Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
Fire Facilities Conditions and Spatial Expansion Study
City of Springdale Fire Department
1. Introduction & Project Overview
The City of Springdale, Arkansas, invites Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) from highly qualified architectural, engineering, and public safety consulting firms. This solicitation seeks to select a professional firm to conduct a Fire Facilities Conditions and Spatial Expansion Study. The study aims to provide a clear path for facility utilization and maintenance and to establish budgets for a future municipal bond referendum.
The City of Springdale reserves the right to reject any or all submissions, to waive any informalities or irregularities, and to select the firm deemed most qualified to serve the best interest of the City.
• Target Substantial Completion: December 31st, 2026
In strict compliance with Arkansas Code § 19-11-801, this procurement uses a qualifications-based selection process. No pricing or cost data shall be submitted or evaluated in this phase. The City will evaluate submissions and may enter directly into contract scope and fee negotiations with the highest-ranked qualified firm.
2. Facility Parameters & Target Inventory
Participating firms must demonstrate specialized, multidisciplinary capabilities across four distinct facility types operated by the Springdale Fire Department:
• Active Fire Stations (Aging Infrastructure): Evaluation of three (3) active stations built in 1994, 1998, and 2000. Focus areas include structural condition indexes, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) lifecycles, functional carcinogen isolation (hot/warm/cold zoning), and spatial footprint modifications.
• Apparatus Maintenance Facility (Industrial Public Safety): Evaluation of a dedicated fleet repair shop built in 2000. Focus areas include industrial OSHA compliance, heavy-vehicle lift lifecycles, specialized vehicle exhaust capture systems, and fleet workflow efficiency.
• Training Center Campus (Spatial Expansion Planning): Site master planning and spatial expansion analysis for a modern training center built in 2021. Focus areas include land-use optimization, utility tie-ins, and future growth capacity.
• Retired Infrastructure / Office Conversion (Feasibility & Adaptive Reuse): Evaluation of a retired fire station built in 1982. The selected firm must conduct an architectural and financial feasibility analysis to convert the space into a modern Community Risk Reduction (CRR) office, evaluating public accessibility, code compliance, and structural longevity.
3. Required Submission Contents
Responses must follow this exact order:
• Section A: Cover Letter & Firm Profile
o Summary of the firm’s history, core competencies, and corporate structure.
o Physical location of the primary office handling this assignment.
o Designated single point of contact (Name, Title, Phone, and Email).
• Section B: Public Safety Experience & Portfolio
o Details of at least three (3) similar public safety projects completed within the past ten (10) years.
o Demonstrated track record with active-duty fire stations, fleet maintenance hubs, training campuses, and adaptive reuse studies.
• Section C: Key Personnel Qualifications
o Abbreviated resumes for the Project Manager, Lead Structural/MEP Engineer, and Public Safety Specialist.
o Arkansas Licensing Compliance: Teams must be registered to practice architecture and engineering in Arkansas or demonstrate the capability to obtain licensure through reciprocity prior to contract execution.
• Section D: High-Level Methodology & On-Site Requirements
o A brief narrative (1–2 pages) outlining the approach to balancing existing facilities audits with public safety zoning and adaptive reuse.
o Fieldwork Mandate: The selected firm must conduct in-person site investigations and personnel interviews at all six (6) target facilities.
o Hybrid Meeting Structure: Initial kickoff and progress updates may be remote, but physical facility assessments and final presentations must be live and in person.
o Pricing Restriction: Do not include pricing or fee schedules anywhere within this submission.
4. Evaluation Criteria
Submissions will be reviewed and scored by a municipal evaluation committee using this merit-based matrix:
Evaluation Criteria
1. Fire/Public Safety Experience- Weight 40%
2. Staff & Engineer Qualifications- Weight30%
3. Proposed Project Methodology- Weight 20%
4. Past Client References (At least 3 relatable projects)- Weight 10%
5. Document Submission
• Submission Deadline: September 25, 2026, by 3:00 PM
• Delivery Instructions: Using the subject line: “RFQ: Springdale Fire Department Public Safety Facilities Study.”
Submissions must be delivered in a combined format: 3 hard copies and a single PDF. Submissions should be delivered to:
Jim Vaughan
417 Holcomb St
Springdale, AR 72764
Email: jvaughan@springdalear.gov
6. Public Disclosure & FOIA Notice
All materials submitted in response to this RFQ become the property of the City of Springdale and are subject to public inspection under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-101 et seq.). Trade secrets or proprietary commercial information must be explicitly marked as such.
September 6 & 13, 2026