As a place to start, it may be helpful to offer some resources about writing an RFP/RFQ. It may not be the most dramatic starting point, but it's important and it is a key factor in getting a project started well.
As the administrator of a construction program or individual project, the selection of the team that will work with you to fulfill a facilities vision is one of the most important steps in the process. The RFP can be a valuable tool in extracting the information you will need to make a good decision and convince your board and stakeholders that you have made the right decision.
The process of writing an RFP can be an intimidating one. The RFP speaks for you and your District and will be the first communication you make with your eventual team. It will set the tone for the type of client you will be. You are in the position of offering work to architects and construction professionals.
A Two-Way Audition - The most important part of picking your team is making a good match. The big firms may be too impersonal; the local firms might not have the expertise, the specialist is not general enough. You also need to find a firm that will be energized to work with you. At times you may feel like a pack of vultures will have descended upon you. But realize that these same professionals are also auditioning you. Each with a limited capacity, firms will be making sure that you are someone that they will work want to work with. So to keep your pool broad; realize that your RFP will give a lot of clues about your side of the relationship.
Vision - The design community will come energized if you spend a moment writing something in the RFP/RFQ about your vision. Explain what makes your District/School special. The true problem solving team will shine when given the opportunity to contemplate how to address the particulars of your situation through building.
Experience - The design of schools has a few specific aspects of the process that are important. Familiarity with the Division of the State Architect. Schools are subject to more stringent construction standards, cost more, and have some unique drawing conventions that can all contribute to challenges without experience.
Budgets - School budgets are tight and often fixed. Request examples of last-minute adjustments to projects due to a high estimate or reactions to budget challenges. Remember that schools cost money and there are no miracles...but there are smart ways to do things. There are ways to make decisions in the interest of the whole project.
So many RFP's that I recieve are so devoid of personality and so constrained that it is a wonder if our personality comes through. Realize that you are balancing evenhanded reviewing against a chance to have someone show you who they really are.
So whether you write an RFP yourself, hire a consultant to write it, or copy the neighboring school's RFP you are putting something out in the world that says something about you. Many documents solicit responses that seem only able to identify the successful team as the one with the least flaws. Contrarily when I have helped districts write an RFP, my priority is to have the document solicit the responses that they will enjoy reading and will find someone they want on their team.
