Safety and Security Upgrades Build Phase 3

The Tacoma School District is soliciting qualifications from contractors to provide Design-Build (DB) services for Safety and Security Upgrades Build Phase 3, a retrofit project encompassing multiple school sites and facilities across the district using Progressive Design-Build (PD/B) contracting methodology. The scope encompasses comprehensive programming, design services, and construction for secure building entry systems, building access control systems, intrusion detection systems, intercom systems, CCTV systems, and related infrastructure with the objective of standardizing systems and conducting simultaneous construction across multiple facilities. Qualified design-builders must demonstrate substantial experience with design-build delivery methods (preferably progressive design-build), safety and security design and construction expertise, and K-12 facility design and construction capabilities, along with evidence of bonding capacity for the full $9,000,000 Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) and commercial general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence. The Statement of Qualifications submission deadline is March 19, 2026, at 2:00 PM (PST), with a mandatory pre-submittal project information meeting scheduled for March 4, 2026, from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the TPS Maintenance & Operations Building in Tacoma. The District anticipates issuing a Notice to Proceed for programming and design work in Summer 2026, with construction potentially beginning in Fall/Winter 2026 and projected substantial completion by February 25, 2028. Evaluation will proceed through two phases: an RFQ stage reviewing qualifications, followed by an RFP stage including finalist proposals, interviews, and pricing submissions, with scoring applied across all submission components to identify the most qualified design-builder for contract negotiation.

Contractors must comply with state-mandated apprenticeship utilization requirements of not less than 15 percent of total labor hours and must meet the District's diversity and local participation inclusion goals of 10 percent minority-owned business enterprises (MBE), 6 percent women-owned business enterprises (WBE), 5 percent small business enterprises (SBE), and 30 percent local business participation based on total contract dollar amounts. The preliminary combined design and construction budget is approximately $9,000,000, with funding provided through a capital bond issue approved by Tacoma voters in February 2024. A $1,000 honorarium will be provided to shortlisted finalists who are not awarded the contract. The Alternative Public Works contracting procedure authorized under RCW 39.10.300 through 39.10.330 will govern this procurement. No incumbent vendors or existing technology integration requirements were identified in the solicitation documents provided.