RFQ Educational Facility Planning _ AE Services-RIDE SBA Stage I and II.pdf

PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Request for Qualifications

Educational Facility Planning and Architectural/Engineering Services for Necessity of School Construction Application - Stage I and Stage II

Issue Date: June 26, 2025

Proposals Due Date: July 10, 2025 Portsmouth School Department

29 Middle Road Portsmouth, RI 02871

1. Project Description and Background

The Portsmouth School Department (District) is soliciting qualifications from Education Facility Planner (EFP) and Architectural/Engineering (A/E) individuals, firms or teams to provide architectural, planning, engineering and other services as necessary to assist the District in the development and submission of a Stage I and Stage II as part of a Necessity of School Construction application. The EFP and AE shall be responsible for assisting the District with the coordination, facilitation and submission of all necessary documentation to complete a Necessity of School Construction application. All work will be completed in conformance with all applicable statues and School Construction Regulations.

The Portsmouth School Department’s last Five-Year Capital Plan and Necessity of School Construction Stage II application was approved by the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education in December 2021. Approvals included renovation and improvements across multiple facilities in the District including envelope, MEP and Educational Enhancements with current activities anticipated for completion by the end of 2025.

The District is now ready to embark on another round of evaluation, planning and improvements focused on a mix of health and safety improvements, including building envelope repairs, site repairs and other building system improvements that affect student and staff health and safety as well as renovations at existing schools that enhance educational learning spaces for students. The District will be submitting the Necessity of School Construction application following the Spring 2026 Approval Timeline. This would involve a Stage I submission by September 15, 2025 and a Stage II submission by February 15, 2026

The District is located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island on Aquidneck Island. The Town of Portsmouth’s land area is approximately 20 square miles. The District has a superintendent that reports to a seven member elected school committee.

The District has approximately 333 full time employees (222 certified teachers). The District educates approximately 2,100 students from pre-school through grade 12. The District’s facilities include two elementary schools, one middle school, one high school with a detached field house, and one administration building.

2. Scope of Work

The services include but are not limited to:

2.1 General

2.1.1 Prepare all documentation required to support the Stage I and Stage II applications

2.1.2 Attend meetings with project stakeholders including but not limited to:

2.1.2.1 District and District leadership team

2.1.2.2 School Building Committee

2.1.2.3 School Committee

2.1.2.4 Town Council and Town Departments

2.1.2.5 RIDE

2.1.2.6 Owner’s Project Manager

2.2 Facilities planning and coordination

2.2.1 Engage multiple stakeholders in the planning process through community engagement and local government collaboration as outlined in the Necessity of School Construction application and School Construction Regulations.

2.2.2 Provide all necessary data and documents to inform stakeholders

2.2.3 Coordinate and facilitate meetings that meaningfully engage stakeholders.

2.2.4 Work with Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) to prepare agendas and minutes.

2.2.5 Coordinate with Authorities Having Jurisdiction to satisfy all municipal, state and federal requirements to obtain all approvals as necessary.

2.2.6 Develop a Facilities Master Plan (FMP) that provides a comprehensive review, assessment and intended improvements of all facilities in the District. Components of the FMP shall be coordinated with the requirements of the Necessity of School Construction application as articulated in the School Construction Regulations.

2.2.7 Submit a Necessity of School Construction application to the School Building Authority (SBA) at the RI Department of Education (RIDE), including a Letter of Intent, Stage I, Stage II and all necessary supplemental documentation necessary for approval.

2.3 Educational Program

2.3.1 Assist the District in developing an Education Program. Components of the Education

Program shall be coordinated with the requirements of the Necessity of School Construction application as articulated in the School Construction Regulations.

2.4. Conduct a demographic study to support the Educational Program

2.5. Perform a District Wide Facilities Condition Assessment

2.6. If required conduct 3D scanning of facilities to support the planning process

2.7. In coordination with the District, create a Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan in accordance with the requirements of the Necessity of School Construction application as articulated in the School Construction Regulations.

2.8. Prepare Schematic Design Documents and cost estimates in accordance with the requirements of the Necessity of School Construction Stage II application as articulated in the School Construction Regulations.

2.9. Assist the district with developing a financing plan and funding strategy

2.10. The EFP shall be responsible for preparing and submitting the Necessity of School Construction

Application to the RIDE School Building Authority as necessary to attain approval for State Housing Aid Reimbursement on the proposed projects. This includes but is not limited to:

2.10.1. Attend meetings with the SBA as necessary

2.10.2. Submit all required documentation as detailed in the School Construction Regulations and the most recent version of the Necessity of School Construction guidance document

2.10.3. Assist in the development of the project budget that is based on construction cost estimates of the Schematic Design documentation.

2.10.4. Assist in the development of the LEA Capital Improvement Plan and coordination with the LEA Financing Plan.

3. Schedule [Subject to Change]

3.1. Issue RFQ July 26, 2025

3.2. Questions Due (see below for instructions) July 2, 2025

3.3. RFQ Response Due July 3, 2025

3.4. Selection July 10, 2025

3.5. Prepare and Submit Stage I September 15, 2025

3.6. Prepare and Submit Stage II February 15, 2026

4. Required Elements of the Response

4.1. Qualifications (not to exceed 10 pages, double-sided in length) – the response should specifically address each of the following elements:

4.1.1. Staff Qualifications - Identify key team members and their roles and responsibilities.

Provide staff resumes and describe qualifications and experience of key staff who will be involved in the projects, including their experience in the field of facilities master planning, facilities assessments, community/stakeholder engagement, preparation of Stage I and Stage II applications and experience in Rhode Island.

4.1.2. Relevant Educational and Facility Master Planning Experience and Qualifications – Please provide a detailed description of the Proposer’s related experience with planning K-12 School and other community facilities. Include any experience in Rhode Island and familiarity or knowledge of the Necessity of School Construction process.

4.1.3. Capacity – Current project and backlog information: Provide a list of your current projects and projects in your backlog in the region.

4.1.4. References – include three (3) references from clients/projects of similar scope and size, including contact name, address, phone number and email address.

5. Evaluation, Selection and Award

The District will select a firm to provide the services described in this RFQ using a qualification-based selection process. The District reserves the right to select the firm that it deems to be the most qualified to provide the services described in this RFQ. The district reserves the right to cancel this solicitation in its entirety and reject all proposals at its sole discretion.

Proposals will be reviewed and scored based on the following criteria (Total Possible Points = 100):

Criteria Possible Points

Staff Qualifications 35

Relevant Experience/Qualifications of Proposer 35

Capacity 20

References 10

Total Possible Points 100

Firms may be required to submit additional written information or may be asked to make an oral presentation as part of the selection process. The District, at its sole discretion, may conduct interviews with as many of the proposing firms or as few of the proposing firms as it deems appropriate.

The District will enter fee negotiations with the respondent receiving the highest combined point total.

If an agreement cannot be reached between these parties, the District may elect to enter into negotiations with the next highest ranked respondent. The final contract award is subject to Portsmouth School Committee approval.

6. Questions

Submit questions in writing only via email to Erica Schechter eschechter@peregrinegrp.com no later than 4:00 PM on July 2, 2025. Please reference “Educational Facility Planning and Architectural/Engineering Services and District Wide Facilities Condition Assessment for Necessity of School Construction Application - Stage I and Stage II” on all correspondence. Answers to questions received, if any, shall be posted to the Portsmouth School Department’s website as an addendum on July 3, 2025. This RFP and any addendums can be found at:

https://www.portsmouthschoolsri.org/documents/departments/administrative-services/finance-%26-administration/purchasing/current-bids-and-rfps/225780

7. Proposal Submission Proposals are due no later than July 10, 2025 at 2:00 PM EST and should include the following:

7.1. One (1) printed paper copy marked “Original”

7.2. One (1) electronic copy on a USB Flash Drive

Proposals should be mailed or hand-delivered in a sealed envelope marked “Educational Facility Planning and Architectural/Engineering Services and District Wide Facilities Condition Assessment for Necessity of School Construction Application - Stage I and Stage II:

Christopher DiIuro Director of Finance mailto:eschechter@peregrinegrp.com https://www.portsmouthschoolsri.org/documents/departments/administrative-services/finance-%26-administration/purchasing/current-bids-and-rfps/225780 https://www.portsmouthschoolsri.org/documents/departments/administrative-services/finance-%26-administration/purchasing/current-bids-and-rfps/225780

Portsmouth School Department 29 Middle Road Portsmouth, RI 2871

Proposals misdirected to other locations or those not received at the Portsmouth School Department Administration Building by the scheduled due date and time shall be determined to be late and shall not be accepted. Proposals faxed or emailed to the Portsmouth School Department shall not be accepted.

8. General Terms and Conditions

8.1. The District reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive any informality.

8.2. The District reserves the right to continue services beyond Stage I and Stage II services or resolicit for services accordingly.

8.3. Cancelation of Solicitation: The PSD may cancel this solicitation at any time.

8.4. Proposals cannot be withdrawn for a period of not less than 60 days from the deadline for submission of proposals.

8.5. The purchase of goods and/or services under an award made pursuant to this RFP will be contingent on the availability of appropriated funds.

8.6. The Proposer shall provide all necessary personnel, materials and equipment to perform and complete all work under this proposal.

8.7. PSD is exempt from all sales and Federal excise taxes.

8.8. The selected firm shall be required to maintain the following insurance with the Portsmouth

School Department and Town of Portsmouth listed as additional insured:

Type of Coverage Requirement Limits Workers’ Compensation

Rhode Island Statutory Limits Rhode Island Statutory Limits

General Liability Each Occurrence Annual Aggregate per Occurrence

$1,000,000 $2,000,000

Auto Liability written to cover “Any Auto”

Combined Single Limit Each Accident

$1,000,000

Professional Liability Each Occurrence Annual Aggregate per Occurrence

$1,000,000 $2,000,000

Umbrella (Excess Liability)

Each Occurrence Aggregate

$5,000,000 $5,000,000

9. Reference Documents

9.1. Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) School Construction Regulations:

http://www.ride.ri.gov/FundingFinance/SchoolBuildingAuthority/Statutes,RegulationsandGuid ance.aspx#37601415-regulations

9.2 Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) Necessity of School Construction:

https://ride.ri.gov/funding-finance/school-building-authority/necessity-school-construction

9.3. Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) Facility Data & Information:

http://www.ride.ri.gov/FundingFinance/SchoolBuildingAuthority/FacilityDataInformation.aspx

9.4. Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) Basic Education Program:

http://www.ride.ri.gov/InformationAccountability/Accountability/BasicEducationProgram.aspx

END OF REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS DOCUMENT

http://www.ride.ri.gov/FundingFinance/SchoolBuildingAuthority/Statutes,RegulationsandGuidance.aspx#37601415-regulations http://www.ride.ri.gov/FundingFinance/SchoolBuildingAuthority/Statutes,RegulationsandGuidance.aspx#37601415-regulations https://ride.ri.gov/funding-finance/school-building-authority/necessity-school-construction http://www.ride.ri.gov/FundingFinance/SchoolBuildingAuthority/FacilityDataInformation.aspx http://www.ride.ri.gov/InformationAccountability/Accountability/BasicEducationProgram.aspx