Chapter 4: Design

Power Of The RFP
Like the RFQ, the Request For Proposal (RFP) has a special role in the skatepark process that communities should be aware of. While the RFQ essentially identifies the qualities and experiences required by those firms bidding on the skatepark project, the RFP basically describes the project that those vendors will be bidding on in terms that reveal enough details about the project that allow for a very specific cost estimate.

The RFP is sent to those vendors who qualified to bid on the project under the RFQ process. It asks those vendors to create a cost estimate for the skatepark construction. In other words, it asks the vendor “how much would you charge to build this skatepark?”

Many RFPs describe the skatepark project in terms that do not adequately define allowable tolerances. When combined with an RFQ that does not remove unqualified vendors from bidding on the project, it is unlikely that the skatepark will be built to an acceptable standard. Imagine: years of advocacy, thousands of dollars, and the collective vision of the area skaters all culminate in a lumpy, dangerous skatepark that nobody really likes. It happens all the time.

The RFP becomes a contract of sorts between the City and the entity building the skatepark. In conjunction with exacting design specifications, the RFP will indicate to the bidding vendor that the skatepark must be built to particular standards and that any detected errors during construction will not be accepted. Those errors, should they occur, are expected to be replaced at the vendor’s expense. Citing universal standards, like the ASTM Publication F 2480 guidelines for in-ground concrete skatepark construction, can help avoid misinterpretations of an RFP.

The RFP travels with the design specs.