Architectural and MEP Design - 400 SF Accessory Building at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

NOVA Parks
Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
5400 Ox Road
Fairfax Station, Virginia 22039
October 7, 2026
Request for Proposals (RFP)
for
Architectural and MEP Engineering Services: Meadowlark
Botanical Gardens 400 Square Foot Accessory Building
Title: Architectural and MEP Engineering Services: Meadowlark Botanical
Gardens 400 Square Foot Accessory Building
Issue Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Proposal Due Date: Friday, October 30, 2026, at 2:00 pm
All proposals and inquiries for information should be submitted in writing and be directed to:
Tony Canonico, Project Manager
Tcanonico@nvrpa.org
703-966-9338
NOVA Parks invites sealed written proposals from qualified firms (Offerors) to perform architectural
and engineering design services and construction management activities for the completion of a
400 square foot accessory building at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (MBG) in Vienna, Virginia.
Sealed proposals will be received until 2:00 pm local prevailing time on Friday, October 30, 2026.
Proposals received after the announced time and date for receipt will remain unopened and not
considered.
Proposals shall be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word or PDF format and delivered via email
to NOVAParksBids@nvrpa.org. Please clearly mark your email as Architectural and MEP Engineering
Services: Meadowlark Botanical Gardens 400 Square Foot Accessory Building.
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For proposals submitted via email, Offerors should:
Include in the proposal email subject line the name of the Offeror and the project name as
noted on the cover sheet of the RFP.
Send the proposal email with an automated request for a receipt to be sent back to the Offeror
when the email is read/opened. Proposal emails will not be opened by NOVA Parks until the
submission deadline.
Submit the proposal, and any other supporting documents, as Microsoft Word or PDF
attachments to the email. Do not include these documents in the body of the email.
Notify the NOVA Parks Project Manager of their intent to submit an electronic bid at least 24
hours prior to the proposal deadline.
RFP INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS
I. Purpose
A. The intent of this solicitation is for NOVA Parks to solicit sealed proposals from qualified
Offerors, and to establish a contract through competitive negotiation with one successful
Offeror to perform architectural, MEP engineering, and construction management-
related services for the design and construction of a 400 square foot accessory building
adjacent to the existing MBG Atrium building.
II. Background
A. NOVA Parks, a public body, owns and operates the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (MBG)
located at 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct, Vienna, VA 22182.
B. The MBG site includes an approximately 7,000 square foot building known as the Atrium.
The Atrium is a popular event rental facility that is primarily used for weddings and
wedding receptions. More information and photos of the Atrium can be found at:
https://www.novaparks.com/weddings-catering/the-atrium-at-meadowlark
C. NOVA Parks wishes to construct an approximately 400 square foot accessory building
adjacent to the Atrium. The building will primarily be used as a space for renters of the
Atrium as they prepare for their special event. The building will include a small ADA
restroom, kitchenette, HVAC and other accessories to support its use.
D. NOVA Parks has created draft concept plans for the building that are included as Appendix
A. Note that nothing in the concept plans have been finalized and all building details are
subject to change as we proceed through the design process.
E. Appendix B includes a location plan noting the proposed area for the new building.
F. As-built drawings and mechanical plans of the existing Atrium can be obtained by Offerors
by contacting Leslie Preble at 703-359-4626 or lpreble@nvrpa.org.
G. Offerors must schedule site visits in advance by contacting Project Manager, Tony
Canonico at 703-966-9338, or tcanonico@nvrpa.org.
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III. Scope of Services
NOVA Parks is seeking a Design Team that includes an architect and an MEP engineer. NOVA
parks will contract with the Architect who will then contract with the MEP. The scope of services
shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
A. Architectural planning and design of the new building with design details that
complement the existing Atrium architecture.
B. MEP and architectural planning and design for the new building to include electrical and
plumbing connections (sewer and water) to the existing Atrium. The design should
include all necessary work to complete the connections and to obtain required permits.
Design work shall also include all required demolition and patching to complete the
connections.
C. NOVA Parks, through a separate contract with a civil engineer, will provide a site survey
for use by the Design Team to properly site and locate the building. The Design Team will
be responsible (1) to provide final location of the building on the site survey plan, (2)
design and locate ADA connections/walkways and utility connections to the Atrium from
the new building, and (3) create a demolition plan. It is NOVA Parks intent to keep the
total project disturbance under 2500 square feet and to avoid any formal Fairfax County
site plan review process. The Design Team shall create the site layout and construction
details using the site survey as a base. The site layout and demolition plan shall be
included in the Design Team's final plan set.
D. The Design Team shall provide a complete set of architectural, and MEP plans suitable for
obtaining all required Fairfax County building and mechanical permits. NOVA Parks will
contract with a permitting expediter to submit the plans and obtain/process permits. The
Design Team shall be responsible for answering any questions raised during the permitting
process.
E. NOVA Parks will manage the bidding process and will create and advertise the solicitation
for bids using its standard forms and General Conditions of Construction. NOVA Parks will
provide all Division 01 Specifications. All other specifications are to be provided by the
Design Team. Note that since this is a small project, specifications may be included in the
project drawings.
F. Construction management and submittal review. NOVA Parks has its own team of Project
Managers to monitor construction and site visits by the Design Team during construction
will be limited to two or three visits.
G. Related activities.
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IV. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
A. General Proposal Instructions
RFP Response: Please provide the electronic copy of your proposal as previously noted. If a
proposal contains proprietary information or trade secrets, such information must be
submitted in hard copy format to NOVA Parks Headquarters in a separate sealed and
resealable envelope and clearly marked as such.
Proposal Preparation:
a. Proposals shall be signed by an authorized representative of the Offeror. All information
requested should be submitted. Failure to submit all information requested may result
in NOVA Parks requiring prompt submission of missing information and/or giving a
lowered evaluation of the proposal. Proposals that are substantially incomplete or lack
key information may be rejected by NOVA Parks. Mandatory requirements are those
required by law or regulation or are such that they cannot be waived and are not subject
to negotiation.
b. Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward,
concise description of capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the RFP. Emphasis
should be placed on completeness and clarity of content.
c. Proposals should be organized in the order in which the requirements are presented in
the RFP. All pages of the proposal should be numbered. The proposal should contain a
table of contents that cross-references the RFP requirements. Information which the
Offeror desires to present that does not fall within any of the requirements of the RFP
should be inserted at an appropriate place or be attached at the end of the proposal
and designated as additional material.
d. Ownership of all data, materials, and documentation originated and prepared for NOVA
Parks pursuant to the RFP shall belong exclusively to NOVA Parks and be subject to public
inspection in accordance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Trade secrets
or proprietary information submitted by an Offeror shall not be subject to public
disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act; however, the Offeror must
invoke the protections of 2.2-4342F of the Code of Virginia, in writing, either before
or at the time the data or other material is submitted. The written notice must
specifically identify the data or materials to be protected and state the reasons why
protection is necessary. The proprietary or trade secret material submitted must be
identified by some distinct method such as highlighting or underlining and must indicate
only the specific words, figures, or paragraphs that constitute trade secret or proprietary
information. The classification of an entire proposal document, line-item prices, and/or
total proposal prices as proprietary or trade secrets is not supported by law.
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e. All costs of proposal preparation and presentation shall be borne by each Offeror. NOVA
Parks is not liable for any cost incurred by the Offeror prior to the issuance of a contract.
Presentation: Offerors who submit a proposal in response to this RFP may be required to give
a short Teams Call presentation to NOVA Parks. This provides an opportunity for the Offeror
to clarify or elaborate on the proposal. This is a fact-finding and explanation session only and
does not include negotiation. NOVA Parks will schedule the time of these presentations.
Presentations are an option of NOVA Parks and may or may not be conducted.
B. Specific Proposal Instructions
The following information must be provided in a written proposal form, along with any other data
deemed relevant by the Offeror so that NOVA Parks may properly evaluate your capabilities to
provide the required services.
Section 1: Executive Summary
The Offeror's proposal shall contain an executive summary that summarizes their overall
capabilities and approaches for accomplishing the services specified herein. The Offeror shall
provide a narrative demonstrating their full understanding of the project, scope, and tasks
required to successfully complete the services.
Section 2 - Skills and Experience of Project Team
a. The Offeror shall provide a Project Team Organizational Chart.
b. The Offeror shall describe the experience and demonstrate the qualifications of the entire
project team, including any subcontractors that the Offeror proposes to use. The written
narrative statement shall clearly identify the Project Manager as well as other members of
the project team. The Offeror shall provide the names, qualifications, degrees,
certifications, experience, and licenses of the employees, consultants, and sub-consultants
to be assigned to the project.
Section 3 - Similar Services and Related Experience
The Offeror shall provide a listing of at least three (3) current references for whom similar services
have been performed - for itself and any subconsultants. The Offeror shall include a narrative
of the services provided as well as the name and contact information of the client for whom the
work was performed. The Offeror shall describe the firm's experience with providing similar
services along with timelines.
Section 4 - Project Approach and Ability to Meet/Exceed Requirements
The Offeror shall provide a narrative describing the proposed approach/methodology in
providing the services.
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V. Evaluation of Proposals and Award Criteria
A. Evaluation Criteria: Proposals shall be evaluated by an Evaluation Committee using the
following criteria:
a. Skills and Experience of Project Team (35 points)
b. Similar Services and Related Experience (35 points)
c. Project Approach and Ability to Meet/Exceed Requirements (30 points)
B. Award Criteria: NOVA Parks will rank the proposals based upon the specifications set
forth above and schedule Teams Call interviews with at least the two Offerors ranked
highest. During the interviews, NOVA Parks and the Offeror will discuss professional
qualifications, the project under consideration, and project cost. NOVA Parks may
request that the Offeror provide nonbinding estimates of project cost prior to the
interview. After the interviews are completed, NOVA Parks will again rank the Offerors
and attempt to negotiate a contract with the Offeror ranked highest. If a contract can be
negotiated with that Offeror at a fair and reasonable price, then the contract will be
awarded. Otherwise, NOVA Parks will terminate negotiations with the first Offeror and
enter negotiations with the next highest-ranked offeror until the contract can be
awarded.
VI. General Terms and Conditions
A. General:
a. The terms of this document shall form a portion of any contract between NOVA Parks
and the successful Offeror, whether or not these terms are expressly incorporated into
the contract form.
b. NOVA Parks reserves the right to waive any informality in proposals and to reject any or
all proposals.
B. Offeror's Representations:
a. Each Offeror, by submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, represents that the
Offeror has read and understands the contract specifications and has familiarized
himself with all federal, state and local laws, ordinances, rules and regulations that in
any manner may affect the cost, progress or performance of the work.
b. Offerors must submit the attached completed Offeror's Certification with its proposal.
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C. Addenda:
a. Any changes to the RFP and contract specifications will be in the form of a written
addendum issued by NOVA Parks.
b. Each Offeror shall be responsible for determining that all addenda issued by the NOVA
Parks for the RFP have been received before submitting a proposal for the work.
c. Each Offeror shall acknowledge receipt of each addendum in its proposal.
d. All addenda will be posted on the NOVA Parks website at:
https://www.novaparks.com/about-nova-parks/bids-proposals. NOVA Parks will also
attempt to distribute addenda by email to potential offerors who submit questions or
requests for information by email and/or provide an email address to NOVA Parks.
However, potential offerors are solely responsible for confirming receipt of all addenda by
checking the NOVA Parks website prior to submitting a proposal.
D. Modification of Proposal:
a. A proposal may be modified or withdrawn by the Offeror any time prior to the
time and date set for the receipt of proposals. The Offeror shall notify NOVA Parks
in writing of his or her intentions.
b. Modified and withdrawn proposals may be resubmitted to the Purchasing Agent up
to the time and date set for the receipt of proposals.
E. Award of Contract:
a. After negotiations are complete, the successful Offeror shall provide a draft contract
for services for review and editing by NOVA Parks.
b. The contract documents shall be subject to and governed by the laws of the
Commonwealth of Virginia and the Virginia Public Procurement Act. Any dispute
arising out of the contract documents, their performance, or their interpretation shall
be litigated only in the Circuit Court of Fairfax County, Virginia.
c. The final contract documents shall include NOVA Parks Mandatory Contract Clauses
which are attached as Appendix C.
d. NOVA Parks is prohibited by law from indemnifying third parties.
e. The Architect shall provide professional liability covering negligent acts, errors and
omissions in the performance of professional services with limits of not less than one
million dollars ($1,000,000) per claim and two million dollars ($2,000,000) in the
aggregate.
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f. NOVA Parks shall retain ownership rights of all documents created by the Design
Team pursuant to this RFP and shall use them only for the purpose of constructing,
maintaining, altering or adding to the Project. NOVA Parks shall not use the Design
Team documents at other locations without the prior written consent of the
Architect.
*****END OF RFP*****
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Offeror's Certification:
In compliance with this Request for Proposal and to all the conditions imposed therein, including
all attachments and addenda, and hereby incorporated by reference, the undersigned offers and
agrees to furnish the goods/services in accordance with the attached signed proposal or as
mutually agreed upon by subsequent negotiation. I certify that I have the authority to bind the
corporation in contract.
Name of Firm
Address of Firm
Virginia SCC No.:
Signature Date
Printed Name
Title
This statement must be signed by the Offeror or its authorized representative and included in
the Proposal Submission.

APPENDIX A - CONCEPT PLAN