Cultural Center at Clemente Park Design Services (Lee County Black History Society (LCBHS) Cultural Center)

The City of Fort Myers requests multidisciplinary architectural and engineering teams to provide design and engineering services for the Cultural Center at Roberto Clemente Park, a project for the Lee County Black History Society (LCBHS). This Request for Statement of Qualifications (RSQ) seeks comprehensive design services for approximately 15,000 square feet of new construction consisting of a two-story facility with accessible rooftop gathering space, including reception and administrative areas, a 200-seat multi-purpose auditorium, flexible gallery and exhibit spaces, climate-controlled archival storage, recording studio, catering kitchen, and integrated building systems with backup generator support and distributed audio-visual infrastructure. Deliverables include space needs assessment, full design services, site planning and landscape design to enhance pedestrian connectivity within Roberto Clemente Park, and potential parking design for an adjacent parcel contingent on land acquisition. Mandatory minimum qualifications require five consecutive years of business operation under the current company name and valid Florida business registration, with firms evaluated on four weighted criteria: Approach to Project and Design (45 points, 38.1 percent), Experience of Firm and Qualifications of Assigned Personnel (55 points, 46.6 percent), Compliance with MBE Policy (13 points, 11 percent), and Local Vendor Preference (5 points, 4.2 percent). The non-mandatory pre-submittal meeting is scheduled for April 8, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Fort Myers City Hall, with electronic submissions due by May 4, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. through the OpenGov portal; a non-mandatory selection committee meeting is scheduled for May 14, 2026, with presentations potentially occurring May 22, 2026, and City Council approval targeted for June 2, 2026. Compensation shall be structured on a not-to-exceed fee basis compensating actual personnel hours billed at specified rates plus reimbursable expenses directly related to work performance, subject to City approval and audit.

The solicitation applies City of Fort Myers Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Local Vendor Preference policies, with additional federal compliance requirements for Davis-Bacon prevailing wages for construction work, Section 3 housing employment opportunities for contracts exceeding $200,000, Equal Employment Opportunity standards, E-Verify immigration verification, and compliance with 2 CFR Part 200 federal grant requirements. Selected consultants must maintain specified insurance coverages including $1,000,000 professional liability with $100,000 maximum deductible, $1,000,000 commercial general liability, $1,000,000 automobile liability, and workers' compensation per statutory requirements, with the City named as additional insured. The contract is subject to liquidated damages of $904 per day for contracts under $300,000 if substantial completion is not achieved within the specified timeframe, with liquidated damages escalating based on total contract amount. Monthly invoicing is permitted with payment due within forty-five calendar days of invoice receipt under the Florida Local Government Prompt Payment Act. The contract documents reference multiple federal funding sources including FEMA, CDBG-DR administered by HUD, State Revolving Fund, and FDOT Local Agency Program funds, establishing comprehensive federal and state compliance obligations. No specific total contract price or budget range is identified in the procurement documents; compensation is contingent upon completion of work and compliance with the fee structure outlined in the executed professional services agreement.