The City of Sparks recently released a Request for Qualifications seeking architectural services for a new City Hall on a 7.8-acre siteat 650 Marina Gateway Dr.
The RFQ estimates the building will need to be roughly 60KSF. While the budget is not set in stone, projections indicate the City will have roughly $40M to work with.
The project description section of the RFQ says, “The primary objectives of this RFQ shall be to provide data necessary for the evaluation of competitive proposals that will result in an Agreement with the City and a proposer that meet our requirement(s). The City of Sparks desires an experienced, qualified architectural consultant to provide architectural services for the design of a new Sparks City Hall using the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery method.”
More specifically, the RFQ is seeking qualifications from architectural consultants. The entire RFQ process will feature proposals, presentations and interviews to evaluate interested parties.
Once a consultant is selected, the City will negotiate a price alongside an agreement between the two parties. The design stage will be made up of two phases. The first phase will consist of programming, feasibility and a concept plan. The second phase will include the remaining architectural/engineering work.
Proposers can submit up to two different concept plans “to highlight their innovative design concepts.” Concepts must feature colored plans and renderings in the 11×17 format.
The new City Hall is intended to house regular municipal duties. This includes an auditorium for City Council, an entry area with potential retail/dining areas, and surface/garage parking for employees alongside public parking spaces.
The request notes the City does not have any specific ideas on how it wants the building to look. The City wants to incorporate art that flows from the exterior of the building to the interior. It notes sculptures or “items similar to the Legends interior walkway.”
The City notes concept plans should include furniture, but this is subject to change.
Designs must comply with the current Americans with Disabilities Act standards. The RFQ notes the lowest, most responsive and most responsible bidder will be selected.
The form goes on to say that the bid must conform to the solicitation and be considered “advantageous to the City.” Sparks will consider the bidder’s past performance, total unit cost, economic analysis, life cycle costs, warranty/quality, maintenance cost, durability and operational requirements as part of its decision.
Submittal Details
As part of the submittal, bidders may be required to submit samples for “bid evaluation and testing purposes.” Bids submitted later than Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 4:00 p.m. will not be considered.
If a bidder finds a mistake within seventy-two hours of the bid closing, they will be able to request consideration to withdraw and resubmit. The RFQ notes the error must be “evident and provable.”
Submittals require four parts:
- Proposer Information Sheets;
- Acknowledgement and Execution Form;
- Certification Regarding Debarment, and
- RFQ Submittals as Detailed in the Special Conditions.
RFQ submittals must include both a hard and an electronic copy. The RFQ says, “Proposers are to provide electronic files of their proposals in addition to (not as a substitute to) the hard copy being required. Proposer submittals may not be sent to the City of Sparks via the Internet/e-mail and will not be entertained for award by the City of Sparks.”
The RFQ includes a checklist of things to include in the submittal. Each proposal must feature a table of contents; acknowledgement to the aforementioned four requirements; an individual who will serve as the primary liaison between the City and the business; a statement of interest; an overview of the company/parent company; information regarding a “Loss of Contract” and/or “Inability to Fulfill Requirements;” five business-related references, and a signed copy of Sparks’ standard terms and conditions.
All documents and submissions are free of charge but require viewers to sign up in the Sparks system.
The City has included a sample contract in its RFQ document to serve as an example of the contract that would be awarded to the chosen candidate.
The City has full discretion to approve the equipment and materials used to construct the new City Hall building.
The RFQ notes, “It is the responsibility of all potential bidders/responders to monitor the Purchasing Division’s website for any changing information prior to submitting their bid/proposal.”
Questions can be submitted to bcason@cityofsparks.us. Interested parties can also call Sparks Capital Projects Manager Brian Cason at (775) 353-4083 with additional questions.
Timeline
After bids are submitted by Feb. 11, the City will start the selection process. Formal presentations and interviews are tentatively scheduled for March 11. Each team receiving an interview will have up to 50 minutes to provide a formal presentation, undergo an interview and answer questions.
The award recommendation will be presented to the Redevelopment Agency on April 13. The CMAR proposal is tentatively scheduled to be released in May, with Phase Two of the design stage occurring in July.
Plans are to be submitted for permitting in March 2027. Construction bidding will then occur in May 2027, with the construction stage slated to commence in June 2027. Projections currently peg completion in September 2028.
