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Instructions to Respondents

Information about responding to the Selection Advisory Committee's request for proposal process.

This general information supplement has been provided in an effort to clarify the City's expectations when responding to certain sections and topics of the proposal outline. The topics addressed in this supplement are NOT all-inclusive of the information you need to provide for this project.

Please refer to the Proposal Outline for a complete list of sections and related questions you are expected to respond to.

Mandatory items to be included in proposals: Pay Equity Reporting FormAgreement and insurance certification. One form must have original notary seal. All others may be copies. Be sure that you read and understand the standard agreement to be used for this project before you execute the agreement and insurance certification. For now, a copy of your general and professional liability insurance coverage is acceptable in lieu of the notary stamp on the Agreement and Insurance Certification.

Maximum Page Limitation: 15 (single-sided) unless otherwise specified in title legal ad. If double-sided pages are used, each side shall be numbered and counted as separate pages. Font size no smaller than 10-point should be used. Remember to read the advertised RFP carefully. The page limitation is occasionally increased.

  1. If supplied, the following pages will be excluded from being counted as part of the maximum page limitation:
    • Front and back cover and binding pages
    • The Letter of Introduction
    • The Title Page
    • The Table of Contents
    • Dividers between proposal information categories
    • The Agreement and Insurance Certification form and other certifications
  2. Any 17"x11" pages shall be numbered as two pages.
  3. Drawings on 24"x36" sheets shall be numbered as four pages.
  4. Your proposal should be as clear and concise as you can make it while still providing the Selection Advisory Committee with information addressing the requirements in each of the five categories stipulated in the RFP.

Proposals exceeding the maximum page limitation will be rejected and will not be evaluated.

Proposal Outline

Proposal Outline Inquiries

For more information, contact us.

Respondents to RFPs must adhere to the following proposal outline. Failure to adhere to this outline format or failure to provide to all items listed under each topic may result in low evaluation scores by Selection Advisory Committee members.

Outline

  1. General Information
    1. Provide name, address of respondent, and telephone number of respondent, and, if firm, when firm was established.
    2. Provide number of employees, technical discipline, registration, and registration number.
    3. Indicate where the services are to be performed. (clarification)
  2. Project Team Members
    1. Provide an organization plan for management of the project. (clarification)
    2. Identify all consultants to be used on the project. (clarification)
    3. Provide qualifications of project team members shown in organization plan, including registration and membership in professional organizations. (clarification)
    4. Provide any unique knowledge of key team members relevant to the project.
  3. Respondent Experience
    1. Describe previous projects of a similar nature, including client contact (with phone numbers), year services provided, construction cost (if applicable), and narrative description of how they relate to this project. (clarification)
    2. Provide examples of project manager's city experience within the past five (5) years that serve to demonstrate the Project Manager's knowledge of City's procedure.
  4. Technical Approach
    1. Describe respondent's understanding of the project scope.
    2. Describe how respondent plans to perform the services required by the project scope. (clarification)
    3. Describe specialized problem solving required in any phase of the project.
  5. Cost Control
    1. Describe cost control and cost estimating techniques to be used for the project. (clarification)
    2. Provide comparisons of bid award amount to final cost estimate for projects designed by the respondent during the past two (2) years. The consultant may provide justification for any discrepancies that may exist with this information. (clarification)
  6. Certifications
    This section should contain all signed and notarized certification forms.

Clarification & Notes

The following guidelines have been prepared to assist respondents in the preparation of their RFPs by clarifying certain components of the evaluation criteria categories.

Category I, Item 3. "Indicate where the services are to be performed."

If the work is to be shared among firms and offices at different locations, indicate where each office is located and what work is to be performed at each location.

Category II, Item 1. "Provide an organization plan for management of the project."

Use an organizational chart that shows the proposed relationships between the key team members and support staff who are expected to participate on the project Also indicate which aspects of the work each person will be responsible for performing.

Category II, Item 2. "Identify all consultants to be used on the project."

You should also provide a summary description of the work to be performed by each consultant proposed for the project.

Category II, Item 3. "Provide qualifications of project team members shown in the organizational plan, including registration and membership in professional organizations."

Describe each person's work experience, field or fields of specialization, and education.

Category III, Item 1. "Describe previous projects of a similar nature, including client contacts (with phone numbers), the year(s) services were provided, construction costs (if applicable) and a narrative description of how those projects relate to this project."

The projects described should be projects that were worked on by the people shown on the organizational chart provided under item 1 of Category II. Specific project responsibilities of these individuals should be discussed.

Category IV, Item 2. Describe how respondent plans to perform the services required by the project scope.

To demonstrate your understanding of the project scope, you must describe what you intend to do. You must also describe the quality control procedures you will use to assure the accuracy and adequacy of the work that you and your consultants propose to perform.

Category V, Item 1. Describe cost control and cost estimating techniques to be used for this project.

Item one should be sub-divided as follows:

  1. Cost Control of the Design Process
    How will you control expenditures for this project within your organization for work force, other direct costs, and all other costs associated with the basic services fee that you will negotiate with the City? For example, some firms use a project management application software program to monitor work hour usage and costs as a means of controlling total expenditures for accomplishing design tasks.
  2. Cost Control of the Construction Cost
    How often do you make estimates of probable costs to construct the project as design progresses and compare these to the City's budget for the project? For example, some firms review project costs on a bi-weekly basis using a spreadsheet application software program and a job costing database.
    What corrective actions do you take if it appears that the budget will be exceeded or that the project scope can be achieved at a much lower cost than what was discussed during negotiations?
  3. Cost Estimating Techniques
    Design professionals use a variety of cost estimating techniques such as:
    • In-house databases from bid prices on projects designed by the firm.
    • Estimating data published by specialists in construction estimating such as Means, Building News, etc.
    • City of Albuquerque City Engineer's estimated unit prices for contract items.
    • Current six-month compilation of New Mexico State Highway & Transportation Department (NMSHTD) unit prices.
    • Businesses specializing in construction cost estimating.

    What techniques will you use for this project and why?

Category V, Item 2. "Provide comparisons of bid award amount to final cost estimate for projects designed by the respondent during the past two (2) years. The consultant may provide justification for any discrepancies that may exist with this information."

Information should be supplied in the following format:

  • Name of Project
  • Month and Year Bid
  • No. of Bids
  • Final Cost Estimate
  • Bid Award Amount

The final cost estimate is the dollar amount you provided to your client at bid opening. For a City project, it would be the estimated construction cost you provided to the City for use at the bid opening and would contain all adjustments to earlier estimates caused by addenda issued during the bidding time for the project.