Professional Services for HVAC Enhancement and Auxiliary Power for Resilience Hubs Project

The City of Orlando is seeking professional engineering services through a Request for Qualification Statements (RQS25-0121) for HVAC Enhancement and Auxiliary Power for Resilience Hubs Project. The procurement targets six neighborhood centers in low-to-moderate income communities, with the primary objective of designing HVAC and electrical system improvements to establish community resilience hubs. Specifically, the project involves enhancing ventilation systems with MERV 13 filters, UV-C lights, and mixed ventilation systems, as well as installing auxiliary power connections and transfer switches to support 100% operational effectiveness during power outages. Qualified respondents must be engineering firms registered in Florida, capable of designing improvements for Dr. Smith, Englewood, Northwest, Callahan, Rosemont, and Dover Shores centers, with two centers (Dr. Smith and Northwest) receiving permanent natural gas-connected generators. The solicitation was released on January 6, 2025, with qualification statements due electronically via OpenGov by February 6, 2025, at 2:00 pm local time. A question submission deadline was set for January 27, 2025, at 5:00 pm, and a virtual opening will be conducted via Microsoft Teams.

The project is fully funded through a Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) Subrecipient Agreement, with a total project budget of $2,850,000 and $660,000 specifically allocated for professional services. While no explicit set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises were mentioned, the project emphasizes serving marginalized communities and demonstrates a commitment to equity by targeting low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. The project aims to support an estimated 12,175 individuals by creating resilient community spaces with improved air quality and consistent power access. Funding originates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and will be administered through Florida Commerce, with the selected consultant expected to comply with federal, state, and local regulations, including provisions related to equal employment opportunity, energy efficiency, and domestic procurement preferences. The primary point of contact is Fabio Henao, Project Coordinator in the Facilities Management Department, who can be reached at fabio.henao@orlando.gov or (407) 246-4376.