Master Planning & Architectural Design Services for New Judicial Complex Expansion

Client Confidential
Hall County Government
FINANCIAL SERVICES
PURCHASING DIVISION
Request for Qualifications
RFQ# 47-008
Master Planning & Architectural
POST OFFICE DRAWER 1435
Design Services for New Judicial
GAINESVILLE, GA 30503
t: 770.535.8270 | f: 770.531.6711 Complex Expansion
FINANCIAL SERVICES DIRECTOR Hall County, Georgia (herein "County"), a municipal entity of the State of
Taylor Samples, CPA Georgia, located at 2875 Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA 30504, is
seeking qualified Contractors to provide master planning and architectural
design services for the construction of a new judicial complex (herein
ASSISTANT FINANCE DIRECTOR "Services").
Elizabeth White
Schedule of Events:
Bid Post Date: March 25, 2026
PURCHASING MANAGER Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting: April 7, 2026, at 2:00pm Eastern Time
Andrew Youngblood
Bidder's Questions Due Date: April 17, 2026
Response to Bidder Questions Due: April 22, 2026
Bid Due Date: April 30, 2026
Bidding Process: Hall County is now accepting sealed bids for a Request
for Qualifications (RFQ) from qualified architectural firms (herein "Bidder"
or "Architect") for the Services in the County's Purchasing Division on the
fourth (4th) floor of the Hall County Government Center, located at 2875
Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA 30504 until 2:00pm EDT on April
30, 2026. All RFQ packets must be sealed and must be time and
date-stamped by the Hall County receptionist on the 4th floor to be
considered responsive.
General Qualifications: Bidders must be in the regular business of
providing similar Services. Bidders must be licensed in the State of
Georgia.
Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting: The pre-bid meeting will begin promptly at
2:00 PM EDT and will be held at 2875 Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA
30504, in the Finance Training Room on the 4th floor. Failure to attend the
pre-bid meeting will disqualify a bid as non-responsible.
Term: The contract term will commence upon issuance of the Notice to
Proceed and will continue through substantial completion of the design
services and final inspection/acceptance by the County's Project Manager
identified herein.

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Questions: All communications must be directed solely to Andy Youngblood, Issuing Officer at
andrew.youngblood@hallcounty.org for questions or clarifications of the RFQ requirements.
Addenda: If needed and in the best interest of the County, the Purchasing Division may make an
extension of the bidding period by a formal written addendum and publicly posted on the County's
website. All addenda must be signed by the Bidder and returned with the bid packet.
Proposal Documents: Bidders may obtain all submittal documents at no cost via the County's
Website at https://www.hallcounty.org/Bids.aspx, then click the link for Master Planning &
Architectural Design Services for New Judicial Complex Expansion and download all required
documents under "Related Documents". Any addenda will also be posted in this same area.
Bidders are responsible for checking the County's website for addenda.
Bid Response: The County considers a bid response as an irrevocable offer, valid for a period
of one hundred and twenty (120) days from submission. The County reserves the right to reject
all proposals, full or part, and to negotiate fees, conditions, or other terms with the Bidder(s)
submitting the overall best scored proposal. The County reserves the right to cancel this RFQ in
its entirety if in the best interest of the County. The County may waive nonmaterial irregularities,
informalities, and errors and may seek clarification of such.
Public Reading: Bid openings are open to the public and to Bidders. Bidders are not required to
attend but may do so. The Issuing Officer named Herein, or another Purchasing team member,
will open and publicly read all Bidder's company names and their locations, on the date, time, and
at the address above.
Request for Clarification: The County reserves the right to request clarification or additional
information provided by any Bidder. The County may also request in-person or virtual
presentations, interviews, and may choose to enter negotiations with potential Bidders as needed.
Bid Retention: Bidders may not withdraw their bid after the bid opening. Bids must be valid for
one hundred twenty (120) calendar days. All forms, documents, and exhibits attached hereto must
be completed and returned with the bid. The County reserves the right to retain all proposals
submitted and use any idea(s) in a proposal regardless of whether contract award or not. The
County shall have the right to waive any informality or irregularity of immaterial deviation,
omissions and clerical errors in any bid received.
Legally Binding Agreement: The County and the awarded Bidder shall enter into a formal
agreement; substantially in the form of the attached Exhibit B - Contract for Services. Contracts
are only valid if they are signed by the County's Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, or
his/her designee, and the awarded Bidder. Fee Proposals and contracts are not part of the Round
1 RFQ. This will be part of Round 2 which will take place after the RFQ has been scored and a
shortlist of firms has been determined.
BID EVALUATION
Evaluation and Selection: The County will evaluate all submittals in accordance with the Official
Code of Hall County, Georgia 3.10, and as further detailed herein. The County will evaluate
proposals using a two-round process: Round 1 is the "Technical Qualifications Proposal" that
outlines the bidding firm's qualifications, experience, and its approach to deliver the services The
highest scoring Bidders will then be "short listed" and invited to Round 2 for an interview and to
submit a cost proposal for consideration. Bidders are not to submit a cost proposal until instructed
to do so in writing by the County.

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Award Process: The County reserves the right to reject any or all bids, in whole or part, or to
select any Bidder, without liability on part of the County to the Bidder, to complete the described
work. The County intends to award the contract to one (1) company that deems to be the most
responsible and responsive Bidder to perform all the work described herein. Lead times and
length of time to complete the work may also be a factor in award. The County will not make an
award of contract solely based on lowest cost bid, but also on approach, references,
qualifications, and other subjective criteria as the County may deem necessary and determine at
its sole discretion.
Technical Qualifications Evaluation: Bidders must respond to all scored questions included in
Exhibit F - Scored Questions, which are weighted and evaluated by the County's Evaluation
Committee. The Committee will review each response and assign point values accordingly. The
maximum total score is 1,000 points.
The County has established a 70/20/10 evaluation structure, consisting of:
* Seven hundred (700) points (70%) are allocated to Round 1 Technical Qualifications
* Two hundred (200) points (20%) allocated to the Round 2 interview.
* One hundred (100) points (10%) allocated to the Round 2 cost proposal.
The Bidder achieving the highest total score, approaching the maximum of 1,000 points, will be
identified as the apparent awardee.
Unanswered questions will return to a 0-point score. The Bidder's response should limit answers
directly to the questions asked. Each answer will be scored on a scale of twenty-five (25)
percentage points as shown:
Excellent = 100%
Good = 75%
Adequate = 50%
Marginal = 25%
Poor = 0%
In addition to the space provided on Exhibit F - Scored Questions, Bidders may expand their
answers to the questions onto separate pages if needed with the question repeated at the top of
each page. Bidders may input "see attached" in the space provided next to each question.
Responses to the questions should be clear and concise. Where appropriate, Bidder's should
show statistical information in a tabular chart format and textual information in bullet point format.
Summarize key points at the beginning of each answer. All quantitative material should include
complete assumptions and be supported by detailed schedules, evidencing all calculations and
results.
Provide one-sided documents only. Do not include superfluous marketing brochures or
unnecessary promotional materials. These will not be evaluated. Address each specific question
with direct, detailed answers.
BIDDER RESPONSE
RFQ Technical Qualifications: Bidders must submit a total of six (6) hard copy sets of their
technical qualifications: one (1) labeled "Original" and five (5) labeled "Copy." All six (6) hard-copy
sets must be submitted in sealed envelope(s).

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Digital Response: Bidders must provide their responses on one (1) USB drive.
Validation: Hall County requires that Bidders provide a cover letter with a signature by an officer
of the firm with the submittal to ensure its originality.
Mandatory Documents: Bidders must complete and return all forms, documents, and exhibits
attached herein with their bid proposals. Failure to do so may deem the proposal non-responsive
and the County may not evaluate it for award.
Non-Collusion Requirement (Cone-of-Silence): Bidders must not have contact of any nature
with other Bidders, County staff members (except for the Issuing Officer), elected officials, nor
County Commissioners during the RFQ evaluation process. The County may deem such as
collusion, thus rendering the submission in violation of the Official Code of Hall County, and
therefore the County may deem the proposal as non-responsible and not evaluate the proposal
for an award.
By submitting a proposal, the Bidder represents and warrants that no official or employee of Hall
County Government has, in any manner, an interest, directly or indirectly, in the proposal or in the
contract which may be made under it, or in any expected profits to arise there from.
County Consultants: From time to time, the County may select an outside consultant at its own
discretion who will act under the direction of County's Project Manager. The consultant will have
full authority to act on behalf of the County; however, the consultant may not solicit goods and
services on behalf of the County without prior written approval from the County. Architects MUST
follow all specifications prepared by the County's consultant, and Architects MUST allow the
consultant to inspect the work. Architect will be responsible for working in collaboration with all
County consultants and will support the consultants in their engagement with their design and
construction specifications, review of design submittals, and field inspections.
Taxes: The County is exempt from State of Georgia Local Sales and Use Tax. The Bidder
understands and acknowledges that it is responsible for any sales and use taxes it may incur.
The Bidder will not charge or invoice the County any sales and use tax as a separate line item.
The Contractor may request a copy of the County's Georgia Sales and Use Tax Exemption
Certificate.
Bonds: Not required for this solicitation.

Client Confidential
Table of Contents
1.0 INTRODUCTION
2.0 STATEMENT OF NEED
3.0 GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
4.0 SCOPE OF WORK
5.0 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
6.0 RFQ RESPONSE PREPARATION
7.0 SELECTION PROCESS
8.0 STEPS TO AWARD
9.0 EXHIBITS AND ATTACHMENTS

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Hall County desires to award one (1) company for the Services described herein and is soliciting
sealed bids for this Request for Qualifications (herein "RFQ") for the Services. Bidders must be in
the regular business of providing Master Planning, architect, and engineering services for a
Judicial Center with parking deck.
2.0 STATEMENT OF NEED
The County expects the awarded Bidder to be prompt, attentive, and able to perform the work in
a timely and scheduled manner and with all personnel, including subcontractors, to be
professional in approach and uniform in production.
In case of default by the awarded Bidder, the County reserves the right to move on to the next
highest score to complete the Services.
3.0 GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
A. The County reserves the right to conduct any review it may deem advisable to assure
services conform to the specifications.
B. Bidders, including all officers, must not be, or have been, debarred by any Federal, State,
or Local authority.
C. Bidders must not be, or have been, in any legal suit for negligence, willful misconduct,
fraud, theft, or any other malpractice.
D. Bidders must be legally able to conduct business in the State of Georgia.
E. Bidders must not have abandoned a project or an engagement or otherwise been
terminated for non-performance or subpar performance.
F. Bidders must not be under an enforcement action for related investigation pending by a
professional or regulatory group or legal entity.
4.0 SCOPE OF WORK
Background
In 2024, the County commissioned a firm to complete a Judicial Programming and Space Study
for the Northeastern Judicial Circuit covering Hall County and Dawson County, Georgia. That
study was completed in January 2025 and recommended a need for a new Judicial Complex of
approximately 372,000 gross square feet with a 900-space parking deck. The total project cost
was estimated to be $250 million.
In November 2025, the Hall County voters approved SPLOST IX which included $125 million for
the new Judicial Complex and $20 million for a parking deck.
In December 2025, the County contracted with Turner & Townsend Heery to be the Program
Manager for the Judicial Complex.
Scope of Work
As part of this RFQ, the Architect will be asked to provide a Master Plan that will include a phased
approach for the entire 372,000 sq. ft. judicial building and stand-alone parking deck. As part of
the Master Planning, the Architect will be responsible for identifying a two-phase minimum
approach for design and construction based on available funding. Specifically, Phase I will define
the appropriate size of the Judicial building and associated parking lot to accommodate the $125
million SPLOST IX funding. Subsequent phases will complete the remaining design and

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construction of the Judicial Complex to achieve the approximate total of 372,000 sq. ft building
with parking deck.
NOTE: Although the Architect will be Master Planning for the judicial building and the stand-alone
parking deck, the actual design of the parking deck will be designed by a separate consultant
under a contract with the City.
After the County approves the Master Plan and budget, the Architect will proceed with the design
of Phase I. It is the intent of the County to start and complete the construction of Phase I upon
the approval of the design plans and procurement of a Construction Manager at Risk (CM@R).
The start of design for Phase II and/or subsequent phases will be based on available funding and
the design Architect for these subsequent phases may be procured through a separate process
at a later time. The phasing of funding for the entire Judicial Complex project will be discussed
with the awarded Architect.
The Architect will be responsible for providing architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical,
plumbing, fire protection, interior design, furniture, fixture & equipment (FF&E), security, acoustic,
audio visual, low voltage, and other design disciplines required for a project of this type, size, and
complexity. For security measures, the Architect will be responsible for designing a limited number
of parking spaces within the footprint of the judicial building for judicial staff.
The Architect will also be responsible for providing cost estimating services during the Master
Planning and design of Phase I and will be responsible for providing third-party consultant
collaboration and construction administration services. Material testing, inspection services and
commissioning services will be contracted separately by the County.
As noted, a Programming Study has already been completed, identifying departments and space
needs. The Architect will review this programming study and complete a Master Plan which will
include site analysis, massing, and concept plans with cost estimates. The Architect will not be
responsible for reprograming the project but will review the study and discuss the findings with
the County prior to proceeding with the Master Plan process. The study will be shared with the
shortlisted firms invited to the Round 2/RFP process.
The County anticipates hiring a CM@Risk during the schematic design phase. The County's
CM@Risk procurement process is planned for third or fourth quarter of 2026.
The existing Hall County Courthouse will remain open during construction activities.
5.0 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
Bidders submitting proposals must disclose their qualifications for the Services to the County in
the format set forth below. Failure to provide the requested information may result in the proposal
being deemed non-responsive and therefore eliminated from further consideration.
A. The County requests that Bidders submit proposals addressing all items listed below.
Failure to include any of the documents or exhibits attached hereto or any addenda or
amendments may result in disqualification. Bidders must submit a total of six (6) hard
copies of their bids: one (1) hard copy marked "Original" and five (5) hard copies marked
"Copy". Bidders must also load all documents onto one (1) USB flash drive with the
technical response.

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B. Bidders must submit their sealed bid response packages clearly marked with RFQ #47-
008 Master Planning & Architectural Design Services for New Judicial Complex
Expansion on the outside.
C. The awarded Bidder must maintain insurance policies at the Bidder's own expense and
must furnish the County with a Certificate of Insurance (COI), providing evidence of
coverage at least in the amounts indicated in Exhibit B - AIA Document B-133-2019
(provided to shortlisted firms in Round 2). The COI must list County as the certificate
holder and as an additional insured under the commercial general, automobile, and
umbrella liability policies as follows: "Hall County, Georgia, its Board of Commissioners,
officers, employees, servants and agents, 2875 Browns Bridge Rd, Gainesville, GA
30504".
D. It is mandatory that the following documents be completed and included in the bid
response
Exhibit A - Bid Response Form
Exhibit B - AIA Document B-133-2019 (provided to shortlisted firms in Round 2)
Exhibit C - W-9 Form
Exhibit D - E-Verify Affidavit
Exhibit E - Ethics Affidavit
Exhibit F - Scored Questions
Any Addenda
Copy of business license
Certificate of Insurance
Copy of professional licenses or certifications
E. Do not enclose a cost proposal. This will render your proposal as non-responsible and
disqualify your proposal without further consideration.
F. Bidders must submit it to the following address. All deliveries must be date and timed
stamped by the HCGC 4th Floor Receptionist. The County is not responsible for late bids
due to mailing delays.
Hall County Government Center
Attn: Andrew Youngblood, Issuing Officer
Purchasing Division - 4th Floor
2875 Browns Bridge Road
Gainesville, Georgia 30504
6.0. RFQ RESPONSE PREPARATION
A. The Bidder bears all responsibility for all expenses incurred in responding to this RFQ.
B. The County will not accept joint proposals.
C. Cover Letter: Prepare and submit a cover letter addressing general qualifications. Provide
the following information: name of proposer(s), name and title of the person(s) who will
manage the engagement, physical address, telephone number(s), and email address(es)
of proposer(s).
1. Describe the organization of your firm, the location of offices, and the resources that
are available to accomplish the work for the County.
2. Of the services listed in the Scope of Work, indicate which one(s), if any, your firm
would be unable to provide. If there is another service that your firm could provide
instead, please elaborate.

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D. Additional bidder information will be requested as part of Exhibit F - Scored Questions for
this solicitation.
7.0 SELECTION PROCESS
A. The evaluation process will include a pre-selected evaluation committee comprised of Hall
County stakeholders and subject matter experts. The committee will evaluate the technical
qualifications. The highest scoring Bidders will move on to Round 2 and will be asked for
an interview, further negotiations, demonstrations, or a best and final offer.
B. Do not enclose a cost proposal with your technical response. This will render your proposal
as non-responsible and disqualify your proposal from further consideration.
C. The evaluation committee will review each proposal regarding demonstrated breadth of
service, experience, financial stability, personnel, rates, references, lead times, and other
related criteria.
D. The awarded Bidder will be required to submit evidence of compliance with professional
liability insurance coverage requirements, as outlined in the Exhibit B - AIA Document B-
133-2019, which will be provided to shortlisted firms in Round 2.
E. Bidders are encouraged to submit clear and concise responses. Excessive length or
extraneous information is discouraged. To ensure the County's ability to evaluate and
choose a successful Bidder, Bidders are encouraged to organize their proposal as follows:
Section 1 - Cover letter and executive summary.
Section 2 - Answer all scored questions on Exhibit F
F. Bidders must locate and complete all exhibits to this RFQ and submit them with the bid.
Bidders failing to do so may result in the bid to be non-responsive and thus not being
evaluated. Bidders are also encouraged to check Hall County's website for addenda,
attachments, and other supplemental documents for this RFQ during the bidding period.
G. If unable to reach an agreement with the highest scoring Bidder, the County retains the
right to negotiate with the next highest scoring Bidder, and so on until reaching a
satisfactory agreement, or the County may terminate the process.
H. The County structured the evaluation process to secure highly competitive bidders who
would be most effective in delivering the Services. The primary objective of the evaluation
process is to select a firm that:
1. Clearly demonstrates a thorough understanding of the contract responsibilities; and,
2. Presents a compelling work plan that yields the desired contract services and
deliverables
3. Shows adequate resources to handle the project; and,
4. Presents a focused effort to allocate those resources to the project.
5. Demonstrates exceptional value for the cost of services proposed.
8.0 STEPS TO AWARD
The evaluation committee will recommend award of the contract to the highest scoring Bidder. In
the unlikely event of a tie, the County may enter negotiations of terms and conditions. The County
will then present to the awarded Bidder a Notice of Award, a Purchase Order, and a Notice to
Proceed.
Step 1: The evaluation committee will evaluate the Bidders' RFQ responses according to
the criteria described herein, and score and rank the proposals. The County
reserves the right to request clarification of information provided and to request
additional information needed to assist in the evaluation process. Based on the
ranking, the County will shortlist firms who will be invited to participate in the Round
2 RFP process.

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Step 2: The Purchasing Division will compile the scores for Round 1 and rank the highest
scoring Bidders on a bid tabulation summary. The Purchasing Division will then
notify the shortlisted firms with further instructions for Round 2.
Step 3: The evaluation committee will schedule interviews and request a cost proposal
with the Bidders for Round 2. All costs associated with the interview (if required)
will be at the expense of the proposing Bidder.
Step 4: Based upon the results of the Technical Qualification in Round 1, cost proposals,
references, and the interviews, the Purchasing Division, along with the evaluation
committee, may negotiate with the Bidder(s) ranked highest to reach an
agreement. If negotiations with the highest ranked Bidder are unsuccessful, the
County may negotiate with the second ranked Bidder, and so on until reaching a
satisfactory agreement.
9.0 EXHIBITS AND ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit A - Bid Response Form
Exhibit B - AIA Document B-133-2019 (provided to shortlisted firms in Round 2)
Exhibit C - W-9 Form
Exhibit D - E-Verify Affidavit
Exhibit E - Ethics Affidavit
Exhibit F - Scored Questions