Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

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So the only question is, are you? Apply now. gary.gov/pol or email gpdrecruiting gary.gov. We are GPD. It's your city. For the first time ever, the city of Gary is bringing something new to the community. Welcome to the Downtown Gary Marketplace. This isn't just a popup. It's the start of something special. Local vendors, fresh products, homegrown hustle. Support local, celebrate Gary, and experience the very first downtown Gary marketplace. For the first time ever, the city of Gary is bringing something new to the community. Welcome to the downtown Gary Marketplace. This isn't just a popup. It's the start of something special. Local vendors. Okay. Good afternoon. Uh this is our first uh technical review committee for the Lake County Convention Center. And um we'll go ahead and do attendance. Roll call. Uh Jim Weisman

here. Jeff Lewis here. Will Allen present.

Corey Sharp. I serve as the facilitator and am non voting on this committee. So our purpose here today is to score the RFQ response that we received for the Lake County Convention Center located next to the Hard Rock Casino. Um basically the interstate and Bur Street intersection. So um we are operating underneath the design build state statute and in that statute it lays out criteria on things that we may consider during our evaluation. We wrote our RFQ to evaluate uh several different topics. The first one were their credentials as a design builder, their XPE and local participation meeting the minimum and then we gave an extra five points possible for exceeding the minimum, their experience with Gary experience with working together and their project approach and their ability to follow the RFQ instructions. We uh received one bid as a part of this public RFQ process and that came from um an AECOM Hunt Powers and Suns team and uh they did deliver this RFQ on time uh via email. I've printed out that document for you on your um on your page. Jeeoff, would you like to use this one that is more stapled better.

Uh, that's okay. I'm fine. Yeah.

Okay. Um, so, uh, if we could use most of our time going through thoughtfully and scoring the RFQ, uh, at the end, if we had received multiple RFQ responses, we would have made a recommendation for two or three of those firms to move forward into an RFP process. So, because we only received one, we actually need to make a recommendation to city council and the city council um will basically adopt a resolution at a public meeting um allowing us to issue the RFP to only one proposal, AECOM and um Hunt and Powers and Sun's team. So um with that we can just um open discussion and um go from there. So uh hopefully uh you know I I know I shared this all with you um earlier but they organize their proposal in basically the same manage same way as what we're scoring which is always helpful because then we can go through um I know you all have a score sheet uh then we also have in our criteria I did print out for you this state the qualifications packet in case you wanted to see what their criteria what they had to hit in order to um meet those goals. So the first one is um design build uh credentials with a total point score of 45. Um I thought we could maybe go around the room and just uh share with what your thoughts were on the team that they built in order to address um our our project.

The first thing that comes to my mind, Cory, is obviously local participation that we talked about and uh seeing that it seems that powers is going to have a pretty active role in the partnership with them. Yeah, you know, that's interesting. Um, as a part of that, we did ask for them if they were going to do any JBing, then they were to supply their However, um it it is um it it's still there's still places where they need to fill in line items. Correct.

So, theou has a JB ownership stake um will be 25% powers and 75% hunt. Correct. And then as you go through the credentials as well, you see some other local participation like Yeah. And I believe somewhere along the line, Jeff, did I not see something with Octar's involved? I believe so. Yeah. Which he would be local. So there it seems to be that they've included several people locally.

Yeah. And um minority participation. Yes. Obviously powers. Yeah. I mean, six uh six of the seven that are listed as as consultants are WBE or MBE certified.

The exception obviously the the page page two right after the cover letter highlights uh projects across the country. uh ground up uh $35 million in square or 35 million square feet of convention center um space built 11 billion dollars of convention center u and it's kind of structured as a com hunt did powers and sons work with them across all of those projects. Yeah. Yeah. because it was a ACOM but then AOM. So that that kind of hits the mark with the experience with Gary,

right? Um with Parl and Sons and then Robinson Engineering being familiar above and beyond which is impressive and then they hit that mark with experience with working together. Sure. Yeah. So yeah, I don't know if we I have done it both ways. You can score individually. I'll add them up and then um you know or we can concur together. I think we should concur. I think so. I mean it's not like right we're not in a situation where one is going to uh have to act. We have support to back up our decision making. Yes.

I mean I would suggest category considering the sheer quantity and and value of of convention specific convention center experience they have tackle that as well John so um a total points of 45 selling so 45 y the next one is exation we had assigned five points to that for eating the minimum. Looks like they've met that and exceeded it. Yeah. Between Powers and DLZ and Robinson and

Octar and there might be even others that we've missed, but they've certainly exceeded it. Yep. So, I have five and five. Sure. I agree with that. Next section is experience in Gary. That again with powers involved part of the group. I mean they're as well known and experienced in the city of Gary as anybody. Yeah. I would think with that alone they meet the experience with Gary with you know powers influence on the project. Right. Yeah.

How does everybody else feel about that? Yeah, I I agree. DZ AES and Robinson engineering power than science. I mean, Robinson's dealt with the city and been the city engineer for many, many years. I don't know that you could get more much more of a team. Yeah. To to have that amount of experience with Gary. So, we're talking two there. Yeah. Yep.

Okay. Experience working together. So my only comment here is that uh it's it's not clear on how much they've worked together. It just mentions that, you know, this group of uh organizations have successfully completed, you know, certain um yeah projects. I'm okay with, you know, giving them a score of meeting the criteria. I think excelling we would probably need more information information. Yep. And I would concur. Yep. I would agree. So we talking two there. Yeah. Y. Okay. Maximum is three. Y.

Next criteria is project approach. Uh you get to your pages there. Uh for the public. Um we asked for the teams to detail how they would manage the process and project a budget and schedule compliance. Uh ex explain how the team could manage unknown environmental issues and bringing them to resolutions. Um we asked for their quality assurance and quality control processes, their dispute resolutions process. Um there um anything sight specific uh as it relates to maybe our traffic flow and adjacent structures, how they could incorporate project approach to that. And then their capacity to start in 2025 and they have broken down their um response per each one of those categories. This subject line has an opportunity to earn 35 points. I appreciated that they um in their org chart and in their project approach, you know, just from having the the individual talent, not the firm talent

um assigned to this like for instance, they're going to right they're going to have a project manager on site, you know, and you know, as part of the design team, but they're also going to have a separate scheduler assigned the organizational chart that they provide. That is just amazing. Yeah. Way over what I would expect. Very robust. Yeah. Very well thought out. Yep.

When I have worked on design build team contracts, um I have found that the pre-construction team is key to um the project really being a success. And I appreciated that they isolated that out and and uh spoke to them.

Yeah. I I thought their answers to the various questions were well thought out uh and detailed in terms of their approach particularly regarding scheduling and their current workload. The listing of subs as well is pretty impressive. Yeah.

One of thing I mean the whole structure of design build is meant you know you're coming at it together um and really the owner is kind of the outside factor. you know, sometimes this dispute resolution isn't, you know, contractor to designer. It's, you know, the team, you know, and I appreciated that, you know, they they made a statement in here, you know, that they don't come at it as adversaries, but really um sharing the goal of delivering this successful project on time and on budget,

emphasizing strong communication, right? Yep. Sounds like we think they excel in the project approach category.

Yeah. So, we're on agreement 35 points. Does anyone have anything else to add? Oh, I think I'm in agreement with that. I concur.

Well, the last one is easy. uh their ability to follow RFQ instructions, which to me is very important because obviously if you can't follow simple rules like this, how are you going to put together? Yeah. Right. Um and I um I think they did fine with with this, you know, above and beyond.

Yeah, they they hit all the marks. Um they included the uh JB paperwork, which was a requirement. Um, and let's see. I want to make sure I hit I had notes here. Yeah. um they did hit, you know, every every section of what was the instructions for preparing them. So, I'm fine with whatever you guys assign them.

Yeah, I would say they excelled, but I can't think of anything that they were lacking in the Okay. the preparation and following the instructions. It's well prepared as you'll find. So there's a total of 100 points available and I think you all voted on deducting one point uh with experiencing working together. So 99 points total then for this team.

Okay. I am going to package a very similar package to city council. city council um will meet in two weeks. Uh so we'll try to hit that meeting and get on their agenda for that. Um I would like to issue so they meet on the 19th. So theoretically uh we could issue the RFP on the 20th after we get their approval.

So I did attach um a final draft of the RFP for your um perusal. Um this um has a schedule where um the RFP would be issued on August 20th and this is all dependent on council approval. uh with an RFP deadline um October 30th.

That's a full uh 60 days plus 70 days. Um and basically what this team needs to do is come through schematic design. Right. So do you think that's adequate, Jeff? I mean it's um my my gut tells me that they've they've probably already started thinking about that. So um I I would count on it. Yeah, I mean they know they have a concept design already. They've got a concept. They they published, you know, they submitted a a preliminary budget which which we know is over the budget, right? So they they're aware of that. I I'd be surprised if they weren't always already thinking on ways to

to get back within within the budget parameters. So I I I I think it you know knowing that if it was coming completely out of the blue it would be a very tight timeline but knowing that being that it's ACOM if it was others that have been you know included includ right they know so it should be okay I think so too. Okay. Um then our um our recommendation we will meet then um that last that October 30th or the 31st if the 31st is a Friday dress in costume. Yes, I would love that. We should we do all construction workers.

We should you know who we should come as is the WK the W people like we that's what we should do in memory of Montreal. Uh, I mean, I could be Lonnie, don't you? Can't you see it? Yeah, I like it. I like it.

Okay. Um, then are the with that due then around Halloween? Uh, November is when we'll do the board of works approval. Um the part of this submission for the RFP is we are asking them to submit uh their AIA document. So their design build AIA document. So when they submit it, we will have a template for a contract. Uh it will just be the nuances of reading through that and making any amendments after after selection assuming they are the ones selected. Then we're targeting an occupancy of Q4 of 27. So um the scope is very comprehensive. Uh this is a very robust project and we are assigning a lot of responsibilities to the design team. So they need to go through all of their design and engineering. They also need to incorporate in the budget, you know, the the things that we would consider extras, you know, FF and E um environmental graphics and branding um environmental

period huge, right? Uh it needs to include commissioning for the project. So it is um a full spectrum of work. Um it includes the building and the site work. as well. So our project I don't see any mention of that in when they list here. I don't see anything on the site. Do you see anything? You look at this page 13

um for the list of subcontractors. If you look through there, they've got a lot I see nothing about site work. Yeah, you're right. Um, that's probably true, but I think it's covered on page four under site work, parking, landscaping site. Oh, we were looking at the what their response was. We were looking Oh, I see. I see what they sent us the qualifications. So, this that would be a good point because they're um in their submission um they had to submit uh the preliminary list of subcontractors. Obviously, they will submit a full list of subcontractors because this isn't complete, right? Yeah. Yeah. Well, no, not at all. Right. You don't have you don't have interior design.

There's I mean, the site alone is a major, right? But I would say these that they've included in here are the big hitters. Oh, yeah. Yeah. For sure. You're going to have like site work. You have the GE Marshalss and the Dire and all them are going to You're looking at a heavy Y.

Okay. The project requirements in the RFP come from um the uh Johnson report that was put together by the um Lake County Commissioners in addition to incorporating some of uh best practices and it it goes through um exhibit halls, ballrooms. Um, as we've mentioned, the site work, elevators, um, life safety signage. We make note uh, in this draft that um, we're encouraging sustainable design principles to be incorporated in this. And again, we will score proposals once we receive them. it will have a maximum of a 100 points. Um in addition to uh this document, the RFP itself, uh they they do need to respond to um an additional document and it it's related to um our local firms and it's a signed project labor agreement uh that our joint joint venture is um looking for. So the joint venture between Hard Rock and the city of Gary um attaching to this RFP the um an agreement that would speak to uh a labor agreement.

Do you have any questions about the RFP itself? Also in it, I've included the statute um that is governing this design build just in case we missed anything. Um it's all there. Um, that's uh Indiana code 530 design bill. Yep. Yeah. Yep. And I didn't include the whole code. I just included the section for proposals.

The code is broken out by qualifications, which we just went through, and then proposals, which we're doing now. The total project budget for this is 143 million and again that is all-encompassing. It's our

all all in. So um we'll need to uh work with the team. I because because we had one proposal um underneath the schedule. Um I did have in here design build team meetings with owner as requested from the schedule allowing them to have meetings with us as they work through their design build.

Uh if it were a competitive nature we probably wouldn't allow that to happen but um uh if you're okay with it um you know with me as the facilitator having to have those conversations to make sure that they they're having questions along the way then they have the capability to reach out and I think that makes a lot of sense you're the one well you know it takes a team you know so no I think that's I mean that makes sense that works toward a much better project much much better response a deliverable right Right. Hopefully, it's on time and on budget. Yep. All the way through. That's right.

Well, is there any other business that you would like to accomplish today? I'm good. Okay. Well, I'll turn in. Is there any formality of us recommending the I would love that actually. If you would like to, I'll make a motion to um recommend uh the uh city council to move forward with a design bill proposal with one um one team uh one respondent based on the RFQ uh the AECOM Hunts Powers and Suns team. Second. Great. All in favor? I

Okay. Thank you. You need us to sign off on these? Sure. If you want to sign them and turn them in, that'd be great. Just for public record. That concludes our meeting. All adjourned. Thank you.