Request for Proposals

Architectural Services

Background: Unity Care NW (UCNW) is a non-profit provider of primary medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmacy services serving over 24,000 people at five sites in Whatcom County, WA.  UCNW plans to redesign our three existing owned sites in downtown Bellingham to better serve existing patients, as well as to expand access to the nearly 20,000 low-income Bellingham residents who are not receiving care at a federally qualified health center (FQHC). These three facilities are:

1. 1616 Cornwall Avenue, Bellingham, WA 98225.
   1. 68,000 sq. ft., built in 1945 and extensively renovated in 1993,
   2. 12 adult dental operatory practice,
   3. Specialty behavior health practice consisting of 21 clinician offices, one exam room, administrative offices, and meeting rooms.
   4. Multiple conference rooms,
   5. Administration including Human Resources, Information Services, Finance & Billing, and Call Center,
   6. Population Health including care management, case management, and enrollment services,
   7. 172 staff at this location,
   8. A significant portion of the building is unoccupied.
2. 220 Unity Street, Bellingham, WA 98225.
   1. 20,000 sq. ft., built in 1965 and extensively renovated in 2001 and 2012,
   2. 9 pediatric dental operatory practice,
   3. 25 Medical Exam Rooms,
   4. 139 staff at this location,
3. 218 Unity Street, Bellingham, WA 98224
   1. 3,200 sq. ft, built in 1965 and extensively renovated in 2012,
   2. Dispensing pharmacy,
   3. 20 staff at this location.

UCNW seeks to better integrate service lines for better patient care and productivity utilizing existing buildings at 218/220 Unity St and at 1616 Cornwall. UCNW’s goal is to design for efficiencies to maximize patient access and to grow the number of patients served. The renovated downtown campus will ideally include:

• Combining adult and pediatric Dental services in one location. Potential for separate entrance and waiting room for emergency dental patients.
• Primary Care Medical services to serve more adult and pediatric Bellingham community members.
• Primary Care Behavioral Health services integrated into medical location.
• A dispensing pharmacy located in close proximity to medical services, including space for pill-pack equipment.
• Small meeting rooms for patients to meet with providers, case managers, and other support services team members.
• Behavioral Health offices for psychiatric providers and counselors.
• Lab for obtaining and processing specimens for remote testing.
• Administrative workspaces that include efficient and modular use of space including offices cubicles, larger multi-use spaces, and large meeting rooms.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Experience in design of medical and dental clinics.
• Experience in design of lean medical practices with a focus on efficiencies.
• Experience working successfully with contractors in construction administration. Successfully working with a Design-bid-build delivery method.
• Proven track record of completing work in a timely manner and within budget.
• Ability to propose and achieve budgets both for design and construction services.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience working on projects with federal and state funding.
• Experience in efficient and productive clinical design.
• Experience working with non-profit organizations.

Additional Criteria:  

• Strength of client recommendations
• Share how you bring value to this project and how will your design help us succeed.
• How will you engage our team?

E-mail to Chris Kobdish (Chris.Kobdish@ucnw.org) by July 26, 2024, indicating that you will submit a proposal.  Please submit e-mail addresses for firm staff who would like access to an internet site containing site information. 

Cover Letter requirements:

A cover letter indicating the firm’s interest in the project and highlighting its qualifications to perform this project.  Please include your firm’s total full time equivalent staff and annual firm revenues over the past 3 years

Proposal Scoring Criteria:

1. A summary of the firm’s experience in medical-dental clinic facilities, with a minimum of at least 3 projects. Please identify and include any projects which were new construction or completed for Community Health Centers.  
2. A summary of the firm’s experience in phased renovation of large buildings.
3. Please summarize your proposed and actual fees for each project included in (1) and (2) above and provide a minimum of three references from these projects.
4. Statement of qualifications, including specific qualifications or resumes of key team members who will participate in this project including the Project Architect, Project Manager, and consultant firms.  Please describe experience with designing commercial renovations to achieve Silver Leed Certification.
5. Propose a total budget for design and construction management services and provide a typical fee schedule for each phase of the project.  Specify your rates per individual that will be assigned to this project and projected hours for each team member during project design and construction management and indicate how it will be apportioned between the design phases.  Please specify any consultants that you anticipate being hired directly by you and which would be hired by Unity Care NW.  Please include the rates and anticipated hours required by any consultants that you will hire.  
6. Explain how you make sure your construction documents are accurate, and what is your approach to minimizing change orders?
7. Please indicate how you propose to design the mechanical and electrical systems.
8. Please discuss your recommendations about whether selection of a GC/CM firm at the onset of the design process is desirable.
9. Propose a design schedule with key milestones and deliverable dates and indicate when you would produce cost estimates for the project.

Please contact Chris Kobdish via email at Chris.Kobdish@ucnw.org for a link to submit your proposal electronically no later than 4:30 PM on August 9, 2024.  A question and answer zoom meeting will be available at 2:30 pm on July 26, 2024. (zoom meeting link)

Projected Project Schedule:  The anticipated dates for key actions are listed below:

• Mailing to Potential firms: June 2024
• Post RFP on appropriate websites including WA Office of Minority and Women Owned Business: June 2024
• Q&A Zoom meeting: July 26, 2024
• Proposals Due:  August 9, 2024                                                                                   
• Interview Notification:  August 16, 2024                                                                 
• Interviews Conducted:  First week of September 2024                                                      
• Notification of Proposal Selection/Rejection: Mid-September 2024
• Contract Negotiations Completed: November 1, 2024                     
• Design/Consulting Services Begin: November 18, 2024                                     
• Permit Submitted to City: TBD                                                                     
• Project out to Bid: TBD                                                                                                                   
• Construction Begins: TBD                                                                              
• Substantial Completion: TBD                                                                                      

Timing of the start of construction will depend on success at fundraising and financing of the project and could be delayed by 12 months.

Scoring Matrix:  

The selection committee is comprised of staff and Board members from UCNW who will develop a short list of firms to be invited for an interview.  Interviews will occur the first week of September 2024.  UCNW will notify firms of the outcome of this process.  UCNW reserves the right to award the contract to the firm that it deems over-all to be the best based on the evaluation criteria.

Terms and Conditions:  UCNW reserves the right to:

• Reject any and all proposals and to waive minor irregularities in any proposals.
• Request clarification of information submitted and to request additional information from any firm.
• Award the contract to the next most qualified firm if the successful firm does not execute a contract within thirty (30) days after selection of the firm.

UCNW shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by firms in preparing, submitting, or presenting its response to this Request for Proposals.