The NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) says it has selected six design-build teams to be eligible to respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the right to design and build two large Parks Department recreation centers, the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in Brooklyn and the Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center in Staten Island, together valued at more than $215 million.
“As part of the city’s goal of a fair and equitable recovery for every neighborhood, DDC is using the faster and more efficient design-build method of construction management to deliver, in partnership with the Parks Department, two large community recreation centers,” Thomas Foley, DDC’s Deputy Commissioner for Public Buildings, said in an Aug. 18 statement. “We are confident in the ability of all of our pre-qualified firms to deliver world-class facilities, while also emphasizing a strong M/WBE component in both projects.”
“We are happy to partner with DDC in advancing these important projects through the design-build approach,” said NYC Parks Acting Commissioner Margaret Nelson. “These pre-qualified firms are well equipped to ensure the brand-new Shirley Chisholm and Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Centers are built to serve as innovative resources for the surrounding communities, and we look forward to moving both projects forward through the RFP process.”
The Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center will serve Central Brooklyn as a hub for learning, recreation, community and civic engagement. The new facility will be approximately 62,000 sq. ft., including an indoor pool, and will be located at Nostrand Playground in Flatbush. The anticipated design-build contract value of the new Center is estimated at $130 – 135 million.
The Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center on Staten Island’s North Shore will be approximately 33,230 sq. ft. with an exterior parking area below the elevated resilient building, and will be immediately adjacent to the landmarked Joseph H. Lyons Pool. The anticipated design-build contract value of the new Center is estimated at $85 – 88 million.
The six selected teams had previously responded to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) released in May 2021 for the design-build projects with their own Statements of Qualifications (SOQs).
“After a review by DDC that emphasized a proven history of exceptional performance along with good labor relations and the ability to meet important diversity goals, the teams were placed on a three-team shortlist that was created for each project, and will now compete through an RFP process for the right to contract for the design and construction of the new facilities,” the DDC statement says.
The RFPs for both projects were issued to the shortlisted design-build teams in mid-August. Responses are due in October for the Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center and January for the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center.
The three design-build teams selected to be eligible respond to the RFP for the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center are (in alphabetical order):
- Lendlease (US) Construction LMB Inc. and Studio Gang
- Leon D. DeMatteis Construction Corp. and Dattner Architects (DeMatteis/Dattner)
- Sciame Construction, LLC and Grimshaw Architects P.C.
The three design-build teams selected to be eligible to respond to the RFP for the Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center are (in alphabetical order):
- Kokolakis Contracting and ikon.5 architects
- Padilla Construction Services, Inc., Rogers Partners and Architecture in Formation
- Peter Scalamandre and Sons, Inc., STV Incorporated and Caples Jefferson Architects PC
“The design-build project delivery approach offers several advantages over the traditional design-bid-build delivery model that the city has historically been required to use, including best value selection rather than low-bid as well as reducing project costs, sequencing of design and construction work, durations and improving coordination between designers and builders,” DDC says. DDC and several other city agencies received permission from the State of New York in December 2019 to begin using design-build for a variety of projects.
Procurement for all DDC design-build projects takes place through a two-step process. Interested design-build teams submit a SOQ in response to an RFQ. SOQs are reviewed to create a shortlist of three firms for each project, who then have exclusive rights to respond to an RFP for the work.
In selecting the design-build teams and carrying out a collaborative design-build approach to project delivery, DDC is committed to using best practices as defined by the Design-Build Institute of America. DDC utilizes a best-value selection process that prioritizes design, quality, past performance and qualifications. DDC will make available stipends to short-listed firms that participate in the Request for Proposal process, but are not selected to be awarded a design-build contract.
The city says it encourages participation in the jails program by Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) and will set significant requirements for M/WBE participation in the program’s Design-Build contracts.
