1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The City of North Olmsted is requesting submission of statement of qualifications from firms interested in providing full architectural planning and design services to the City for phase two first floor renovation of the Old Town Hall structure. The City intends to select a firm to provide services for project construction to commence in Spring of 2027. The Old Town Hall building is located at 5186 Dover Center Road in North Olmsted, OH.
This request for statements of qualification is to engage an architectural firm with a minimum of ten years preservation architecture experience to complete a comprehensive 1st floor rehabilitation and retrofit.
Candidates must meet the criteria Secretary of the Interior Professional Qualification Standards for Architectural History as the plans, specifications, and reports must meet the Secretary of the Interior Standards & Guidelines for Archeology & Historic Preservation as required.
Section 112 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the Section 106 regulations, at §800.2(a)(1), require agencies responsible for protecting historic properties to ensure that all actions taken by their employees or contractors meet professional standards as determined by the Secretary of the Interior.
2. SCOPE OF SERVICES
Plans should be developed utilizing the existing 2025 Architectural Assessment Reuse Plan and scope and costs should consider the following:
I. Plans should include appropriate demolition, new construction, new finishes and preservation of intact finishes, flooring assessment and refinishing recommendations.
II. Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing should be included for the main floor rebuild to include symbols and legends, notes, equipment schedules, demolition plans, mechanical, electrical and plumbing plans, ventilation and exhaust plans, hot and cold water, natural gas, new lighting and switches where applicable.
III. Construction administration: contractor prebid meeting, verifying schedule conforms to contract schedule, receive and review pay apps, receive and process shop drawings, receive and process RFI's, document and control change order items, id specs, onsite representation, appropriate number of hours of CA, closeout work including punch list items.
IV. Interior Design Services: a project overview and scope of work, detailed cost and fee breakdown, and visual design concepts while preserving and complementing historic finishes.
V. Opinion of Probable Cost
3. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
a. Each Firm's SOQ must be consecutively numbered on each page and include the following information, using the following outline structure, except as may be otherwise directed. The Firms' SOQ shall be no more than seventy-five (75) pages, 8½" x 11" paper, double-sided, inclusive of résumés, forms, and pictures, and tabbed according to the numbering system reflected below. Please provide the City with an SOQ that includes the following:
i. Content of Statement of Qualifications. Firm's statements of qualifications must be concise, well organized, and demonstrate Firm's qualifications, and shall be formatted as outlined below.
ii. Letter of Interest. A dated Letter of Interest must be submitted, including the legal name of the Firm(s), address, telephone, emails, and the name, title, and signature of the person(s) authorized to submit the SOQ on behalf of the Firm. The Letter of Interest should provide a brief statement of Firm's experience indicating the unique background and qualities of the Firm, its personnel and its sub consultants. Provide information that provides evidence making the Firm a good fit for work in the City.
iii. Table of Contents. A table of contents of the material contained in the SOQ should follow the letter of interest.
iv. Executive Summary. The executive summary should contain an outline of Firm's approach, along with a brief summary of Firm's qualifications.
v. Personnel and References. Include credentials of key personnel who would be assigned to the project with the City. Indicate who would serve as the primary architect. Define the role of each other team member and outline his or her proposed responsibilities on City projects. Assigned personnel shall not be replaced without the City's concurrence. Identify past municipal and/or institutional projects each individual has worked on and their role on those projects. Provide references, including names of key municipal personnel and phone numbers with whom they have worked. A minimum of five (5) references shall be included.
vi. Technical Consultants. Provide information on engineering and technical consultants you would likely work with on the project.
vii. Project Experience. Demonstrate that the firm has the professional capability and resources that can facilitate and oversee the planning, design, bidding, construction administration, and occupancy of potential City projects with specific emphasis on delivering projects on time and within the project budget.
b. Firm Information - Provide a comprehensive description of the architectural design services offered by Firm. The description should include the following:
i. Provide a brief history of Firm, and, if a joint venture, of each participating Firm. Identify legal form, ownership, and senior officials of company(ies). Describe number of years in business and types of business conducted.
ii. Describe Firm's philosophy and how Firm intends to work with the City administration officials to perform the Services, including, facilities director to respond to the unique challenges of the building.
iii. Include resumes of key personnel who would be performing Services for the City. Specifically, define the role of each person and outline his or her individual experience and responsibilities. Indicate personnel who will serve as primary contact(s) for the City. Indicate Firm and personnel's availability to provide the Services. Provide list of Firm's subcontracts, resume(s) are not required.
iv. Provide a statement of Firm's financial resources and insurance coverage. Include a certified financial report, or other documentation demonstrating the firm's financial resources and stability.
v. Provide a statement of ALL claim(s) filed against Firm in the past five (5) years. Briefly indicate the nature of the claim and the resolution, if any, of the claim(s).
vi. Include letters of reference or testimonials, if available. Firm should limit letters of references or testimonials to no more than five (5).
vii. Indicate ongoing commitment to professional education of staff, total number of permanent employees, and any other data that may assist the Selection Committee in understanding Firm's qualifications and expertise.
c. Prior Relevant Experience.
i. Describe your firm's approach to quality control/assurance procedures, including coordination of design disciplines.
ii. Describe your firm's experience with construction cost reduction/value engineering measures including how Firm intends to assist City in meeting established Project budgets and in prioritizing Project construction to meet budget.
iii. How does your firm approach preservation, modernization/retrofitting projects compared to new construction projects?
iv. Identify established methods and approaches utilized by your firm to successfully meet completion deadlines, and provide examples demonstrating effective use of stated methods and approaches.
v. Discuss the Firm's ability to meet construction schedules for projects with very tight timetables, Firm's schedule management procedures, and how the Firm has successfully handled potential delays both for the contract documents and for field changes.
vi. Identify relevant preservation/rehabilitation projects performed by Firm in the past five (3) years. Identify the projects that best describe your company, highlighting a range of price and projects. Include the following information for each project:
1. Name of project and municipality or government entity
2. Name of project architect,
3. Scope of project,
4. Contact person and telephone number for owner of the project
5. Firm person in charge of each project
6. Dollar value of each project
7. Original construction budget and final construction cost, and
d. Additional Data. Provide additional information about the Firm as it may relate to Firm's SOQ. This can include letters of reference or testimonials.
e. Conflicts of Interest. If applicable, provide a statement of any recent, current, or anticipated contractual obligations that relate in any way to similar work, the Project, or the District that may have a potential to conflict with Firm's ability to provide the Services described herein to the City. Firms cannot submit, propose, bid, contract, sub-contract, consult, or have any other economic interests in the Project to which the Firm may provide Services.
f. Budget: Include an estimated budget for services required for the completion of this work, including a detailed listing of the cost for each activity/task referenced herein, and any other costs (such as travel costs, materials and additional City-requested meetings) that may be required to complete the project. This should include a design fee and any applicable fees.
4. PROJECT SCHEDULE
The tentative schedule and target milestone dates are as follows (excludes meetings to be scheduled in coordination with the selected firm):
September 16, 2026: RFQ is issued.
September 21-September 25, 2026: Pre-submission meeting and site visit
November 13, 2026: Submission deadline
November 20, 2026: Selection committee to recommend contract.
January 4, 2027: Board of Control meeting
By January 8th: Notice to Proceed.
February 20, 2027: Architectural drawings and Design Options Plans due.
March 12, 2027: Full Plans due.
5. PROJECT COORDINATION
Stephen Holowicki, Economic & Community Development Coordinator, will be the overall project coordinator for this project. All inquiries relating to this request shall be addressed to:
Stephen Holowicki, Economic & Community Development Coordinator
City of North Olmsted
5200 Dover Center Road
North Olmsted, OH 44070
holowickis@north-olmsted.com
6. SUBMITTAL DATE AND LOCATION
Respondents must submit (1) HARD COPY PROPOSAL and one USB thumb drive containing the PDF File to the attention of Stephen Holowicki, Economic and Community Development Coordinator at the above address. Proposals must be received by the Economic and Community Development department by 4:00 p.m., on Friday, November 13, 2026. Late proposals will not be accepted.
7. CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSALS
a. The City does not obligate itself to accept any proposal.
b. The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and will have no liability whatsoever to any Proposer whose proposal is not accepted.
c. Any assumptions made by the Proposer in preparing the proposal must be listed separately and attached to the proposal in writing.
d. Acceptance of a proposal will not constitute an agreement between the Proposer and the City. Any proposal will not be binding on the City unless and until an Agreement covering all conditions and provisions of the Design Services has been reduced to writing, executed by both the successful Proposer and the City.
8. METHOD OF SELECTION AND AWARD
Pursuant to section 112.07 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of North Olmsted the following process will be used to select the most qualified firm. Following completion of the time period for receipt of RFQ, the selection committee established by the director of Economic and Community Development pursuant to Section 112.04 will evaluate all SOQs timely received based upon the evaluation criteria specified above. The selection committee will select three (3) or more of the highest qualified firms for further consideration. If fewer than three (3) firms are qualified, the committee may select fewer. The selection committee will rank remaining firms based upon quality and feasibility of proposals. The Director of Economic and Community Development, on behalf of the selection committee and the City of North Olmsted, will identify the highest rated and ranked firm and determine terms and conditions of the proposed personal services contract, including compensation. The City may choose to conduct interviews with the top ranked firm(s).
