REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

ARCHITECTURAL / ENGINEERING / CONSULTING SERVICES

State of Colorado Department of Human Services Notice Number: RFQ 2026000047 Project Number: 2027-026M26 Project Title: Upgrade Heat Plant Controls System, Building 35, CMHHIP Ph1 of 2 Estimated Project Cost: $3,293,196

Table of Contents

RFQ-AE R3 pg. 1

REV 9/2025

I. NOTICES

For State Public Works C.R.S. §8-17-101 - Colorado labor shall be employed to perform at least 80% of the work. Colorado labor means any person who is a resident of the state of Colorado at the time of the Public Works project.

All respondents accept the conditions of this RFQ, including but not limited to, the following:

a. All submittals shall become the property of the State of Colorado and will not be returned.

b. Late submittals shall not be evaluated.

c. The State reserves the right to reject any or all submittals on the basis of being unresponsive to this RFQ or for failure to disclose requested information.

d. The State shall not be liable for any costs incurred by respondents in the preparation of submittals and proposals nor in costs related to any element of the selection and contract negotiation process.

e. Any restriction as to the use of submitted materials must be clearly indicated as proprietary. The requested limitation or prohibition of use or release shall be identified in writing on a cover sheet. Blanket claims of proprietary submittals will not be honored. Fee proposals will be considered proprietary.

f. The respondent has reviewed Appendix B and by responding has agreed that the terms and conditions of the sample Architect/Engineer/Consultant Contract are expressly workable without reservation.

g. This is phase 1 of a possible 2 phases. Additional work, similar in nature to this project, may be given to the awarded consultant at a later date without public advertisement. It shall be the sole discretion of the owner if additional work will be granted to the consultant based on, but not limited to, the consultant’s quality, and timeliness. The owner has the right to publicly advertise any additional work and the awarded consultant is not guaranteed additional work.

The respondent has reviewed Appendix B and by responding has agreed that the terms and conditions of the sample Architect/Engineer/Consultant Contract are expressly workable without reservation. Any exceptions to the contract must be communicated formally in writing before the solicitation closes. Bearing in mind any and all exceptions may be considered non-negotiable.

Per C.R.S. §24-92-117, a public construction project in the amount of five hundred thousand dollars or more shall be subject to the Buy Clean Colorado (BCCO) Act program requirements. The BCCO Act requires the Office of the State Architect to establish a maximum acceptable global warming potential (GWP) limit for each category of eligible materials, which include asphalt and asphalt mixtures, cement and concrete mixtures, glass, post-tension steel, reinforcing steel, structural steel, and wood structural elements. For any solicitation for a contract for the design of an eligible project, a State Agency or institution shall require the designer who is awarded the contract to include in project specifications when final construction documents are released, a current Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) that meets the maximum acceptable GWP limits for each eligible material specified for the project. A contractor that is awarded a contract for an eligible project shall not install any eligible materials on the project until the contractor submits an EPD for each eligible material procured for the project.

Preference shall be given to Colorado resident vendors and for Colorado labor, as provided by law.

II. PROJECT OVERVIEW

Introduction

The Division of Facilities Management (DFM) of the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) is selecting an Architect/Engineer/Consultant (A/E) team to design the replacement of outdated heat plant controls and operating systems with modern controls and operating systems.

The heat plant on the CMHHIP campus is a 24/7/365 facility operated by the Department of Human Services and provides 125# steam and soft water to over 60 facilities (including the Colorado Mental Health Hospital in Pueblo, three Department of Corrections facilities, a Department of Youth Services Center and a central kitchen that provides daily meals to thousands of patients and inmates) for heat, domestic hot water and meal preparation. The heat plant consists of two coal boilers and two dual-fuel boilers (natural gas and diesel). The existing supervisory controls were installed in 2004 and function on obsolete operating systems (Windows XP and Windows 10) and the PLC controls are outdated/legacy items that can typically only be sourced on the secondary market or from abroad. The aim of this project is to design a project to replace these outdated legacy controls with modern boiler controls that are more robust and fault tolerant.

Although the state is generally exempt from local planning and zoning regulations and procedures, it is customary and appropriate to coordinate and otherwise interact with local authorities as needed. Accordingly, the A/E is expected to participate in meetings and briefings as necessary. The A/E is also required to comply with all the state approved codes, and state protocols and requirements (including but not limited to FGI, CDPHE, CMS, and Code review and compliance is subject to state procedures and protocols as described by the Office of the State Architect (OSA)).

Background

The outdated controls are an ongoing maintenance issue. This project that will upgrade the computers and operating systems for the heat plants multiple controls to the newest compatible operating system.

This project will upgrade all legacy control systems to the latest operating and software system. The correction includes the upgrade of three (3) OS Systems, upgrades of all boiler control, coal, soot blower and ash programmable logic controls systems to the most current operating and software system and includes three (3) new control software programs and four (4) computer hardware systems.

The repairs and upgrades will require the reprogramming of the entire heat plant control system. Due to the complexity and special nature of the system this upgrade serves, there will be a need for a substantial field service to ensure complete integration into the complex working systems of the boiler system and to ensure that there are no interruptions during the upgrades.

The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) anticipates using a Design / Bid /Build (DBB) approach to project delivery. The Architect/Engineer is expected to provide Basic Services as described in the sample Architect/Engineer/Consultant Agreement and Terms and Conditions of the Contract unless otherwise noted.

The process to be used in the selection of the Architect/Engineer/Consultant is comprised of two steps. In STEP I submittals will be screened and scored as described in detail in Section X. STEP II is the Oral Interview as described in detail in Section XI. A Jury Panel of individuals who will be involved in the project and/or understand the required services associated with the project will evaluate responses to this RFQ. Upon completion of the evaluation of the Submittals, a limited number of firms will be invited to the oral interviews.

III. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Notice is hereby given to all interested parties that all firms will be required to meet all minimum requirements to be considered for this project. Interested parties should be prepared to show evidence of the following to be considered as qualified, as a minimum:

1. Not previously terminated by the State for non-performance on a State Buildings contract or procurement.

1. The consultant must have been in the same business under the same name for the last two (2) years.

Demonstrated design experience in projects of similar scope and complexity for at least two (2) projects each in excess of $ 5,000,000 (hard costs), utilizing the expertise present in their Colorado Office; and Attended and signed in at the Mandatory Pre-Submittal Conference The Acknowledgment and Attestation Form, Appendix C is a mandatory requirement for a respondent to be considered responsive to this RFQ Prequalification Submittal.

a. Qualifications made by a respondent in executing this form may render a submittal non-responsive as determined by the State.

IV. MANDATORY PRE-SUBMITTAL CONFERENCE AND SITE TOUR

To ensure sufficient information is available to firms preparing submittals, a mandatory pre-submittal conference has been scheduled. The intent of this conference is to tour the site and to have CDHS staff able to discuss the project. Firms preparing submittals must attend and sign-in to have their submittals accepted.

A mandatory Pre-Submission Meeting will be held at:

Building Address: 1600 W. 24th Street, Building 49, Pueblo, CO 81003 Room: DFM Conference Room Date/Time Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:00 AM

V. SCHEDULE

The following is a tentative schedule of events for the Submittal process and an outline of the schedule for the balance of the project. All dates are subject to change and changes in the schedule will be issued via addendum.

The above schedule is tentative. Responding firms shall be notified of revisions in a timely manner by email or posted on the ColoradoVSS website. Respondents may elect to verify times and dates by email, but no earlier than 36 hours before the scheduled date and time.

VI. QUESTIONS, CLARIFICATIONS AND ADDENDA

Owner initiated changes to this RFQ will be issued under numerically sequenced addenda.

Owner initiated changes to this RFQ will be posted in the form of addenda on ColoradoVSS.

Questions and requests for clarifications regarding this project shall be submitted before the deadline listed in the above Schedule.

Communication regarding the project during the procurement, outside of this submission process or scheduled procurement milestones is not permitted.

VII. POINT OF CONTACT/CLARIFICATION

VIII. SUBMITTALS OF QUALIFICATIONS

1. This RFQ document, it’s appendices, and any written addenda issued prior to the closing of the solicitation, and written clarifications shall serve as the only basis for the submittal.

1. All submittals must comply with the following items, a through h. The State retains the right to waive any minor irregularity, or requirement should it be judged to be in the best interest of the State.

Qualifications shall be formatted and tabbed in the exact form and numeric sequence of the Evaluation Form (1 through 7) in Appendix A. A one-sided single-page cover letter addressed to the Colorado Department of Human Services, Attention Jamie Gott, outlining the firm(s) qualifications is required at the front of the submittal.

Qualifications shall be evaluated in accordance with criteria as indicated in PREQUALIFICATION SUBMITTAL CRITERIA and ranked on the corresponding Evaluation Form in Appendix A.

Response to all items shall be complete.

All references shall be current and relevant.

Complete and execute the Appendix C: Acknowledgment and Attestation Form and submit at the back of the Qualification Submittal.

An electronic copy of the qualification package is due August 14, 2026 and shall be received no later than 2:00 PM MDT to jamie.gott@state.co.us Late submittals will be rejected without consideration. The State of Colorado assumes no responsibility for costs related to the preparation of submittals.

IX. METHOD OF SELECTION AND AWARD

A. Short List

1. From the submittals received, a short list of qualified respondents shall be identified using the scoring indicated on the enclosed Evaluation Form, Appendix A.

2. Firms failing to meet the minimum required qualifications will not receive further consideration.

B. Oral Interview

1. Mandatory oral interviews shall be conducted for the short-listed firm(s) only. Interview times and location will be arranged by CDHS and all short-listed firms will be notified in advance. At the option of the State, a visit to the short-listed firm(s) managing home office and/or representative field office may be required.

C. Method of Selection and Award

1. Submittals will be evaluated by a panel of individuals selected in accordance with state policies. The panel will review and score the submittals. Firms ranked the highest will be invited to an oral interview. It is anticipated no fewer than three (3) or no more than five (5) will be interviewed.

X. EVALUATION OF QUALIFICATIONS

A. PREQUALIFICATION SUBMITTAL CRITERIA

Firms will be judged not only on their past experience for the type of work involved, but also on their ability to address issues critical to the success of the project requirements outlined in this RFQ document. The primary focus of the prequalification evaluation will be the firm(s) capability.

1. PROJECT TEAM

Identify the project principal, the project manager, key staff and subconsultants. Present a brief discussion regarding how the team's qualifications and experience relate to the specific project.

Qualifications and relevant individual experience.

Unique knowledge of key team members relating to the project.

Experience on projects as a team.

Key staff involvement in project management and on-site presence.

Time commitment of key staff.

Qualifications and relevant subconsultant experience.

2. FIRM/TEAM CAPABILITIES

Organization charts and graphs depicting your capacity may be included.

Are the lines of authority and coordination clearly identified?

Are essential management functions identified?

Are the functions effectively integrated? (e.g., subconsultants’ role delineated)?

Current and projected work load.

3. PRIOR EXPERIENCE

Include the name and current telephone number of the owner’s project manager for every project listed.

Experience of the key staff and firm with projects of similar scope and complexity.

Demonstrated success on past projects of similar scope and complexity.

References.

4. PROJECT APPROACH

For the project and services outlined in the RFQ document, describe how you plan to accomplish the following project control and management issues:

Budget Methodology / Cost Control Establish and maintain estimates of probable cost within owner's established budget.

Control consultant contract costs Coordinate value engineering activities Budget Considerations Quality Control Methodology

0. Insure State procedures are followed Improve energy efficiency through the use of an integrated design process, life cycle costing, the use of an energy standard (current OSA energy code) and the specification of energy efficient materials, systems, and equipment Reduce embodied carbon emissions by utilizing and submitting Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) that meet the OSA’s maximum acceptable global warming potential (GWP) limits Insure the project is designed for durability and maintainability Schedule

0. Manage the required work to meet the established schedule

5. EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

0. Describe how your firm is incentivized to hire and promote diverse individuals

0. Describe how your team attempts to partner with Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses or historically disadvantaged businesses

6. WORK LOCATION

Describe where the prime and subconsultants will do the key work elements of this project.

0. Proximity of firms office as it may affect coordination with the State's project manager and the potential project location.

Firm's familiarity with the project area.

Knowledge of the local labor and material markets.

XI. ORAL INTERVIEWS EVALUATION CRITERIA

(Note that the primary focus of the Oral Interview will be the proposed project management team members’ capabilities).

It is anticipated that oral interviews will be conducted during the week of August 31, 2026. Interviews will be conducted at: 1600 W. 24th Street, Building 49, Pueblo, CO 81003. The time for interviews is to be determined. Key personnel from the firm and major consultants who will be directly involved with the project should attend the interview. The interview panel will, in particular, be interested in knowing about the specific project approach proposed and in meeting the individuals who will act as the primary contacts with the Colorado Department of Human Services.

RFQ-AE R3

Rev 09/2025 Appendix A: Evaluation Forms

Appendix A1: Prequalification Submittal/Evaluation Form

Appendix B: Architect/Engineer/Consultant Contract (Standard Format)

Appendix C:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND ATTESTATION FORM

By responding to this RFQ, the respondent(s) certify that they have reviewed the Agreement and its Exhibits contained herein, and is familiar with their terms and conditions and finds them expressly workable without change or modification.

We certify and declare that the foregoing is true and correct.

Note: Use full corporate name and attach corporate seal here.

Offeror Acknowledges Receipt of Addendum No. ____, ____, ____, ____ (Addenda MUST be acknowledged)

(SEAL)

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