TOWN OF MIDDLEBURY, VERMONT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ENGINEERING DESIGN SERVICES - POLICE STATION HVAC REPLACEMENT

Description: Issue Date: November 10, 2026 Proposal Due Date: December 11, 2026 1. INVITATION The Town of Middlebury, Vermont ("Town") is soliciting proposals from qualified mechanical engineering firms to provide professional engineering and design services for replacement of the existing heating, cooling, ventilation, and associated HVAC controls at the Middlebury Police Station. The Police Station HVAC system is approximately 22 years old and is approaching the end of its anticipated useful service life. The building is currently heated, cooled, and ventilated primarily through multiple packaged rooftop units (RTUs). The original building construction drawings identify an energy recovery ventilator (ERV); however, the existence and current operation of the ERV could not be verified during the Town's site investigation. The sallyport is served by a gas-fired unit heater, and the IT room is served by a dedicated split-system air conditioner. The Town seeks an engineering consultant to evaluate the existing HVAC system, develop alternatives, perform the engineering analyses necessary to establish the preferred approach, and prepare construction-ready plans and specifications for implementation. The Town's objective is to develop a reliable, energy-efficient, cost-effective HVAC system that will serve the Police Station for the next several decades while reducing exposure to energy-cost volatility and appropriately balancing capital cost, operating cost, equipment life, maintenance requirements, resilience, and available energy sources. 2. PROJECT BACKGROUND The Middlebury Police Station is an approximately 22-year-old municipal facility. The existing HVAC system consists primarily of multiple packaged rooftop units providing heating, cooling, and ventilation to the building. Based upon available information and the Town's preliminary site investigation, the existing system includes: • Multiple packaged rooftop heating and cooling units; • Gas-fired heating components associated with the rooftop units; • Existing rooftop ductwork and distribution systems; • Building HVAC controls and thermostatic controls; • A gas-fired unit heater serving the sallyport; • A split-system air conditioner serving the IT room; and • An energy recovery ventilator identified on the original building construction drawings, the presence and operational condition of which have not been verified. The age of the equipment, increasing maintenance requirements, availability of replacement components, energy costs, and anticipated end of useful life warrant development of a comprehensive HVAC replacement strategy. The Town does not intend to simply replace existing equipment on a one-for-one basis without evaluating alternative HVAC technologies and energy sources. 2. PROJECT OBJECTIVES The primary objectives of this project are to: 3. Replace aging HVAC equipment with a modern, reliable, maintainable, and energy- efficient system. 4. Evaluate the feasibility and lifecycle economics of replacing the existing RTUs with hybrid electric heat pump/gas-fired rooftop units, where heat pumps provide the majority of annual heating and gas-fired burners provide supplemental heating during the coldest outdoor conditions. 5. Evaluate a full-electric heat pump HVAC alternative, including the feasibility, electrical infrastructure requirements, building load requirements, constructability, and lifecycle cost implications of such an approach. 6. Determine whether existing rooftop units, curbs, ductwork, electrical service, gas service, controls, and other infrastructure can be reused or should be replaced or modified. 7. Evaluate the existing ventilation system and determine whether the building requires a new or replacement energy recovery ventilation system. 8. Evaluate HVAC requirements for the sallyport and IT room as part of the overall system design. 9. Develop a system that appropriately considers future energy-cost volatility, including the relative cost and availability of electricity and natural gas. 10. Evaluate equipment useful life, maintenance requirements, replacement cycles, warranties, and long-term reliability. 11. Minimize disruption to Police Department operations during construction. 12. Provide a construction-ready design that can be competitively bid and implemented by qualified HVAC contractors. 13. HVAC ALTERNATIVES TO BE EVALUATED The selected consultant shall evaluate, at a minimum, the following alternatives. Alternative A - Hybrid Electric Heat Pump / Gas-Fired RTUs The consultant shall evaluate replacement of the existing RTUs with new rooftop units incorporating electric heat pump heating and gas-fired supplemental heat. The anticipated operating concept is that the heat pumps would provide heating during the majority of the year, with gas-fired burners operating during periods of very low outdoor temperatures when heat-pump capacity and/or efficiency decreases. The consultant shall determine an appropriate changeover or supplemental heat strategy based upon: • Outdoor air temperature; • Heat-pump capacity; • Heating efficiency; • Building heating load; • Electricity rates; • Natural gas rates; • Equipment operating characteristics; • Equipment life; • Utility demand charges, if applicable; and • Reliability and operational considerations. The consultant shall not assume a particular balance point or operating sequence without analysis. Alternative B - Full-Electric Heat Pump System The consultant shall evaluate a fully electric heating and cooling system utilizing heat-pump technology. This evaluation shall recognize that a full-electric conversion may require substantially more analysis and potentially greater modifications to the existing building infrastructure than a hybrid RTU replacement. The consultant shall evaluate, as applicable: • Detailed building heating and cooling load calculations; • Existing electrical service capacity; • Electrical distribution capacity; • Transformer capacity; • New electrical equipment and feeders; • Peak electrical demand; • Heating capacity at low outdoor temperatures; • Supplemental or emergency heat requirements; • Existing rooftop unit curb and structural limitations; • Existing ductwork; • Ventilation requirements; • Controls; • Utility infrastructure; • Equipment space; • Snow and ice considerations; • Defrost operation; • Cold-weather heat-pump performance; and • Lifecycle operating costs. Additional Alternatives The consultant may recommend additional alternatives if warranted by the investigation, including other high-efficiency HVAC configurations, variable refrigerant systems, dedicated outdoor air systems, heat-recovery systems, or other technologies. Any additional alternative should be evaluated based upon its applicability to the Police Station, lifecycle cost, reliability, maintainability, and constructability. 14. REQUIRED ENGINEERING SERVICES 5.1 Existing Conditions Investigation The consultant shall conduct a comprehensive field investigation of the existing HVAC system. The investigation shall include, at a minimum: • Inventory of all HVAC equipment; • Manufacturer, model number, serial number, age, capacity, and condition of major equipment; • Heating and cooling capacities; • Fuel type; • Electrical requirements; • Refrigerant type, where applicable; • Existing controls; • Existing thermostats and control zones; • Supply and return ductwork; • Outside-air ventilation systems; • Rooftop unit curbs and penetrations; • Roof conditions at HVAC equipment locations; • Existing gas piping; • Existing electrical service and distribution serving HVAC equipment; • Existing condensate drainage; • Existing combustion-air and exhaust requirements; • Existing ventilation rates, where reasonably measurable; • Sallyport HVAC equipment; • IT room cooling equipment; • Energy recovery ventilator; • Existing deficiencies or deferred maintenance; and • Opportunities for equipment reuse. The consultant shall verify the existence and condition of the ERV shown on the original construction drawings and document its findings. The consultant shall identify information that cannot be verified through field investigation and clearly identify assumptions used in subsequent design work. 15. BUILDING LOAD ANALYSIS The consultant shall perform appropriate heating, cooling, and ventilation load calculations necessary to support the recommended HVAC design. The analysis shall consider, at a minimum: • Building envelope; • Occupancy; • Occupancy schedules; • Lighting; • Plug loads; • Police-specific equipment; • IT equipment; • Solar gains; • Infiltration; • Ventilation requirements; • Outdoor design temperatures; • Internal heat gains; • Future climate conditions, where appropriate; • Required indoor temperature and humidity conditions; and • Applicable codes and standards. The consultant shall identify whether the existing RTU capacities are appropriately sized for current conditions or whether equipment is oversized or undersized. For the full-electric alternative, the consultant shall provide sufficiently detailed load calculations to establish the anticipated peak electrical heating demand and associated infrastructure requirements. 16. ENERGY AND LIFECYCLE COST ANALYSIS Energy cost and lifecycle economics shall be a significant component of the design evaluation. The consultant shall evaluate the alternatives using reasonable current utility costs and multiple future energy-price scenarios rather than relying solely upon current utility rates. The analysis shall consider: • Electricity consumption; • Natural gas consumption; • Seasonal efficiency; • Heating and cooling loads; • Peak electrical demand; • Utility demand charges, if applicable; • Current electricity rates; • Current natural gas rates; • Reasonable energy escalation assumptions; • Energy-price volatility; • Equipment capital cost; • Expected equipment service life; • Maintenance costs; • Major component replacement costs; • Controls and controls replacement; • Refrigerant considerations; • Expected repair costs; • Financing considerations, if requested by the Town; and • Residual value, where appropriate. The consultant shall provide a comparative lifecycle cost analysis for the major alternatives. The Town anticipates that a 20-year lifecycle analysis will be appropriate, but the consultant may recommend a different analysis period if justified. The analysis shall identify the sensitivity of the preferred alternative to changes in electricity and natural gas prices. At a minimum, the consultant shall identify conditions under which the relative economic advantage of the alternatives materially changes. The Town is particularly interested in avoiding a design that minimizes initial capital cost but creates excessive long-term operating or replacement costs. 17. ENERGY SOURCE AND RESILIENCE EVALUATION The consultant shall evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of electricity and natural gas as energy sources for the Police Station. The evaluation shall consider: • Long-term energy cost; • Energy-price volatility; • Availability and reliability of each energy source; • Peak winter heating requirements; • Electrical infrastructure requirements; • Natural gas infrastructure requirements; • Generator/emergency power implications; • Ability to maintain heating during electrical outages; • Equipment redundancy; • Cold-weather performance; • Maintenance requirements; and • Long-term regulatory or market considerations affecting fossil-fuel equipment. The consultant shall specifically identify the resilience implications of moving from gas-fired heating to predominantly or entirely electric heating. The consultant shall evaluate whether emergency power or generator capacity would need to be modified to maintain critical Police Station functions under a full-electric HVAC configuration. 18. VENTILATION AND ENERGY RECOVERY The consultant shall evaluate the building's ventilation system and applicable ventilation requirements. The consultant shall: • Determine required outdoor-air ventilation rates; • Evaluate existing ventilation distribution; • Verify the presence and condition of the existing ERV; • Determine whether the ERV is operational; • Evaluate whether the existing ERV can be reused; • Evaluate whether a new ERV is warranted; • Evaluate energy recovery opportunities; • Identify required modifications to ductwork; and • Incorporate ventilation requirements into the recommended design. Any recommended energy recovery system shall be evaluated based upon energy savings, maintenance requirements, reliability, first cost, and expected service life. 19. SALLYPORT AND IT ROOM The design shall specifically address the HVAC requirements of the sallyport and IT room. Sallyport The consultant shall evaluate the existing gas-fired unit heater and determine whether it should be: • Replaced in kind; • Replaced with another heating technology; • Integrated into the new HVAC system; or • Otherwise modified. The recommendation shall consider the frequency and duration of sallyport door openings, freeze protection, occupant comfort, energy consumption, and equipment durability. IT Room The consultant shall evaluate the existing split-system air conditioner serving the IT room. The consultant shall determine appropriate cooling capacity, redundancy, temperature control, and operational requirements based upon the actual IT equipment load. The consultant shall identify whether dedicated cooling should be retained or replaced and whether additional redundancy is warranted. 20. ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE For each major HVAC alternative, the consultant shall evaluate electrical requirements. This shall include: • Existing electrical service capacity; • Existing HVAC electrical loads; • New HVAC electrical loads; • Peak demand; • Service and distribution capacity; • Required panels and feeders; • Disconnects; • Motor starting characteristics; • Emergency power implications; • Generator capacity; • Automatic transfer equipment, where applicable; and • Required electrical upgrades. The consultant shall clearly identify any electrical infrastructure upgrades required to implement the full-electric alternative. 12. CONTROLS AND BUILDING AUTOMATION The consultant shall evaluate the existing HVAC controls and recommend a modern control system appropriate for a municipal Police Station. The design shall address: • Scheduling; • Occupancy control; • Temperature control; • Heating/cooling changeover; • Heat-pump/gas changeover or supplemental heat sequencing; • Outside-air control; • Economizer operation; • Energy recovery; • Alarm notification; • Equipment failure notification; • Remote monitoring; • Temperature setpoints; • Freeze protection; • IT room monitoring; and • Integration with existing building automation systems, if present. The Town prefers systems that can be readily operated and maintained by municipal personnel without dependence upon proprietary service agreements. 13. DESIGN DOCUMENTS Following approval of the preferred alternative, the consultant shall prepare construction documents suitable for competitive bidding. Documents shall include, as appropriate: • Demolition plans; • HVAC floor plans; • Rooftop equipment plans; • Mechanical schedules; • Equipment schedules; • Ductwork plans; • Piping plans; • Gas piping plans; • Controls diagrams; • Electrical coordination requirements; • Structural requirements for rooftop equipment; • Details; • Specifications; • Equipment performance requirements; • Sequence of operations; • Commissioning requirements; • Testing and balancing requirements; • Startup requirements; • Warranty requirements; and • Construction phasing requirements. The design shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local codes, regulations, and permitting requirements. 14. ROOFTOP EQUIPMENT AND ROOF COORDINATION Because the project will involve replacement of rooftop equipment, the consultant shall evaluate: • Existing roof penetrations; • Existing equipment curbs; • Curb dimensions; • Roof structural capacity; • Equipment weights; • Wind loading; • Snow loading; • Service clearances; • Crane access; • Equipment replacement access; • Roof warranty considerations; and • Potential roof repairs or modifications required by the project. The consultant shall identify whether existing RTU curbs can be reused or whether new curbs/adapters will be required. 21. CONSTRUCTION PHASING AND POLICE OPERATIONS The Police Station is an operational public safety facility. The design shall minimize disruption to Police Department operations. The consultant shall develop a construction phasing strategy addressing: • Temporary heating and cooling; • Temporary ventilation; • Temporary electrical service; • Equipment replacement sequencing; • Police operational continuity; • Protection of sensitive equipment; • IT room cooling; • Noise and dust control; • Roof access; • Security; • Temporary shutdowns; and • Emergency response operations. The consultant shall identify any work that must be performed during off-hours. 16. PROCUREMENT AND CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT The Town may request the selected consultant to provide construction-phase services. These services may include: • Responses to contractor questions; • Addenda; • Review of substitutions; • Review of shop drawings; • Equipment submittal review; • Site visits; • Construction observation; • Contractor payment application review; • Requests for information; • Punch-list inspections; • Testing and balancing review; • Startup and commissioning oversight; and • Record drawing review. The consultant shall identify the proposed level of construction administration included in its base proposal and provide unit or hourly rates for additional services. 22. COMMISSIONING The consultant shall include commissioning requirements in the construction documents. Commissioning should include, as appropriate: • Equipment startup verification; • Controls verification; • Heating and cooling sequence verification; • Heat-pump/gas staging verification; • Ventilation verification; • Economizer verification; • Energy recovery verification; • Temperature control verification; • Alarm verification; • Emergency power operation; • IT room cooling verification; and • Testing and balancing. The consultant shall recommend whether independent commissioning services are warranted based upon project size and complexity. 23. DELIVERABLES At a minimum, the selected consultant shall provide: Existing Conditions Report Documenting existing HVAC equipment, condition, deficiencies, capacities, controls, ventilation, and infrastructure. Alternatives Analysis Including evaluation of: Hybrid electric heat pump/gas-fired RTUs; Full-electric heat pump HVAC; Any other recommended alternative. Energy and Lifecycle Cost Analysis Including capital cost, energy consumption, maintenance, equipment replacement, and lifecycle costs. Preferred Alternative Recommendation Including justification based upon: • Reliability; • Energy performance; • Lifecycle cost; • Capital cost; • Equipment life; • Maintenance; • Energy-price volatility; • Resilience; • Constructability; • Electrical infrastructure; • Environmental considerations; and • Town operational requirements. Design Documents Construction-ready plans, details, schedules, specifications, controls documents, and related engineering documents. 27. OPTIONAL ENERGY/UTILITY INCENTIVES The consultant shall identify known federal, state, utility, or other incentives that may be applicable to energy-efficient HVAC improvements including but not limited to heat pumps, energy recovery, high-efficiency equipment, building electrification, controls, demand reduction; and other energy conservation measures. Where requested by the Town, the consultant shall assist with incentive applications. 20. SCHEDULE Provide proposed schedule including dates for achieving an existing conditions investigation, an alternatives analysis with a recommended preferred alternative, conceptual and final design with anticipated costs, and final bid documents. Anticipated construction is fall 2027. 21. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS Proposals shall include: A. Firm Information • Legal name and address; • Primary contact; • Years in business; • Relevant licenses and registrations; • Firm organization; and • Relevant municipal project experience. B. Project Team Identify the individuals who will perform the work, including: • Project manager; • Mechanical engineer; • Electrical engineer; • Energy/lifecycle cost analyst; • Controls specialist, if applicable; and • Other key personnel. C. Relevant Experience Provide examples of at least three comparable projects involving HVAC replacement, preferably including: Municipal facilities, Police or public safety facilities, rooftop HVAC replacement, heat-pump systems, hybrid heating systems, building electrification, and energy/lifecycle cost analysis. D. Proposed Approach Describe the firm's approach to: • Existing conditions assessment; • Load calculations; • HVAC alternatives; • Hybrid heat-pump/gas systems; • Full electrification; • Energy recovery; • Lifecycle cost analysis; • Energy-price volatility; • Electrical capacity; • Controls; • Construction phasing; and • Final design. E. Schedule Provide a proposed project schedule. F. Fee Proposal Provide a detailed fee proposal organized by phase: Existing Conditions Investigation; Load Analysis; Alternatives Analysis; Preferred Alternative Design; Construction Documents; Bidding Assistance; Construction Administration; and Commissioning/Closeout. Provide hourly rates for key personnel and identify reimbursable expenses. 36. EVALUATION CRITERIA Proposals will be evaluated based upon the following criteria: Evaluation Criteria Weight Relevant experience with municipal HVAC replacement 25% Qualifications and experience of project team 15% Understanding of project and proposed approach 20% Quality of energy and lifecycle cost methodology 10% Experience with occupied public safety facilities 5% Schedule and availability 5% Fee proposal 20% Total 100% The Town reserves the right to interview shortlisted firms before making a final selection. The Town may select a firm based upon qualifications and overall value rather than selecting solely on the basis of lowest fee. 37. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS The consultant shall: • Be properly licensed and authorized to perform professional engineering services in Vermont; • Have demonstrated experience designing HVAC systems for existing buildings; • Have qualified mechanical engineering personnel; • Have demonstrated experience with high-efficiency HVAC systems; • Have demonstrated knowledge of heat-pump technology; • Have experience performing HVAC load calculations; • Have experience evaluating energy consumption and lifecycle costs; and • Have sufficient staff and resources to complete the project within the proposed schedule. 24. SITE VISIT The Town encourages proposers to identify questions regarding existing conditions, available drawings, HVAC equipment, electrical service, gas service, controls, roof conditions, and building operations during the proposal period. 25. EXISTING DOCUMENTS The Town will make available, to the extent available, existing building drawings, mechanical drawings, equipment information, utility information, and other relevant documentation. The consultant shall not rely solely upon existing drawings to establish existing conditions. Field verification will be required. 38. TOWN'S PREFERRED DESIGN PHILOSOPHY The Town's preliminary preference is to investigate a hybrid heating strategy in which electric heat pumps provide the majority of annual heating and gas-fired equipment provides supplemental heat during extreme cold conditions, particularly if this approach can be implemented through a relatively straightforward replacement of existing rooftop units. However, this preliminary preference shall not limit the consultant's evaluation. The Town specifically wants the consultant to determine whether a full-electric heat-pump system is technically and economically justified. If a full-electric system offers significant long-term advantages, the consultant shall clearly identify the additional infrastructure, design complexity, capital cost, operating cost, electrical requirements, and construction implications necessary to implement it. The selected consultant shall provide the Town with sufficient technical and financial information to make an informed long-term investment decision rather than designing solely around lowest first cost. 39. GENERAL CONDITIONS The Town reserves the right to: • Reject any or all proposals; • Waive minor proposal irregularities; • Request clarification of proposals; • Request additional information; • Negotiate scope and fees with the selected consultant; • Select a consultant based upon qualifications and best value; • Cancel or modify the RFP; • Award all or portions of the services; and • Reject any proposed personnel or subcontractor. All costs associated with preparation of proposals shall be borne by the proposer. The selected consultant shall enter into a professional services agreement with the Town in a form acceptable to the Town. 40. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS Proposals shall be submitted electronically to: Town of Middlebury Emmalee Cherington Department of Public Works echerington@middleburyvt.gov Proposal Due: December 11, 2026 at 3 p.m. Proposals shall be clearly identified: "RFP - Police Station HVAC Replacement Engineering Services" Late proposals will be rejected. 29. QUESTIONS Questions regarding this RFP shall be submitted in writing to: Emmalee Cherington echerington@middleburyvt.gov 802-458-8013 Questions must be received by December 4, 2026. Responses will be distributed to all firms participating in the solicitation. 30. AUTHORIZATION Issued by: Town of Middlebury, Vermont Emmalee Cherington Director of Engineering Date: _*November 10, 2026*