Westchester County RTA - Design Build Services (RFQ)

DASNY issues this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking a responsive Statement of Qualifications (“SOQ”) from qualified Design-Build entities or teams (“Design-Build Team” or “Team”) capable of providing all Work (as defined herein) necessary for the design and construction of a new Secure/Specialized Secure Youth Detention Facility located in Westchester County (the “Project”).Following receipt of the submitted SOQs, an established Evaluation Committee will then identify a shortlist of Design-Build Teams that will continue with the development process for the Project. The shortlisted Teams will be provided with a future Request for Proposal (“RFP”) that will include the Bridging Documents for the overall Project on which to fully develop a response to the RFP.Project BackgroundSummary of NYS Mandate:Per the New York State mandate “Raise the Age” (RTA) issued on April of 2017, 16 and 17 year-old felons are to be removed from the adult population in Jails and be housed separately in existing Juvenile Detention Facilities under a separate new category called “Adolescent Offenders”, or “AOs”. The deadline for 16-year old’s transition was October 1, 2018, and the transition deadline for 17-year olds was October 1st, 2019. The state has encouraged all counties to make joint provisions utilizing existing facilities by modifying them accordingly to the new regulations known as subpart 180-3 of 9 NYCRR. The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), in conjunction with the New York State Commission of Corrections (SCOC) are responsible for the regulatory and budgetary oversight of the program. Subpart 180-3 entitled “Specialized Secure Detention Facilities”, spells out the exact requirements of the new AO category from administrative and operation to physical plant requirements. The state will reimburse counties 100% for RTA facility improvement costs, including planning.Westchester County Proposal to Meet the RTA Mandate:Up until now, Westchester County has been sending overflow Adolescent Offenders to other facilities throughout the state that are able to provide the appropriate housing. However, the high cost and inconvenience factors have necessitated the need for a larger regional facility. With the State’s support\, Westchester County has been granted considerations to design and build a new facility on the grounds of its existing Woodfield Cottage Facility located at 20 Hammond House Road, Valhalla, NY 10595. The new facility will contain a maximum of 80 beds for youth. The youth correctional facility design shall encourage rehabilitation by focusing on juvenile correctional facility design principles that are restorative, such as daylighting and calming acoustics which create spaces in which young people can thrive. It is assumed that the facility will serve male and female youths subject to detention by Family Court or an Adolescent Court Judge, including Juvenile Delinquents (JD), Juvenile Offenders (JO) and Adolescent Offenders (AO).OverviewThe new Westchester County Secure/Specialized Secure Youth Detention Facility will replace the current inadequate detention infrastructure of the existing Woodfield Cottage Facility and expand the capacity to securely house up to 58 youth and expandable to up to 80 youth in the future, including the “Raise the Age” (RTA) youth population. The project should comply with all regulations for secure youth detention facilities and meet goals for normative, restorative environment. The project should also comply with all relevant codes for building design and construction including local building code as well as state and federal regulations for stormwater or other considerations.It should be noted that the existing Woodfield Cottage facility will remain in full operation during construction of the new youth detention building. The Design Builder will be responsible for maintaining secure separation between construction areas within the active facility during all stages of construction. Once the new facility is completed, youth will be transferred to the new building and demolition of the old building will begin. Once demolition is complete, outdoor recreation facilities and parking lots will be constructed for the new facility.Construction BudgetThe total construction budget for this Project is not-to-exceed $245,000,000. Further refinement of this budget with respect to the actual funds available for the design-build portion of the Project will be provided with the future RFP to all Teams that are selected to be shortlisted.Project TimelineFinal Bridging Documents March 1, 2026Issuance of RFP March 1, 2026Design-Build Team Selection July 31, 2026Design Phase Start August 1, 2026Construction Completion (Phase I – New Building) August 10, 2029Construction Completion (Phase II – Demo Existing) March 15, 2030Construction Completion (Phase III – Sitework) September 13, 2030*Dates or Subject to ChangeInterested Proposers should review Section 2.2- Qualification and Certification Requirements of the RFQ to determine eligibility.DASNY contributes to the economic development of New York State by assisting and supporting Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (SDVOB) through its procurement process. As part of this RFQ, and consistent with New York State Executive Law 15-A and Article 3 of the New York State Veteran Services Law, DASNY encourages all firms to consider submitting proposals that utilize partnerships, joint ventures or other similar arrangements with a New York State certified MWBE/SDVOB firm on this contract. For technical assistance identifying certified MWBE firms contact Empire State Development at www.esd.ny.gov or visit DASNY’s MWBE Registry at www.dasny.org. For NYS Certified SDVOB firms contact www.ogs.ny.gov/veterans.Pursuant to Executive Order No. 170.1 – Uniform Guidelines for Responsibility Determinations, Executive Order No. 125 – NYS Vendor Responsibility Questionnaire and Executive Order No. 192 – Continuing Vendor Integrity, DASNY may only award a contract to a responsible proposer. A responsible proposer must have the integrity to justify the award of public dollars and the capacity to perform the requirements of the contract fully. The proposer must file a vendor responsibility questionnaire with DASNY. The questionnaire provides the proposer an opportunity to self-disclose any issues and provide necessary information, which DASNY will use as part of its determination.Firms interested in responding to this solicitation may access the RFQ and related documents from DASNY’s website at: https://www.dasny.org/opportunities/rfps-bids/professional-services-construction. To locate this RFQ, navigate to RFQ 7624. View the full details for this opportunity and attachments. The deadline for responses to the RFQ is 3:00 PM on December 3, 2025. Responses received after this date will not be accepted.In accordance with State Finance Law § 139-j and § 139-k, this solicitation includes and imposes certain restrictions on communications between DASNY personnel and a Proposer during the procurement process. The Designated Representative for this procurement is David Fenichel, Contract Administrator at Email: ([email protected]). Contacts made to other DASNY personnel regarding this procurement may disqualify the Proposer and affect future procurements with governmental entities in the State of New York. Please refer to the DASNY’s website www.dasny.org for DASNY policy and procedures regarding this law, or the OGS website (https://ogs.ny.gov/acpl) for more information about this law. All proposers, domestic and foreign, must be in compliance with New York State business registration requirements. Contact the NYS Department of State regarding compliance. In addition, business entities proposing to provide professional engineering services must obtain a Certificate of Authorization to Provide Engineering Services in New York State from the State Education Department. Proposals must be submitted in the full legal name of the proposer, or the full legal name plus a registered assumed name of the proposer, if any.Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Set Aside: NoMinority Owned Sub-Contracting Goal: 18%Women Owned Sub-Contracting Goal: 12%Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Contracting Goal: 6%Disadvantaged Owned Subcontracting Goal: 0%