24 hours and 50% RH, with an allowable fluctuation of ±5% per 24 hours.

Collections Area Must have environmental control for artifact preservation.

• Collections Room:

• Archives Room

• Processing Room

• Cultural Resources Lab

• Exhibit Prep

• Exhibit Storage

• Receiving

• Isolation Room

• Photography Room (lighting, drape/backdrop mounting)

• Unisex Restroom

• Janitor Room (collections/exhibits only)

• (2) Research Room

Museum Area:

• Main entrance lobby

• Visitor services area (Admissions, retail sales)

• Front Desk area o Front desk must be able to be locked off during events.

o Space for surveillance monitors, payment equipment, brochure/handout counter.

o Sight-lines: front desk staff should be able to see the gift shop, front door, and all through foot-traffic.

• Gift Shop o Gift shop must be able to be locked off during events.

o Retail Storage

• Café seating/dining area/family zone area

• Women's Restroom (ADA compliant)

• Men's Restroom (ADA compliant)

• Family Restroom (ADA compliant)

• Exhibit Controls Room

• Faux Plankhouse Auditorium (bench seating for # people, A/V)

• Exhibits – Must have environmental control for artifact preservation. All Exhibit areas must maintain

68° F temperature, with an allowable fluctuation of ±2° F per 24 hours; and 50% RH, with an allowable fluctuation of ±5% per 24 hours o Permanent Exhibit o Changing Exhibit o Changing Gallery

Office Area:

• Open Office with workstations and big worktable

• Director Office

• (4) Staff Offices

• Printer Room

• Conference Room

• Unisex Restroom

• Break Room

Janitorial Area

• Janitor Room

• Laundry Room

Cultural Education Area:

• Entry

• Multi-purpose Cultural Education Room

• Art Studio

• Cultural Education classroom(s)/meeting room(s)

• Restrooms

• Kitchen

• Receiving

Building Systems:

• State-of-the-art HVAC systems with precise environmental control o Post-earthquake, HVAC must continue to function in Collections and Archive rooms

• Temperature & relative humidity data logger system throughout collections/archive/exhibits

• Advanced security systems (surveillance, access control, intrusion detection, water detection)

• Fire suppression and detection systems appropriate for museum environments

• Energy-efficient LED (no UV) lighting systems

• Data/telecommunications infrastructure

• IT Server Room

• Diesel Generator

• Solar

Parking Lot:

• Parking lot and receiving must integrate with the flow of traffic with the new Recreation Center parking lot, located directly to the East of the museum.

• Parking near main museum entrance and event entrance (ADA compliant)

• The Collections Receiving area should have a clear and easy approach for a single semi-truck. High winds up to 65+ mph, coastal rain and flooding are common in the local area, therefore Receiving will have an extended roof and wind barrier to protect the receiving room and collections being loaded/unloaded from high-winds and rainy weather.

• Event Area Receiving must be planned so that trucks/vans may unload with some shelter from wind/rain (the coastal weather tends to come from the Southwest).

Future Expansion:

• Plan the building design with future expansion in mind. CTSI expects our Collections to increase over the years, so the design should plan how another Collections storage area may be added in the future.

• Plan building systems, so they may be added on to (fire systems, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, security, etc.)

Site Information

Location: West of the new Recreation Center currently under construction at 471 SW Swan in Siletz, OR.

Parcel Size: The immediate area of interest for the project is approximately 4 acres.

Zoning: The museum site does not currently have an address as it is currently zoned agricultural and will be rezoned commercial.

Current Condition: farmland, old barn approximately 7130 SF (demolition and removal TBD)

Available Utilities: TBD (Geotech survey will be conducted January-February 2026)

Additional Objectives

Design Objectives

The design shall:

• Create an architecturally distinctive building that serves as a community landmark.

• Design will be culturally-informed, inspiring, welcoming and engaging, and elevating the visitor experience.

• Meet museum industry standards and guidelines set by industry organizations such as the American

Alliance of Museums, the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives, National Parks

Service/Department of the Interior, Northeast Document Conservation Center, the Association of Tribal

Archives, Museums and Libraries; and others.

o Protect and preserve collections through appropriate temperature/relative humidity environmental controls and security measures.

• Maximize visitor experience through intuitive wayfinding and engaging spaces.

• Integrate advanced technology for exhibitions, building management, security, and visitor services.

• Integrate the Exhibit Design into the A/E design, especially in regard to collections protection.

• Design for collections protection from natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, high winds, freezing rain/ice storms, and fires.

o Design should consider fire risk and dust from the proximity to future housing development to the west of the museum site.

o Design building systems to withstand power outages and other system emergencies.

• Design for durability, easy replacement of parts and technology, and low lifecycle maintenance costs.

• Design collections storage and exhibits for future building expansion with minimal impact on existing structure or risk to collections.

• Landscaping should utilize native, culturally significant plants and not contribute to fire risk.

Landscaping should also be placed away from the building to minimize pest infiltration and reduce edible plant exposure to pest control chemicals that may be regularly applied to the building perimeter.

Sustainability Objectives

The project must:

• Achieve minimum LEED Silver certification (LEED Platinum preferred)

• Incorporate renewable energy sources where feasible

• Implement water conservation strategies

• Utilize sustainable and locally sourced materials when possible

• Design for energy efficiency while maintaining strict environmental controls for collections

• Include green infrastructure and native landscaping

Exhibit Design Objectives

Separate from this RFP, CTSI will be procuring an Exhibit Design firm. The Awardee of this RFP and the selected

Exhibit Design firm will work collaboratively with CTSI to ensure exhibits and exhibit rooms meet CTSI and museum industry specifications. The Exhibit Design will inform the building design, with the Awardee being responsible for integrating the Exhibit Design into the A/E.

Museum Industry Standards

The Awardee will work closely with the Exhibit Design firm, CTSI staff and consultants to meet museum industry standards for the exhibits.

CTSI will seek museum accreditation from the Alliance of American Museums (AAM). AAM accreditation is only one measure to which the success of the museum will be assessed.

Industry Design References:

• American Alliance of Museums (AAM) – General Facility Report

• National Park Service Museum Handbook

• Smithsonian Design Standards, Volumes 1-3

• Design Considerations for Preventive Conservation in New Heritage Collection Facilities, Canadian

Conservation Institute

• NARA 1571, Archival Storage Standards:

o Supplement 1 - Storage Standards for Archival Facilities o Supplement 2 - Temperature, Relative Humidity, and Air Pollutant Tables

• 36 CFR Part 1234, Facility Standards for Records Storage Facilities – Subpart B—Facility Standards

• ASHRAE Handbook chapter on Museums, Galleries, Archives, & Libraries https://www.aam-us.org/2023/08/01/general-facility-report/ https://www.nps.gov/subjects/museums/museumhandbook.htm https://www.sifacilities.si.edu/codes-standards https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/cci-icc/documents/services/preventive-conservation/design-considerations/design-considerations.pdf https://www.archives.gov/files/foia/1571-supplement-1-archival-facilities.pdf https://www.archives.gov/files/foia/1571-supplement-2-temperature-relative-humidity.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/part-1234/subpart-B https://www.ashrae.org/advertising/handbook-advertising/applications/museums-galleries-archives-and-libraries

Part II: Services to be Performed The A/E firm’s work shall involve, at the minimum, the following tasks:

• Complete Construction Drawings, Civil, Structural, Architectural, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing

• Conceptual Design

• Construction Documents; Bid Documents.

• Estimate of construction costs based on the construction documents

• Compliance with Lincoln County Building Codes on Design

Part III: Minimum Qualifications and

Requirements CTSI is seeking a person or firm that can effectively and independently contract for Architectural and

Engineering Services for the design of a museum. In addition, only those Offerors who meet the following minimum criteria are eligible to submit a proposal pursuant to this RFP:

1. Offeror must have proven experience from within the last three years as a licensed architectural and/or engineering service provider in the State of Oregon.

Professional Responsibility. A professional engineer or architect, as applicable, registered and in good standing in Oregon, will be responsible for any construction design. All service providers retained for their professional expertise must be certified, licensed, or registered, as appropriate, in the State of

Oregon for their specialty.

2. Offeror must be in compliance with all applicable state, federal, and tribal laws and regulations.

Part IV: Selection Process CTSI shall award the contract to the Offeror whose proposal is most advantageous to CTSI. The selection process will be in 2 Phases:

• Phase 1: Proposal Evaluation - evaluation based on submitted proposal

• Phase 2: Finalist Proposal Presentations - evaluation based on presentations

Based on the Phase 1 Proposal Evaluation, CTSI will invite up to 2 finalists to present their proposals to our team. These presentations may be conducted in-person or virtually. The Architect and Project Manager who will be assigned to this project are required to attend the proposal presentation.

Finalist presentations will be conducted during a 1 hour meeting held on Wednesday April 1, 2026.

Evaluation Factors

Proposals meeting minimum qualifications shall be evaluated on the criteria listed below. Each proposal shall be scored based on the points allotted to each criteria, 100 combined points maximum. The number of points assigned to a proposal does not necessarily determine the award of a contract; rather it establishes benchmarks to assist in the overall evaluation of the proposal.

CTSI will evaluate all proposals on a scale from 1 to 100 based on the following criteria:

A. Price: Maximum Points – 30

Price is an important consideration for this proposal. The proposal must clearly indicate the cost of providing services. Must include Appendix A.

B. Experience and Capability: Maximum Points – 30

Offeror’s skill, knowledge, qualifications, and experience designing museum/cultural or other similar facilities will be considered under this evaluation factor.

C. Seismic design, Sustainable design expertise, and/or Environmental Practices: Maximum Points – 15

Offeror’s skill, knowledge, qualifications and experience designing buildings for earthquake resilience, sustainable design (LEED), or environmental practices.

D. References and past performance: Maximum Points – 5

References may include museum/cultural or other similar facilities. References preferred from museums or other Tribal governments or organizations.

E. Indian Preference: Maximum Points – 15

Indian-owned and controlled companies will receive preference in accordance with the CTSI Tribal Plan of Operations, Siletz Tribal Code § 2.019(c)(6)(B)(ii) and 25 U.S.C. §450e(b)(7). Companies must furnish adequate proof of at least 51% Indian ownership and control with their proposal to qualify for Indian

Preference points.

F. Evidence of Completeness and Quality of Proposed Work: Maximum Points – 5

Consideration will be given to proposals that offer quality and informative proposals demonstrating project approach and understanding.

Part V: Proposal Instructions and Format

Instructions to Offeror

In preparing their response to this RFP, Offerors should pay particular attention to identifying prior experience with comparable projects. Offerors should highlight such projects and their relevance to this Project. Specific and relevant responses will be reviewed and considered more carefully than those stressing breadth of experience or general qualifications. Please note that the firm’s qualifications will be reviewed in totality. It is understood that smaller firms will not have the breadth of experience as larger firms so selecting projects that contribute to a holistic view of a firm’s experience, design and interests is critical.

All Offerors are encouraged to be creative and innovative in responding to this RFP. Please outline any creative products, services, pricing, and partnerships you can provide. Describe alternate approaches to the requested services where feasible or additional services offered or recommended, which may not be specifically requested but of benefit to CTSI. CTSI reserves the right to consider other ideas and solutions or only a restricted subset of this document.

Proprietary or Confidential Information

Any information of a confidential or proprietary nature contained in a vendor response should be marked

‘PROPRIETARY’ or ‘CONFIDENTIAL’ by item or at the top of each page. Reasonable precautions will be taken to safeguard any part of the response identified by a vendor as confidential or proprietary. Any portion of a bid or response not marked as stated above shall be a matter of public record according to the CTSI Plan of

Operations.

RFP Schedule

The following is the detailed schedule of events for this RFP. CTSI reserves the right to modify the below schedule.

• RFP distributed on January 23, 2026

• Offerors submit email with intent to participate by February 20, 2026 (requested, but not required)

• RFP written submission due on March 9, 2026, no later than 4:30 PM PT

• RFP presentation meetings (Finalists only) on April 1, 2026.

• Notify intent to award by April 20, 2026

• Contract Awarded, all Offerors notified May 4, 2026

• Project kick-off on June 1, 2026

Questions and Clarifications

All questions must be submitted in writing via email to SharlaS@ctsi.nsn.us.

How to submit the Proposal

A PDF of the complete proposal must be sent to Sharla Strong, as listed on the cover page.

If submitting via email, the maximum file size for CTSI email is 150 MB. If the proposal is too large, it may be broken into separate emails or transferred electronically through an online file-sharing service.

Proposal Format

Proposals must follow the same order as listed below in “Proposal Sections and Content”, listing the proposal sections and followed by the Offeror’s response. The total proposal should not exceed 50 pages (excluding appendices).

Electronic submissions must be designed to be printed on 8.5x11” paper.

For projects used to demonstrate Specific Project Experience, please be sure to:

• Provide all requested information; and

• Provide images that are large enough to be easily read on a monitor (no thumbnails).

Proposal Sections and Content

Proposals submitted to CTSI must, at a minimum, contain the following information and shall be organized as follows:

Section 1 – Letter of Transmittal

Include at least the following information:

A. Name, address and telephone number of Offeror and/or Offering Firm;

B. Name and address of the representative through whom any business correspondence would be conducted;

C. A signature of the Offeror or of any partner, officer or employee who certifies that he or she has the authority to bind the Offeror;

D. Date of Proposal;

E. A statement that the Offeror proposal is valid for ninety (90) days after this RFP Closing Date to allow time for evaluation, approval, and award of the contract.

mailto:SharlaS@ctsi.nsn.us

Section 2 – Table of Contents

The table of contents should follow the RFP format with proposal sections listed in this order.

Section 3 – Firm Profile

Please provide:

Overview: General overview, brief history, and credentials of the firm.

A. Experience: Describe your firm’s relevant project experience, specifically related to performing similar scope of work in designing museums, collections, archives, libraries, laboratories, indoor workshops, auditoriums, exhibits or other comparable projects.

B. Assigned Personnel: Names and, if applicable, resumes of the key personnel including support staff to be assigned to the project. Resumes describing the qualifications of personnel must show, at minimum, the person’s name, education, position, and total years and types of experience relevant to the performance of the contract.

a. Clearly name the Project Architect and Project Manager who will be assigned to this project.

Required Attendance: The Project Architect and Project Manager are required to attend all project meetings.

b. Clearly name the team member who will be responsible for project communications and scheduling.

Section 4 – References

Please provide at least three client references, preferably other private, urban, or Tribal governments.

A. Include contact information and relevant details regarding the scope of prior relationship with the references.

Section 5 – Contracted Services Scope and Pricing

Detail approach and methodology, expected duration, and the cost to complete each phase.

A. Scope of Services

Tasks and deliverables by phase shall consist of, but not be limited to, the Design Phases as shown in

Part II: Services to be Performed.

B. Proposal Pricing

Submit a fixed price fee proposal itemized by Design Phase (listed in Part II).

a. Include a spreadsheet listing the hours assigned to each task and person. The hourly rate shall be listed for each employee assigned to the project. This information is for analysis purposes only.

b. Present maximum anticipated reimbursable expenses as separate line items itemized by design phase.

C. Costs

Appendix A “Fee Schedule for Professional Services and Expenses” must be included in this proposal.

Section 6 – Disclosure

Please provide a statement disclosing:

A. Any current or proposed business transaction between Offeror and any CTSI member, officer, employee or their employer or other potential conflict which may give rise to a claim of conflict of interest.

Offeror shall warrant that it has no interest, direct or indirect, which would conflict in any manner or degree with the performance of services required under this contract.

Section 7 – Litigation

Please describe any material, current or pending litigation, administrative proceedings or investigations (within the past 5 years) that could impact the reputation or financial viability of your firm.

Section 8 – Proof of licensing

Section 9 – Proof of Indian Preference

If applicable, preference will be provided in accordance with the methods set forth in Siletz Tribal Code §2.001.

To the greatest extent feasible, preference shall be given to a qualified entity documenting 51% or more ownership of a business entity by an enrolled Native American/Tribe.

CTSI looks forward to reviewing your proposal. Please submit appropriate documentation for review by March

9, 2026 by 4:30pm PT, for your proposal to be considered.

Respectfully, Sharla Strong

Museum Project Manager

Appendix A

Fee Schedule for Professional Services and Expenses

• Include full disclosure and breakout information for all sub-contractors for services for which the proposing firm is not self-performing. Clearly label/identify sub-contractors.

• Attach this page (or duplication) to your proposal.

• Fill all applicable spaces.

Proposed Stipulated Sum amount $___________

Engineers/Consultants Fees

Geotechnical Engineer $___________

Civil Engineer $___________

Structural Engineer $___________

Architectural $___________

Surveying $___________

Bid documents/Admin $___________

Electrical $___________

Mechanical $___________

Plumbing $___________

Over Head and Profit $___________