Construction Administration and Inspection Services: Academy Park Renovations Project

CITY OF GAHANNA, OHIO
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
FOR
CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION AND INSPECTION SERVICES
ACADEMY PARK RENOVATIONS PROJECT
City of Gahanna, Ohio
Department of Parks and Recreation
Stephania Ferrell
Director of Parks and Recreation
Submittals Due:
April 22, 2026, at 5:00 PM

City of Gahanna
Academy Park Renovation CA-CI RFP
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROJECT SUMMARY........................ ......................... ........................................................................... 3
DETAILED SCOPE OF SERVICES ........................................................................................................... 4
PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL.................................................................................................................... 7
PROPOSAL CONTENT AND FORMAT.................................................................................................... 8
EVALUATION CRITERIA .............................................................................................................................. 9
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Academy Park Planset*
Attachment B - Academy Park Playground Planset**
Attachment C - Academy Park Specifications*
Attachment D - Academy Park Geotech Report (submitted with bid as supporting information)
Attachment E - Draft Opinion of Probable Cost
Attachment F - Gahanna's Standard Owner-Contractor Agreement*
Attachment G - Gahanna's Standard Terms and Conditions*
Attachment H - Professional Services Contract
Attachment I - Proposal Pricing Form
* Contractual Document for City of Gahanna's Competitive Bidding Process for Construction
** Contractual Document for Separate Contract, but included in Academy Park Project
Note: Construction documents have not yet been approved for construction and finalized for bid.
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City of Gahanna
Academy Park Renovation CA-CI RFP
Request for Proposals (RFP) for
Academy Park Renovations
Request Release Date: March 25, 2026
Submittals Due: April 22, 2026
Submit To: Email "CA/CI Academy Park Renovations" to catherine.eichel@gahanna.gov
Purpose: The City of Gahanna is seeking a contract with a professional services team for the
Construction Administration and Inspection of renovations at Academy Park.
Project Contact: Catherine Eichel, Parks and Recreation Capital Projects Manager
1. Project Summary and Goals
The Academy Park Renovations project includes improvements within Academy Park at 1201 Cherry
Bottom Road. Academy Park, at 107 acres, is the largest park within the Gahanna Parks and Recreation
Department (GPRD) system and features seven baseball diamonds, two basketball courts, grass fields, a
shelterhouse, a playground, and access points to two of Gahanna's premier trails, the Mountain Bike Trail
and the Big Walnut Trail.
Several of Academy's facilities are beyond their useful life and require rehabilitation or replacement.
Attachment A. Academy Park and Attachment B. Academy Park Playground Plansets show the improvements
planned at Academy Park, which include but are not limited to, demolition of the existing shelterhouse,
construction of a new shelterhouse, demolition of the existing playground, construction of a new playground,
expansion of the parking lot, significant improvements to the existing parking lot including enhanced
stormwater infrastructure, paving improvements including both milling and full depth replacement, the
inclusion of parking lot lights and electric vehicle chargers, new dumpster pad and enclosure, construction of
a new permanent stormwater feature, repair of basketball courts, multi-use trail and sidewalk improvements,
accessibility improvements, and upgraded utilities including water, sanitary, cable, and electric. The
completed project will be owned and operated by the GPRD.
Construction drawings, specifications, and site investigation (Attachment(s) A through D) for the Academy
Park Renovations have been prepared by the following team of design professionals (DPs): POD Design
(Landscape Design), Advanced Civil Design (Civil and Site), BBCO (Architect), Schaefer, Inc, (Structural,
sub to Architect), Geotechnical Consultants (Geotech), McMullen Engineering Co (MEP), and Advanced
Engineering Consultants (IT). The Academy Park Playground was designed by POD Design and Midstates
Recreation. The estimated construction cost is shown in Attachment E. Draft Opinion of Probably Cost.
The City's schedule for construction is based on issuing a notice to proceed (NTP) to the selected contractor
in late July / August 2026 and with a substantial completion date fourteen to eighteen months from NTP. The
construction contract will be procured through a sealed bidding process and will be subject to Gahanna's
standard construction contract documents (Attachments F and G) and construction documents (Attachments
A and C). The Academy Park Playground, Attachment B. Playground Plans, will be constructed in
conjunction with this project, but will be awarded through a separate City contract. Rough grading and
concrete work for the playground will be completed within the general improvements project.
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City of Gahanna
Academy Park Renovation CA-CI RFP
There are several coordination challenges unique to this project. As noted above, with the general
renovations and playground renovations being awarded through separate contracts but being constructed in
tandem, the awarded CA/CI consultant's responsibilities and scope of services shall apply to both contracts.
In addition, it is the City's intent that, to the extent possible, that while the Park will be closed to the general
public for the duration of construction, that the construction can be structured in such a way to allow for the
local baseball league to utilize the fields starting in Spring 2027, even if access to other facilities is limited.
The Academy Park Renovations project will be supported primarily with City funds with a percentage
funded as an ODNR grant.
DETAILED SCOPE OF SERVICES
Task 1. Construction Administration
The Consultant shall appoint a Construction Manager (CM) who shall serve as the City's representative with
the Contractor during construction. This CM will work directly with the City of Gahanna Parks Project
Construction Manager, or project representative, as appointed by the City to facilitate construction.
The awarded CA/CI team shall review and be aware of all contract documents, construction drawings and
specifications, City general conditions, and other related documents; as well as City processes related to
Construction. The CM shall adhere to these processes and should confer with the City immediately when
these processes are breached. The CM and CI staff should identify possible coordination and construction
risks throughout the duration of the project, and confer with the City appropriately to proactively address
these issues.
In addition, the CM shall have the following responsibilities:
a. Schedule Review and Monitoring: The CM shall review and monitor all construction schedules; the
schedule of shop drawing and sample submittals and any other schedules prepared by the Contractor
and consult with the City concerning acceptability of such schedules. When reviewing and
monitoring schedules, the CM shall:
i. Verify that schedule-related items, including activities, milestones and phasing, are in
compliance with the contract documents.
ii. Verify the reasonableness of activity durations with regard to the quantities of work involved.
iii. Verify the reasonableness in the level of detail, associated quantities and pricing of items as
presented in the Schedule of Values.
iv. Consider submittals, material deliveries and lead times, and related inspection requirements.
v. Include recommendations to the City for acceptance, acceptance as noted, rejection, or
revision and resubmittal of any Contractor schedule.
vi. Identify and communicate any activity that may impact critical path or overall schedule.
vii. Provide regular updates identifying open and overdue submittals.
b. Record Keeping: The CM shall maintain appropriate project records. Project records shall include
but are not limited to contracts, correspondence issued and received, construction documents,
requests for information (RFIs), request for proposals (RFPs), change orders (COs), regular and
special inspections, material testing results, claims, warranties, operations and maintenance
manuals, start-up testing, and updated design documents including as-builts. Project records that
cannot be electronically recorded or filed, such as material samples, shall be maintained at a City-
approved location. Project Records shall be maintained in an organized and accessible format for
use by the city during and after construction.
c. Submittal Review and Monitoring: The CM shall fully coordinate the submittal review process
and monitor all submittals to support timely processing by the City and design firms, including
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Academy Park Renovation CA-CI RFP
tracking so the City is aware of the status of all submittals at any given time. The CM shall receive
samples that are furnished at the site and notify the City of the availability of the samples for
examination. The CM shall advise the City of the commencement of any portion of the Work
requiring a submittal if the CM believes that the submittal has not been received from the
Contractor. The awarded firm will be responsible for providing a software system or working with
the GC's system at the City's discretion.
d. Requests for Information or Interpretation (RFI): The CM shall review and monitor all RFIs from
the Contractor to support timely responses by the City and design firms. During this process, the
CM shall:
i. Receive from the Contractor submittal of any matters in question concerning the
requirements of the Construction Contract Documents or relating to the acceptability of the
Work under the Construction Contract Documents.
ii. Return RFIs to the Contractor that are not valid because the requested information is within
the contract documents or do not contain adequate information for a response.
iii. Communicate any valid RFI to the City and design firms as appropriate, requesting a
response.
iv. Facilitate responses, typically within five (5) calendar days of receipt of notification.
Responses may require changes to specifications and/or drawings by the design firms.
v. Notify the city of any RFI responses not received within the target timeframe and provide
recommended actions to mitigate potential schedule impact.
vi. Return RFI response(s) to the Contractor.
vii. Identify Open and Overdue items in regular updates to the city.
e. Requests for Proposals (RFPs):
i. In the event a Change Order is needed, after consultation with the City, the CM shall consult
with DPs to prepare an RFP, review it with the City, and submit it to the Contractor for
Pricing.
ii. The CM shall prepare a parallel and independent cost estimate when requested. Such cost
estimate shall include a basic cost comparison or rationale supporting the CM's evaluation.
iii. The CM shall review received Contractor pricing for accuracy, appropriate mark-ups, and
cost and negotiation.
iv. The CM shall provide a written recommendation for all change orders, indicating whether
the work is within the original contract scope and whether the proposed pricing is reasonable
f. Claims and Disputes: The CM will assist the City in researching and managing potential claims
and provide documentation, correspondence, and recommendations to the City.
g. Conferences and Meetings: The CM shall lead and facilitate meetings with the City and/or
Contractor, including preconstruction conferences, monthly coordination meetings, monthly
progress meetings, and other Project-related meetings. The CM shall develop the agenda as well
as distribute copies of minutes thereof (draft minutes within one week of a meeting and final
minutes presented at the next meeting). Meeting minutes shall include action items, responsible
parties, and required completion dates.
h. Contractor's Application for Payment: The CM shall review all payment applications to ensure
compliance with contract requirements. The CM shall verify that payment applications are
supported by appropriate documentation, including quantities installed and percentage complete.
The CM coordinates with the Construction Inspector (CI) to confirm that the Contractor's
payment applications are accurate/complete and can be recommended to the City for payment.
i. Contract Modification and Change Order (CO) Management: The CM shall coordinate, evaluate,
and process potential CO requests by the Contractor. The CM's evaluation of CO requests
includes, but is not limited to, the following:
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Academy Park Renovation CA-CI RFP
i. Scope, schedule, and costs are reasonable
ii. Unit costs are reasonable
iii. Quantities are accurate
iv. The level of detail is appropriate
v. Work has not been completed as part of other work or is part of original contract documents.
The CM shall help the City negotiate on these items as appropriate.
j. Inspections, Tests, and System Start-ups: The CM shall consult with the City in advance of any
scheduled inspection, tests, and systems start-ups. The CM will observe, record, and report to City
appropriate details relative to the test procedures.
k. Substantial Completion: The CM shall assist the City in the preliminary inspection of the project,
including development and distribution of the Project Punchlist, to verify Substantial Completion.
l. Final Completion and Closeout: The CM shall assist the City in the final inspection of the project,
which includes confirming the Contractor's completion of work listed on the Project Punchlist.
The CM shall track punch list items and provide regular status updates to the city until all items
are complete. Consultant will observe all equipment, and associated systems are fully checked and
request copies of startup reports prepared by manufacturer's representatives. The consultant will
coordinate training and maintenance schedules with the City's records-keeping system.
m. Limits to the CM's Responsibility and Liability: Neither the activities of CM, nor the presence of
the CM's employees or subconsultants at the construction/project site, shall relieve the Contractor,
subcontractors, suppliers, and any other entity of their obligations, duties, and responsibilities
including, but not limited to, construction means, methods, sequence, techniques or procedures
necessary for performing, superintending, or coordinating the work in accordance with the
Contract Documents, City regulations, and any health or safety precautions required by any
regulatory agency having jurisdiction.
n. Coordination with Design Professionals (DPs):
The City has contracted with the DPs (Section 1) for this project for the following construction-
phase services:
i. Attendance at the pre-construction meeting.
ii. Submittal / shop drawing reviews.
iii. Responding to design-related RFIs, including preparation of updated drawing sheets and
RFPs as needed. These responses may require site visits to gain information in certain
circumstances.
The awarded CA-CI firm for this project will be responsible for coordination with the DPs during
construction.
o. The CM shall not:
i. Authorize any deviation from the Construction Contract Documents or substitution of
materials or equipment (including "or-equal" items) without appropriate approvals by DPs
and the City.
ii. Advise on, issue directions relative to, or assume control over any aspect of the means,
methods, techniques, sequences, or procedures of the Work, by the Contractor or any other
Constructor.
iii. Accept Shop Drawing or Sample submittals from anyone other than the Contractor.
iv. Supervise, direct, or have control over the Contractor's work.
Task 2. Construction Inspection
a. The Consultant shall furnish a Construction Inspector (CI) to observe the progress and quality
of the Work. The CI shall be the City's representative at the Site and shall confer with the City
throughout the duration of construction.
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Academy Park Renovation CA-CI RFP
b. The CI shall inform the City of any instance, on a daily basis, where adherence to contract
documents is not met.
c. The CI's inspection duties and services shall include the following:
i. Maintain regular on-site presence aligned with construction activities
ii. Be familiar with and knowledgeable of all Contract Documents, including plans, general
conditions, specifications, and applicable standards.
iii. Prepare and maintain daily reports of site activities and document work performed
through site photos. These daily reports shall include work performed and observed
issues or deviations from the contract documents.
iv. Photo documentation and organization of work for future maintenance needs.
v. Verify adherence of construction performed to the contract documents.
vi. Review draft applications for payment with CM and Contractor for accuracy and
compliance with contract requirements.
vii. If an instance arises where the Contractor proceeds with work that does not conform to
the contract documents, the CI shall immediately notify the City and document non-
compliant work on the daily report and with photos. The CI will track and follow up on
all identified non-conforming work until resolution is confirmed.
viii. Verify that the Contractor is maintaining a marked-up set of redline construction
documents and regularly coordinate with the Contractor to reconcile any observed
differences. Verify that the Contractor is updating permitting authorities with updated
design information prior to inspections.
d. Limits to the CI's Responsibility and Liability: The activities of the CI shall not relieve the
Contractor, subcontractors, suppliers, and any other entity of their obligations, duties, and
responsibilities including, but not limited to, construction means, methods, sequence,
techniques or procedures necessary for performing, superintending, or coordinating the work
in accordance with the Contract Documents, and any health or safety precautions required by
any regulatory agency having jurisdiction.
Task 3. Material Testing and Special Inspections
a. The Consultant shall facilitate and be responsible for all special inspections, materials testing and
certifications as shown in the attached Construction Documents (Attachments A through C).
PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL
Consultants shall email their Proposal in pdf format (no hard copies will be accepted), no later than 5:00
p.m., April 22, 2026, to:
Catherine Eichel, Capital Projects Manager
Catherine.eichel@gahanna.gov
Submittals are not returnable and will become the property of the City. Please be advised that once submitted,
the Proposals will become "public record" and are available to all for inspection and copying, upon request.
Consultants are solely responsible for examining the complete RFP, including all documents, instructions,
reports, and any addenda to these documents, and for responding in full compliance with these instructions.
Any addenda to this RFP will be posted at the 'Bids-RFPs-RFQs' portion of the City's
Competitive Procurement website; responding Consultants are responsible for monitoring this
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Academy Park Renovation CA-CI RFP
website for any such addenda.
All questions pertaining to information within or related to this RFP shall be submitted via email to
Catherine Eichel by no later than April 15th, 2026. The City may, in its sole discretion, extend the Proposal
due date if such action is deemed necessary by the City, to satisfy the requirements of the RFP process.
PROPOSAL CONTENT AND FORMAT
Proposals shall be formatted in accordance with the structure presented below.
Section A: Letter of Transmittal
The Letter of Transmittal shall include the Firm's Name and Address, Point of Contact Name, Title,
telephone number, and e-mail address. The letter shall be signed by a duly authorized representative of the
Consultant submitting the Proposal.
Section B: Approach and Methodology
Describe the proposed approach. The approach should address both the detailed Scope of Services and also
be specific to this Project. The Consultant shall also include any other relevant information concerning your
firm's qualifications for the Project.
Section C: Proposed Project Timeline
Propose a project schedule depicting the timing of all work activities starting from the Notice to Proceed.
This schedule should identify any assumptions used in developing the schedule.
Section D: Project Team
Submit an organizational chart illustrating the project team members and any subconsultants. Indicate the
names, titles, responsibilities, office location(s), and percentage available for this project for each proposed
team member, including the Project Manager. This section should also include any relevant certifications for
project team members. The organizational chart shall clearly identify the DBE/EDGE/SBE status of any
firms proposed for the project.
Section E: Project Experience
Submit at least three 1-page project descriptions from work performed that demonstrates the Project Team's
experience with the work described in this RFP. Each project description shall include the following:
* General description of services,
* Project completion date,
* Consultant contract value as applicable,
* Owner contact information (including phone and email address),
* Role(s) of proposed project team members on the submitted project.
Section F: Proposed Pricing
Submit a completed Pricing Schedule using the Attachment I. Proposal Pricing Form along with a billing
rate schedule. The submitted Pricing Form shall include total Consultant hours per task, total Consultant fee
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Academy Park Renovation CA-CI RFP
per task, and Subconsultant fees per task (if any). The City reserves the right to negotiate a final, adjusted
not-to-exceed total fee estimate in accordance with Quality Based Selection (QBS) Processes of the Ohio
Revised Code (ORC). Consultant shall note any exceptions and/or assumptions as necessary in their
submittal proposal. The submitted Pricing Form shall clearly identify the total value of services to be
provided by DBE/EDGE/SBE firms.
Section G: Team Member Resumes
Submit resumes of proposed staff shown on the Project Team Organizational Chart.
7. EVALUATION CRITERIA
Each Proposal will be evaluated based on the firms' responses to the RFP criteria, as presented below:
Section Maximum Points
Section B: Approach and Methodology 30
Section C: Proposed Project Timeline 10
Section D: Project Manager and Team 25
Section E: Project Experience 25
Section F: DBE/EDGE/SBE Participation (Target 5%) 10
Total 100
Following the selection of a Consultant based on the scoring criteria presented above, the City will schedule
a meeting with the selected Consultant to review/finalize the project scope prior to entering into a contract.
To the extent that this meeting indicates the need for any scope adjustments, the Consultant will submit a
revised scope for approval to the City within two weeks of this meeting date.
The City will take all necessary affirmative steps to assure that minority businesses, women's business
enterprises, and labor surplus area firms are used when possible. For guidance, staff members may refer to
minority-owned, women owned, and socially and economically disadvantaged businesses approved by the
Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS).
The City will enter into a contract with the selected consultant using Gahanna's standard Professional
Services Contract (see Attachment H).
8. SHORTLIST SELECTION
Upon reviewing and scoring all submitted Proposals, the City reserves the right to shortlist qualified Teams
for advancement. Presentation/Interviews may be required for shortlisted project teams.
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