The City consultant contract is attached (See Attachments Section).Consultants submit proposals understanding all Contract terms and conditions are mandatory. Response submittal is agreement to the Contract without exception. The City reserves the right to negotiate changes to submitted proposals and to change the City's otherwise mandatory Contract form during negotiations. If the Consultant is awarded a contract and refuses to sign the attached Contract form, the City may reject the Consultant from this and future solicitations for the same work. Under no circumstances shall Consultant submit its own boilerplate of terms and conditions.

The City has rules to govern the rights and obligations of interested parties that desire to submit a complaint or protest to this process. See the City website at https://www.seattle.gov/purchasing-and-contracting/doing-business-with-the-city/solicitation-and-selection-protest-protocols. Interested parties have the obligation to know of and understand these rules, and to seek clarification from the City. Note there are time limits on protests, and submitters have final responsibility to learn of results in sufficient time for such protests to be filed in a timely manner.

The City anticipates the following outcomes through this consultant solicitation: Consultant teams, including subconsultants, will provide basic and select additional services for architectural, engineering, and planning services to design the work, develop documents for bidding and construction, electrical outage coordination, and administer the construction and completion of the project. The design services shall include, but are not limited to: Design and construction administration services as described in Phase I and Phase II scopes of work in section 1 “Purpose and Background” of this document.Review existing City provided as-built documents: May 2024 Haller Lake Electrification Study, building and site drawings and field verify conditions to ensure all necessary facility information is complete and available prior to design commencement. Verify and evaluate program information and provide updated service point of connection / utility coordination plans, and preliminary construction budget and schedule. Present design to FAS Capital Development and all relevant City stakeholders at the direction of the City at design milestones (30 / 60 / 90 / 100% design completion). Provide cost estimates and updated schedules for each design phase. Systems cost estimate at Schematic design (30%) and labor, and materials detailed take-off estimates at DD and CD (60 and 90%). Provide strategies for maintaining budget and schedule. Provide quality and cost control, internal value engineering at each phase to maintain project budget. Provide outage / switchover planning for all removed / added electrical services. Coordinate with all applicable municipal agencies and required permitting authorities.

The following are minimum consultant qualifications and licensing requirements to be eligible to submit a response to this request and for any subsequent contract awarded. Submittals must clearly demonstrate these minimum qualifications. The submittals that are not clearly responsive to these minimum qualifications will be rejected without further consideration: The Prime Consultant, and each design discipline lead, must be licensed architects or engineers, as applicable, currently licensed in the State of Washington. The Prime Consultant firm must be licensed to do business in the State of Washington and in the City of Seattle. The provisions of any contracts resulting from this selection process must be in full compliance with all applicable laws and ordinances regarding equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. Refer to sections 7.10 and 7.11 for further information regarding licensing requirements. Executive Summary of Consultant Qualifications that includes the consultant’s range of design services, demonstrates delivery of quality design and illustrates sufficient technical expertise. Describe processes and tools used for quality assurance with specific examples.Firm Characteristics:Demonstrate your firm’s approach, philosophy and goals to provide quality design, technical expertise, and compliance with sustainable goals or requirements.Identify key members of your firm’s proposed team. Provide licensing and certification for each discipline lead.The Consultant’s submittal shall include a minimum of three (3) projects) similar in nature, size, and scope that the proposing firm has delivered. Projects must have been completed in the last ten (10) years (2016 forward). Provide only projects with an equal or higher level of complexity to the project described herein.Electrical improvement projects shall include:Infrastructure and capacity upgrades at commercial or government facilities.Consolidation of multiple electrical services into a single service feeding multiple buildings.Coordination with the local electrical service provider for newly established electrical service.Campus utility improvements.Projects shall demonstrate:Experience gathering and compiling information from multiple stakeholders including but not limited to tenants, contractors, owners, subject matter experts etc.Sustainable design approach that seeks to enhance environmental quality and long term efficiency. Ability to produce construction documents for public bid, permitting with the City of Seattle, and as-built record drawings. Construction administration capability for publicly bid projects. Project management capabilities with examples of methods or strategies that were effectively employed to maintain budget and schedule. If the tools or processes did not initially yield acceptable results to the Owner, describe specific steps taken to obtain results that were acceptable. Project experience must include compliance with the 2010 ADA Standards for Design, 2009 ANSI A117.1 and all applicable state and local codes.Provide six (6) total references: three (3) previous client / owner references and three (3) contractors that have worked with the Prime Consultant in the last seven (7) years to demonstrate client satisfaction. Include current contact names, titles, phone numbers, addresses and names of project(s).Ability to communicate effectively with the Owner’s project manager, general contractors, building engineers, and regulatory / permitting agencies. Demonstrate ability to collaborate with clients to accurately gather and assemble information and data needed to successfully complete projects and meet the client’s objectives.Manage subconsultant team, all phases of the project. Demonstrated quality of design and technical expertise. Strategies and processes to prevent and resolve claims and/or support Owner’s efforts in claims resolution.

The City expects to achieve the following outcomes through this consultant solicitation:Verification of electrical loads required for decarbonization of Haller Lake (HLF) buildings.Design of upgraded electrical service for the HLF campus via the GROUPED SERVICES approach, outlined in approach #2 portion of the Haller Lake Electrification Study, including design of all connections to existing buildings and connection to backup generators. Securing all required permits, providing bidding support, and providing construction administration services.

DurationStartEndNotify teams / schedule interviews15/10/20265/10/2026Design Team Interviews35/13/20265/15/2026Interview Consensus Scoring Meeting (directly after last interview)15/15/20265/15/2026Selection Memo Drafted25/16/20265/17/2026CD Director approval45/20/20265/23/2026Selected Design Team Announced15/24/20265/24/2026Consultant Contract Draft Scope145/25/20266/7/2026Consultant Proposal Development / Negotiation216/7/20266/28/2026Consultant Contract Issuance216/28/20267/19/2026Consultant Team Notice to Proceed 7/19/20267/19/2026Consultant Team Design Kick Off217/19/20268/9/202630% Design Period358/14/20269/18/202630% Submittal Review Period159/18/202610/2/202660% Design Period5010/2/202611/22/202660% Submittal Review Period1511/22/202612/6/202690% Design Period5512/6/20261/31/202690% Submittal Review Period151/31/20262/15/2027100% Design Period352/15/20273/19/2027100% Submittal Review Period153/19/20274/6/2027

If you have not previously done so, register at: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/seattle, then subscribe to the City’s Procurement Portal. The Procurement Portal is used by City staff to identify companies for future solicitation lists and check certifications. Women- and minority-owned firms are asked to self-identify their business as such in OpenGov. Registration in the City's Procurement Portal is required to submit a response to this solicitation.

The Haller Lake Campus has been identified by Drive Green Seattle Fleet Vehicle Infrastructure Plan and the City of Seattle as a location needing upgrades to build toward City transportation electrification and building decarbonization goals. The Haller Lake Facility is bounded by Stone Ave N, N 125th St, Ashworth Way North and N 128th St and includes property parcels 1926049286, 1926049311, and 1926049338. An electrification study has been undertaken and delivered in May 2024, hereinafter referred to as the Haller Lake Electrification Study, that outlined the options for upgrading the existing electrical service to meet future electric vehicle (EV) charging as well as future building decarbonization. The grouped building service approach (Approach #2 in Feasibility Study) has been selected as the preferred option by City stakeholders. This RFQ intends to select one (1) design (A/E) team led by an architect and comprised of engineering discipline design leads as necessary to provide design and construction administration services for the following scope, categorized by phases.Phase 1 and Phase 2 shall be addressed in the RFQ response.Phase 2 may be incorporated into the contract through modification upon completion of Phase 1 at the City of Seattle’s discretion.

The City will review responses for responsiveness and responsibility. Those found responsive and responsible based on an initial review shall proceed to Step 2. Equal Benefits, Minimum Qualifications, an Inclusion Plan (if applicable), satisfactory financial responsibility and other elements are screened in this Step. A significant failure to perform on past City projects may also be considered in determining the responsibility of a firm.

There are no minimum qualifications required in order for a consultant to submit a response to this solicitation.

The City consultant contract is attached (See Attachments Section).The City has attached its boilerplate contract terms to allow Respondents to be familiar with boilerplate, and the non-negotiable terms before submitting a proposal. The City may negotiate with the highest ranked apparent successful Respondent. The City cannot modify contract provisions mandated by Federal, State or City law: Equal Benefits, Audit (Review of Vendor Records), WMBE and EEO, Confidentiality, and Debarment or mutual indemnification. Exceptions to those provisions will be summarily disregarded.

The City consultant contract is attached (See Attachments Section).The City has attached its boilerplate contract terms so Proposers can be familiar with the boilerplate and the non-negotiable terms before submitting a proposal. Any questions about the City’s boilerplate should be made in advance of submittal. If a Consultant seeks to modify the Contract, the Consultant must request that within their Proposal response as taking an “Exception”. The Consultant must provide a revised version that shows their proposed alternative contract language. The City is not obligated to accept such proposed changes. If you request Exceptions that materially change the character of the contract, the City may reject the Consultant’s Proposal as non-responsive. The City cannot modify provisions mandated by Federal, State or City law: Equal Benefits, Audit (Review of Vendor Records), WMBE and EEO, Confidentiality, and Debarment, or mutual indemnification. Such Exceptions would be summarily disregarded.Although the City may open discussions with the highest ranked apparent successful Proposer to align the proposal or contract to best meet City needs, this does not ensure negotiation of modifications proposed by the consultant through the exception process above.

Procurement Contact: Rosanne (Roe) Pulalasi-Gonzales, Sr. Contracts Administrator, roe.pulalasi-gonzales@seattle.gov, (206) 386-4665Qualifications are to be submitted through the e-Procurement portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/seattle, no later than 2:00 pm on Monday, April 20, 2026.Unless authorized by the Procurement Contact, no other City official or employee may speak for the City regarding this solicitation until award is complete. Any Respondent contacting other City officials or employees does so at Respondent’s own risk. The City is not bound by such information.

The City offers an optional pre-submittal conference at the time, date and location on the Timeline. Respondents are highly encouraged to attend but not required to attend to be eligible to submit their qualifications. The meeting answers questions about the solicitation and clarifies issues. This also allows Respondents to raise concerns. Failure to raise concerns over any issues at this opportunity will be a consideration in any protest filed regarding such items known as of this pre-submittal conference.

Qualifications shall be evaluated using the evaluation criteria in the Evaluation Section.

Provide verification of building decarbonization, sometimes referred to as “electrification,” in accordance with loads listed in Reference Document Haller Lake Electrification Study. Provide a design narrative and basis of design (BoD), including equipment selections, for future replacement of all fossil fuel equipment with equipment powered by electricity for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Domestic Hot Water (DHW) and cooking equipment.Provide electrical load requirement for future building electrification and compare findings to the assumptions used in the Haller Lake Electrification Study. Validate deliverables such that the consulting designer of record for a new project is provided with accurate future load assumptions on which to base new design work. Buildings shall include: Building A Building B Paint Shop D Sand Blasting Shed Trailers 1, 2 and 3 Fuel Pump Island SDOT Trailer Building C Hazardous Waste Management Facility Provide design of new electrical service and supporting electrical infrastructure to HLF buildings: Verify total building loads. Utilize 30-day metering as needed to verify existing loads from the eleven (11) buildings and areas noted in the Feasibility Study: Building ABuilding B Paint Shop D Sand Blasting Shed Trailers 1, 2 and 3 Fuel Pump Island SDOT Trailer Building C Hazardous Waste Management Facility Provide future building decarbonization load for Phase 1.Provide future electric vehicle charging load calculated from City provided information regarding quantities and specification of chargers from FAS Fleet Management as indicated in Table 05 of the Haller Lake Electrification Study. Provide a traffic study for the areas on and around the HLF that confirms vehicle clearances and turning radii have been addressed and all required clearances for ground mounted equipment have been met. Provide early collaboration with SCL to coordinate and verify the following: Total loads and required service sizes for each new electrical service. Impact of short circuit ratings on existing equipment upon determination of updated service size.Lead times for SCL equipment and overall SCL scheduling requirements. Design new electrical service to integrate into existing building distribution, or design new distribution; include justification for the chosen approach: SCL point(s) of connection (POCs)Coordination on utility requirements for new electrical service.Design of electrical infrastructure from utility POC to building POC, which shall be:New or existing building level distribution panels, depending on recommended in Approach 2, GROUPED SERVICES in Haller Lake Electrification Study New distribution panels where requiredNew distribution equipment shall incorporate future planning in terms of number of spare breakers to remain to feed future EV charging and decarbonization loads. Design generator system(s) and all associated appurtenances for interconnection and communication with existing.Design modifications to building electrical distribution and separation of services in accordance with current electrical code requirements. Design replacement of existing electrical equipment in accordance with Approach 2, GROUPED SERVICES in the May 2024 Haller Lake Electrification Study. Design distribution infrastructure to feed future electrical vehicle charging stations. Installation of charging stations and associated IT coordination to be handled under future project.Scope of design work for this contract shall assume a point of connection at a building electrical panel where future contract to feed EV chargers will connect Coordinate with Fleet Management subject matter expert (SME) and subsequent specification of load management system required to allow desired number of chargers with the designed distribution infrastructure. Develop design and coordinate with operational stakeholders to enable smooth transition of electrical service during construction. Provide a construction cost estimate at each design phase (schematic design, design development, construction documents). Align one design phase and corresponding cost estimate with a 30-percent level of overall design completion. Submit construction documents to SDCI for review, coordinate with SDCI, and secure all required permits. Permits shall be obtained as part of Phase 1. Upon successful completion of Phase 1, the contract may be amended to retain the services of the design team for subsequent work. Phase 2 is provided herein for reference only.

The City issues results and award decisions to all Respondents. The City provides debriefing on a limited basis for the purpose of allowing respondents to understand how they may improve in future solicitation opportunities.

The Apparently Successful Consultant(s) will receive an Intent to Award Letter from the Procurement Contact after award decisions are made by the City. The Letter will include instructions for final submittals due prior to execution of the contract.Once the City has finalized and issued the contract for signature, the Consultant must execute the contract and provide all requested documents within ten (10) business days. This includes attaining a Seattle Business License, payment of associated taxes due, and providing proof of insurance. If the Consultant fails to execute the contract with all documents within the ten (10) day time frame, the City may cancel the award and proceed to the next ranked Consultant, or cancel or reissue this solicitation. Cancellation of an award for failure to execute the Contract as attached may disqualify the firm from future solicitations for this same work.

Respondents may submit their questions through the Procurement Portal. Respondents may also email questions to the Procurement Contact until the deadline stated in the Timeline. Failure to request clarification of any inadequacy, omission, or conflict will not relieve the Consultant of responsibilities under any subsequent contract. It is the responsibility of the interested Consultant to assure they receive responses to questions if any are issued.

The City may interview top ranked firms that are considered to be the most competitive. If interviews are conducted, rankings of firms shall be determined by the City, using the combined results of interviews and submittals. Consultants invited to interview are to bring the assigned key person(s) named by the Consultant in the Proposal, and may bring other key personnel named in the Proposal. The Consultant shall not bring individuals who do not work for the Consultant or are not on the project team without advance authorization by the Procurement Contact. If interviews are conducted, they will be worth the points listed in the Proposal Evaluation section.

Support FAS in administering the construction contract. Attend preconstruction and progress meetings. Answer requests for information, review submittals, issue supplemental instructions. Verify percent of work complete each month.Provide punch list and conduct back punch. Support FAS during close-out. Review operations and maintenance manuals. Provide record documents. The City anticipates award of contract during the third quarter of 2026. Basic Design Services will be negotiated using the State of Washington’s Guidelines for Determining Architect/Engineer Fees for Public Works Building Projects (effective July 2015). Payment for Basic Design Services is a fixed price fee calculated based on the State of Washington Office of Financial Management A/E Fee Schedule (http://www.OFM.wa.gov). Sustainability is a core value of the City of Seattle. The delivered project must meet the City’s Sustainable Buildings and Sites Policy http://www.seattle.gov/environment/climate-change/buildings-and- energy/city-facilities/capital-green-toolkit when the scope of the project is required to comply with the Office of Sustainability and Environments Capital Green Program and the Capital Green toolkit. Design specifications produced by the selected consultant shall conform to the section numbering and naming requirements of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) Master Format 2020 specifications. The required project specifications shall be three-part prescriptive specifications. When naming proprietary products, the specifications must name a minimum of three (3) products in adequate detail for public bidding requirements and contain adequate performance data to allow substitutions if approved. Additional information can be found at https://www.csiresources.org/standards/masterformat

The City may contact one or more references. The City may use references named or not named by the Proposer. The City may also consider the results of performance evaluations issued by the City on past projects.

The Consultant(s) should anticipate the Letter will require at least the following. Consultants are encouraged to prepare these documents, when possible, to eliminate risks of late compliance.Seattle Business License is current and all taxes due have been paid.State of Washington Business License.Evidence of InsuranceSpecial LicensesForm W-9 if a new Consultant for the City

The City may make changes to this RFQ if, in the sole judgment of the City, the change will not compromise the City’s objectives in this solicitation. Any change to this RFQ will be made by formal addendum issued by the City, through the Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/seattle and shall become part of this RFQ.

Proof of insurance is required, see Attachments for Insurance Transmittal Form.

It is the obligation and responsibility of the Consultant to learn of addenda, responses, or notices issued by the City, through the Procurement Portal. Some third-party services independently post City of Seattle solicitations on their websites. The City does not guarantee that such services have accurately provided all the information published by the City.All submittals sent to the City may be considered compliant with or without specific confirmation from the Consultant that any and all addenda was received and incorporated into your response. However, the Project Manager reserves the right to reject any submittal that does not fully incorporate Addenda that is critical to the project.

The City shall select the highest ranked Proposer(s) for award, including written proposal and the interview (if applicable). The City reserves the right to make a final selection based on the combined results and/or the overall consensus of the Consultant Evaluation Committee.

Responses must be received by the City no later than Monday, April 20, 20262:00 pm, except as revised by Addenda. The submitter has full responsibility to ensure the response is submitted to the City's Procurement Portal within the deadline. The Procurement Portal will not allow vendors to upload submissions past the deadline.

The City may negotiate elements of the proposal as required to best meet the needs of the City, with the apparent successful Proposer. The City may negotiate any aspect of the proposal or the solicitation. The City does not intend to negotiate the base contract, which has been attached (See Attachments).

It is the Respondent's responsibility to respond in a manner that does not require interpretation or clarification by the City. The Respondent is to provide all requested materials, forms and information. The Respondent is to ensure the materials are submitted properly and accurately reflect the Respondent’s qualifications. During scoring and evaluation (prior to interviews if any), the City will rely upon the submitted materials and shall not accept materials from the Respondent after the RFQ deadline; this does not limit the City’s right to consider additional information (such as references that are not provided by the Respondent but are known to the City, or past City experience with the consultant), or to seek clarifications as needed.

Respondents shall not interfere in any way to discourage other potential and/or prospective consultants from submitting or considering participation in the submittal process. Prohibited contacts includes but is not limited to any contact, whether direct or indirect (i.e. in writing, by phone, email or other, and by the Respondent or another person acting on behalf of the Respondent) to a likely firm or individual that may discourage or limit competition. If such activity is evidenced to the satisfaction and in sole discretion of the City department, the Respondent that initiates such contacts may be rejected from the process.

If a contract is executed resulting from this solicitation and is terminated within 90-days, the City may return to the solicitation process to award to the next highest ranked responsive Consultant by mutual agreement with such Consultant. New awards thereafter are also extended this right.

The Consultant must meet all applicable licensing requirements immediately after contract award or the City may reject the Consultant. Companies must license, report and pay revenue taxes for the Washington State business License (UBI#) and Seattle Business License, if required by law. Carefully consider those costs before submitting an offer, as the City will not separately pay or reimburse such costs.Seattle Business Licensing and associated taxesIf you have a “physical nexus” in the city, you must obtain a Seattle Business license and pay all taxes due before the Contract can be signed. A “physical nexus” means you have physical presence, such as: a building/facility/employee(s) in Seattle, you make sales trips into Seattle, your own company drives into Seattle for product deliveries, and/or you conduct service work in Seattle (repair, installation, service, maintenance work, on-site consulting, etc). We provide a Consultant Questionnaire Form in our submittal package items later in this RFP/RFQ, and it will ask you to specify if you have “physical nexus”.All costs for any licenses, permits and Seattle Business License taxes owed shall be borne by the Consultant and not charged separately to the City. The apparent successful Consultant(s) must immediately obtain the license and ensure all City taxes are current, unless exempted by City Code due to reasons such as no physical nexus. Failure to do so will cause rejection of the submittal. The City of Seattle Application for a Business License and additional licensing information can be found this page here: https://www.seattle.gov/city-finance/business-taxes-and-licenses/business-licenses For Questions and Assistance, call the Revenue and Consumer Protection (RCP) office which issues business licenses and enforces licensing requirements. The general e-mail is tax@seattle.gov. The main phone is 206-684-8484. Self-Filing You can pay your license and taxes on-line https://www.filelocal-wa.gov/Default_FileLocal.aspx If a business has extraordinary balances due on their account that would cause undue hardship to the business, the business can contact the License and Tax Administration office at tax@seattle.gov or 206-684-8484 to request additional assistance. Those holding a City of Seattle Business license may be required to report and pay revenue taxes to the City. Such costs should be carefully considered by the Consultant prior to submitting your offer. When allowed by City ordinance, the City will have the right to retain amounts due at the conclusion of a contract by withholding from final invoice payments.

If no Consultant is selected at the conclusion of all the steps, the City may return to any step in the process to repeat the evaluation with those proposals active at that step. The City shall then sequentially step through all remaining steps as if conducting a new evaluation process. The City reserves the right to terminate the process if no proposals meet its requirements.

Before the contract is signed, you must have a State of Washington business license (a “Unified Business Identifier” known as a UBI#). If the State of Washington has exempted your business from State licensing (some foreign companies are exempt and sometimes, the State waives licensing because the company has no physical presence in the State), then submit proof of that exemption to the City. All costs for any licenses, permits and associated tax payments due to the State because of licensing shall be borne by the Consultant and not charged separately to the City. Instructions to apply for a business license can be found at https://dor.wa.gov/open-business/apply-business-license and the State of Washington Department of Revenue contact help page at https://dor.wa.gov/contact.

The City is exempt from Federal Excise Tax.

The City does not guarantee utilization of any contract(s) awarded through this RFQ process. The solicitation may provide estimates of utilization; such information is for Consultant convenience and not a usage guarantee. The City reserves the right to issue multiple or partial awards, and/or to order work based on City needs. The City may turn to other appropriate contract sources or supplemental contracts to obtain these same or similar services. The City may re-solicit for new additions to the Consultant pool. Use of such supplemental contracts does not limit the right of the City to terminate existing contracts for convenience or cause.

The contract limits expansion of scope and new work not expressly provided for within the RFQ.Expansion for New Work (work not specified within the original Scope of Work Section of this Agreement, and/or not specified in the original RFQ as intended work for the Agreement) must comply with the following:(a) New Work is not reasonable to solicit separately; (b) is for reasonable purpose; (c) was not reasonably known by the City or Consultant at time of solicitation or was mentioned as a possibility in the solicitation (i.e. future phases of work, or a change in law); (d) is not significant enough to be regarded as an independent body of work; (e) would not attract a different field of competition; and (f) does not change the identity or purpose of the Agreement. The City may make exceptions for immaterial changes, emergency or sole source conditions, or other situations required in City opinion. Certain changes are not subject to these limitations, such as additional phases of Work anticipated during solicitation, time extensions, and Work Orders issued on an On-Call contract. Expansion must be mutually agreed and issued by the City through written Addenda. New Work performed before an authorizing Amendment may not be eligible for payment.The City reserves the right to independently solicit and award any New Work to another firm when deemed appropriate or required by City policy.

Solicitation responses are valid until the City completes award. Should any Respondent object to this condition, they must object prior to the Q&A deadline in the Timeline.

The City is not liable for costs incurred by the Respondent to prepare, submit and present qualifications, interviews and/or demonstrations.

The City’s ability to evaluate submissions is influenced by the organization, detail, comprehensive material and readable format of the response.

Prior to the submittal closing date and time established for this RFQ, a Consultant may change or correct its proposal by following the Instructions here: https://opengov.my.site.com/support/s/article/4f4218bf-7da6-4fc6-b0c3-7eade0776ebe. No change to a submission shall be made after the solicitation closing date and time.

Respondents are responsible for errors and omissions in their submissions. No error or omission shall diminish the Respondent’s obligations to the City.

A submittal may be withdrawn at any time through the Procurement portal prior to the closing date or by written request of the submitter.

The City may reject any or all submissions with no penalty. The City may waive immaterial defects and minor irregularities in any submitted response.

This RFQ and Respondent’s submission, including promises, warranties, commitments, and representations made in the successful response once accepted by the City, are binding and incorporated by reference in the City’s contract with the Respondent.

The Consultant works as an independent contractor. The City will provide appropriate contract management, but that does not constitute a supervisory relationship to the Consultant. Consultant workers are prohibited from supervising City employees or from direct supervision by a City employee. Prohibited supervision tasks include conducting a City of Seattle Employee Performance Evaluation, preparing and/or approving a City of Seattle timesheet, administering employee discipline, and similar supervisory actions.Contract workers shall not be given City office space unless expressly provided for below, and in no case shall such space be provided for over 36 months without specific authorization from the City.The City will not provide space in City offices for performance of this work. Consultants will perform most work from their own office space or the field.

Seattle Municipal Code Chapter 20.45 (SMC 20.45) requires consideration of whether Consultants provide health and benefits that are the same or equivalent to the domestic partners of employees as to spouses of employees, and of their dependents and family members. The Consultant Questionnaire requested in the Response Materials and Submittal section includes materials to designate your equal benefits status.

The Mayor’s Executive Order and City ordinance require the maximum practicable opportunity for successful participation of minority and women-owned subcontracts. All proposers must agree to SMC Chapter 20.42, and seek meaningful subconsultant opportunities with WMBE firms. The City requires a plan for including minority- and women-owned firms, which becomes a material part of the contract. The Plan must be responsive in the opinion of the City, which means a meaningful and successful search and commitments to include WMBE firms for subcontracting work. The City reserves the right to improve the Plan with the winning Consultant before contract execution. Consultants should use selection methods and strategies sufficiently effective for successful WMBE participation. At City request, Consultants must furnish evidence such as copies of agreements with WMBE subconsultants either before contract execution or during contract performance. The winning Consultant must request written approval for changes to the Inclusion Plan once it is agreed upon. This includes changes to goals, subconsultant awards and efforts.WMBE firms need not be state certified to meet the City's WMBE definition. The City defines WMBE firms as at least 51% (percent) owned by women and/or minority. To be recognized as a WMBE, register on the City’s Procurement Portal. Federally funded transportation projects require a Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) program; for that program, firms must be certified by the Washington State Office of Minority and Women Business Enterprises (OMWBE).

Any special insurance requirements are provided as an Attachment. If attached, provide proof of insurance and additional insured endorsement policy language to the City before Contract execution. The apparent successful Proposer must promptly provide proof of insurance to the City upon receipt of the notice of intent to award.Consultants are encouraged to immediately contact their Broker to begin preparation of the required insurance documents, if the Consultant is selected as a finalist. Respondents may elect to provide the requested insurance documents within their Submittal.

The State of Washington’s Public Records Act (Release/Disclosure of Public Records): Under Washington State Law (reference RCW Chapter 42.56, the Public Records Act) all materials received or created by the City of Seattle are considered public records. These records include but are not limited to bid or proposal submittals, agreement documents, contract work product, or other bid material. The State of Washington’s Public Records Act requires that public records must be promptly disclosed by the City upon request unless that RCW or another Washington State statute specifically exempts records from disclosure. Exemptions are narrow and explicit and are listed in Washington State Law (Reference RCW 42.56 and RCW 19.108).Respondents must be familiar with the Washington State Public Records Act and the limits of record disclosure exemptions. For more information, visit the Washington State Legislature’s website at http://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=42.56.If you have any questions about disclosure of the records you submit with your response, contact the Procurement Contact named in this document.Marking Your Records Exempt from Disclosure (Protected, Confidential, or Proprietary)As mentioned above, all City of Seattle offices (“the City”) are required to promptly make public records available upon request. However, under Washington State Law some records or portions of records are considered legally exempt from disclosure and can be withheld. A list and description of records identified as exempt by the Public Records Act can be found in RCW 42.56 and RCW 19.108.If you believe any of the records you are submitting to the City as part of your bid/proposal or contract work products, are exempt from disclosure you can request that they not be released before you receive notification. To do so you must complete the City Non-Disclosure Request Form (“the Form”) provided by the City (see page 4 on the Consultant Questionnaire) and very clearly and specifically identify each record and the exemption(s) that may apply. (If you are awarded a City contract, the same exemption designation will carry forward to the contract records.)The City will not withhold materials from disclosure simply because you mark them with a document header or footer, page stamp, or a generic statement that a document is non-disclosable, exempt, confidential, proprietary, or protected. Do not identify an entire page as exempt unless each sentence is within the exemption scope; instead, identify paragraphs or sentences that meet the specific exemption criteria you cite on the Form. Only the specific records or portions of records properly listed on the Form will be protected and withheld for notice. All other records will be considered fully disclosable upon request.If the City receives a public disclosure request for any records you have properly and specifically listed on the Form, the City will notify you in writing of the request and will postpone disclosure. While it is not a legal obligation, the City, as a courtesy, will allow you up to ten business days to file a court injunction to prevent the City from releasing the records (reference RCW 42.56.540). If you fail to obtain a Court order within the ten days, the City may release the documents.The City will not assert an exemption from disclosure on your behalf. If you believe a record(s) is exempt from disclosure you are obligated to clearly identify it as such on the Form and submit it with your solicitation. Should a public record request be submitted to Purchasing for that record(s), you can then seek an injunction under RCW 42.56 to prevent release. By submitting a bid document, the bidder acknowledges this obligation; the proposer also acknowledges that the City will have no obligation or liability to the proposer if the records are disclosed.Requesting Disclosure of Public RecordsThe City asks bidders and their companies to refrain from requesting public disclosure of bids until an intention to award is announced. This measure is intended to protect the integrity of the solicitation process particularly during the evaluation and selection process or in the event of a cancellation or re-solicitation. With this preference stated, the City will continue to be responsive to all requests for disclosure of public records as required by State Law. If you do wish to make a request for records, visit https://www.seattle.gov/public-records/public-records-request-center.

Familiarize yourself with the City Ethics code: http://www.seattle.gov/ethics/etpub/et_home.htm. For an in-depth explanation of the City’s Ethics Code for Contractors, Vendors, Customers and Clients, visit: http://www.seattle.gov/ethics/etpub/faqcontractorexplan.htm. Any questions should be addressed to Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission at 206-684-8500.No Gifts and Gratuities.Consultants shall not directly or indirectly offer anything (such as retainers, loans, entertainment, favors, gifts, tickets, trips, bonuses, donations, special discounts, work, or meals) to any City employee, volunteer or official, if it is intended or may appear to a reasonable person to be intended to obtain or give special consideration to the Consultant. An example of this is giving sporting event tickets to a City employee who is also on the evaluation team of a solicitation to which you submitted or intend to submit. The definition of what a “benefit” would be is broad and could include not only awarding a contract but also the administration of the contract or evaluating contract performance. The rule works both ways, as it also prohibits City employees from soliciting items from Consultants.Involvement of Current and Former City Employees.The Consultant Questionnaire within your submittal documents prompts you to disclose any current or former City employees, official or volunteer that is working or assisting on solicitation of City business or on completion of an awarded contract. Update that information during the contract.Contract Workers with over 1,000 Hours.The Ethics Code applies to Consultant workers that perform over 1,000 cumulative hours on any City contract during any 12-month period. Any such employee must abide by the City Ethics Code. The Consultant is to be aware and familiar with the Ethics Code accordingly.No Conflict of Interest. Consultant (including officer, director, trustee, partner or employee) must not have a business interest or a close family or domestic relationship with any City official, officer or employee who was, is, or will be involved in selection, negotiation, drafting, signing, administration or evaluating Consultant performance. The City shall make sole determination as to compliance.Campaign Contributions (Initiative Measure No. 122)Elected officials and candidates are prohibited from accepting or soliciting campaign contributions from anyone having at least $250,000 in contracts with the City in the last two years or who has paid at least $5,000 in the last 12 months to lobby the City. See Initiative 122, or call the Ethics Director with questions.

The City may require background checks for the Consultant, as well as some or all of their employees and contracted workers who may perform work under this Agreement. The City reserves the right to require such background checks at any time. The City has strict policies regarding the use of background checks, criminal checks, and immigrant status for contract workers. The policies are incorporated into this Agreement and available for viewing on-line at http://www.seattle.gov/purchasing-and-contracting/social-equity/background-checks.

Hyperlinks and URLs to web sites or references to attachments may not be used in documents submitted in response to this solicitation, unless specifically requested in the submittal requirements. The City is not obligated to evaluate, review, or score any information submitted in the form of a hyperlink or URL. Information and documentation requested for the evaluation process must be submitted in the format indicated in the solicitation instructions.