Request for Qualifications
The Virgin Islands Architecture Center for Built Heritage and Crafts
RFQ 001-2024-VIAC
The Virgin Islands Architecture Center for Built Heritage and Crafts (VIAC) has been awarded a Save America’s Treasures grant under Assistance Listing 15.929 from the National Park Service (NPS) in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to begin shell construction of Building 2 of the Old Barracks Property at 21 Hospital Street, in the Christiansted Historic District of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. This property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing resource to the Christiansted Historic District. VIAC has a 50 year lease agreement on the Old Barracks Property with the Virgin Islands Government.
Contingent upon this award, VIAC is soliciting offerors of a statement of qualifications in response to this Request for Qualifications for architectural and engineering services to assist VIAC in both (a) designing and (b) supervising construction of this project in compliance with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards & Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation for rehabilitating historic buildings. Payment terms will be negotiated with the selected offeror. The fee for architectural services will be paid with federal grant funds.
The desired end use of the property is to serve the purposes of workshop/classroom space, exhibition space, and onsite office space to align with the development of an educational center focused on built heritage, historic preservation, architecture, and the building arts of the Virgin Islands and Caribbean. To accomplish this, federal grant funds have been awarded to rehabilitate the subject property by:
- Clearing and grubbing of overgrown vegetation and trimming of trees as needed for building protection.
- Protecting and repairing underground and overhead utilities.
- ADA accessibility.
- Removal of any irreparably deteriorated, damaged, or unwanted items from building interior, including water or insect damaged plywood, rafters, gutter board, floor joists, existing doors, windows, any plumbing or electrical utility that does not meet code requirements, and failing masonry plaster.
- Repair roof leaks.
- Install gutter, downspout, and exterior swale stormwater drainage system.
- Repair and replace in-kind existing windows and doors, as necessary based on condition, or provide temporary windows and doors in openings to make building weather tight.
- Hazardous material abatement.
- Provide structural stabilization interventions as necessary based on condition.
The purpose of this RFQ is to receive qualifications from all interested vendors on their ability to provide the following architectural and engineering services:
- Preparing the construction bid package for the scope identified above in accordance with applicable National Park Service (NPS) requirements. These requirements cover those included as part of the Save America’s Treasures grant program funded by the Historic Preservation Fund administered by NPS, the terms and conditions of the grant agreement between VIAC and NPS, and Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR 200).
- Providing reproducible plan drawings to the Virgin Islands Architecture Center upon project completion.
- Submitting certified drawings to the National Parks Service via Virgin Islands Architecture Center.
- Production of architectural plans and specifications, with any required engineering reports, to accomplish the project’s scope of work.
The estimated project time frame is six to twelve months, with a projected start date in Fall 2024.
This RFQ will be used to generate a list of interested potential bidders. Following an evaluation of RFQ submissions, potential bidders meeting the minimum qualifications of experience with similar projects and the appropriateness of the proposed work plan and schedule will be directly contacted and invited to submit an RFP. At the conclusion of the RFP process, the selected vendor will sign a contract that includes the terms described in 2 CFR 200.327 and will be required to have a Unique Entity ID (UEI) assigned by SAM.gov. Please note that obtaining a UEI is not the same as the full entity registration process on SAM.gov; it is much simpler and quicker. We encourage but do not require, firms responding to the RFQ to begin the process of obtaining an UEI now. Firms contacted to submit an RFP must have and provide their UEI. Instructions on how to obtain a UEI are available from SAM.gov. Reminder: follow only the instructions on obtaining a Unique Entity ID, not entity registration.
This project is a federal undertaking subject to the National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act.
The RFQ Submission Deadline is Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at the close of business.
Responses should include:
- The firm’s legal name, address, and telephone number;
- The principal(s) of the firm and their experience and qualifications;
- The experience and qualifications of the staff to be assigned to the project, including staff meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for relevant disciplines;
- A description of the firm’s prior experience, including any similar projects (in particular those involving properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places or designated as National Historic Landmarks), size of community, location, total construction cost, and references;
- A description of the firm’s current work activities and how these would be coordinated with the project, as well as the firm’s anticipated availability during the term of the project; and
- The proposed work plan and schedule for activities to be performed.
- The firm’s Unique Entity ID assigned by SAM.gov, if available at the time of submission.
Interested firms should submit their responses to this RFQ via email to info@viacstx.com. For more information contact VIAC at 340-713-8424 or visit our website at www.viacstx.com.
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