Master Plan for the Maine Department of Public Safety

State of Maine
Bureau of General Services
Division of Planning, Design & Construction
Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
Information for Architects and Engineers
The Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS), Bureau of General
Services (BGS) wishes to procure architectural/engineering services for the Master Plan for the
Maine Department of Public Safety (DPS), (BGS Project No. 3934), in Augusta, Maine.
Project Description
The State of Maine is divided into 16 counties, has a 1.4+ million population, and covers
a total area of 35,385 square miles. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) is a cabinet-level
agency that oversees multiple public safety bureaus/offices. The DPS serves the people of the
State of Maine by protecting their lives, rights, and properties. The Department accomplishes
this through criminal justice, law enforcement, fire safety, and emergency response services.
The project will provide a comprehensive review developing a strategic plan that defines
the DPS's current state, provides the future vision, and identify a gap analysis between the two.
This project will assist the DPS in long term planning ensuring to meet their mission, vision,
values and objectives in the State of Maine.
The scope of services for this project is explained below but may not be limited to this
list. The Architect/Engineer (A/E) Consultant may also be required to coordinate this work or
additional work with other consultants contracted by the Owner.
Scope of Services:
1. Arrange and document, in coordination with the BGS and DPS leadership, meetings and
interviews to understand current facilities, operations, and identified internal issues.
The Department comprises of the following bureaus that will be a part of this project.
a. Commissioner's Office/Administration
b. Consolidated Emergency Communications
c. Drug Enforcement Agency
d. Emergency Medical Services
e. Fire Marshal's Office
f. Gambling Control Unit
g. Highway Safety
h. State Police (90% of the Department)
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State of Maine
Bureau of General Services
Division of Planning, Design & Construction
Two other bureaus and one unit are under the DPS purview but will not be a part of this project;
Maine Criminal Justice Academy (MCJA), Major Computer Crimes (State Police), and the
Capitol Police.
2. Facility conditions assessment and evaluation of the existing facilities, including positive and
negative attributes for leased and State-owned facilities as listed in Attachment A.
3. Conduct space utilization and needs analysis to include expansion needs. The analysis will
include current and future states. Space needs shall align with goals, executive orders, and the
ability to obtain professional accreditations program standards. The analysis will provide ideal
locations (taking local, regional, and statewide connections into consideration), and unique
facility requirements for various purposes including, but not limited to:
a. Vehicle storage for specialized vehicles and equipment
b. Parking needs for department fleet
c. Centralized evidence warehouse with climate controls and fire suppression
i. Secure separated specialized evidence room for legal considerations
ii. Secure separated intake room
iii. Recommendation for industry best practice of shelving and storage
containers
d. Mechanical garage for fleet maintenance and repairs
e. Interview rooms, polygraph suites, secure rooms
f. Quiet wellness rooms, "Zen dens" where applicable to certain units
g. Secure workspaces for specialized units
h. Armory for weapons
i. Training rooms
j. Supply and logistics storage - Quartermaster location
k. Crime Laboratory.
5. Conduct informational gathering meetings with each Bureau leadership to ensure obtaining
user's input. Produce an interim report identifying sole space needs by bureau for Commissioner
Office (Major) review. Findings will be presented in a meeting with a written report for review.
Recommendations must ensure compliance with criteria of the Maine Law Enforcement
Accreditation Program. Reviewed and approved feedback to be included in the project interim
report.
6. Include a preliminary cost analysis to indicate the rough order of magnitude of the proposed
plan.
7. Circulating a complete project interim report to the department leadership and receiving
comments.
a. The report shall include, but not limited to:
i. Current conditions, needs, and long-term plans
ii. Consolidation and/or expansion recommendations
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State of Maine
Bureau of General Services
Division of Planning, Design & Construction
1. Consideration of ability to meet current and projected population
growth factors, crime rates, geographically locations, professional
standards, and mandatory professional yearly training certifications
iii. Security measures and goals
iv. Conceptual site layouts, to include recommended square footage and
physical space requirements
b. Methodology used to include benchmarking recommendations
c. Site industry best practices for space management, to include buffers and
anticipated growth factors
d. Site required industry professional standards and building codes for these specific
law enforcement bureaus/offices.
8. Coordinating a final meeting to review all findings.
9. Developing a final report on all the findings and data.
10. Throughout the project ensure all sensitive information collected based upon specific units'
safety, security, and practices be handled in a professional, if applicable, confidential manner.
Interested firms should submit one paper copy and one electronic copy of a Letter of
Interest with a Statement of Qualifications which includes the firm's response to each of the
following criteria.
A. Qualifications to undertake this project including meeting facilitation and master planning.
B. List of projects that demonstrate the firm's capabilities.
C. List of recently completed work of similar type and size projects, with client contact
information for each project.
D. Profiles of key personnel who would be involved in the project.
E. Statement of current workload and ability to absorb the project.
F. List of business references other than those listed above, including contact information; and
G. Capacity for cost estimating.
Anticipated Schedule
RFQ responses due ........................................................................................................... 5/22/2026
Short-listed firms notified ............................................................................................ by 6/10/2026
A/E firm interviews...................................................................................... 6/22/2026 to 6/26/2026
A/E firm selection ............................................................................................................. 6/29/2026
Agreement approved .................................................................................................... by 7/17/2026
Project completed....................................................................................................... by 03/31/2027
Bids received.............................................................................................................................. N/A
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State of Maine
Bureau of General Services
Division of Planning, Design & Construction
Construction completed ............................................................................................................. N/A
Project duration........................................................................................... 05/01/2026-03/31/2027
Submission Requirements
Interested firms should submit three paper copies and one electronic copy of a Letter of
Interest with a Statement of Qualifications which includes their response to criteria A through G
in the Selection Criteria table below.
The paper copies of the Letter of Interest and Statement of Qualifications should be sent
to Marsha Alexander, Department of Public Safety Master Study, 77 State House Station,
Augusta, Maine, 04433 to be received not later than 1:00 PM on 05/22/2026.
The electronic copy of the Letter of Interest and Statement of Qualifications should be
sent as an attachment to an email addressed to BGS.Architect@Maine.gov so as to meet the
deadline noted above. Alternate methods of providing electronic copies, such as website links to
file sharing sites, or flash drives, or encrypted e-mails are unacceptable and may invalidate the
entire submission.
Selection Criteria
A. Qualifications to Professional experience in general. Quality of services.
undertake this project Relevant disciplines. Size of firm or firms. Understanding of
this project. Responsiveness to project by virtue of proximity.
Discuss each of the above especially as it relates to the work of
this project.
B. Cost control Ability to manage project budgets, and design to budgets, to
experience create accurate construction cost estimates, and to utilize
project cost controls in design and construction.
C. Project experience List of projects that demonstrate capabilities, with services
provided for each project. Provide project details, date of
completion, and client contact information for each. Note the
involvement of the particular personnel who are proposed for
this project.
D. Similar project List of recently completed projects similar in type, size, and
experience other elements. Provide project details, date of completion, and
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State of Maine
Bureau of General Services
Division of Planning, Design & Construction
client contact information for each. Note the involvement of
the particular personnel who are proposed for this project.
E. Project team Organization of project team, with profiles of key personnel
who would be involved in the project. Provide education,
special training, experience, and responsibilities of personnel,
especially as it relates to the work of this project. Experience
working together as a unit.
F. Workload projection General illustration or statement of the ability of the project
team to respond to this project schedule.
G. Business references List of business references other than those listed above,
including contact information.
Firms responding shall employ personnel who have current licensure in the State of
Maine who will serve as Architects, Engineers, and Landscape Architects of Record on this
project. This project will utilize the standard BGS contract forms, and conform to BGS
guidelines and policies such as the Architectural and Engineering fee policy, available on the
BGS website (https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bgs/forms).
Firms responding will be screened and interviewed on the basis of qualifications only.
Project fees and specific design solutions for this project shall not be discussed at the interview.
Specific program information will not be available before the screening of qualification
packages. The selection committee will rank all firms and negotiate fees with the highest ranked
firm.
Architect-Engineer Procurement Process
The standard procurement process of Architect and Engineer design services for public
improvements is a Qualification Based Selection (QBS) process required by statute (Title 5,
1742 subsection 6) and described briefly here.
1. This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) solicitation is the step in the process after the
Owner entity allocates funding and receives approval from BGS to conduct the
procurement.
2. Interested firms respond to the RFQ as described below, submitting the Letter of Interest
and Statement of Qualifications to the Selection Committee.
3. The Selection Committee screens all submissions and invites the most qualified firms to
interview for the project, typically three to five firms.
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State of Maine
Bureau of General Services
Division of Planning, Design & Construction
4. The Selection Committee interviews the firms. Second interviews may be scheduled.
References are checked.
5. The Selection Committee ranks all the interviewed firms. The Committee negotiates an
agreement with the highest ranked firm based on the scope of professional services
identified in the RFQ and interview.
6. A BGS Architect/Engineer Agreement is drafted.
7. The agreement must be approved by BGS before work commences.
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State of Maine
Bureau of General Services
Division of Planning, Design & Construction
ATTACHMENT A
Department
of Public
Safety Office City
Office of the Commissioner Augusta
Gabling Control Unit Augusta
Bureau of Highway Safety Augusta
Office of the State Fire Marshal Augusta
Herman
Maine Drug Enforcement
Agency Augusta
Ellsworth
Herman
Houlton
Kennebunk
Lewiston
Machias
Portland
Thomaston
Bureau of State Police Alfred/Gray
Augusta/Skowhegan
Bangor
Gray
Houlton
Pittsfield
Portland
Vassalboro
Emergency Medical Services Augusta
Bureau of Consolidated
Emergency Communications Augusta
Bangor
Houlton
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