For the bidding process, District 6 uses Rocky Mountain BidNet to post all Request for Proposals, Request for Qualifications and other bids. This is a common platform used by governmental entities and any vendor can sign up to access the system. BidNet allows vendors to see RFP/Qs by the type of services being requested, so construction projects might be viewed by general contractors, architects, survey companies, engineering companies and smaller firms that might serve as subcontractors, among others. Great care is taken to ensure that all firms are provided an equal opportunity to bid on projects. All questions go through the purchasing department and answers to those questions are posted so that all vendors have the same information. Once proposals are received, they are reviewed by a committee and evaluated based on the merits of the proposal.
For example, here is how the bidding process worked for the rebuilding of Greeley West High School. District 6 released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) in October 2019 for a Design/Build team for the Greeley West High School replacement project. A Design/Build team consists of a General Contractor and an Architecture Firm who work together to design and build the school. The Design/Build process allows for design work and construction to occur in a cohesive manner, allowing the project to move forward at a faster pace. The initial budget was rovided to the team with the expectation that the design and construction costs fall within that budget. As the final design has not been determined, an exact dollar amount of the contract is still to be determined. That amount will be determined after some initial design work has been done and pricing of materials is complete. This is referred to as a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP).
For the Greeley West project, District 6 received 6 proposals from teams. From those proposals, a review committee selected the top three proposals for interviews. Teams that were interviewed were given time to introduce their team members, their process and provide initial thoughts on the project. They then had to answer questions from the committee, and finally they were given a “challenge” exercise they had to present. The purpose of the exercise was two fold--one, we wanted to see what ideas they had come up with for the project, but then when we presented them with a scenario that meant they had to change their initial ideas, we wanted to see how they worked together as a group to overcome the obstacle.
Once a contractor is selected for projects, that contractor is responsible for hiring all subcontractors under a separate bidding process.
Questions on the bidding process should be directed to the Greeley-Evans School District 6 Finance Department at (970) 348-6127.
