751/22463. TAP; Douglas Houghton Falls- Estab Public Access

The Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB), State Facilities Administration, Design and Construction Division, on behalf of the Department of Natural Resources, is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for professional architectural and engineering services to establish public access at Douglas Houghton Falls in Houghton County, Michigan. The procurement seeks a Professional Services Contractor to provide comprehensive Phase 100 Study services with provisions for Phase 200 Programming and Phase 300 Schematic Design as needed, encompassing site surveys, topographic surveys, soil borings, rock cores, hydraulic analysis, permitting research, and conceptual design development. The primary scope includes five major deliverables: establishing a driveway and parking area, creating an ADA-compliant pedestrian path to waterfall viewing locations, designing a pedestrian bridge crossing Hammell Creek, developing waterfall observation platforms, and evaluating safety barrier options for two proposed viewing structures (a 24-foot by 24-foot structure on the west rim and a 15-foot by 30-foot structure on the north rim), along with a 150-foot by 20-foot driveway, 130-foot by 80-foot parking lot, aggregate hiking path, and vault toilet installation on approximately 69.78 acres. Evaluation will be based on Technical Proposal (80 percent weighted) and Cost Proposal (20 percent weighted), with evaluation criteria including the professional firm's qualifications, experience with similar projects, detailed work plan and schedule, personnel assignments with resumes, and budget analysis. Key dates include the mandatory pre-proposal meeting held on January 18, 2023, via Microsoft Teams; a written question deadline of February 2, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time; and a proposal submission deadline of February 9, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time through the State of Michigan Procurement System (SIGMA VSS), with contract award recommendations expected within thirty days of the proposal due date.

Prospective proposers must submit a signed Certification of a Michigan Based Business and Responsibility Certification forms as part of their proposal response, indicating a preference for Michigan-based businesses. No incumbent vendor or current contractor information is provided in the solicitation documents. Compensation shall be provided on a not-to-exceed fee billable-rate basis, with cost proposals utilizing hourly billing rates for staff by position classification, with reimbursable expenses including actual costs for printing, reproduction, soil borings, site surveys, and laboratory testing with a maximum 5 percent markup, and travel expenses at State of Michigan rates for distances exceeding 100 miles one-way from the professional firm's office; all other costs including fringe benefits, insurance, overhead, and profit must be included in billing rates. The project budget for construction and contingency is approximately $230,000, with additional funding potentially available based on study outcomes, though specific Phase 100 Study service fee budgets are delineated with allowances of $1,000 for reconnaissance and pre-application meetings, $10,000 for site and topographic surveys, and $5,000 for soil borings and rock cores, with provisions for additional allowances identified by the Professional Services Contractor. The desired schedule calls for completion of all study work during 2023 to support a 2024 construction season, and proposals must be submitted as a single combined technical and cost proposal attachment not exceeding 6 MB with no submissions accepted after the 2:00 p.m. deadline.