RFP Anderson Creek Playground_2025.pdf

COUNTY OF HARNETT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

FOR PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT PURCHASE, DESIGN AND INSTALLATION

AT ANDERSON CREEK COUNTY PARK (1491 Nursery Rd., Lillington, NC 27546)

I. OVERVIEW

A. The County of Harnett is soliciting Proposals from qualified playground equipment manufacturers and/or vendors (Vendors) to design, provide, and install playground equipment at our Anderson Creek County Park site, as detailed in this Request for

Proposal (RFP). In general, the County is looking for unique, nature-themed play equipment with engaging features and high play value that will encourage physical activity and enhance motor skill development. Equipment design must meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and utilize International

Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) certified equipment that meets or exceeds all federal and state guidelines and conforms to the playground-related technical standards set by the American Society of Testing Materials

International (ASTM) and the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission.

B. The selected Vendor(s) will be required to coordinate the final design and selection of playground equipment with the Parks and Recreation Department to ensure a coordinated and cohesive finished project that benefits the community. The selected Vendor(s) will be required to coordinate the installation of the selected playground equipment with the County to minimize the duration of playground closure. Vendors are invited to submit Proposals with playground equipment designs identified in this RFP.

II. PROPOSAL PARAMETERS & GUIDELINES

A. Submission Requirements. All submissions must be presented in accordance with the requirements, format, and guidelines described in this Request for Proposals

(RFP) document.

B. Submission Deadline. Interested entities must submit one (1) hard copy and one

(1) electronic copy (PDF format) of the information no later than 2:00 p.m., October

7, 2025. Submittals should be sent via UPS, FedEx or hand delivered to:

Harnett County Resource Center and Library Finance Department Attn: Renea Warren-Ford, Procurement Manager

455 McKinney Parkway Lillington, NC 27546

C. Interpretation and Addenda. Proposer(s) shall carefully examine this Request for

Proposal (RFP) and any addenda. Proposer(s) should seek clarification of any ambiguity, conflict, omission or other error in this RFP in writing. All questions, requests for interpretation, and comments shall be prepared in writing and submitted to Renea Warren-Ford at rwarren-ford@harnett.org by September 30, 2025. If the answer materially affects the RFP, the information will be incorporated into an addendum and distributed to Proposer(s). Discussions with other County employees or officials during the solicitation and evaluation period are inappropriate. Therefore, Proposer(s) shall not contact any other County employees or officials regarding this RFP during the period of solicitation and evaluation. Oral comments do not form a part of this RFP. Question and clarification responses will be sent to all parties having submitted questions. All responses will be binding. If a respondent has no questions, please state so via email so that responses will be forwarded. Oral and other interpretations will be without legal effect.

D. Changes in the Request for Proposals. Any changes made in this RFP will be posted.

Any and all addenda will be numbered in sequence, dated as of the date of issue, posted at www.harnett.org under Finance/Bid Opportunities.

E. Award. Award will be made to the Proposer(s) whose submission is determined to be most advantageous to the County, taking into consideration the evaluation factors set forth in Section V.

III. SCOPE OF WORK

Selected Vendor(s) will be responsible for the design, provision, surfacing, and installation of play equipment at the Anderson Creek County Park site, within the designated budget. The maximum budget for this project is $140,000. A maximum of two proposals/designs for the Anderson Creek County Park Playground may be submitted per proposal.

Location: Anderson Creek County Park, 1491 Nursery Rd., Lillington, NC 27546

Budget: Maximum expenditure for all costs related to the proposal is $140,000

The County is looking for a qualified vendor who can construct an inviting and attractive nature-themed playground project to be completed per the following:

1. Obtaining applicable permitting

2. Design and installation of multi-age playground with swings.

3. Provide pedestrian links to walkways around the play space

4. Manage all installation of equipment and surfacing

5. Any other work to provide a turnkey project while staying within budget http://www.harnett.org/

Desired Equipment:

Single or Multiple Play structures and amenities for ages 2-12, including multiple slides

Loose-Fill Rubber playground surfacing

Wheelchair accessibility, play for all abilities

Play area footprint not to exceed 6000 sq ft. Play area is not uniform size but is approximately 100 ft x 60 ft.

Play structures and amenities must be age appropriate with proper signage

All products shall bear the certificate seal of IPEMA and shall meet or exceed

ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Play Areas

All equipment shall conform to current playground-related ASTM and CPSC technical standards including, but not limited to:

o ASTM F1487 (Playground Equipment) o ASTM F1292 & ASTM F3313 (Impact Attenuation of Playground Surfaces) o CPSC Publication 325: Public Playground Safety Handbook

Vendors and their contractor(s) must be prepared to comply with all state, federal and local requirements for play structure equipment. Vendors are responsible for verifying site conditions. No allowances will be made if a Vendor fails to adequately examine a location before submitting a Proposal. All equipment shall be installed by a factory trained, insured, and certified installer.

Following installation, a full and thorough audit of all newly installed play equipment will be performed by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI).

Vendor(s) will be required to address and resolve any identified deficiencies within seven (7) days of notification of the deficiencies by the County.

Site visits will be held for any interested Vendor. Vendors are encouraged to review site conditions to familiarize themselves with the park and playground area. Appointments for site visits can be obtained by contacting Carl Davis, Parks and Recreation Director, by email at cdavis@harnett.org.

IV. CONDITIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL

A. All submissions, in response to this request, must meet the following conditions to be considered:

1. Breakdown the proposal by the steps of necessary work

2. Proposals must be received by the date and time specified

3. In order to be considered, applicants must submit a complete proposal

B. The County of Harnett is under no obligation to select any presented proposals

C. The County of Harnett reserves the right to request additional information from all applicants

D. In the selection of the top respondent, the County of Harnett reserves the right to request additional information mailto:cdavis@harnett.org.

V. APPLICATION RANKING CRITERIA

A. All submissions shall be initially reviewed to determine if they are responsive to the submission requirements. Those not meeting the minimum requirements set forth herein will be deemed non-responsive and will not be subject to further review

B. The responsive submissions shall be evaluated on the following factors which are considered critical in the evaluation of the Request for Proposal prepared in response to this announcement:

Responsiveness to the RFP and the criteria

Proposed site equipment designs and concepts

Originality and creativity

Safety

Accessibility (focus on access and play for all abilities)

Overall play value of the proposed design and equipment

Durability and ease of maintenance of the proposed equipment

Ability to meet established budgets

Ability to put together a design and construction plan to perform all aspects of the Project

Possess appropriate certifications, licenses, and meet insurance requirements

C. Demonstrated capability of the firm(s) to perform all of the work elements, review of comparable work and references, timely mobilization of staff and equipment, schedule for completion of services will be considered.

D. Proposals will be reviewed by the County and a selection made based upon the following criteria:

1. Overall quality of the professional qualifications of the firm (30%)

2. Proposed design approach and methodology (30%)

3. Previous project descriptions (including pictures and 2-3 references) (20%)

4. Proposed schedule/timeline for completing identified tasks (20%)

Proposals will be evaluated using a standardized scoring system. Each criteria component will be assigned points ranging from 1 - 5 according to the extent to which the proposed system meets the stated requirements.

The points will be assigned as follows:

5 points: Fully meets

4 points: Meets with minor gaps (no compromise required)

3 points: Meets with moderate gaps (some compromise required)

2 points: Partially meets with significant gaps (compromise required)

1 point: Does not meet

The points for each criteria component will be multiplied by the percentage weight listed above and totaled.

Site Map- Current Playground Location

Photos of Playground Footprint (Existing Playground)