M E M O R A N D U M
To: Honorable Mayor and Town Council
From: Rafael G. Casals, Town Manager
Date: August 19, 2015
Re: Issuance of Request for Qualification (RFQ) #15-12 HVAC Equipment & Controls (Design, Bidding, and Construction Management Services)
REQUESTTitle
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF CUTLER BAY, FLORIDA, AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) FOR HVAC EQUIPMENT & CONTROLS (DESIGN, BIDDING, AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SERVICES); AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The Town purchased the South Dade 2 Building (Town Center Building), located at 10720 Caribbean Boulevard Cutler Bay, Florida. As the Owner of the building, the Town is scheduled to perform various tenant improvements.
On July 2, 2014, Town staff completed an inspection of the Town Center Building air conditioning equipment and received a letter from Town contractor AA Advanced Air, Inc. (Attachment “A”) stating that the facility’s units are in “poor” condition and require replacement. Town staff is proposing the replacement of the facility’s existing air conditioning system with Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment and controls.
The proposed replacement of the existing air handling system with new water cooled HVAC equipment and controls have several advantages including, but not limited to:
Ø Town demonstration of environmental stewardship while increasing energy efficiency and reduced climate impact;
Ø Improvement to the comfortability within the building for visitors, tenants and staff. The HVAC units can be situated away from the building, lowering noise and other mechanical disruptions.
Ø HVAC chiller water lines exhibit a smaller footprint than conventional air conditioning ducts.
Ø Lowers HVAC size and rating through integrated design. New chillers with larger capacities have smaller footprints and do not require building modifications unless additional capacity is required. Chiller lines are easier to route, maintain and utilize less space than conventional air conditioning ducts.
Ø Improves facility’s overall operational efficiency; The cooling demands of different units throughout a building can be addressed independently and based on demand. Multiple units can be used to increase capacity and as an emergency backup.
Ø Reduces building operational costs; New energy efficient chillers can operate at an efficiency of 0.4kW/Ton. (Normal HVAC systems average 1.6kW/Ton). Florida Power & Light claims high efficiency chillers can easily save half the initial investment in operational costs in as little as one (1) year.
In order to comply with our procurement process, staff has developed a Request for Qualification in which one qualified and licensed Professional Services Firm (the “Firm”) will be selected. The Firm will be selected based on:
Ø Quality of the projects and accomplishments of the respondent(s) in providing similar Design, Bidding and Construction Management Services to comparable Multi-Story Buildings
Ø Respondent’s track record of on time and within budget project performance
Ø Credentials and accomplishments of the proposed team (up to 3) members
Ø Respondent’s experience in designing LEED and/or Green Globe Certified Projects
Ø Respondent must be able to demonstrate that it has been Certified as a Minority
Ø Business Enterprise as defined by Section 288.703, F.S. For purposes of this section, the actual consultant submitting a response must be the entity that is certified
Town Ordinance #06-22 requires the Town Manager to obtain authorization from the Town Council in order to advertise solicitations for bids and proposals, prior to advertising the public notice. Additionally, pursuant to Chapter 287.055, Florida Statues, the Town intends to retain consultants to provide professional services.
RECOMMENDATION
We recommend that the attached resolution authorizing the Town Manager to issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ #15-12) be adopted.