THE FULL RFQ IS INCLUDED AS AN ATTACHMENT.

The New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) is seeking to retain a professional design firm in the field of Engineering, Landscape Architecture, or Ecological Restoration to lead a multi-disciplinary team to provide professional design services to re-imagine the degraded central tributary and eroding shoreline where the tributary discharges into Lake Erie at Lake Erie State 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 – Lake Erie State Park is located along the southeastern shoreline of Lake Erie in the Town of Portland, Chautauqua County, New York. The 250-acre park has nearly a mile of Lake Erie shoreline and is a popular destination for camping, disc golf, birding, and hiking. The former bathing beach has been closed to swimming for over a decade due to water quality and shoreline erosion. The project focus will be on the central tributary that flows 3000 feet through the park and the 250-feet of Lake Erie shoreline adjacent to the tributary outlet. Along this central tributary, approximately half is currently piped, and the remainder is an open channel. The piped section infrastructure has begun to fail in recent years, creating opportunities to consider environmental enhancement opportunities by removing the pipe.

The objectives of the project include, but are not limited to:

• Transformation of the stream and corridor to a more naturalized state;
• Improve water quality and aquatic habitat;
• Improve shoreline resilience; and
• Provide recreational and interpretive opportunities in the park.

Services to be Provided

OPRHP is seeking a qualified design firm to lead a multi-disciplinary team to develop features and facilities to achieve the project objectives. A draft alternatives analysis report is included with this RFQ which describes some of the opportunities and is intended to be a starting point only in establishing the final project design. Constraints to be considered for replacement of the failing culvert are programming, structure, utilities, and maintenance. In addition, the design team will provide sound, ecological restoration project elements to recover the stream and shoreline by improving water quality, aquatic habitat, invasives species management, native plantings, and enhancing the recreational and education value of the stream and lake resources. The scope of the design services will include, but not be limited to, program development, schematic design, permitting, detailed design and construction documents, bidding, and construction administration.

The following facility types depicted on the conceptual plan are anticipated to advance under this design contract include:

• Multi-use paths
• Daylighted stream
• Trails
• Signage and Wayfinding
• Lake Erie shoreline stabilization
• Accessible Shorelines
• Interpretative Areas and Features
• Pedestrian Bridges

The services under this Contract will require the design team to develop creative schematic design options that conform with current regulations, meet patron demand, mitigate future maintenance, meet agency sustainability objectives, and are cost effective.

In support of the design of the anticipated facilities, the design team should demonstrate experience in providing the following project elements:

• Landscape architecture (including native plantings)
• Civil and/or Environmental Engineering
• Park design
• Pedestrian Bridge design
• Site and utility design
• Pedestrian facilities/trail and stair design
• Ecological restoration design
• Exhibit/Interpretive design
• Wayfinding signage
• Environmental review and permitting, including required detailed studies and surveys (e.g. State Environmental Quality Review Act, State Historic Preservation Office, Cultural/Archeological Resources, wetlands, natural community assessments, etc.)
• Construction cost estimating
• Constructability/construction scheduling analyses
• Geotechnical design and investigations
• Water quality analyses and consulting
• Topographic and boundary surveying

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.

Construction Cost Estimate

Subject to the availability of funding, the estimated construction cost of this project is $6,000,000.