Committee finalizes RFP, shortlists five A/E firms for Timothy Dwight/Dean Early Childhood Center project

At a building-committee meeting the group reviewed a final request for proposals (RFP) for architectural and engineering services for the Timothy Dwight/Dean Early Childhood Center project and announced a five-firm shortlist for interviews.

Mark Schweitzer of Colliers Project Management said the AE design-control budget — which the architect and design team will use to design the building and cover furnishings, fixtures and equipment as well as data and IT backbone — is "The the AE con design control budget is $61,804,270." Committee members compared that figure to an earlier estimate discussed in January ($59,000,000) and asked staff to clarify how FF&E and other line items were combined into the total.

The RFP includes standard appendices and contract comments from the town attorney, and Schweitzer said proposers must upload written proposals and fee proposals through the Bonfire portal; fee proposals and any contract exceptions are to be submitted as separate PDFs. Presentation logistics were set: 45 minutes for presentations and 15 minutes for question-and-answer sessions. Proposers must bring 15 paper copies of their presentation and provide a digital PDF on a thumb drive for the in-person interview.

On the environmental scope, Schweitzer said the design team is not automatically responsible for a Phase 1 environmental site assessment but may be asked to perform a Phase 2 if needed; the town will use on-call consultants or may ask proposers to price the Phase 1. Hazardous-materials investigation and monitoring were discussed as separate line items that may be added if abatement or monitoring is required during construction.

After an executive session to discuss contract award and RFQ references held under state statutes the moderator announced the shortlist: "It is as follows. Antonacci, FCA, Tekton, Perkins Eastman, and JCJ." The firms will receive the RFP the next day, with a virtual kickoff for shortlisted firms scheduled for the next Tuesday and in-person interviews set for March 3.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved the January 2026 minutes and, by unanimous consent, approved the 01/31/2026 invoice for Colliers project management during the same meeting. The committee also voted to move into and later exit an executive session under the cited state statutes.

The committee debated whether the RFP should require proposers to supply three conceptual designs and whether the town should provide seed compensation for proposers’ pre-production costs; the committee confirmed a minimum of three conceptual designs and said cost-clarity questions could be addressed in interviews. Members also discussed giving the committee chair limited authority to approve small invoices between meetings and agreed to consult the purchasing agent before making any procedural change.

Next procedural steps: the RFP will be issued to the shortlisted firms, a virtual kickoff will be held the following Tuesday, and shortlisted firms will be invited for in-person interviews on March 3.