| Category: | Procedure: | |
| Facility Expansion Program | New Capital Improvement Project Planning | |
| Descriptor Code: | Issued Date: | Revised Date: |
| AP-F-150 | April 2025 | |
To provide for quality of service and fairness in service selection, architectural firms interested in performing work for Knox County Schools must respond to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Developed and managed in partnership with Knox County Procurement, RFQs will be issued for all major Capital Improvement Plan projects. Additionally, the result of RFQs will periodically be used to develop a ranked list of qualified architectural firms to be engaged on projects of smaller scale or scope.
NOTICE OF A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
Knox County Procurement shall issue the RFQ and notice will be provided to interested architectural firms per Knox County Procurement’s standard procedures.
EVALUATION OF QUALIFICATIONS
The responses to the RFQ shall be reviewed by the selected evaluation committee. The evaluation committee shall include a representative of the Knox County Schools Facilities Department, a representative of Knox County Procurement, and a third representative typically selected by the KCS Operations Division. Committee members independently score responses per the criteria included in the RFQ. Scores are then compiled by Knox County Procurement to identify the highest scoring respondent.
CONTRACT AWARDS
The highest-scoring respondent for the project for which the RFQ was issued shall be selected for that project. All other respondents will then be populated on a list, based on their respective scores, which will be used for selection of architects for smaller projects. Smaller projects will typically be defined as projects with a calculated designer fee of less than $200,000.00. The ranked list of architectural firms will be used until it has either:
- Been exhausted; or
- Until it expires (three years after the RFQ process is finalized).
The KCS Facilities Department will negotiate all necessary contracts with the identified architectural firm(s). Proposed contract shall be provided to the Knox County Board of Education for consideration in accordance with KCBOE Policy F-150 “New Project Planning.”