RFI# 202511147 Newport land_Final.docx

STATE OF MAINE

Maine Judicial Branch Facilities Department

RFI# 202511147

Newport District Court Property Search

RFI Coordinator

Submitted Questions Due Date

December 1, 2025, no later than 4:00 p.m., local time

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

A. PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

B. CURRENT CONDITIONS

C. CHALLENGE STATEMENT

D. GENERAL PROVISIONS

A. FEEDBACK REQUESTED

A. VENDOR SELF SERVICE SYSTEM (VSS)

B. INFORMATIONAL MEETING

C. QUESTIONS

D. RESPONSE SUBMISSION

A. GENERAL INFORMATION

PUBLIC NOTICE

State of Maine Maine Judicial Branch – Facilities Department

RFI# 202511147

Newport District Court Property Search

The Maine State Judicial Branch - Facilities Department, is seeking information regarding the availability of property for sale suitable to house the Newport District Court to serve the needs of the residents of Western Penobscot County. The subject property could be bare land ready for new construction or have existing structures to be remodeled or demolished.

The following criteria will be considered in the site selection process:

· Proximity to Newport’s urban core with 200’ road frontage

· Reasonable access and sightlines from major travel routes

· Parcel of at least three (3) contiguous buildable acres with

· room for a building footprint of ~7,000 sqft

· parking space for 45 vehicles and County prisoner transport vehicle

· zoned for courthouse use

· 3-phase electric

· Public water and sewer

Property owners who may meet some, but not all of the above criteria are still encouraged to submit sale proposals. Certain criteria such as the quantity of buildable acres and proximity to the major urban core are non-negotiable. Other criteria such as immediate access to public water/sewer, and 3-phase electric etc. may not be required at this stage of the RFI process.

Please note that this is not a request for bids but sell price information is welcome. No contract will be awarded based on any response to this RFI. The request is for informational purposes and to assist in determining the feasibility of locating a suitable property for the project. This RFI also in no way precludes the suitability of the existing District Courthouse on Water Street.

A copy of the RFI and all related documents can be obtained through Vendor Self Service (VSS): https://mevss.hostams.com/PRDVSS1X1/AltSelfService

Responses must be submitted to the Office of State Procurement Services, via Vendor Self Service (VSS). Responses must be received no later than 4:00 p.m., local time, on December 19, 2025. Responses will be opened the following business day.

RFI DEFINITIONS/ACRONYMS

The following terms and acronyms, as referred in the RFI, shall have the meanings indicated below:

State of Maine – Judicial Branch – Facilities Department

Newport District Court Property Search

PART I INTRODUCTION

A. Purpose and Background

This Request for Information (RFI) is an information gathering and market research tool, not a formal solicitation of a specific requirement (such as in a “Request for Proposals” document). The Maine Judicial Branch, Facilities Department (“Department”) is seeking information regarding property in Newport suitable for the construction of a new District Court from interested parties as defined in this RFI document. This is an opportunity for interested parties to help the Department better understand a marketplace and/or specific subject matter.

The Department welcomes responses to this RFI including creative suggestions and feedback to enhance and expedite all future processes while providing efficient, reliable and high-quality outcomes.

B. Current Conditions

The Owner of the Newport District Court building has put the building up for sale following the discovery of mold earlier in 2025. Some remediation has been done, yet the Department wishes to explore all options.

C. Challenge Statement

The RFI is intended to explore an overarching question: Does the current Newport District Court building represent the best opportunity for the Department to bring access to justice to the residents of Western Penobscot County into the future?

D. General Provisions

1. All contact with the State regarding the RFI must be made through the RFI Coordinator. No other person/State employee is empowered to make binding statements regarding the RFI.

2. No award shall be made as a result of the RFI process. Issuance of the RFI does not commit the Department to issue an award or to pay expenses incurred by a Respondent in the preparation of a response to the RFI. This includes attendance at personal interviews or other meetings and software or system demonstrations, where applicable.

3. Issuance of this RFI in no way constitutes a commitment by the State of Maine to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) or any other solicitation.

4. All responses must adhere to the instructions and format requirements outlined in the RFI and all written supplements and amendments (such as the Summary of Questions and Answers), issued by the Department. Responses must follow the format and respond to all questions and instructions specified below in the “Response Format” section of the RFI.

5. All submissions in response to this RFI will be public records, available for public inspection pursuant to the State of Maine Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) (1 M.R.S. § 401 et seq.). State contracts and information related to contracts, including responses to RFIs, are generally public records per FOAA.

6. In the event that a Respondent believes any information that it submits in response to this RFI is confidential, it must mark that information accordingly, and include citation to legal authority in support of the Respondent’s claim of confidentiality. In the event that the Department receives a FOAA request that includes submissions marked as confidential, the Department shall evaluate the information and any legal authority from the Respondent to determine whether the information is an exception to FOAA’s definition of public record. If the Department determines to release information that a Respondent has marked confidential, it shall provide advance notice to the Respondent to allow for them to seek legal relief.

7. All applicable laws, whether or not herein contained, are included by this reference. It is the Respondent’s responsibility to determine the applicability and requirements of any such laws and to abide by them.

PART II INFORMATION SOUGHT

A. Site Selection Criteria

The following criteria will be considered in the site selection process:

1. Proximity to Newport’s urban core with 200’ road frontage

2. Reasonable access and sightlines from major travel routes

3. Parcel of at least three (3) contiguous buildable acres with

4. room for a building footprint of ~7,000 sqft

5. parking space for 45 vehicles and County prisoner transport vehicle

6. zoned for courthouse use

7. 3-phase electric

8. Public water and sewer

B. Feedback Requested

Those interested in selling property that could be developed should submit the following information, if available:

· Property description and present use

· Location/address

· City map and lot numbers

· Site survey, with wetland delineation

· Environmental assessments

· Geotechnical data

· Public utilities and electrical service details

· Existing structures

· Photos

· Owner’s Contact information (name, email, and phone number)

PART III KEY RFI EVENTS AND PROCESSES

A. Vendor Self Service System (VSS)

The Office of State Procurement Services Vendor Self Service System website is found at the link below: https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/vendors/vendor-self-service-system A copy of the RFI and all associated documents will be published in VSS.

Only documents published in VSS will be considered binding.

Any interested party may view open solicitations in VSS using the Public Access feature.

Vendors must have an active User ID and password in VSS to submit questions and respond to solicitations, including this RFI.

Vendor registration instructions and User Guide may be found at the link above, which include steps for searching for an existing account/User ID, or registering for a new account/User ID.

Vendors interested in responding to a solicitation are encouraged to obtain a User ID and password for VSS as soon as possible.

Vendors must have an active Vendor Code (VC or VS) to contract with the department.

B. Informational Meeting

The Department will sponsor an Informational Meeting concerning this RFI beginning at the date, time and location shown on the RFI cover page. The purpose of the Informational Meeting is to provide interested parties with additional information related to this RFI, field questions, and clarify any questions as to this RFI request.

C. Questions

1. General Instructions: It is the responsibility of all Respondents and other interested parties to examine the entire RFI and to seek clarification, in writing, if they do not understand any information or instructions.

a. Questions must be submitted in VSS as soon as possible but no later than the date and time published in VSS.

b. Questions should be clearly stated and reference the applicable section and/or page number of the RFI.

c. The Department assumes no liability for assuring accurate/complete/on time transmission and receipt.

2. Question & Answer Summary: Responses to all questions will be compiled in writing and published in VSS. It is the responsibility of all interested parties to go to VSS to obtain a copy of the Question & Answer Summary. Only those answers issued in writing in VSS will be considered binding.

D. Response Submission

1. Responses Due

a. Responses must be received no later than the Response Submission Deadline (closing date) published in VSS.

b. Any responses or any additional or revised response files received after the Response Submission Deadline will be rejected without exception.

2. Delivery Instructions

a. Responses must be submitted to the Office of State Procurement Services via VSS.

b. Only responses received via VSS will be considered. The Department assumes no liability for assuring accurate/complete receipt.

c. Response submissions containing links to file sharing sites or online file repositories will not be accepted as submissions. Only response submissions that have the actual requested files attached will be accepted.

d. Encrypted submissions received which require opening attachments and logging into a proprietary system will not be accepted. Respondents should work with their Information Technology team to ensure that the response submission will not be encrypted due to any security settings.

e. File size limits are 15MB per file. Respondents may separate their submissions into multiple files, as necessary, due to file size concerns.

3. Response Format

A list of key questions is included in Part II of the RFI. Respondents are not required to respond to every question, but the Department encourages interested parties to respond to any or all relevant aspects of the RFI.

Responses to this RFI may be developed in a manner that suits the Respondent, however, Respondents should:

· Complete Appendix A (Response Cover Page)

· Number/organize each response to correspond to the relevant question for clarity and ease of review.

The Department seeks detailed yet succinct responses that demonstrate the Respondent’s experience and/or familiarity with the subject matter. As this is not a competitive solicitation resulting in an award, Respondents must not provide any specific cost or customized pricing documentation in their response.

PART IV REVIEW OF RESPONSES RECEIVED

General Information

1. The Department will review responses received for the purpose of gathering information and market research only. The Department will not score or rate responses received.

2. The Department reserves the right to communicate and/or schedule interviews/presentations with Respondents, if needed, to obtain clarification of information contained in the responses received and/or additional information to enhance marketing research efforts.

APPENDIX A

STATE OF MAINE

Maine Judicial Branch, Facilities Department

RESPONSE COVER PAGE

Newport District Court Property Search

Respondent Name:

Organization Name:

Tel:

E-mail:

Headquarters Street Address:

Headquarters City/State/Zip:

(Provide information requested below if different from above)

Lead Point of Contact for Proposal - Name/Title:

Tel:

E-mail:

Headquarters Street Address:

Headquarters City/State/Zip:

Overview of the Organization Include a brief overview of the organization and identify any experience related to providing (Insert brief name of goods or services).

State of Maine RFI# 202511147 Rev. 11/10/2025 – DAFS/Office of State Procurement Services image1.jpeg