Design Professional Services for Eustis High School Addition

Lake County Schools is conducting a Request for Qualifications (RFQ #24-1003-Q-AR917) for design professional services to develop an addition to Eustis High School, specifically targeting architectural and engineering services under the Consultant's Competitive Negotiations Act (F.S. 287.055). The project involves designing a 168,000 square foot school addition to accommodate approximately 600 students, which will replace the current 9th Grade Center and include spaces such as senior high classrooms, science labs, ESE rooms, a PE weight room, technology and industry exploration labs, and a Construction Academy space. Evaluation criteria include related building experience, team qualifications, design approach, current workload, time and budget requirements, minority firm status, and proximity to the district office. Key procurement dates include a pre-proposal conference on October 14, 2024, question deadline of October 16, 2024, proposal submission deadline of November 8, 2024, initial screening on December 3, 2024, and a site visit for short-listed vendors on December 6, 2024. The project has a tentative substantial completion date of July 2027 and will involve multiple design phases including master planning, design development, construction documents, bidding, and construction administration.

The procurement allows for multiple design professional firms to compete, with no specific set-aside designations explicitly noted. While no disadvantaged enterprise requirements were highlighted, the evaluation criteria do include points for minority firm status. Four primary vendors were initially evaluated: Zyscovich, LLC; Corgan Associates, Inc.; CPH Consulting, LLC; and Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Inc. Zyscovich, LLC was ultimately recommended for contract award after receiving the highest initial evaluation score of 83.2 points. The total project construction budget is $36,000,000, with the design professional services contract to be structured as a not-to-exceed amount. The project will maintain an existing auditorium and develop site improvements including parent and bus drop-offs, playfields, tracks, drainage systems, parking additions, walkways, lighting, signage, underground utilities, and landscaping. The school district emphasizes progressive design approaches, including advanced building design, industrialized construction techniques, state-of-the-art technology, building flexibility, 21st-century learning environment fundamentals, safety, and sustainability.