I.    PURPOSE OF REQUEST

The City of Federal Way (“City”) is soliciting statements of qualifications and performance data from qualified firms and persons for architectural code analysis plan review and structural engineering plan review of building related permit drawings and specifications in connection with performing services for the City pursuant to Chapter 39.80 RCW. The City’s needs are outlined in the following Request for Statements (“Request”).

II.    TIME SCHEDULE

The City anticipates the following timetable:

Issue Request for Statements                    2/6/2026
Deadline for Submittal of Responses to Request        2/20/2026 by 5pm
Selection of Firms to Interview if needed            2/27/2026
Interview Firms if needed                    3/6/2026
Notify Firm Selected                        3/10/2026

III.    INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

A.    All Responses to Request for Statements shall be emailed to:

Andrew Norton
City of Federal Way
andrew.norton@federalwaywa.gov

B.    All Statement of Qualifications (“SOQ”) must be emailed with the subject line clearly labeled with “City of Federal Way Building Department Plan Review Services Statement of Qualifications..” No faxed, hard copy, or telephone statements will be accepted.  The maximum file size that can be accepted via email is 10.0 MB.

C.    All SOQs must be received by 5:00 P.M. on 2/20/2026.

D.    Any questions shall be directed to Andrew Norton, Building Official via email at andrew.norton@federalwaywa.gov no later than three working days prior to the submittal deadline.
E.    All SOQs must be submitted s a single PDF document and shall include the following information:

•    Cover Letter (1 page maximum):  Clearly indicate what services your firm can provide and which project(s) you want to be considered for.
•    General firm/team background & introduction (2 page maximum): Provide a general background communicating the experience of the firm in general and the scope of services they typically provide.  
•    Key Personnel (3 page maximum): The names of key personnel proposed to work on the project(s) and their experience/qualifications.  Provide past projects similar in scope that key personnel worked on and discuss the past performance.  Provide familiarity with WSDOT / FHWA standards.  Highlight availability of key personnel and ability to meet proposed schedule.
•    References (1 page maximum):  Provide a current contact name and phone number for three references.  Include a brief description of project/work completed for reference (no more than 3-4 sentences) and list the specific role of proposed key personnel in completing work for reference.  

IV.    SELECTION CRITERIA

The following factors will be used to evaluate your SOQ and determine whether your firm will be selected to participate in an interview process and/or commence negotiations with the City regarding any contract:

Key Personnel                        30%  
Ability to Meet Schedule                10%  
Past Performance with municipal jurisdictions    50 %
References                        10%
                                        100%

V.    TERMS AND CONDITIONS

A.    The City reserves the right to reject any and all SOQs, and to waive minor irregularities in any SOQ.

B.    The City reserves the right to request clarification of information submitted, and to request additional information from any contractor.

C.    The City reserves the right to award any contract to the next most qualified contractor, if the successful contractor does not execute a contract within thirty (30) days after the selection of the contractor.

D.    Any SOQ may be withdrawn up until the date and time set above for opening of the SOQ’s. Any SOQ not so timely withdrawn shall constitute an irrevocable offer, for a period of ninety (90) days to provide to the City the services described in the attached specifications, or until one or more of the SOQ’s have been approved by the City administration, whichever occurs first.

E.    The contract resulting from acceptance of a SOQ by the City shall be in a form supplied or approved by the City, and shall reflect the specifications in this Request. A copy of the contract is available for review, and shall include requirements to comply with ADA, Civil Rights Act, and EEO requirements. The City reserves the right to reject any proposed agreement or contract that does not conform to the specifications contained in this Request, and which is not approved by the City Attorney’s office.

F.    The City shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by the firm in preparing, 
Submitting, or presenting its response to the Request.

G.    The City, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations,  hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

H.    The City, in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), commits to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability, in all of its programs and activities. This material can be made available in an alternate format by emailing languageaccess@federalwaywa.gov or by calling 253-835-2601.

VI.    SCOPE OF SERVICES     

The consulting agency will provide comprehensive plan review services to evaluate  submitted construction documents for compliance with applicable state adopted building codes, structural standards, and separate jurisdictional requirements. The review will focus on identifying code deficiencies, verifying design assumptions, and ensuring the proposed work meets minimum life safety, structural integrity, and code compliance standards. 
 

Table 1
Plan Review Processing Turnaround Times

Type of Project    First Review     (Working Days)    2nd and 3rd Reviews (Working Days)
New 1 & 2 Family & Townhouses (IRC or IBC)    10    5
Residential Addition and/or Remodel (IRC or IBC)    10    5
New Multifamily, Commercial, Industrial  <5 Million in Valuation (IBC)    15    10
New Multifamily, Commercial, Industrial >5 Million in Valuation (IBC)    20    15
Multifamily, Commercial, Additions, and/or Remodel (IBC)    10    7
Tenant Improvements    10    5

VII.    COMPENSATION

A.    Upon selection of the most qualified firm on the basis of demonstrated competence and qualifications for the type of professional services required, the City will negotiate a price which it determines is fair and reasonable. If the City is unable to negotiate a satisfactory contract with the firm selected, negotiations with that firm will terminate and the City may select another firm.  Compensation will be based on a negotiated hourly rate.

B.    Payment by the City for the services will only be made after the services have been performed, an itemized billing statement is submitted in the form specified by the City and approved by the appropriate City representative, which shall specifically set forth the services performed, the name of the person performing such services, and the hourly labor charge rate for such person. Payment shall be made on a monthly basis, thirty (30) days after receipt of such billing statement.

VIII.    PUBLICATION

    This Request shall be published as follows:

    Name of Publication:            Dates:

    Federal Way Mirror            2/6/26, 2/13/26

    Kent Reporter                2/6/26, 2/13/26