REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

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FOR

Spokane Tribe of Indians

Architecture & Engineering Services

Fisheries Administration and Warehouse Facility

NO. FY26-XX

SPOKANE TRIBE OF INDIANS

PURCHASING/PROPERTY

DEPARTMENT

6195 FORD/WELLPINIT RD

PO BOX 100

WELLPINIT, WA 99040

KEY INFORMATION

Contact

Phone

Opening Date

Question Due By

Closing Date

Return Location

Delivery Address

Raynee St. Pierre

509-458-6550

8/25/2026

10/12/2026

Purchasing/Property Manager

6195 Ford/Wellpinit Rd

PO BOX 100

Wellpinit, WA 99040

Raynee.stpierre@spokanetribe.com

STOI Point of Contact

All questions regarding this Request for Proposal (RFP) shall be submitted in writing to the

designated Point of Contact listed above. Questions must be submitted no later than the

deadline identified in the RFP. Responses to questions and any resulting addenda will be

issued through the Point of Contact and shall become part of the solicitation documents.

I. INTRODUCTION & PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Spokane Tribe of Indians (STOI) is requesting proposals from qualified Architecture and

Engineering firms to provide a feasibility assessment and professional design services for a

Fisheries Administration and Warehouse Facility.

The Spokane Tribe of Indians is a federally recognized sovereign governmental entity

established through Executive Order of the President of the United States on January 18,

1881. The Spokane Tribe of Indians’ vision is to achieve true sovereignty by attaining selfsufficiency. We will preserve and enhance our traditional values by living and teaching the

inherent principles of respect, honor, and integrity as embodied in our language and

lifeways. We will utilize effective stewardship of our human, financial and natural

resources. We will develop strong leadership through education, accountability,

experience and positive reinforcement. There is a central administrative unit headquarters

in Wellpinit, Washington. In Wellpinit we administer 214 programs which provide services

to tribal members and other local area community members.

The Spokane Tribe of Indians (STOI) Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries

Program seeks proposals from qualified multidisciplinary consulting teams to complete a

comprehensive Fisheries Facility Feasibility and Site Suitability Study for the future

development of a Spokane Tribal Fisheries Facility in the vicinity of Airway Heights,

Washington.

The Spokane Tribe’s Fisheries Program has experienced sustained growth in staffing,

scientific capability, habitat restoration, fisheries research, field operations, and regional

partnerships. Existing facilities no longer adequately support current operational

requirements or anticipated future growth.

Beyond these operational needs, this project represents an important investment in the

long-term stewardship of one of the Spokane Tribe’s defining cultural and natural

resources. For countless generations, the Spokane people maintained a profound

relationship with the salmon that returned annually to Spokane Falls and throughout the

Spokane River watershed. That relationship shaped subsistence practices, governance,

trade, ceremony, and the Tribe’s enduring connection to place.

Today, as salmon restoration efforts continue throughout the Upper Columbia Basin, the

Spokane Tribe is reaffirming this relationship through fisheries science, habitat restoration,

education, and resource stewardship. Increasingly, Tribal citizens are reclaiming an

understanding of themselves as The Salmon People, recognizing fisheries not simply as a

governmental program, but as an expression of Spokane identity, responsibility, and

continuity.

Research on Indigenous Nation Building—including the work of Stephen Cornell, Joseph P.

Kalt, Miriam Jorgensen, and others—demonstrates that enduring Tribal institutions are

most successful when they reflect the history, values, culture, and governing traditions of

the nations they serve. Consistent with these principles, the Spokane Tribe views this

project as an investment in sovereign institutional capacity as much as physical

infrastructure.

While many fisheries facilities primarily support scientific research or regulatory functions,

the Spokane Tribe’s Fisheries Facility must also serve as an institution of cultural

continuity, sovereign resource stewardship, and intergenerational knowledge transfer. The

consultant selected through this RFP will therefore be asked to evaluate not only the

technical requirements of a modern fisheries facility, but also how that facility can support

the Tribe’s long-term mission of scientific excellence, ecological stewardship, education,

and the perpetuation of Spokane identity through self-determined fisheries management.

The Tribe has identified funding to initiate planning activities and recognizes that this effort

represents the first phase of a larger capital investment program that will ultimately

include facility master planning, architectural and engineering design, and construction.

This study is intended to establish the technical, operational, financial, and site-specific

foundations necessary to support future Tribal decision-making and external funding

opportunities.

There is no expressed or implied obligation for the Spokane Tribe of Indians to reimburse

responding firms for any expenses incurred in preparing proposals in response to this

Request for Proposal. Proposal pricing shall remain valid for a period of ninety (90) days

from the proposal’s due date. The Spokane Tribe of Indians reserves the right to reject any

or all proposals submitted, waive informalities, request clarification of information

submitted, and negotiate with the proposer(s) determined to be in the best interest of the

Tribe. Submission of a proposal indicates acceptance of the conditions contained in this

Request for Proposal unless specifically noted otherwise in the proposal and agreed to by

the Spokane Tribe of Indians. Nothing in this RFP, any proposal, any award notice, any

negotiation, or any resulting contract shall be construed as a waiver of the sovereign

immunity of the Spokane Tribe of Indians, its agencies, departments, officials, employees,

enterprises, or instrumentalities.

II. PROJECT PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of developing a centralized

Fisheries Facility capable of supporting the Spokane Tribe’s fisheries research, resource

management, habitat restoration, administration, education, and field operations for

generations to come.

The study shall:

•

Evaluate operational needs across the Fisheries Division.

Engage stakeholders representing all Fisheries program areas.

•

Assess potential development sites.

Develop a comprehensive facility program.

Prepare conceptual development alternatives.

Establish planning-level construction and total project cost estimates.

Recommend an implementation strategy supporting future design, funding, and

construction.

The Spokane Tribe intends that this facility support a Fisheries Division capable of serving

future generations through scientific research, fisheries management, habitat restoration,

education, cultural stewardship, and the perpetuation of Indigenous knowledge.

Accordingly, the feasibility study shall consider not only current operational requirements,

but also the long-term institutional capacity necessary to fulfill the Tribe’s responsibilities

as stewards of fisheries resources throughout its ancestral homelands.

III. EXISTING VISION

The Spokane Tribe has developed preliminary facility concepts intended to initiate

planning discussions (Attachment A). Current concepts include:

•

Two climate-controlled pull-through equipment buildings capable of housing

research vessels and tow vehicles.

Approximately seven pull-through bays within each equipment building.

Approximately 10,000 square feet of office, laboratory, meeting, and administrative

space.

Secure exterior equipment storage.

Adequate maneuvering space for trucks and trailered research vessels.

Capacity for future program expansion.

These concepts are intended to inform—but not predetermine—the outcome of this study.

Consultants shall evaluate these preliminary concepts through stakeholder

engagement, operational analysis, industry best practices, and site suitability

assessments. The final facility program shall reflect documented operational

need across the Fisheries Division rather than preconceived building sizes or

configurations.

IV.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The selected consultant shall assist the Spokane Tribe in answering the following

questions:

•

What operational functions must the facility support?

•

What facilities are required to support current and future Fisheries operations?

What site characteristics best support long-term operations?

What facility size and program best meet documented operational needs?

What are the anticipated construction and total project costs?

What implementation strategy best positions the Tribe for future funding and

phased development?

V. SCOPE OF REQUESTED SERVICES

Tasks 1 through 8 constitute a planning-level feasibility and site suitability study. Unless

authorized by written amendment, the scope does not include boundary or topographic

surveying, destructive testing, hazardous-material testing, environmental or cultural field

investigations, geotechnical borings, schematic or final design, permit applications, grant

applications, or construction documents. The consultant shall identify additional studies

and professional services recommended before site acquisition or design.

Unless otherwise approved in the Project Management Plan, each task deliverable shall

include one draft for STOI review and one final version incorporating one consolidated set

of STOI comments. Final deliverables shall be provided in editable native format and PDF;

supporting matrices, schedules, and cost estimates shall also be provided in editable

format.

Task 1. Project Initiation and Management

Conduct a kickoff meeting with STOI Planning & Economic Development (PEDD),

Department of Natural Resources leadership, and Fisheries leadership. Establish a

practical framework for managing decisions, information, engagement, schedule, and

quality throughout the study.

•

Confirm project purpose, success criteria, scope boundaries, and required

decisions.

Identify the STOI project manager, consultant project manager, decision-makers,

reviewers, and communication protocols.

Prepare a detailed work plan showing task sequence, meetings, milestones, review

periods, dependencies, and critical information dates.

Issue a prioritized request for existing studies, drawings, inventories, site

information, staffing data, and other records reasonably available to STOI.

Confirm stakeholder groups, interview and workshop formats, and the process for

documenting and validating input.

Establish quality-control procedures and maintain action, decision, assumption,

and risk logs for the duration of the study.

Deliverable: Project Management Plan, including the work plan and schedule, stakeholder

engagement plan, initial information request, communication and review protocols,

quality-control approach, and initial action, decision, assumption, and risk logs.

Task 2. Existing Conditions Assessment

Review Tribe-provided information and conduct non-destructive site observations at

existing Fisheries facilities and operational locations identified by STOI. Coordinate

observations with staff familiar with each location and document conditions relevant to

future facility planning.

•

Compile an inventory of occupied space, staffing, fleet vehicles, research vessels,

trailers, field equipment, laboratory functions, storage, maintenance, washdown,

and administrative support.

Document current circulation, loading, deployment and return, sample handling,

equipment cleaning, storage, security, and seasonal operating conditions.

Identify observable space, condition, functionality, safety, accessibility, utility, and

workflow deficiencies that affect operations.

Document available information regarding maintenance burden, temporary

workarounds, shared or leased space, and anticipated near- and long-term growth.

Identify information gaps and any specialized assessments recommended for later

phases.

Scope boundary: This task is an observational planning assessment, not a codecompliance audit, property-condition assessment, land survey, hazardous-material

survey, or destructive investigation.

Deliverable: Existing Conditions Memorandum with a facility and asset inventory,

annotated photographs, existing-condition diagrams as available, deficiency and

information-gap register, and a summary of source documents and limitations.

Task 3. Fisheries Operational Needs Assessment

Conduct interviews and facilitated workshops with representatives of all major Fisheries

program areas. At a minimum, engagement shall include the Fisheries Director;

Anadromous Fisheries; Resident Fisheries; Habitat Restoration; scientific, field,

laboratory, and administrative staff; Department leadership; and Spokane Tribe Planning &

Economic Development.

•

Document current staffing, organizational relationships, core services, workflows,

and operational constraints by program area.

Evaluate seasonal staffing and workload fluctuations; field deployment and return;

fleet, vessel, trailer, and equipment needs; sample receipt, processing, holding,

and storage; cleaning and decontamination; records and data management; and

visitor or partner interaction.

•

Define functional relationships, adjacencies, separations, access, security,

environmental controls, and shared-support needs across program areas.

Establish current and future demand using planning horizons agreed upon at

kickoff, and state the assumptions supporting projected staffing, equipment, and

program growth.

Distinguish baseline operational requirements from desirable enhancements and

future expansion needs.

Conduct a validation workshop to reconcile cross-program needs and confirm the

findings that will drive the facility program.

Deliverable: Fisheries Operational Needs Assessment Report, including engagement

documentation, current and future operating profiles, workflow and adjacency findings,

growth assumptions, prioritized needs, and unresolved decisions.

Task 4. Owner's Facility Development Program

Translate the validated findings from Tasks 2 and 3 into a comprehensive Owner's Facility

Program that defines what the facility must accommodate without advancing into

schematic design.

•

Prepare a room and space list showing function, quantity, target net area, users or

capacity, occupancy assumptions, and program assignment.

Identify planning requirements for offices and administration; laboratories and

biological sample processing; scientific support; training, meeting, and publicinterface space; boat, vehicle, trailer, and equipment storage; maintenance;

washdown; cold storage; receiving; secure exterior storage; and building support.

Document special equipment, loading, clear-height, environmental-control, water,

drainage, power, data, communications, access-control, security, and other

performance requirements at a planning level.

Prepare functional relationship and adjacency diagrams identifying required

connections and separations among clean, dirty, public, staff, laboratory, service,

and secure functions.

Develop a site program for parking, loading, circulation, trailer maneuvering,

outdoor work and storage, stormwater and utility allowances, setbacks, and future

expansion.

Apply and clearly state grossing, circulation, and building-support assumptions to

establish target net and gross areas; reconcile the resulting program to

documented operational need.

Identify opportunities for shared space, phased implementation, flexibility, and

future expansion without compromising core operations.

Deliverable: Owner's Facility Program, including the room and space data table, target net

and gross area summary, site program, adjacency diagrams, planning-level performance

criteria, phasing and expansion provisions, and a record of assumptions and outstanding

decisions.

Task 5. Site Suitability Analysis

In coordination with STOI, confirm the candidate sites to be evaluated in the Airway

Heights vicinity and establish weighted evaluation criteria before scoring. Perform

consistent, planning-level desktop review and site reconnaissance for each candidate.

•

Review property ownership and control, parcel configuration, available land area,

known encumbrances, land-use compatibility, and acquisition considerations

based on information available to STOI and public records.

Assess regional and site access, emergency access, heavy-vehicle circulation, and

maneuverability for the design vehicle and trailered research vessels confirmed

with STOI.

Evaluate available information regarding water, sewer or on-site systems, power,

communications, fire flow, utility extension requirements, and utility capacity risks.

Screen topography, drainage, flood hazard, wetlands, habitat, contamination

indicators, geotechnical conditions, and cultural-resource considerations using

existing information and non-invasive observations.

Review permitting pathways, jurisdictional coordination, compatibility with

adjacent uses, security, operational continuity, development schedule, probable

site-development cost, and future expansion potential.

Identify fatal flaws, differentiating risks, information gaps, and site-specific duediligence actions required before acquisition or design.

Scope boundary: This task does not include legal title opinions, appraisals, negotiations,

boundary or topographic surveys, utility capacity commitments, Phase I environmental

assessments, geotechnical borings, wetland delineations, or cultural-resource field

surveys unless separately authorized.

Deliverable: Site Suitability Report with agreed evaluation criteria and weights,

comparable site profiles, Site Evaluation Matrix, fatal-flaw and risk analysis, planning-level

development implications, recommended due diligence, and a preferred site and alternate

supported by the findings.

Task 6. Conceptual Site Development Alternatives

Using the approved facility and site program, prepare at least two materially distinct

conceptual development alternatives for the preferred site, or for another site authorized

by STOI if the preferred-site recommendation remains pending. The alternatives shall test

feasibility and inform selection; they are not schematic design.

•

Show planning-level building footprints or functional zones, primary entries, loading

and service areas, parking, secure outdoor storage, and site access.

•

Diagram staff, visitor, service, heavy-vehicle, and boat-and-trailer circulation; test

critical turning movements using the agreed design vehicle.

Indicate conceptual utility service, stormwater allowances, fire and emergency

access, security zones, and known site constraints.

Demonstrate accommodation of the facility program, including target gross area,

operational adjacencies, separation of conflicting uses, and future expansion.

Compare land use, operational efficiency, flexibility, constructability, phasing,

resilience, site-development implications, and key risks and tradeoffs.

Facilitate an alternatives workshop and document the basis for a recommended

concept or elements to carry forward.

Scope boundary: Concepts shall be diagrammatic and suitable for feasibility decisions

and planning-level cost estimating. Detailed floor plans, building elevations, engineering

calculations, and design or permit documents are excluded.

Deliverable: Conceptual Site Development Alternatives package with legible plan

diagrams, program-area and site-area tabulations, narratives, comparison of advantages

and tradeoffs, workshop findings, and a recommended concept.

Task 7. Planning-Level Cost Estimate

Prepare a transparent, planning-level Opinion of Probable Cost for each viable conceptual

alternative, with sufficient detail to compare options and establish a total project budget

for the recommended concept.

•

State the estimate date, location factors, source and level of pricing information,

measured quantities or area assumptions, unit costs, escalation basis, anticipated

construction midpoint, contingencies, exclusions, and expected accuracy range.

Estimate site acquisition allowances, if directed by STOI; site preparation and

development; utility extensions and services; building construction; laboratory and

specialized fisheries systems; and exterior improvements.

Include allowances for furnishings, fixtures and equipment; specialized owner

equipment identified in the program; design and engineering; investigations;

permitting and review fees; project and construction management; commissioning;

testing; move and startup; escalation; and appropriate design and construction

contingencies.

Clearly distinguish Opinion of Probable Construction Cost from Opinion of Probable

Total Project Cost and identify items assumed to be provided separately by STOI or

others.

Show costs by alternative and logical phase, identify major cost drivers and

uncertainty, and provide sensitivity or range analysis for material assumptions.

Base the estimate on documented operational requirements rather than currently

identified funding, which is understood to be seed capital.

Deliverable: Planning-Level Cost Estimate in narrative and editable spreadsheet formats,

including the basis of estimate, comparison by alternative, construction cost, total project

cost, phasing, contingencies, escalation, assumptions, exclusions, cost range, and key

cost risks.

Task 8. Funding and Implementation Strategy

Develop an actionable strategy that connects the preferred facility concept, site due

diligence, project phasing, decision-making, funding readiness, design, permitting,

procurement, construction, commissioning, and occupancy.

•

Recommend implementation phases and decision gates based on operational

priorities, continuity of Fisheries operations, site readiness, dependencies, and

available or anticipated funding.

Define immediate due-diligence activities and the recommended progression

through master planning, architectural and engineering design, environmental and

cultural review, permitting, procurement, construction, commissioning, move, and

startup.

Prepare a funding-source matrix identifying potentially applicable Tribal, federal,

state, philanthropic, and other programs; eligible uses; typical match or leverage

considerations; timing; readiness requirements; restrictions; and logical projectphase alignment.

Assess grant readiness and identify the technical, site-control, cost, schedule,

partnership, and approval information needed to pursue priority opportunities.

Prepare a planning-level implementation schedule identifying major milestones,

dependencies, responsible parties, review or approval points, and long-lead

activities.

Develop a prioritized action plan and risk register for advancing into the Fisheries

Facility Master Planning and Architectural and Engineering phases.

Scope boundary: This task includes funding research, screening, and readiness planning;

it does not include grant writing, submission of funding applications, lobbying, legal

opinions, financial underwriting, or commitments from funding agencies.

Deliverable: Funding and Implementation Strategy with a phased roadmap, fundingsource matrix, grant-readiness checklist, planning-level schedule, governance and

decision framework, risk register, and prioritized next actions.

Task 9. Final Feasibility Report

Prepare a comprehensive decision-making document including:

•

Executive Summary.

Existing Conditions.

Operational Needs Assessment.

Facility Program.

•

Site Evaluation.

Preferred Site Recommendation.

Conceptual Site Plan.

Planning-Level Cost Estimate.

Total Project Budget.

Funding Strategy.

Implementation Roadmap.

Recommended transition into the Fisheries Facility Master Planning phase.

VI.

General Information

All proposals must be hand-delivered, mailed, or emailed and received by the

Purchasing/Property Department by the closing date and time identified in this Request for

Proposal (RFP). Any proposal received after the closing date and time, or submitted to

another department, may be considered non-responsive.

The Spokane Tribe of Indians reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive

informalities or minor irregularities, request clarification of proposals, negotiate with one or

more proposers, award the project in whole or in part, or cancel and reissue this

solicitation if determined to be in the best interest of the Tribe.

Vendors are responsible for examining all information provided in this solicitation and for

satisfying themselves regarding the nature and requirements of the work. Submission of a

proposal constitutes acknowledgment that the vendor has reviewed the available project

information and understands the requirements of the solicitation.

The Spokane Tribe assumes no responsibility for any understanding or representation

made by any officer, employee, or agent of the Tribe prior to execution of a written

agreement unless expressly incorporated into the final contract documents.

Indian Preference and TERO Requirements

Preference will be given to qualified Indian-owned and controlled businesses in

accordance with applicable Tribal and federal requirements. Vendors shall identify:

• Indian-Owned Business Status

• Spokane Tribal Member Ownership (if applicable)

• Ownership Percentage

• TERO Certification Status (if applicable)

Contractors and subcontractors shall comply with applicable Spokane Tribal Employment

Rights Ordinance requirements.

Incurred Expenses

The Spokane Tribe of Indians shall not be responsible for any expenses incurred by vendors

in preparing, submitting, or presenting a proposal in response to this RFP. All costs

associated with proposal preparation, site visits, meetings, interviews, or supplemental

information requests shall be borne solely by the vendor.

All submitted proposals and supporting documentation shall become the property of the

Spokane Tribe of Indians.

Proposal Submission Requirements

The proposal shall include the following information: