Suwanee Arts Center Design-Build RFP

The City of Suwanee, Georgia, is requesting proposals for design-build services to deliver a Suwanee Arts Center—renovation of an existing 1940s house and a new 30′ × 50′ metal Pottery Barn—with proposals due July 27, 2026, and a pre-proposal site visit on June 29 at 3:00 PM.

The scope includes renovation of a 2,000-square-foot house into a Creative Arts, Media & Gathering Hub with lobby, display area, creative arts classroom, fused glass studio/community multipurpose room, digital media room, sound recording room, office nook, and storage. The new Pottery Barn will house a pottery studio (with space for 8–10 thrown pottery wheels), pottery classroom, fire-rated kiln room (for 3–4 electric kilns), and two restrooms. Site work encompasses demolition, asphalt paving, ADA-compliant parking and ramps, a 40′ × 25′ raised wood community deck with a 20′ × 20′ metal louvered pergola, covered walkway, pottery patio, and landscaping. The design-builder must perform asbestos abatement (known ACM in kitchen floor vinyl and exterior siding at 25% Chrysotile); lead paint testing showed no abatement required. If fire suppression or manual fire alarm systems are mandated by the Authority Having Jurisdiction during design, costs will be treated as scope adjustments outside the base budget.

The construction budget is $1.45 million, inclusive of design fees, construction, contractor overhead, and profit. The City will maintain a separate $150,000 owner's contingency and will fund permits separately. Proposers must submit a preliminary cost assessment with high-level allocation across major components. The selected firm must furnish Performance and Payment Bonds each at 100% of contract price from a Georgia-licensed surety, carry general liability insurance ($1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate), professional liability/errors and omissions coverage, workers' compensation, and automobile liability insurance, and comply with Georgia E-Verify requirements.

Questions are due July 16, 2026, at 5:00 PM. Potential interviews are tentatively scheduled for August 13. The design-build process proceeds through four phases: Initial Selection, Preconstruction Services, Construction Agreement, and Construction.