Metroparks Toledo, Toledo Botanical Gardens Cochrane Memorial Sculpture

Metroparks Toledo is requesting qualifications for design-build sculpture services for the Toledo Botanical Gardens Cochrane Memorial Sculpture project, with statements of qualifications due September 8, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. local time. The project is funded through a donation from the Cochrane estate and carries a hard budget ceiling of $200,000.

Offerors must design and fabricate a large-scale, elegant memorial sculpture within a 12-foot radius circle, primarily metal with optional secondary glass materials, referencing themes such as intergenerational legacy, transformation, regional native plants and wildlife, or the area's natural and human history. The scope includes structural engineering, permitting coordination with local and state agencies, and installation oversight. The project site is at the Toledo Botanical Gardens, 5403 Elmer Drive, Toledo, Ohio, with substantial completion required by September 1, 2027 and project commencement November 16, 2026.

Awardee qualifications must include public liability insurance with combined single limits of not less than $1,000,000, errors and omissions insurance naming the Owner as additional insured, and a 100 percent performance and payment bond. All work must comply with Ohio prevailing wage requirements, Davis-Bacon Act provisions, and applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Evaluation allocates 100 points across nine criteria: cover letter (5 points), project team description with resumes (10 points), three completed project examples from the past ten years (45 points total), past performance on schedule and budget (10 points), five references including at least two from project examples (5 points), primary office location statement (5 points), project communication plan with identified point of contact (5 points), understanding of local, state, and federal permit and regulatory requirements (5 points), and current workload assessment with key personnel availability (10 points). Statements of qualifications must not exceed 12 single-sided pages in PDF format.

Following SOQ evaluation, the Owner intends to select a short-list of qualified offerors for a subsequent Request for Proposals and interviews, with final contract award anticipated by October 28, 2026. Submissions are due electronically to Jessica Hyde at Jessica.Hyde@metroparkstoledo.com. Offerors must register on the PlanetBids Metroparks Toledo Vendor Portal at www.metroparkstoledo.com/bids.