(RFP #26-03-21)

The University of Vermont (UVM) is soliciting proposals from qualified architectural and planning firms and their consultant teams for professional services to develop a set of recommendations for UVM's 2022-2032 Campus Master Plan (CMP 2022), in collaboration with UVM staff, that will help to create and inform the plan. The objective of the CMP 2022 is to develop and articulate a vision for the transformation of the campus while providing flexibility to accommodate changing attitudes and the evolving nature of campus environments. Much of the CMP 2022 will update the 2006 CMP.

Scope of Work

UVM staff will be leading the development of the Campus Master Plan, including the drafting of text and development of mapping and graphics. In order to assist with this process, UVM is seeking a high-level analysis, report, and recommendations to assist staff and provide information that can be incorporated into the Campus Master Plan.

In collaboration with UVM staff, CMP Oversight Committee, Working Committee, and Planning Team, the chosen consultant will provide the following:

1. UVM Peer Institutions Comparison — A comparison of UVM's existing 2006 CMP to peer institutions including, but not limited to, areas such as guiding principles, frameworks for campus planning, sustainability, diversity, accessibility, and architectural and landscape design guidelines. Provide a review, critique, and new and innovative ideas for planning tools along with benchmarks, successes from other peer institutions, and a best practices review of university campus planning. Also include best practices on sustainability and resilience planning and pandemic lessons. What are likely campus changes needed to adapt to ongoing COVID-19 precautions and/or future pandemics at UVM? What are other campuses doing? This will help establish the vision and principles of this plan to generate the foundation for decision-making and for the development of the Campus Master Plan.
2. Flexible Indoor Space Analysis — Offer best practices and higher education trends in designing space that promotes active learning while also providing flexibility for physical distancing, if needed. Propose concepts that enable innovation, collaboration, and interaction for students and faculty as well as foster interdisciplinary activity and research. Additionally, as more employees are teleworking or working off-site, recommend strategies to consolidate, shrink, and share the space devoted to offices.
3. Outdoor Space Enhancements — Recommend strategies to create and/or enhance outdoor classrooms, therapeutic and calming spaces, curricular landscaping, and sustainable landscapes for a university in a northern New England climate.
4. Organization of Campus Master Plan — Looking at the 2006 CMP and the vision for this master plan, how should the CMP 2022 be organized?
5. Improvements to the Site Planning & Design Review Process — Better define and clarify the process for internal review of new projects. Currently, the 23-member Campus Master Planning Advisory Committee (CMPC) and the 9-member Landscape Advisory Subcommittee (LAS) reviews projects, but in an inefficient manner. The review process is intended to follow the Site Planning & Design Review Process. Recommend how to review projects more efficiently: what should be reviewed and by whom?
6. Alternate - Architectural and Landscape Guidelines for Campus Districts — Update the District Design Guidelines in the 2006 CMP.

Deliverables

Work with UVM staff, CMP Oversight Committee, Working Committee, and Planning Team to recommend and develop:

1. Comparative and analytic summary report of peer institutions and best practices as it relates to emerging and changing physical needs. Report should also include innovative ideas and recommendations for sustainability and resilience planning.
2. Summary of space standards and metrics for active and interdisciplinary learning and research and shared/consolidated office space along with recommended strategies to maximize the value of existing physical assets.
3. Summary report and recommendations for outdoor space design strategies in a northern New England climate.
4. Outline and proposed table of contents for this Campus Master Plan.
5. Summary report of recommended site planning & design review process and committee(s) structure to support the review process.
6. Alternate - Recommendations to update the District Design Guidelines (Architectural & Landscape Design) from the 2006 CMP.

Deadline for Questions: March 15, 2021 @ 1pm

RFP Deadline: April 2, 2021 @ 1pm

Contact for Full RFP: Deborah.Harvey@uvm.edu — You must include "RFP 26-03-21 Campus Master Plan" in the subject line of the email.