Commissioning Services for Fire Station No. 4 Project

The City of Palo Alto is seeking proposals for commissioning services for the new Fire Station No. 4 at 3600 Middlefield Road. The selected firm will provide 3rd-party commissioning services to ensure proper operation of building systems, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and specialty systems such as vehicle exhaust. The Commissioning Agent must ensure that the project meets the City's sustainability goals, including achieving LEED Silver certification and Cal Green Tier II compliance. The Commissioning Agent will be expected to foster collaborative working relationships with all members of the Owner’s staff, the architect, engineers, construction managers, other consultants, vendors, specialty contractors, and subcontractors throughout the duration of the project.

The criteria for awarding the Commissioning portion of this project will be based upon the responses to this RFP, fee proposal, personnel experience, and availability to provide services in the timeframe required. Another consideration for selection will be how the commissioning agent can integrate into the project team. Monthly coordination meetings will be scheduled once the contract is awarded and then, throughout the construction process as needed and as systems are installed.

Fire Station No. 4 is currently located at the intersection of Middlefield Road and East Meadow Drive in Palo Alto, California. This Project is for the replacement of the existing fire station with a new fire station on the same site. The existing station is a single-story building of that will require abatement and deconstruction prior to construction of the new fire station. The proposed new station is a one-story building with a mezzanine of approximately 8,100 SF.

The scope of this Project is to demolish the existing 1953 wood-framed structure and replace it with a modern code-compliant fire station of Type V-B construction. The site itself is in the northeast corner of the larger Mitchell Park site, and neighboring structures include the Covenant Presbyterian Church, Middlefield ballpark, and Fairmeadow Elementary school. Located to the other sides of the intersection are mostly single-family residential neighborhoods. The 2024 estimated construction cost is $12 million, which is based upon the engineer’s estimate of the plan set. The construction cost estimate excludes design costs, construction contingency, inflation, permits, testing, fixtures, furnishings, and equipment.

The City has contracted with Brown Reynolds Watford Architects (Architect) of San Francisco to provide the architectural and engineering design for this Project. The design plans for the Fire Station No. 4 Project have been reviewed by the City of Palo Alto Architectural Review Board (ARB) and have been presented to the community. The construction work must be executed in compliance with applicable statutes, ordinances, rules, and regulations of all Federal, State, County, City, and other agencies having jurisdiction over the Project.

The General Contractor is set to mobilize for construction in summer 2025 with an anticipated construction duration of 18 months.