2022-001 RFQ Q&A

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The deadline for receipt of all questions is 12:00 p.m., CDT, Wednesday, July 6, 2022.  After this deadline, all questions and responses will be posted on this page (only) and available for download by interested parties.

Responses to questions received by the deadline will be posted  no later than 12:00 p.m., CDT, Wednesday, July 13, 2022 (REPLY DATE).  It is the responsibility of the respondent to monitor this page after the Reply Date to obtain responses to questions received by the posted deadline.

All questions must be submitted in writing and directed to Keith Harrison, emailed to keith@mealsonwheels.org

Emailed Questions:  The email must include the RFQ No. in its subject and confirmation of receipt by Meals On Wheels is required.


  1. We are a design build firm. The architecture and plans we design are for projects that we build. Would it be acceptable to for us to present our Statement of Qualifications as a design build firm? The way we operate is we try to value engineer projects to maximize the building for the client, and we work backwards from a budget standpoint to help the client save money.RESPONSE: The evaluation committee will be scoring based on the scope of services requested in the RFQ.  While there may be benefits to a design/build approach, it is fundamentally different than the bidding approach that has been initiated with this RFQ.  Given that the general contractor will be solicited, evaluated and awarded in a separate RFQ/RFP process, there is no guarantee that a contractor will receive both the design and build contracts.  Consequently, this project may not be applicable to a design/build contractor.
  2. Is there an AutoCADD or REVIT model of the attached existing floor plan available ?   On the pdf there is no indication of drawing scale or any dimensions indicated.RESPONSE: The requested AutoCADD produced PDFs of the existing structure have been added to the “2022-001 RFQ Supporting Documents” page of our website at https://mealsonwheels.org/building-expansion/2022-001-rfq-supporting-documentation/.  These documents are available for download.
  3. Are you going to bid the construction project, how will you handle the construction?RESPONSE:  This RFQ process is to determine qualification of architectural services . From that point, our building committee will evaluate and score your responses, and we will score each vendor. From there, we will enter into contract negotiations with the highest scoring vendor.  That is where pricing negotiation comes in.  If we cannot agree on pricing with the highest scoring vendor, we will move on to the second-highest scoring vendor, and so forth.  After the architectural firm is in place, they will be involved in the selection of the construction company. We will follow the same process in the selection of the construction company.
  4. Will construction be a hard bid?  Your drawings will be finished at that point, so will you put the drawings out for solicitation or are you thinking of a CMAR?RESPONSE: It was CMAR last time and we are possibly doing the same thing this time.
  5. Was Steele & Freeman the original builder?RESPONSE: Yes.
  6. Has Meals on Wheels looked at it from a site perspective? It looks like you have a retention pond toward the back. Has that gone to the city?RESPONSE: There is a retention pond for drainage in the back of the property toward where our property line ends near the railroad tracks. No work has been done as far as the city is involved. The only discussion was the placement of the fire lane. That was the restriction on how deep we are going to take the project, but no civil work has been done.
  7. Was the building designed to handle expansion?RESPONSE: It was always a part of the plan.
  8. Does the existing building have expansion joints?RESPONSE: The construction documents for the existing building do not explicitly indicate that loading from any future additions has been accounted for in the design of the structure for the existing building. The selected design team would be responsible for verifying if the existing components have any supplemental capacity that would be beneficial to use in the design of the addition. Also, the necessity of an expansion joint between the existing building and the addition should be determined by the selected design team.
  9. Is the site located on any kind of flood plain? Entire site has retaining walls built up about 4-5 feet.RESPONSE: There was a small amount of the property that is located in a flood plain, so we raised the entire building.
  10. As far as the Sally Port, it may be better to tell us how many vans need to be put in opposed to the square footage.RESPONSE: Our goal is to see how far we can take it back before we hit fire lanes. The square footage we have planned is still not enough. This is just a starting point.  Planning is definitely a big part of the project.
  11. Is programming (space plan) available?RESPONSE: We did go through a process of space plan evaluation to ensure we used the existing structure to its full potential, and it came back with very few recommendations. We can share it with the contracted firm.
  12. Are the existing operations going to be impacted/interrupted or is it all an expansion?RESPONSE: There will be some interruption, but our main goal is to make sure our clients have meals on time each day.  Our kitchen is running at full capacity every morning and we have food coming in and out of the kitchen, storage areas and loading dock. All operations will continue during expansion, so we will have to work around the dock area and kitchen so that they can continue operation during this project.
  13. Do you see any changes in the kitchen?  Will we need a food service consultant?RESPONSE: Other than adding another freezer and cooler on the back end of an existing cooler, there will be no modification to the kitchen.  The kitchen will not be affected, but the freezers will be.
  14. What type of foundations do we have?RESPONSE: We have 3 different kinds, the sally port is slab-on-grade, the rest of the building,  besides the kitchen, is carton form, about 18” so the ground can move, and under the kitchen is as much as 8 feet so we can reconfigure equipment.
  15. Can we get all existing drawings including structure?RESPONSE: All are readily available once qualification is complete.
  16. Do you see any relocation or renovation from existing office space?RESPONSE: There are no plans for front of the house renovation excluding the storage space in the sally port.  Some of the staff will be moved to new office space, but current office space will remain the same. The purple area on the expansion drawings represents a new storage area in the sally port, which is within the existing structure.
  17. Can you explain how the vans leave to go to distribution centers?RESPONSE: We stage food at 44 distribution sites located throughout the county to make it easy for volunteers to pick up the food near where it will be delivered.  After the food is cooked and packaged in the kitchen, it is brought to the sally port and loaded into the vans.  We do have a few door-to-door delivery vans that hold our frozen food.
  18. Have you looked at the budget for the original building and what the construction industry is like now and are you in a similar price point with all factors including inflation?RESPONSE: We did a lot of research and used that information to apply for federal funding.  We also included a percentage for inflation that we then submitted to Tarrant County. The entire budget is approximately $9.8 million.
  19. Out of the 9.8 million, what is for the building?RESPONSE: The entire project budget is approximately $9.8 million, including design services.  That’s a turnkey project budget.
  20. Can you break down the budget?RESPONSE: We can break it down into major categories and share with the selected firm.
  21. Has additional money been put in for escalation?RESPONSE: Yes, an inflationary increase is included in the project budget.
  22. Is the freezer space prefab or metal panels?RESPONSE: The freezer is made of panels.  The manufacturer installs the panels and refrigeration equipment.
  23. There’s a DBE? Will it count at the prime level?RESPONSE: It’s not a requirement, but a good faith effort.  It is not a prime level requirement.
  24. How many employees do you have?RESPONSE: Trio – 40, Meals On Wheels – 80
  25. How does the volunteer sector work?RESPONSE: All food is prepared here in the kitchen and then transported (via the vans in the sally port) to the distribution sites throughout the county. From there, volunteers pick up the food they need for their delivery route and deliver it directly to the clients’ homes. In addition to delivering a nutritious meal, the volunteer provides social interaction and a daily safety check.
  26. Do volunteers deliver to the same families/individuals or do they differ?RESPONSE: Routes occasionally change but for the most part they stay the same. Our average client is about 80 years old and lives alone with multiple health issues.  They’re unable to provide their own meals.  Often, a special relationship develops between the volunteers and the clients they serve.
  27. Are you going to publish a list of everyone in attendance?RESPONSE: Yes.
  28. What is the purple area on the drawings that says “client assist”?RESPONSE: That’s short for “Client Assistance.” That area is going to be storage for services we offer beyond meals that provide our clients with items such as lift chairs, walkers, hospital beds, etc.
  29. What is the timeline for the expansion?RESPONSE: Breaking ground should happen at the end of 2022 or early 2023. Construction should take about one year to complete.
  30. Do you have to use the ARPA funds during a certain amount of time?RESPONSE: All numbers and contracts in by 2024 and final project complete by 2026.
  31. What is the idea to redo the coolers?RESPONSE: The idea is to have a pass-through cooler with a door on the inside of the cooler to access the freezer.
  32. Where will the expansion take place for the kitchen breakroom?RESPONSE: Along the outer wall but the final plans will be left to the architects.
  33. When we submit the RFQ would you like the whole packet back or just certain pages?RESPONSE: Please submit any pages that have questions.
  34. Is the entire wall in the loading dock coming down?RESPONSE: That is a discussion needed with the architects about whether a rolling door will be installed.
  35. Do we have air conditioning in the dock area?RESPONSE: We have gas heating for the colder months.
  36. Are the dashed lines on the plan, near the dock, the plan meant for future expansion?RESPONSE: Yes, it is for future expansion components.
  37. How does meal loading work with the vans?RESPONSE: Vans are loaded around 8:00 a.m. and need to leave by 10:00 a.m. for food stability.  They return to the facility between noon and 1:00 p.m.
  38. When you did the furniture, what company did we use? Did you contract with them directly and are you planning on doing that with this one?RESPONSE: Royer; yes; unsure
  39. Do we submit the entire packet of the RFQ or just certain pages?RESPONSE: Every page that asks a questions should be returned with your response.
  40. Is there a target budget number for the Building Construction including FF&E ( fixtures furnishings and equipment )?RESPONSE: Yes
  41. Is there a target budget for the Site?   This would include any Site utilities , improvements and Landscaping and Hardscaping?RESPONSE: Not at this point.
  42. Will you be asking the select Architect to provide the FF&E work or will Meals on Wheels work directly with a Vendor matching up FF&E you currently use?RESPONSE: FF&E is not part of the scope of this RFQ.
  43. Are you requesting a Full Fee proposal when we submit on July 21 ?? RESPONSE: The RFQ process is only to determine qualification.  Pricing will be addressed in contract negotiations with the selected firm.

 

Last Updated: 6/30/22