Design teams, thank you all for your submissions! The four teams have been selected to move forward, full press release here.
Questions and answers submitted and posted during Stage 1 of the Competition:
Chouteau Greenway Design Competition Q&A
Q1: How do I download the competition info?
A1: Fill in required registration information (Full Name, Company, Phone Number, and Email) here in order to download the Competition Manual.
Q2: What is the anticipated schedule for question responses to be posted? Will there be a regular response schedule?
A2: Responses will be continually posted as quickly as we are able to answer them. There is not a regular schedule.
Q3: Can you clarify what the involvement of the winning team will be, beyond the June 20, 2018 “Completion of Conceptual Plan”?
A3: It is anticipated that the winning team will be involved beyond June 2018. Great Rivers Greenway and/or other Project Partners reserve the right to negotiate with the winning team for additional services.
Q4: Is there a timeframe for implementation, even for initial segments?
A4: Implementation of Chouteau Greenway is a priority for Great Rivers Greenway and the Project Partners. Multiple factors will likely affect the timeframe including projected cost, site control, phasing, and available funding. Per section 12. of the Competition Regulations, funding and implementation strategies will be explored during the post-competition facilitated workshop.
Q5: Is the intention that the winning team goes on to complete each segment of the full design, or will components go out to RFP?
A5: Great Rivers Greenway and/or other Project Partners reserve the right to negotiate with the winning team or other consultants for additional services after the completion of the design competition.
Q6: Regarding funding, we understand that the intention for the master plan is to use it to garner public support and source funding. Has funding been acquired for any future stages of work, or is a preliminary funding strategy in place?
A6: Funding is expected to come from a combination of public and private sources. A funding strategy will be initiated in 2018.
Q7: Have the stakeholder partners or the DOC committed to designing and building the project within a certain timeframe?
A7: Implementation of Chouteau Greenway is a priority for Great Rivers Greenway and the Project Partners. Multiple factors will likely affect the timeframe including projected cost, site control, phasing and available funding. Per section 12. of the Competition Regulations, funding and implementation strategies will be explored through the post-competition facilitated workshop leading to the detail design, development, and funding of the segments that make up the Chouteau Greenway, and further agreements.
Q8: Is there a ballpark budget that the GRG/DOC feels is feasible for their fundraising and public investment capacity?
A8: Great Rivers Greenway and the Project Partners have not established an implementation budget for the project.
Q9: Is the lead consultant expected to identify, list and provide resumes for all expected subconsultant team members for the entire scope of detailed design work (civil, structural, transportation, sustainable design, public art, public engagement etc.)?
A9: Per section 5.2. of the Competition Regulations, Each Team should include the appropriate disciplines the Team believes necessary to address the Design Program as stated on pages 6-7 of the Competition Manual. Per section 5.4.5. of the Competition Regulations, resumes of key team members should be included.
Q10: How many teams are expected to be selected for the Stage II competition?
A10: Per section 1.8. of the Competition Regulations, the Jury will select four Design Teams to be invited to participate in Stage II.
Q11: For Stage II Mid-Course Review(s) in St. Louis, will travel be included within 75K fee or be reimbursable?
A11: Expenses of any kind are not reimbursable. The honorarium of $75,000 is the only compensation for Stage II participants, and per section 9 of the Competition Regulations, will be paid upon submission of a design proposal in accordance with these Competition Regulations and addenda and presentation of the proposal to the Jury.
Q12: What are the expected stages after Stage II / expected detailed design and implementation strategy?
A12: See Q&A #4 and #7.
Q13: For the Stage II Proposal description on page 13, item 6.3.2 Design Report; it is identified that “a DETAILED construction budget appropriate to the design.” For a project of this size and scale and at this Stage II design, is it more appropriate to provide an ESTIMATED construction budget?
A13: This will be discussed at the Stage II Briefing with the selected Teams.
Q14: Can we use metric scale in our design?
A14: Per section 6.2. specific requirements, including scale, of the Stage II design proposal submittal will be further developed in consultation with the Stage II participants.
Q15: Can we submit Stage 1 booklet in A4 format since there is no letter size paper available in our city?
A15: Yes, A4 is fine
Q16: In relation to the submission, we would like to know whether the hard copies must be received by 21/11/2017 or whether it is equally valid if they arrive later as long as we send them by post on that date.
A16: Per section 1.6. of the Competition Regulations, “A submittal will be considered late if received after 3:00 pm CDT, on the day set forth in the Competition Schedule (November 21, 2017). Submissions received after the specified time will not be considered in the competition and will be returned unopened to the sender.”
Q17: Could you please confirm the delivery address for the five printed copies of the portfolio requested in section 5.3. of the Competition Regulations?
A17: Printed copies should be mailed/delivered to:
Great Rivers Greenway
6178 Delmar Blvd St.
Louis, MO 63112
Phone: 314-436-7009
Q18: In 5.4.5 Detailed Team Qualifications, it says ‘up to five additional, relevant examples.’ Is this per person or 5 TOTAL additional?
A18: It can be per person as long as long as the Team includes the other requested information and adheres to the 20-page maximum for this section.
Q19: In Section 5.4.1, please clarify what you mean by ‘contracting entity’? Does that mean firm or individual name? Legal structure?
A19: Per section 12 of the Competition Regulations, “The selected Design Team will be invited to negotiate a Scope of Work for a maximum of $50,000.” The contracting entity is the firm that would sign the contract with the client (GRG/Partners) for that Scope of Work.
Q20: In Section 5.4.5, please clarify whether team members may include an image or two as part of their one page ‘firm’ profile.
A20: Yes, images may be included.
Q21: In Section 5.4.5, please clarify whether individual firm profiles may include the resume of key individuals on the same single page.
A21: Yes, as long as the requested and relevant information is included and page maximums are followed.
Q22: We have not received any updates since registering. Have any updates been posted via email?
A22: Per section 3.4, all questions received in accordance with the Competition Schedule are answered and published on the Competition website. However, one e-mail was sent to all registrants on November 6, 2017 to remind registrants to review the Competition website for updated Q&A.
Q23: In Section 5.3, please clarify that the front and back cover of the portfolio do not count in the 46 page portfolio total.
A23: Front and back covers are not considered in page maximums.
Q24: Can students from other country join this competition?
A24: Per section 4 of the Competition Regulations, participation is open to all except employees of Great Rivers Greenway, Jurors, members of the Design Oversight Committee and Technical Advisory Group. However, as a qualifications-based stage, please review the evaluation criteria listed in section 7 of the Competition Regulations.
Q25: Can you describe the optimum composition of the design team?
A25: Per section 5.2 of the Competition Regulations, we are seeking multidisciplinary teams that can address the Design Goals and each Team should include the appropriate disciplines the Team believes necessary to address the Design Program. Critical are the importance of design and engineering as they relate to the built environment, urban fabric, arts and education and inclusion of the neighborhoods north and south of the greenway.
Q26: The document references equity and opportunities for all. Can you share more about your intentions or goals and how they should be addressed?
A26: St. Louis is a community that has a long history of racial divide. The partners are committed to ensuring that the greenway becomes “common ground” in which everyone in the community feels welcome. The partners are listening to the community and stakeholders now to understand the opportunities to address equity in this project. We encourage all teams to consider equity in their work, their teaming, and in their approach. A set of community goals will be provided at the beginning of Stage II to help the final Design Teams ensure that the Design Concepts are inclusive of all people, and the partners will share further plans as they develop.
Q27: Is there an interest in using a different name other than “Chouteau” greenway?
A27: The reference to “Chouteau” has to do with the historic pond that was created when Mill Creek was dammed. The plan for Chouteau Greenway predates the Great Rivers Greenway District and relates to the original effort by McCormack Baron and other civic leaders to “recreate” the original pond. That being said Great Rivers Greenway is aware of potential concerns related to racial divides and has been collecting information and data from various community sources to develop a set of community goals, which will be provided to the selected Design Teams as part of Stage II. Should members of the community and the Design Oversight Committee wish to change the name, Great Rivers Greenway is open to the idea and discussion.
Q28: Please clarify Section 12. The details indicate that the $50,000.00 professional fee is payment for ‘a (single) workshop’? How long is the workshop? Is it a day or a week or a month? How many members of the winning team are expected to participate?
A28: The purpose of the Workshop is to have the selected Team work with the Partners to address and resolve conflicts between the Design Concept and the properties/proposed projects along the Greenway. This is envisioned to be a one day facilitated workshop but may require some additional back-and-forth between the Design Team and specific Partners to get resolution—depending on the conflicts (if any). The Competition Manager will facilitate the Workshop and interactions to ensure the integrity of the Competition Process is maintained and the Design Concept is not compromised. While the Mid-course Reviews will help resolve potential conflicts prior to the Stage II submission, the Refinement Workshop will produce a refined Concept Design that can move toward implementation with full support of the Partners. Design Team member participation in the Workshop will be at the discretion of the Design Team based on the issues needed to be addressed.
Q29: In Section 12, the phrase “and further agreements” is not a strong indicator that the winning team can expect any preference in the ‘further agreements’. Our team includes leading international firms. We hesitate to ask friends in big firms to participate if the winning team is not expected to produce the documentation for the final design, pending some mutual agreement of fee structure. Can you please clarify?
A29: This project is very complex and the Partners are expecting the Design Teams to provide clarity and innovation in their Stage II submittals. It is the intent of GRG and its partners to continue a relationship with the selected Design Team in moving toward implementation, subject to implementation strategies that are yet to be determined. In concert with the Competition, GRG will be exploring methodologies and strategies for implementation, as GRG does for every project they undertake. Public and private funding will be required to move the project forward and the content and composition of the selected Design Concept will help determine the course of action moving forward. As a deliverable in Stage II, the Design Teams will be asked to provide a phasing or implementation plan for their Design Concept as a starting point of determining how to implement the design.
Q30: Section 5.2. refers to open space operation (which may include conservation, stewardship, recreation, activation, and place-making). Can you please specify if our team needs to include an operator for the Greenway Chouteau? By operator, do you mean someone that takes care of the space in a future phase?
A30: No, Teams do not need to include an operator for the greenway. Open space operation refers to expertise as to how the open space should operate as an urban space in the future in terms of social, environmental, economic, and maintenance factors.
Q31: Is it acceptable for resumes to be a 1/2 page long instead of a full page?
A31: Yes
Q32: If images are integrated into the firm profile pages, is it acceptable to also introduce project information pages in the last section of the proposal?
A32: Yes. Per section 5.4.5., “additional, relevant project examples” may be included.
Q33: Do you allow blank pages with no text (section transition pages)?
A33: Yes
Q34: Is there a provision for a table of contents?
A34: One may be included.
Q35: Will Stage 1 qualifications of teams that make it to Stage 2 be made public?
A35: An abbreviated version of the qualification submittals of the Teams that advance to Stage II will be posted to the Competition website.