HHS Cherokee Mental Health Institute CCUSO Strategic Space Plan Study

The Iowa Department of Administrative Services (DAS) is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP 954000-01) on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for professional design services to complete a strategic space planning study for the CCUSO Unit at the Cherokee Mental Health Institute located in Carroll County, Iowa. The procurement seeks comprehensive space utilization assessment, master planning, and design services across multiple facility buildings including the Main Building (with Administration, North Units A-C, South Units A-C, and Rear Center sections), Ginzberg Building, Voldeng Building, and Wirth Hall. Key deliverables include 50% completion documents and cost opinion due June 30, 2026; 95% completion documents and cost opinion due July 31, 2026; and 100% completion documents and cost opinion due August 14, 2026, with project closeout in August 2026. The selected firm must be capable of conducting a minimum of four in-person site visits and two virtual visits, and must provide hourly rates and anticipated hours by position for all assigned personnel and sub-consultants. Professional liability insurance of $2 million is required, and proposals must include staff qualifications, resumes of key individuals, references from similar projects completed within the last five years, organizational charts, and descriptions of cost estimating and reporting procedures. Evaluation criteria include qualifications and experience, firm capabilities, financial stability, proposed approach and methods, schedule alignment with state needs, and stipulated fees, with optional interviews for highest-scoring proposals. Proposals are limited to thirty pages or less (excluding cover pages and resumes) with a maximum file size of 10 MB, and must be submitted via the Iowa IMPACS Electronic Procurement System by April 21, 2026, at 2:00 PM, with questions and clarifications due by April 14, 2026, at 2:00 PM. An optional pre-proposal conference is scheduled for April 9, 2026, at 11:00 AM with both in-person and virtual attendance options, and contract award is anticipated for the week of May 4, 2026.

Targeted Small Businesses are specifically encouraged to apply for this procurement. The RFP stipulates that the selected design firm cannot receive an award for subsequent construction services related to this project. Experience with mental health facilities, correctional facilities, jails, institutional facilities, or memory care units is recommended but not mandatory. Pricing shall be submitted as a lump sum base scope fee that is inclusive of all reimbursables such as printing, mileage, and travel expenses, with separate breakdowns by service phase (Initial Evaluation, 50% Documents, 95% Documents, and 100% Documents), and a unit price per construction inspection visit that will be additive or deductive based on actual visits. The contract will be based on a modified ConsensusDoc 803 agreement, and the selected firm is expected to commence work upon contract execution with a tentative kick-off meeting scheduled for the week of May 11, 2026. No specific award value or budget range has been disclosed in the available procurement documents, though detailed cost estimation procedures and financial stability assessment will be factors in the evaluation process.