Use of University Facilities (Repealed)

 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Florida International University

RULE NO.:RULE TITLE:

6C8-5.009Use of University Facilities (Repealed)

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

NOTICE TO DESIGN-BUILD Firms

The Florida International University (FIU) Board of Trustees announces that design-build services will be required for the project listed below:

Project Name and Number: UniversityCity Prosperity Project, BT-904

Project Location: These infrastructure improvements will be located along SW 109th Avenue between SW 6th Street at the northern terminus and the Green Library at the southern terminus within FIU. Various project elements will be located on FIU property, City of Sweetwater (Sweetwater) Right-of-Way, SFWMD Right-of-Way, and the FDOT Right-of-way, and Miami-Dade County Right-of-Way.

Project Description: On September 5, 2013, Florida International University (hereafter referred to as the OWNER or FIU) was notified by the USDOT that they were selected as a recipient of a 2013 TIGER Grant for the UniversityCity Prosperity Project. This project is an innovative package of technology, streetscape, and transit improvements to develop an urban connection between the Sweetwater and FIU. TIGER funds will be used to construct urban design and infrastructure improvements including a new pedestrian bridge, complete streets, and other pedestrian-oriented transit access improvements. These infrastructure improvements will support the economic growth of a major public research university and an adjacent city. The following three components make up the major elements of the overall vision of the project:

Pedestrian-Oriented Transit Access Infrastructure Improvements (Urban Design & Infrastructure)

Community Transit Service Development Enhancements (Community Transit)

Informed Traveler Program and Applications (ITPA)

OWNER’S INTENT: The OWNER seeks America’s best designers and builders as members of a design-build team to design and build an innovative signature bridge that will become a respected and valued design landmark in Miami. It will serve as the critical element of a pedestrian-oriented shared-use corridor between FIU and Sweetwater, igniting the development of UniversityCity. We envision a wide pedestrian bridge (20’ minimum width to perhaps even more than 30’) that would serve not only as a means to cross from one side to the other, but would become a destination in its own right where community members might linger, gather, and create an urban social space -- a linear park. We expect that the bridge might even be used as an event venue. For those reasons, it should be equipped with furniture, shading, protection from the elements, and state of the art safety features such as LED lighting, video surveillance and emergency call boxes.

The OWNER expects to engage a design-build team with the expertise to deliver an exceptional bridge, both in terms of aesthetic form and practical function. Our commitment to design excellence and design innovation is neither veneer nor luxury. It is an integral feature of this project’s culture. This project’s success depends on an outstanding pedestrian bridge. While the plazas and walkways are important, the top priority is the bridge design. In other words, if we get the bridge right, everything else can fall into place. If we get the bridge wrong, nothing else will matter.

Seeking to continue a pattern of outstanding architectural and open space design on the campus, the OWNER seeks to commission a talented design-build team to design and build an iconic bridge and associated open spaces of outstanding architectural value that will connect Sweetwater and FIU, facilitating access to inter-modal transit options. The design of the bridge should demonstrate and exemplify the value of innovative design; balance contemporary aesthetics, cost, and constructability; balance the requirements of being environmentally responsible and beautiful; communicate the bridge’s role as a public asset for our community; and finally, give contemporary form and meaning to the values and vision of the University.

The OWNER seeks firms that have consistently demonstrated a commitment to design excellence in all aspects of the design and construction processes: from the scale of the campus to the scale of furniture, together with the management skills to complete the work within the schedule and budget.

This solicitation for Design-Build services includes only the Urban Design & Infrastructure component of the project. These infrastructure improvements consist of: 1) A signature pedestrian-oriented shared-use bridge across US 41 that as a major arterial roadway located between Sweetwater and the FIU Modesto Maidique Campus (MMC) obstructs pedestrian movements between Sweetwater and MMC; 2) A pedestrian plaza at the bridge landing on the FIU MMC; 3) An urban “Memorial Plaza” in Sweetwater; 4) Pedestrian-oriented streetscape enhancements to be created by narrowing 109th Avenue between SW 7th Terrace and SW 6th Street reducing the existing 3 traffic lanes to 2 traffic lanes. The enhancements will include upgraded sidewalk paving materials, enhanced shade trees, appropriate upgrades to street furniture, street signage, street lighting and landscaping; 5) Improvements on the FIU MMC will include new pedestrian walkways, plazas, pavilions, bike paths, landscaping, and 5) Advanced Intermodal & Multimodal Station (AIMS) elements on the North side of FIU’s MMC.

Major construction activities include:

Pedestrian-Oriented Shared-Use Bridge

Site Preparation, Landscaping & Irrigation

Utilities (for example Electrical, Telecom, Water & Lighting)

Storm Water System

Paving& Parking

Streetscape/Furnishings/Equipment

Plazas, Walkways, Pavilions & AIMS

Roadway Improvements

Professional Services – Design-Build, Engineering

Professional Fees – Fire Marshall, Surveys, permit fees

Documentation of preliminary activities related to the history of the UniversityCity Prosperity Project are located on the project grant website: http://cake.fiu.edu/TIGER2013/.

A Design-Build Criteria package  is included with the RFP package and consists of conceptual design drawings and design criteria specifications prepared by the OWNER’s design criteria professional which detail the requirements of the OWNER.

In order to minimize the possibility of unethical pressures or influences on the recommendations of the Selection Committee, direct contact with the committee members throughout the selection process is not permitted. The committee members are:

1. Steve Sauls, Vice President, FIU Governmental Relations

2. Thomas Gustafson, Division of Finance, FIU

3. Adam Drisin, Sr. Assoc. Dean, Academic Affairs & Operations, FIU CARTA

4. John Cal, Associate Vice-President, FIU Facilities Management

5. Alberto Delgado, Construction Project Manager, FIU Facilities Management

6. Mikhail Dubrovsky, FDOT District VI CCEI / Plans Review Engineer

7. Douglas Robinson, Principal Planner, Miami-Dade County Transit

8. Eric Gomez, City Engineer, City of Sweetwater

9. Robert Herrada, Chief of Staff, City of Sweetwater

10. Elizabeth Cardona, Architect, Sweetwater Brothers to the Rescue Memorial Plaza

The selected Design-Build Firm shall provide a complete design including but not limited to geotechnical analysis, foundations and structure; design of all approach structures, design of electrical and mechanical features for access to and operation of the pedestrian-oriented bridge; design of stairways, elevator hoist-ways and elevator meeting accessibility requirements, site surveys, and design of all temporary works and traffic controls needed to complete construction of the project, design of all complete street improvements, roadway features, utility relocations as required, drainage modifications, landscape, hardscape, irrigation, lighting, and street furnishings.

The Design-Build Firm shall include construction specifications meeting or exceeding the requirements of FDOT Standard Specs for Highway and Bridge Construction, with Codes, and with FIU Standards published on the FIU Facilities website. For work within the MMC, consistency with the FIU’s Master Plan (http://facilities.fiu.edu/planning/masterplans.htm) as well as consistency with the FIU’s commitment to design excellence and construction quality and building standards is required.  These standards can be found at: http://facilities.fiu.edu/projects/BT-904.htm. All aspects of the design shall embrace the UniversityCity Prosperity Project’s commitment to innovation and award-winning design quality as essential aspects in all facets of the design and the built work. All elements in the design project shall be fully documented and signed by an Engineer registered in the State of Florida and a Registered Architect and Landscape Architect as applicable to the work components. Design documentation shall be provided to the OWNER confirming compliance with applicable codes and standards as called for in this request for proposal.

The Design-Build Firm shall secure all permits for the work at its own expense, including all rights of access, traffic permits, and approvals related to offsite operations. Where permits are required of the OWNER or Agencies for operation of the facility, OWNER shall be responsible for costs of such permits. The Design-Builder is responsible for all utility coordination, utility relocations, and cost thereof.

The Design-Build Firm shall construct the complete facility in accordance with the accepted final design, specifications and applicable codes, standards and permits. Contractor shall have a quality control program to assure compliance with the above Design and Construction requirements including ongoing documentation of compliance. The OWNER may exercise a quality assurance function. The OWNER’S quality assurance activities shall in no way limit the responsibilities of the CONTRACTOR for complying with all plans and specifications for the Project.

Funding for this project is through an FHWA TIGER grant in addition to local match funds from FIU and the City of Sweetwater. Grant funding reimbursements to be administered through the FDOT Local Agency Program (LAP) and the Design Build Firm should become familiar with the compliance requirements of the program, http://www.dot.state.fl.us/specificationsoffice/LAP/Default.shtm. FHWA-1273 requirements (Non-Discrimination, Non-Segregation, Davis-Bacon, etc.) must be incorporated in their entirety, not by reference, into all contracts and subcontracts for this project.

The OWNER has established a Maximum Bid Price of $9,388,076.00 for the entire scope of the project as described herein. This amount is not the OWNER’s official cost estimate for the work. Submission of a Bid Price Proposal under the Maximum Price is not a guarantee of contract award and cannot be interpreted as an appropriate or awardable bid amount.

SELECTION PROCESS: Firms desiring to provide design-build services for the project shall submit a letter of application and a completed FIU Design-Build Qualifications Supplement (DBQS) form. Proposals must not exceed 80 pages, including the DBQS form and letter of application. Pages must be numbered consecutively. Submittals, which do not comply with these requirements or do not include the requested data, will not be considered. No submittal material will be returned.

The process for selecting a design-build firm for this Project will include three phases:

Phase I is the evaluation and scoring of information provided by interested firms in response to the DBQS form. A Selection Committee, established by FIU, will evaluate and score the information provided by the firm which includes prior experience with respect to the particular unique aspects of the identified project, technical abilities, general project approach, and financial resources. A minimum of three (3) firms receiving the highest scores after the evaluation and scoring is completed will be shortlisted and given the opportunity to present their understanding of the project requirements in the form of technical proposal and a sealed bid price proposal in Phase II. If three (3) or fewer firms submit qualifications all firms will be short-listed and have the opportunity to progress to Phase II and Phase III.

Phase II includes the submittal of a technical proposal and a subsequent interview. Short listed Design-Build Firms will be evaluated based on their understanding of the project, ability to provide design and construction services, their project approach and methodology, and their preliminary design documents.

Phase III Following the evaluation and scoring of the technical proposal and interview by the selection committee, the Bid Price Proposal will be opened and read publicly. Finally an adjusted “best-value” score will be calculated. The selection committee will then make a recommendation to the FIU President for a decision on the selected firm.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS: In addition to other requirements included in the DBQS form, the design-build firm team member(s) involved in professional services as engineer and/or architect and construction services as a certified general contractor shall meet the requirements of Section 287.055, Florida Statutes, at the time of the DBQS submittal. Corporations must be registered to operate in the State of Florida by the Department of State, Division of Corporations, at the time of application. As required by Section 287.133, Florida Statutes, a Design-Build firm may not submit a proposal for this project if it is on the convicted vendor list for a public entity crime committed within the past 36 months. The selected Design-Build firm must warrant that it will neither utilize the services of, nor contract with, any supplier, subcontractor, or consultant in excess of $15,000.00 in connection with this project for a period of 36 months from the date of their being placed on the convicted vendor list.

The Design-Build Qualifications Supplement (DBQS) form may be obtained from the web-site http://facilities.fiu.edu/projects/BT-904.htm. Other project materials will also be posted on this webpage and prospective proposers should check the page for updates on a daily basis. Requests for meetings by individual firms will not be granted. Once the firm acquires the required forms, questions may be directed to Facilities Planning at [phone] or via email to [e-mail].

Thirteen (13) bound copies of the required proposal data will be submitted to: Selection Committee, Florida International University, University Park, CSC 142, Miami, Florida 33199.

A Design Build Contract and Specifications, RFP and design criteria package including plans, specifications and estimates applicable to design build services requirements, can be obtained from the FIU Facilities web site: http://facilities.fiu.edu/projects/BT-904.htm.

ALL APPLICANTS SHOULD REVIEW THE CONTRACT FORM RFP AND STANDARD INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS CAREFULLY PRIOR TO MAKING A DECISION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT TO RESPOND TO THIS ADVERTISEMENT.

SUBMIT QUALIFICATIONS TO: Selection Committee, Florida International University, Facilities

Planning, Campus Support Complex, 11555 S.W. 17th St., Room #142, Modesto A. Maidique Campus, Miami, Florida 33199. Submittals must be received between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. local time, Wednesday, July 30, 2014. Submittals will not be accepted before or after the times and date stated above. Facsimile (FAX) submittals are not acceptable and will not be considered.