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OVERVIEW
This is a tool for clients--educational and
cultural institutions, companies, agencies, non-profit
organizations, and others--who are writing requests for proposals
or qualifications from architects and other design professionals,
as well as development, construction, and construction management
services. Each project and site is different and each RFP or RFQ
should also be unique, including the aspects of sustainable design
and planning that are appropriate to the project, site, and region.
This document touches on the basic elements of an RFP for design
services for a sustainable project, as well as some of the issues
to be considered. Some of the language cited is fairly ambitious,
and clients should take care to thoroughly understand the cost and
schedule implications of such requirements, should they include
those in their project requests.
WHAT KIND OF REQUEST DO YOU
NEED?
There are two primary types of requests for
building design (and development, construction, and construction
management) services, though there are variations on these and
other types as well. Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) are the
more basic requests, asking in large part for much of the
information that would typically appear on the federal government?s
Standard Forms 254 and 255, with some additional information.
Requests for Proposals (RFPs) also ask for information about firm
approach, process, experience, as well as requests for project
specific information such as team organization, schedule approach,
and fee schedules.
Less important than what the request is called is that it elicit
responses complete enough for the client, the issuing organization,
to make distinctions between competing firms and determine that one
or another team is the right fit for the project.
A strong, well-written RFP will engage the interests of the teams
who receive it and inspire creative responses to the problems
presented. It will also accurately convey the full scope of the
work desired, permitting the consultant teams respond realistically
and specifically to the rest. The language should allow consultants
to assess their firm?s ability to compete effectively for the work
(preventing them the expense of a useless proposal and the client
its time to review one).
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
BASICS
"[A]n exciting new field is emerging. It is
called 'sustainable design' or 'green development.' Although this
new architecture is difficult to describe in a sentence or two, its
overall goal is to produce buildings that take less from the earth
and give more to people. Note that sustainable design is not a new
building style. Instead, it represents a revolution in how we think
about, design, construct, and operate buildings. The primary goal
of sustainable design is to lessen the harm poorly designed
buildings cause by using the best of ancient building approaches in
logical combination with the best of new technological advances.
Its ultimate goal is to make possible offices, homes, even entire
subdivisions, that are net producers of energy, food, clean water
and air, beauty, and healthy human and biological
communities. ... As an architect, builder, or developer, you
can use the principles of sustainable design to capitalize on this
trend, to distinguish your projects in the marketplace, to save
money, and to waste fewer resources, all the while doing your share
to preserve the environment. Applying that idea to construction
yields a checklist of criteria that a sustainable building should
meet. Ideally, such a building would:
- make appropriate use of the land
- use water, energy, lumber, and other resources
efficiently
- enhance human health
- strengthen local economies and communities
- conserve plants, animals, endangered species,
and natural habitats
- protect agricultural, cultural, and
archaeological resources
- be nice to live in
- be economical to build and operate."
quoted from A
Primer on Sustainable Building, Rocky Mountain Institute
CORE ELEMENTS OF
REQUESTS
Project
Introduction
The request should include a short introduction,
which will state clearly and succinctly the scope of the project,
the organization's vision for the project including sustainable
design benchmarks desired, and the nature of services needed. If
the client is a partnership, the nature of that relationship should
be stated.
It is also appropriate for the request to state
the client's core mission, identify how sustainable design relates
to that mission, and reference other relevant statements about the
motive for pursuing a sustainable design project. The client should
do internal goal setting prior to the writing of the request, and
those goals can provide the framework for the project
introduction.
Sample language:
...the Museum has defined its mission as "to
inspire wonder, discovery and responsibility for our natural and
cultural worlds." Our vision statement describes an active, outward
looking institution: To fully realize our mission and vision, the
Natural History Museum must reinvent itself within a structure that
both inspires and enables its staff and visitors to become stewards
of their natural and cultural worlds. I hope you will participate
in this process as we define a team dedicated to creating a New
Museum for a new century.
--RFQ: Natural History
Museum of Los Angeles County,
Los Angeles (2001)
* * *
Because the new SALA facility will not only
accommodate learning but also serve as an enduring lesson in design
and maintenance, it should embody the highest possible
architectural and environmental design excellence. The project
should be convivial, beautiful, and sustainable, humane and
functional, and responsive to the identity of Penn State University
and the cultural and natural forces in the region.
--RFP: SALA Building,
Penn State University,
University Park, Pa. (2000)
Project
Objectives
Environmental sensitivity or high-performance characteristics
should be part of the project objectives if the client places a
high priority on those aspects of the project. If the client has
technical expertise, it may be able to develop the objectives in
detail. If not, broader objectives may be suggested here, with the
assumption that articulating these specifically will be part of the
early project work by the consultants.
Sample language of specific objectives
(referencing design strategies):
While any type of environmentally
sound innovative building technology may be proposed, the City is
particularly interested in technologies that address the
following:
- Ecological site design; on-site erosion
control, water purification/pollution reduction, and stormwater
management (bioswales, ecoroofs, stormwater filtration, etc.)
- Transportation: promoting bicycle, pedestrian,
and transit use
- Waste reduction: building reuse, job site
recycling, and efficient use of materials
- On-site management of sewage and organic
wastes, such as graywater systems and biological wastewater
treatment
- Energy efficiency: efficient thermal envelopes,
efficient space and water heating, lighting, controls and
monitoring, and appliances
- Renewable energy: photovoltaics, geothermal
pumps, wind turbines, micro-turbines, and fuel cells
- Water efficiency, both domestic and irrigation,
including rainwater harvesting for irrigation and toilet
flushing
- Materials and resources:
- Durable building envelopes and long-lived
materials or assemblies
- Recycled-content materials
- FSC-certified woods
- Safer, less toxic materials, such as
alternatives to CCA-treated wood
- Innovative application of natural materials
(characterized by low embodied energy, local availability, good
performance, biodegradable, safe, esthetic) such as straw, earth,
and other composites
- Indoor environmental quality, pollution
reduction, worker and occupant safety, air cleaning, humidity
control, and thermal comfort
- Operations and maintenance:
- Monitoring of energy, water, waste, air quality
and transportation use
- Resource-efficient building operations
practices.
--RFP: City of
Portland Green Investment Fund, Grants for Affordable
Housing,
Portland, Ore. (2002)
Qualifications and
Experience
A detailed explanation of the consultant personnel qualifications
should be a part of the submittal, and this should include resumes,
certification issues, and other relevant background.
Current architectural practice, in general, is
multidisciplinary and integrative. Comprehensive or holistic
sustainable design processes push these characteristics to a
greater degree. The request language can help specify that the
client is expecting a very broad and inclusive team at the outset
of a project (whereas a conventional project might pull some of
those team members along the way).
Here is some sample language requesting a
more integrative, multidisciplinary process than a conventional
project might employ:
The Poudre School District
believes that an integrated design approach can greatly increase
the chance of success of meeting sustainable design goals without
getting indigestion. Traditional design approaches to the
construction of facilities has largely been a linear process. The
architect progresses from conceptual/schematic design to design
development to construction documents to contract administration
while pulling in technical consultants along the way. Integrated
design employs a multidisciplinary approach where all project
stakeholders are involved in the design process from start to
finish on a collaborative basis. The process recognizes that a
design decision made unilaterally may have a major impact on
achieving sustainable design goals.
--RFP: Poudre School District Prototype Elementary
School,
Fort Collins, Colo. (2000)
Sample language for
specific qualifications desired:
An important goal of the
Authority is to develop an environmentally responsible building on
the Site that can serve as a model for high-rise residential
construction in this region and elsewhere. The Authority's policy
is to implement financially feasible, technologically sound
strategies to conserve energy and to surpass current norms for
water conservation, waste management/recycling and the quality of
the indoor environment (including quality of indoor air, light,
acoustics and personal controllability of building systems). The
Authority will require that such strategies be fully explored in
the development of the Site. Specifically, the Authority will
require schematic designs for the building to be analyzed by an
experienced consultant using energy use computer simulation model
such as DOE-2. The results of this analysis will be used to
determine whether alternative design choices could increase the
energy efficiency of the building, and what the incremental
cost/benefit of these alternatives would be over the life of the
building. The DOE-2 analysis would be repeated during the design
process at design development phase and upon preparation of
construction drawings. The Authority is prepared to assist the
Developer in applying for any available funding from the New York
State Energy Research and Development Authority to help defray the
cost of this analysis as well as the incremental cost of
incorporating energy efficiency measures in the building
design.
--RFP: Site 18A,
Battery Park City Authority Residential Development and
Design,
New York City (2000)
Clients may invite
respondents to include a list of environmental conferences,
seminars, workshops, and professional meetings attended by team
members in recent months or years and a list of firm members
actively involved in the local, state, or national level of the
American Institute of Architects' (AIA) Committee on the
Environment (COTE) or similar efforts such as the U.S. Green
Building Council.
Requests that get too
specific with past examples, such as "provide three examples of
medium-size conference centers," open the door to specialized or
very large firms only; "similar in scope and scale" is more
appropriate wording.
Services Required and
Approach
This section should articulate what the client wants the consultant
to do. In most cases, it is recommended that clients ask
respondents to describe their own approaches and processes, rather
than ask them to follow the issuing client's process. Such
descriptions can be useful when comparing consultants. In addition,
respondents with expertise in sustainable design may suggest a
sophisticated or tailored approach the client might not have
considered.
Sample language of
specialized services required:
Demonstrated ability to provide
green building consulting and design services for public and
commercial buildings. These services can be provided by the
proposed by the proposed firm or individual, as well as through the
use of specialized subcontractors. Firms and individuals responding
to this RFQ will be required to submit information specifying in
which of the following areas they can provide expert
services:
- Recycled-content and sustainable building
product selection, specification, and procurement
- Waste reduction strategies, such as
construction and demolition waste management plans and
specifications, deconstruction plans and specifications, storage
and collection of recyclables, and other reuse opportunities
- Use of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED
Green Building Rating System to guide project design
- Design charrettes for projects using the U.S.
Green Building Council's LEED Green Building Rating System
- Development of design guidelines and master
specifications for public agencies
- Partnering opportunities in building projects
with organizations such as DOE and PG&E
- Use of creative financing for green
buildings
- Green operating and maintenance plans
- Commissioning a green building
- Energy modeling and analysis
- Monitoring and tracking of final projects once
they are operational (tracking back to original models).
--RFQ: Green Building
Assistance, Alameda County Waste Management Authority,
San Leandro, Calif. (2002)
Scope of the
Project
This section should
outline the key phases of work, critical deliverables, and other
tasks that will need to be completed as part of the project work,
including the following:
- Project vision articulation
- Site and resource analysis
- Project programming
- Contract documents
- Schematic (or concept) design
- Design development
- Construction management
- Building commissioning and close-out.
For more information, see
The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice (John
Wiley & Sons, 2001). (Order at the AIA Store
or use a copy in AIA offices around the country.)
Budget
Inclusion of construction
budget information, even if just a range, will result in responses
far more valuable to the organization. Without any budget
parameters, consultants will be forced to speculate (low and high),
which can lead to a less-focused response.
Green buildings typically
require some additional services and result in additional
deliverables. In most cases, additional costs are paid for within a
few years based on energy savings and other factors. Aggressive
efforts may require longer-term payback analyses.
Submission
Requirements
The request should include
a list of the submittal components as well specific directions for
submission and clear rules about deadlines. The submittal could
include (but may not be limited to) some or all of the
following:
- Cover letter
- Introduction to the firm and team
- Explanation of approach, philosophy
- Explanation of work to be performed
- Project schedule (based on some dates
provided)
- Resumes of key personnel
- List of green design "tools" that the team
would use (and why they are appropriate)
- Lists of subconsultants and their
qualifications
- Statement of qualifications
- Compensation (broken down by phase) or fee
structure
- Sample projects and other relevant
experience
- References.
Evaluation
Methodology
The request should include the evaluation
criteria that will be used to select the consultant as well as who
will be doing that evaluating. If the client plans to weight
certain criteria more heavily than others, that weighting system
should be spelled out in detail for respondents.
LEED, the USGBC's Green Building Rating System,
is growing in use, but there are still only a sprinkling of
LEED-certified buildings throughout the country. Requiring firms to
show LEED-certified buildings of the same type or scale as the
project in question may result in a low number of responses. But
there are other ways that LEED can be useful. Project team members
may include LEED-accredited professionals (and the RFP could
require this). The RFP could also ask that the team be familiar
with the use of LEED as a tool to help guide the project. This
approach, regardless of whether the project become LEED registered
or eventually certified, can help ensure that some of the many
issues involved with sustainable design are considered and
addressed.
The client may also want to compare team based
on what other tools they have experience with, such as DOE-2
software to create energy profiles, Green Building Advisor, Energy
10, Energy Plus, and more.
Contractual
Information
See the AIA Handbook for guidelines on
contractual information that should be included. (Order at the
AIA Store or use
a copy in AIA offices around the
country.) The client may choose to identify whether its team plans
to use current AIA Owner-Architect agreements or its own
contracts.
SAMPLE REQUESTS
Several institutions and organizations have
agreed to let us post their requests. They appear here in PDF
format. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files, and is
available to download free of charge.)
Educational
- RFP, RFQ, and Pre-qualification: Poudre School District
Prototype Elementary School, Fort Collins, CO (2000)
- Request for LEED Consultant: Northern Arizona
University, Flagstaff, AZ (2001)
- RFP: New Laboratory Complex, Department of
Global Energy, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Stanford, CA
(2001)
- RFP: SALA Building, Penn State University,
University Park, PA (2000)
- RFP: Environmental Studies Center, Oberlin
College, Oberlin, OH (1995)
- Prequalification: Kasson-Mantorville High
School Competition, Kasson, MN (2002)
Cultural/Civic/Municipal
- Specific Requirements request: Brooklyn
Children's Museum, New York Department of Design and Construction,
New York, NY (2000)
- RFQ: City of Highland City Shop and Public
Works, Highland, UT (2000)
- RFP: Environmental Education Center,
Township of Upper St. Clair, PA (2000)
- RFQ: David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Expansion, Public Auditorium Authority of Pittsburgh, Allegheny
County, and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Convention Center Design
Commission, Pittsburgh, PA (1998)
- RFP: Dan Ryan Woods Nature Preserve, City of
Chicago Department of Environment, Chicago, IL (2002)
- RFQ: Green Building Assistance, Alameda County
Waste Management Authority, San Leandro, CA (2002)
- RFQ: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
County, Los Angeles, CA (2001)
Residential
Federal
VOICES OF
EXPERIENCE
Stephanie Gelb, Battery Park City
Authority (architect/client):
With Site 18A, we added green criteria to our selection process.
Previously, a developer had been chosen solely on the basis of
having made a better financial offer than the competition. On 18A,
submissions were also judged on responsiveness to the design
guidelines and the green guidelines. The selected developer did not
have the greenest submission, or the best financial offer, but was
best on an average of all three components. The developer was
required to make submissions at schematic design, design
development, and construction document phases, enumerating how he
was meeting the more than 60 requirements of the guidelines. This
got more and more specific with each submission. Guidelines that
were not met were negotiated. The biggest success is that the
developer has become a green convert.
Bob Harris, Lake/Flato Architects
(architect):
Often RFPs simply make a vague request for 'green'
solutions without any real understanding of what that means.
Greater specificity in terms of real goals and means to measure
success would help greatly in this process. A commitment to achieve
a specific minimum LEED rating, for instance, is one way that can
help all parties better understand what was desired, what it takes
to get there, how to stay on track, and how to effectively measure
results.
Joyce Lee, Office of Management and
Budget, City of New York (architect/client):
Commitment on the client's side is critical. I have seen
projects "propel" as well as "deflate" along the way. Architects
may want to assess the clients as much as the clients are
evaluating the architects. The thoughtfulness in the RFP language
is a good gauge, and do make use of the interview process. A
willingness to "think and walk" out of the box is important.
Lisa Fay Matthiessen, AIA, consultant,
formerly with the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum
(architect/client):
The RFQ worked for us, I think, because we made it very thorough.
We had 70 submittals, including many internationally known firms,
and we selected Steven Holl, who will work with a local architect.
A sustainable design consultant and all other consultants who are
being selected for demonstrated commitment to sustainability. I
heard back from many architects who submitted that they found the
explanation of the design goals to be unusually good. They told me
that they were able to get a good idea of what exactly the museum
was looking for. Apparently, many architects find themselves still
wondering what the client's goals are even after reading the RFP or
RFQ.
Bill Reed, Natural Logic (architect,
consultant):
The attitude of the firm is often as important, or more
so, than its specific experience. It is about the firm's
willingness to engage in this activity. Not just the architect and
engineer are responsible; the owner has to be engaged and have a
decision-maker at the workshops. Without this corollary commitment,
success will be elusive.
Another thing to remember is that construction
partnering is important. You need to let the firm know that they
need to do more than construction observation. They need to be
there when the tradespeople walk on for the first time because
these are not the same people who were at the workshops. You have
to be willing to walk through the project specifications line by
line.
Paul Sterbentz, Facilities Manager,
Gobal Ecology Department, Carnegie Institute, Stanford University
(client):
We decided early on that we wanted to focus on practical, cost
effective plan that was tailored to our own site and culture. We
felt that designing to the LEED set of parameters would have
hindered that approach somewhat. The RFP stated the philosophy,
tone, and expectations for the project. The architect has taken it
to heart and continues to cite it during our discussions. I feel
that it covered all the bases and continues to serve us well.
We brought the mechanical engineer and
electrical engineer on board at the same time as the architect. In
the early meetings, they ran a lot of ideas by us. After we
provided feedback, they chose key strategies, all proven concepts,
to design around. Cost has been a deciding factor for us in the
final months, but the original key choices have held up well. An
important element will be system commissioning and subsequent
monitoring. Even though we are not going through the LEED process,
we are very interested in ensuring that the resulting product
operate as designed perform within expected energy-saving
parameters.
Rebecca Flora, executive director,
Pittsburgh Green Building Alliance (client):
The RFQ incorporated green objectives and this was critical to our
process because it was declared up front that this was important to
us. The green requirement was firmly a part of our selection
process. We received 25 responses to the RFQ, interviewed seven,
and selected four to participate in a design competition. All four
teams took the green criteria very seriously and we felt that our
winner, Rafael Vinoly, integrated it most seamlessly into a
beautiful design. I think that it was because our intentions were
so clear in the initial RFQ that sustainability strategies were so
deeply integrated into our project. In my view, this thorough
integration made project implementation much easier than if the
green part of our project had been treated as a separate
component.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
Shouldn't a good firm provide a well
daylit building anyway?
Daylighting is a given when there are windows. It is the
optimization of daylighting benefits that green projects provide.
Usually this is backed up by some level of computer modeling or
thorough analysis.
At what scale
a building is computer modeling worth the investment?
20,000 square feet is a reasonable threshold for
considering modeling to be valuable, in the context of the
construction costs and fees.
Can I use performance-based contracts
for a green building?
Alternative contracting approaches, such as performance based fees,
are not yet widely used and their value is a subject of some
debate. But for some projects, this could be worth considering. For
information about such contracts for a school project, visit www.rmi.org/sitepages/art1153.php.
RESOURCES AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
American Planning Association. Tips on
Writing a Green RFP. (
www.newecology.org/newsletter/Model%20Green%20RFP.PDF)
Dianna Lopez Barnett and William D. Browning.
A Primer on Sustainable Building. Rocky Mountain Institute,
1995. (www.rmi.org/store/pid385.php)
Center for Economic Conversion. Green Base
Conversion Strategies, Technical Brief #4: Design Services for
Sustainable Buildings, July 1998. (www.conversion.org/)
Hugh C. Carey Battery Park City Authority
Residential Environmental Guidelines. Hugh C. Carey Battery
Park City Authority, 2002. (www.batteryparkcity.org/guidelines.htm)
Rocky Mountain Institute. Green Developments
2.0 CD-ROM. Rocky Mountain Institute. (www.rmi.org/store/pid385.php)
The U.S. Green Building Council. LEED
Reference Guide. The U.S. Green Building Council, 2001 (www.usgbc.org/)
Alex Wilson, Jenifer L. Uncapher, Lisa A.
McManigal, L. Hunter Lovins, Maureen Cureton, and William D.
Browning. Green Development: Integrating Ecology and Real
Estate. John Wiley & Sons, 1998.
Special thanks to Pauline Souza for her
significant contributions and to members of the Committee on the
Environment and its Advisory Group for their review and
assistance.
If you have any questions or additions to any of
the content, please contact Kira Gould at kira.gould@gouldevans.com
or 617-867-0032.
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