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Commissioner Johnson - Public Works - To Authorize the County Manager, or Her Designee, to Execute a Professional Services Contract with Creech & Associates, PLLC for the Design of the Administration Annex Upfit Project
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STAFF CONTACT
Dan Ziehm, PE - Public Works Director - 704-862-6795
BUDGET IMPACT
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Professional Services Contract Not to Exceed $185,000 (already in current fiscal year budget).
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BUDGET ORDINANCE IMPACT
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BACKGROUND
The Gaston County Administration Building is located at 128 West Main Avenue, Gastonia, NC. The adjacent property located at 110 West Main Ave. (PID 212033) was built in 1914 and is 3,720 square feet of shell building space, which will be upfit into office, conference, and collaborative meeting space. Preliminary plans will also include renovation of 100 West Main Ave. (PID 219964) to include office and meeting space. The selected firm will provide a full range of planning and design services for a fully functional, operational, ADA, and code compliant facility.
North Carolina General Statute (NCGS) §143-64.31 requires the initial solicitation and evaluation of firms to perform architectural, engineering, surveying, construction management-at-risk services, and design-build services (collectively “design services”) to be based on qualifications and without regard to fee. NCGS §143-64.32 authorizes units of local government to exempt contracts for design services from the qualifications-based selection requirements of NCGS §143-64.31 if the estimated fee is less than $50,000. However, the design fees for this project will exceed the $50,000 cap for exemption, thereby requiring the engineer to be selected through the qualifications-based process.
Public Works staff developed a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) packet for the design of the Administration Annex Upfit project in accordance with the statutory requirements and publicly advertised these projects beginning on March 21, 2023. Statements of Qualification (SOQ) submittals were received on April 6, 2023. The five (5) firms submitting SOQs were:
• Ossa Studio, PLLC
• Design Collaborative
• Gensler Architecture, Design & Planning, P.C.
• Creech & Associates, PLLC
• Biloba Architecture, PLLC
After reviewing the SOQs submitted by the five firms, Creech & Associates, PLLC was deemed to be the best qualified for the referenced project.
Approval of this Board Action officially selects Creech & Associates, PLLC as the designer of record for the project listed above. Further, approval of this Board Action authorizes the County Attorney to negotiate and draft the necessary contract documents for the work and authorizes the County Manager, or her designee, to negotiate and execute said contracts. Fees for this design contract will not exceed $185,000.
POLICY IMPACT
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ATTACHMENTS
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