Virginia Avenue Park Playground Replacement

The City of Santa Monica is requesting proposals for design-build services to replace the playground facility at Virginia Avenue Park (SP2745), with proposals due September 11, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. PST. The project is subject to Build America, Buy America compliance, mandating that all iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials be produced in the United States — a decision-flipping requirement for supply chains and subcontractor selection.

The scope encompasses professional design services, community outreach with a minimum of two surveys and two in-person workshops, full construction work, playground equipment installation, surfacing, geotechnical investigations, ADA compliance review, permitting, inspections, and estimating. The design-build team must deliver in phases: project initiation, concept development, schematic design, design development, and final design at 60%, 90%, and 100% stages, followed by construction support services. Accessibility, inclusivity, safety, and sustainability are key priorities.

The estimated construction cost is approximately $2.2 million. The contract is structured as a lump-sum design-build agreement with detailed cost breakdowns required for pre-construction services (Tasks 1–4), final design fees (60% through 100% construction drawings), and community outreach activities, plus construction-phase pricing with proposed markup percentages for professional services, general conditions, bonds, insurance, and contingencies. Any contingency savings will be split 60% to the City and 40% to the Design-Builder.

The project is classified as public works under California Labor Code Section 1720 et seq., requiring prevailing wage compliance, apprenticeship requirements, and Living Wage Ordinance provisions. The project also requires Community Development Block Grant compliance.

Evaluation criteria are weighted as follows: experience and technical competence (25 points), ability to meet work plan and timeliness (20 points), quality control (15 points), cost of services (15 points), stability and references (10 points), flexibility and creativity (10 points), and value-added services (5 points). A pre-proposal site walk is scheduled for September 1, 2026 at 11:00 a.m., with questions due by September 4 at 2:00 p.m. Final candidate interviews are anticipated for September 21–25, 2026, with staff recommendation to City Council on November 10, 2026.