Architectural Design Services for Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) Facility- CDBG-DR HS004

Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking qualifications from Professional Architectural and Engineering Firms to provide design and limited construction administration services for a new Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) facility located at 100 Clarinda Lane, Pensacola, Florida. The project involves designing and constructing a single-story, approximately 55,000 square-foot complex comprising an Administration Building, Bus Wash, Fuel Depot, and Maintenance Building, all built to Enhanced Hurricane Protection Area (EHPA) specifications. The facility will support fixed-route transit services, ADA and Transportation Disadvantaged paratransit services, and serve as an Emergency Operations Distribution Center and emergency shelter during catastrophic events while incorporating regional stormwater management to mitigate area flooding. Successful firms must employ at least one registered Florida architect and one civil engineer with knowledge of local, state, and federal regulations, including Escambia County Technical Specifications and the Florida Building Code. Proposals, limited to 20 pages excluding vendor submission documents, will be evaluated on experience with public mass transit facilities (40 points), personnel qualifications (20 points), personnel availability (30 points), and performance in avoiding change orders (10 points). The pre-solicitation meeting is scheduled for January 29, 2026, with questions due by February 12, 2026, and proposals due by February 20, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., to be submitted electronically through the Vendor Registry portal at https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/escambiacountyfl. Shortlisted firms may be invited for interviews and oral presentations before final award recommendations are made to the County Administrator and Board of County Commissioners.

This procurement is subject to Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 and related CDBG-DR compliance requirements, which mandate that employment and economic opportunities be directed to low and very low-income persons to the greatest extent feasible. Escambia County has established a Section 3 Business Application process to certify minority-owned, women-owned, and disadvantaged businesses for participation in this federally funded project. Contractors must establish minimum numeric goals requiring that 25 percent of total project hours be worked by Section 3 workers and 5 percent by Targeted Section 3 workers, and must submit eight required forms including Section 3 assessments, subcontractor information, and outreach documentation. The selected firm must obtain comprehensive insurance coverage including worker's compensation at statutory limits, general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate, business auto liability of $1,000,000, and professional errors and omissions coverage of $1,000,000/$2,000,000. Funding for this project is provided through Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) HS004 funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), representing Escambia County's recovery efforts from Hurricane Sally, which caused significant damage to the existing ECAT facility in September 2020. The contract will be awarded on an "all-or-none total" basis, with the successful respondent required to execute contract documents and provide insurance certificates within five days of receiving the Notice of Award.