Professional Design Services for Swimming Pool at Fort Niagara State Park

Request for Qualifications

The New York Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) is seeking to retain a professional design firm in the field of Engineering or Landscape Architecture to lead a multi-disciplinary team to provide professional services for the design of a new swimming pool at Fort Niagara State Park. The design will include a new swimming pool and related infrastructure in the location of the existing pool within the park.

Selection will be according to Qualification Based Selection Procedures. This document summarizes the contracting opportunity, potential activities to be performed under the contract, submittal instructions, and required qualifications. Fee structure, actual fee, and task orders will be negotiated after the most qualified firm has been selected.

Description of Existing Area

Fort Niagara State Park is located east of the Niagara River on the south shore of Lake Ontario in the Town of Youngstown, Niagara County, New York. The state park is adjacent to the Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site. The swimming pool in the park was constructed in 1971 with the bath house rebuilt in 2018. The project focus will be the design of a new swimming pool and recreation area within the existing pool fence based on a conceptual design study that was completed in 2024 (Fort Niagara Pool Feasibility Study, 2024 attached).

The objectives of the project include:

• Final design of the swimming pool and kiddie pool areas (i.e. construction documents); the design shall generally follow the preferred concept shown in the design study.
• The final design shall reflect the utilization of the existing bathhouse, existing filter building, and existing utility infrastructure.
• Intentional design of green spaces and picnic areas within the pool fence, using the concepts shown in the design study as a starting point.

Site Visit

I nterested firms are strongly encouraged to visit the project site prior to submitting a proposal.

An open site meeting is scheduled on June 18, 2025, at 11:00 AM at the Fort Niagara State Park swimming pool.

Services to be Provided

OPRHP is seeking a qualified design firm to lead a multi-disciplinary team to develop a final design for the project area based on the preferred concept selected through a conceptual design study completed in 2024. The scope of the design services will include, but not be limited to, detailed design and construction documents, permitting, estimating, bid services, and construction administration. The scope of design services will also include overall design project management, scheduling, and team organization.

The elements of the conceptual plan anticipated to advance under this design contract include:

• New main pool
• New kiddie pool
• Ground spray zone
• Water play area
• Connection of pools to existing filter and utility infrastructure
• Adjacent green space
• Walking paths
• Seating and picnic areas

The services under this Contract will require the design team to develop a final design based on the preferred concept that conforms with current regulations and works with the existing infrastructure.

The proposal should highlight experience in the following areas:

• Swimming pools (including all necessary piping and supporting infrastructure)
• Civil Engineering
• Topographic Survey and Mapping
• Landscape Architecture
• Site and utility design (including electrical)
• Ensuring conformance with all applicable regulations for public swimming and spray facilities
• Phase 1A and 1B archeological field surveys and associated reporting to SHPO to facilitate project advancement
• Sustainable Design
• Construction cost estimating
• Construction bid phase services

The services under this Contract will require the design team to develop effective, creative, durable and economical design solutions. Designs must satisfy operational needs, meet sustainability objectives, and be cost effective.

Construction Cost Estimate

Subject to the availability of funding, the estimated construction cost of this project is $9,000,000.

Contract Value

Upon completion of the qualifications-based selection process, Parks will enter fee negotiations with the most highly qualified bidder whereby the bidder will be required to provide a proposed fee inclusive of all services outlined in the “Services to be Provided” section for review and approval by Parks. It is the expectation of Parks that the bidder will use best faith efforts to negotiate a fair and reasonable fee for the work outlined in this RFQ. However, if a fair and reasonable fee cannot be reached with the most highly qualified bidder, Parks may, at its sole discretion, end negotiations with the most highly qualified bidder and begin fee negotiations with the second most highly qualified bidder, and subsequently the third, and so on if deemed necessary.

Contract Term

The term of the awarded contract is forty-eight (48) months, unless supplemented otherwise, and commences upon contract approval by the Office of the State Comptroller.

Proposal Format and Submission Instructions

Interested firms shall submit qualifications consisting of a short portfolio that includes:

• A Letter of Interest
• Not more than 40 additional single-side pages (or 20 pages if double-sided) describing the following:
  • Firm’s qualifications and relevant experience, including specific project information and photos.
  • Proposed staffing and present workload for prime and sub-consultants. If subconsultants are proposed, the role of each should be discussed. The submission should describe the organization of proposed project staff indicating the role of each key individual. Include an organization chart.
  • A brief description of a proposed project approach.
• One- or two-page resumes of key personnel including: a.) education; b.) professional registrations and/or industry certifications; c.) experience and previous assignments; d.) current assignments (including project locations and duties); and e.) estimated completion date of current assignments.
• Proofs of professional registration and/or licensure for licensed professionals.
• Client Reference List: Provide the names and contact information for five different Client representatives worked with in the last 3 years. Include: client (company) name, primary contact, and contact information.
• Contractor Reference List: Provide the names and contact information for five different Contractors worked with in the last 3 years. Include: contractor (company) name, primary contact, and contact information.

By the due date listed, a PDF version of the submission shall be e-mailed as an attachment to capitalsubmissions@parks.ny.gov . The subject line of the e-mail shall contain the contract number and title of the offering for which the submission is being provided. E-mails containing a link to a PDF submission will not be accepted. Submissions e-mailed to the authorized contacts will not be accepted, nor will they constitute timely responses if submitted only to the authorized contacts before the due date and time. Professional firms, including Minority, Women, and Service- Disabled Veteran-Owned firms are encouraged to reply.

Qualifications & Selection Process

Selection of the firm deemed to be “the most highly qualified” shall be in accordance with qualification-based selection procedures. Selection criteria are described below.

Project Portfolio & Team Experience: Consideration will be given to teams which present previous experience in pool design and construction, landscape architecture, municipal/government work, and other relevant project elements, as noted in the Services to be Provided section, of similar complexity and construction cost.

Team Members’ Relevant Education, Experience, & Professional Qualifications: Consideration will be given to the team’s combined mix of relevant education, experience, and professional qualifications.

Project Approach and Team Organization: Consideration will be given to firms who demonstrate a thorough and effective approach and organization for fulfilling this contract.

Additional Selection Criteria: In addition, firms should demonstrate how they apply each of the following criteria by providing specific examples of how they achieved each metric in three previously completed projects:

• Aesthetic Quality and Creativity of Solutions

Firms should show their ability to design from a provided concept thru to finished construction documents.

The above criteria will be scored, and firms will be ranked accordingly, resulting in a “short list” of top-ranked firms. Reference checks may be conducted for the top-ranked firms. Remote interviews may be required of any or all firms to determine what firms are selected, dependent upon the initial rankings based on the submitted proposals. The content of the interviews, should they be required, will be used to confirm, or re-evaluate the scores assigned to the above selection criteria.

If interviews are conducted, short listed candidates will be re-ranked based upon the final/re-evaluated scores and the most qualified firm will be selected.