(a) A policy for the selection of professional architects, engineers and surveyors, in order to provide professional design or construction management services to the Village, is hereby adopted, as set forth below.
(b) This policy does not apply to any project with an estimated professional design fee of less than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) or to any project determined by Council to be an emergency requiring immediate action, including, but not limited to, any projects requiring multiple contracts let as a part of a program requiring a large number of professional design firms of the same type.
VILLAGE OF NORTHFIELD POLICY AND PROCEDURE FOR PROCUREMENT OF PROFESSIONAL DESIGN SERVICES
A. PREQUALIFICATION PROCEDURE:
The Village of Northfield, Ohio, through its Mayor, will request qualification statements from any interested professional architects, engineers and surveyors to provide professional design or construction management services. The request will be published in newspapers of general circulation as chosen by the Mayor and requests will be sent directly to firms that are known to have a direct interest in providing such services.
“Qualifications” means all of the following:
1. Competence of the professional designer or firm to perform the required professional design services as indicated by the technical training, education and experience of the firm's personnel, especially the technical training, education and experience of the employees within the firm who would be assigned to perform the services;
2. Ability of the firm in terms of its work load and the availability of qualified personnel, equipment and facilities to perform the required professional design services competently and expeditiously;
3. Past performance of the firm as reflected by the evaluations of the previous clients with respect to such factors as control of costs, quality of work and meeting of deadlines;
4. Past performance and current performance on previous Village of Northfield contracts; and
5. Any other similar factors deemed relevant by the Village of Northfield.
The qualification statements submitted by the professionals should contain information based upon the format set forth in Appendix A - “Qualifications-Based Selection Statement Criteria,” which is set forth below. A firm that submits a statement that does not include all of the requested information will be deemed to be unqualified. The Village of Northfield may also ask any professional to supplement its statement if deemed necessary.
Qualification statements will be accepted at any time from any firm, as other firms become aware of this policy.
Professional design firms deemed prequalified by the Village of Northfield must submit an update of the statement annually in order to remain qualified.
B. PRE-DESIGN PHASE AND ANNOUNCEMENT:
The Village of Northfield, through its Mayor, will conduct a pre-design phase for all contracts available for professional design services for specific projects in order to determine the project scope of services and requirements, the project schedule, the conceptional schematic design, the project budget, and, if appropriate, soil boring and testing and other analysis. The Village Engineer and any other designee of the Mayor may be involved in the pre-design phase.
Upon completion of the pre-design phase, the project shall be announced as follows:
1. The announcement of the project requirements and scope of services shall be made in a uniform and consistent manner in advance of the time that the proposals are received.
2. The announcement shall include a description of the project, a statement of the specific professional design service required, and a description of the qualifications required for the project, and shall generally follow the format set forth in Appendix B - “Public Announcement,” which is set forth below.
3. The announcement shall indicate how qualified professional design firms may submit a proposal or statement of qualifications in order to be considered for a contract to design the project.
4. The announcement shall be sent to either of the following:
a. Each professional design firm that has a current statement of qualifications on file and is qualified to perform the required, professional design services;
b. Architect, landscape architect, engineer and surveyor trade associations, the news media and any publications or other public media that the Mayor of the Village of Northfield considers appropriate.
C. SELECTION PROCESS:
For every professional design services contract, the statements of qualifications for professional design firms shall be reviewed and evaluated upon submission.
A committee convened and chaired by the Mayor shall review and evaluate the statement of qualifications using a pre-established project criteria, and, generally, following the evaluation form which is attached as Appendix C.
The committee shall issue a list of no fewer than three (3) firms rated qualified to perform the required services for the specific project. If fewer than three qualified firms are available, those firms shall be selected.
Upon selection, the Mayor shall send a request for letters of interest to the firms that have been selected. Any interested firm shall supply all of the requested information concerning the project by the date specified in the announcement or written request.
A scope clarification meeting may be conducted with the firms that are selected and that have declared an interest in the project. The discussions shall be designed to further explore the scope and nature of the services required, the various technical approaches the firms may take toward the project, unique project requirements, the project schedule, the conceptual schematic design, and the project budget. Depending upon the unique nature of the project, the meeting may include a physical site visit. Any questions must be resolved at this meeting and shared with all participants, precluding any further contact with the committee.
The firm selected may be asked to supplement its statement of qualifications with a technical proposal in accordance with the final scope of services and project requirements as may have been clarified at the scope clarification meeting. Each professional design firm requested to submit a technical proposal shall be informed of the date, time and location for such submittals.
The committee shall evaluate, select and rank all of the firms that were selected and that expressed interest in the project. The ranking shall set forth in order the firms most qualified to provide the required professional design services based upon their qualifications, technical proposals, if any, and the specific project.
If one firm is determined to be most qualified, the firm shall be asked to submit a lump sum fee proposal. If more than one firm is determined to be equally most qualified, then each firm shall be asked to submit a lump sum fee proposal. The firms may submit a revised technical proposal. The firm submitting the lowest fee proposal shall be determined to be the most qualified.
The Mayor and/or individuals designated by him or her shall negotiate a contract with the firm ranked most qualified to perform the required services at a compensation determined to be fair and reasonable to the Village of Northfield. The contract negotiations shall be directed toward:
1. Insuring that the professional design firm and the Village of Northfield have a mutual understanding of the essential requirements involved in providing the required services, including meeting the established total project budget;
2. Determining that the firm will make available the necessary personnel, equipment and facilities to perform the services within the required time;
3. Agreeing upon compensation which is fair and reasonable, taking into account the estimated value, scope, complexity and nature of the services.
Upon the failure to negotiate a contract agreeable to the Village of Northfield with the most qualified firm, negotiations shall commence with the second ranked firm, and so on until an agreeable contract has been reached.
The final contract with the professional design firm is conditioned upon approval being granted by Village Council.
APPENDIX A
QUALIFICATIONS-BASED SELECTION STATEMENT CRITERIA
QUALIFICATIONS-BASED SELECTION STATEMENT CRITERIA
1 - Provide a brief history for the firm. Please include information pertaining to major areas of expertise for the company.
2 - Provide resumes for key personnel for the firm.
3 - List clients and representative projects worked on in the last five (5) years. Please provide a brief description and relative size of each project.
4 - Provide a copy of a current ODOT technical prequalification letter. If your firm is not prequalified, that fact should be indicated in the statement.
5 - Provide information related to the insurance carried by the firm.
6 - Provide information related to the computer hardware and software utilized by your firm. Please indicate the size and numbers of workstations.
7 - Provide any further information which may be helpful for the Summit County Engineer's Office to determine the qualifications of your firm.
APPENDIX B
(Sample Announcement of Contract for Professional Design Services)
(Sample Announcement of Contract for Professional Design Services)
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
The (name of public authority) intends to contract for (engineering) (architectural) (surveying) services in connection with the (title or brief description of project). (Engineering) (Architectural) (Surveying) firms interested in being considered for a contract to provide the required services should reply with a statement of qualifications no later than (time) on (date). Statements received after this deadline will not be considered.
Statements of qualifications should include information regarding the firm's history, education and experience of owners and key technical personnel; the technical expertise of the firm's current staff; the firm's experience in designing similar projects; availability of staff; the firm's equipment and facilities; references; and any previous work performed for (name of public authority).
Statements of qualifications should be transmitted to: (Name, title, and address of representative of public authority).
As required by Ohio Revised Code §153.65.71, responding firms will be evaluated and ranked in order of their qualifications. Following this evaluation, the (name of public authority) will enter into contract negotiations with the most highly qualified firm.
The preliminary project description is as follows:
Name of Project:
Location
Description (e.g. building design, environmental impact statement, etc.)
Total Project Budget (including studies, design, construction, etc.)
Source of Funding (e.g. bond issue, OPWC grant, etc.)
Project Schedule
Anticipated dates for design startup/completion /
Anticipated dates for construction startup/completion /
Special Requirements or Restrictions
APPENDIX C
(Sample Evaluation Form for Statements of Qualifications)
(Sample Evaluation Form for Statements of Qualifications)
Name of Project
Name of Design Firm
Name of Evaluator
Criteria | Rating* | Weight** | Score | ||
1. FIRM & INDIVIDUAL QUALIFICATIONS | |||||
° Firm’s number of years in business | X | (0-5) | = | ||
° Firm’s background & experience on similar projects | X | (0-5) | = | ||
° Experience of firm’s current personnel on similar projects | X | (0-5) | = | ||
2. PROXIMITY TO PROJECT SITE | X | (0-5) | = | ||
3. CAPACITY TO PERFORM WORK | |||||
° Availability to meet schedule | X | (0-5) | = | ||
° Firms’ equipment & facilities | X | (0-5) | = | ||
4. REFERENCES | |||||
° Quality of design | X | (0-5) | = | ||
° Technical innovation | X | (0-5) | = | ||
° Meeting schedules & deadlines | X | (0-5) | = | ||
° Controlling costs/meeting budgets | X | (0-5) | = | ||
° Communication/cooperation | X | (0-5) | = | ||
5. PAST PERFORMANCE FOR THIS PUBLIC AUTHORITY | X | (0-5) | = | ||
Total Score = | |||||
* 1 = Poor, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good, 4 = Excellent, 5 = Superior
** These weighting factors should be adjusted for each project, according to the needs and priorities of the public authority.
(Res. 1996-33. Passed 7-10-96; Ord. 2015-76. Passed 12-30-15.)