GSOU J-460-DP School of Optometry

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (BOR) is soliciting architectural and engineering design professional services through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Project No. J-460, the School of Optometry at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, located in Brooks County. The procurement seeks a Design Professional to provide comprehensive design services for a project consisting of a 34,000 square-foot renovation of the existing Continuing and Professional Education Center and a new 10,000 square-foot clinical practice facility expansion to support a four-year Doctor of Optometry program. Deliverables include academic spaces such as lecture halls, teaching and clinical laboratories, clinical rooms, offices, and collaboration areas, as well as a dedicated patient care facility for student training and community outreach. The Design Professional must perform a minimum of 50 percent of architectural design services in-house, with up to 50 percent available through associated firms, and must procure and contract third-party services including surveying, testing agencies, and environmental assessments. The project will employ a Construction Manager (CM)-at-Risk delivery method and incorporate sustainable design requirements under Georgia's Energy Efficiency & Sustainable Construction Act, including Georgia Peach certification with commissioning. The Selection Committee will evaluate qualifications based on firm stability (25 percent), relevant project experience and qualifications (45 percent), and suitability for the project including proximity to the site (30 percent); finalists will be further evaluated during interviews on design team qualifications and experience (50 percent), design plan and methodology (25 percent), and team communications and project solutions (25 percent). Critical deadlines include a written questions deadline of May 26, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET; qualifications package submission deadline of June 2, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET; finalist notification on June 9-10, 2026; a mandatory pre-proposal site visit on June 16, 2026; fee proposal submission deadline of June 25, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET; and finalist interviews on June 26, 2026, with design services anticipated to commence Fall 2026 and construction documents completed Fall 2027.

Firms responding to this RFQ must satisfy mandatory compliance requirements including completion of a sworn Certification Form (Exhibit A) affirming that neither the firm nor its principal employees have been convicted of crimes of moral turpitude or felonies, had professional licenses suspended or revoked, or been subjected to disciplinary proceedings within the preceding five years, and must certify non-suspension and non-debarment from government contracts. All contractors must register with and maintain authorization to use the federal E-Verify work authorization program as verified through the Contractor Affidavit (Exhibit E). Design professionals must provide professional liability insurance documentation and declare minority status classifications under the Certificate of Insurance and Minority Status form (Exhibit B); while no specific set-asides are mandated, firms designating Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE) or Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) status are tracked through the Project Team Composition Form (Exhibit C). Proposers must complete additional required exhibits including a Proposer's Disclosure Statement (Exhibit F) addressing business transactions, gifts, and conflicts of interest, and an Energy Policy Act of 2005 Section 179D tax deduction allocation acknowledgment form (Exhibit G). The Design Professional Base Fee is estimated at approximately $1,400,000 for Basic Design and Construction Administration services, with the total project budget estimated at $29,800,000 and a preliminary Stated Cost Limitation (construction cost) of $21,000,000. No incumbent vendors or existing contractors are identified in the solicitation documents, and proposals must be submitted electronically through the specified Egnyte file sharing platform according to the provided upload instructions.