Project Information

Bid Title

RFP Class III Historic Architectural Survey of the Downtown Area

Issuing Agency

City of Bismarck

Location

North Dakota

Published Date

Oct 20, 2025

Closing Date

Dec 19, 2025

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Bid Title:	RFP Class III Historic Architectural Survey of the Downtown Area
Category:	Community Development
Status:	Open

Description: The Bismarck Historic Preservation Commission is looking to complete a Class III intensive architectural survey of properties surrounding Bismarck’s  current Downtown Historic District and to update the site forms for the Downtown Historic District. This will be inclusive of, but not limited to, conducting thorough background research, establishing a period(s) of significance, and completing and submitting a draft and final written report and all associated site forms for the Class III. Additional buildings have become historic since the original investigation twenty-five years ago.  All the historic buildings in the project area need to be evaluated to see if they still meet eligibility criteria or contribute to additional time periods of significance or to additional themes to the current District (e.g., Urban Renewal).  It is possible they need to be considered as a separate Historic District(s). There have been changes in this core area including changes to building appearances, demolitions, additions, and address changes. Today, the project area is comprised of commercial, public, office, and multi-family residential uses. The Class III project will look at structures built on or before 1980 in order to prepare for a possible amendment, or nomination, as a next step, that may occur after the conclusion of this Class III Inventory. Publication Date/Time: 10/20/2025 12:00 PM Closing Date/Time: 12/19/2025 5:00 PM Submittal Information: PDF format by 5:00 p.m. CST on December 19, 2025, by email to Lauren Oster at laoster@bismarcknd.gov Related Documents: Downtown Survey RFP

Attachment Preview

Downtown District Survey Request for Proposals

City of Bismarck, North Dakota

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS:

A CLASS III INTENSIVE HISTORIC

ARCHITECTURAL SURVEY OF THE

DOWNTOWN AREA OF

BISMARCK, ND

Issued:

Proposals Due:

October 20, 2025

December 19, 2025, at

5:00 p.m. CST

City of Bismarck

Planning Department

221 North 5th Street

P.O Box 5503

Bismarck, ND 58506

1

Downtown District Survey Request for Proposals

City of Bismarck, North Dakota

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP):

A CLASS III INTENSIVE HISTORIC ARCHITECTURAL SURVEY OF THE

DOWNTOWN AREA OF BISMARCK, ND

Summary RFP Schedule:

RFP Issued

Proposal Deadline

Selection of Proposal by Historic Preservation Commission

Selection of Proposal by City Commission

October 20, 2025

December 19, 2025, at 5:00

p.m. CST

January 21, 2026

February 10, 2026

Any interested individual may request to be on an email list to receive updates on the RFP

process, including addenda to the RFP if any are issued. The City may alter this RFP at any

time.

Submittal Instructions

Proposals must be received by the City of Bismarck no later than 5:00 p.m. CST on December

19, 2025. Proposals received after this deadline will not be accepted.

Send proposals and direct questions regarding the RFP to:

Lauren Oster,

Planner

City of Bismarck

PO Box 5503

Bismarck, ND 58504

701-355-1846

laoster@bismarcknd.gov

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Downtown District Survey Request for Proposals

City of Bismarck, North Dakota

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Purpose for Request .....................................................................................................................4

Scope of Services .........................................................................................................................4

Project Budget ...............................................................................................................................6

Community Profile .........................................................................................................................6

Resources .....................................................................................................................................8

Proposal Request and Selection Process .....................................................................................8

Schedule of Process ..................................................................................................................8

Submittal Instructions ................................................................................................................9

Required Proposal Contents .......................................................................................................10

Evaluation Criteria .......................................................................................................................12

Other Information ........................................................................................................................13

Modifications to the Request ...................................................................................................13

Eligibility ...................................................................................................................................13

Responsibility for Proposal Preparation...................................................................................13

Civil Rights ...............................................................................................................................13

No Conflict of Interest ..............................................................................................................14

Open Records/Proprietary Information ....................................................................................14

Ownership of Project Materials ................................................................................................14

3

Downtown District Survey Request for Proposals

City of Bismarck, North Dakota

Purpose for Request

The Bismarck Historic Preservation Commission (BHPC) is looking to complete a Class III

intensive architectural survey of properties surrounding Bismarck’s current Downtown Historic

District and to update the site forms for the Downtown Historic District (see the Proposed

Survey Boundary Map under the Resources section). This will be inclusive of, but not limited to,

conducting thorough background research, establishing a period(s) of significance, and

completing and submitting a draft and final written report and all associated site forms for the

Class III.

Additional buildings have become historic since the original investigation twenty-five years ago.

All the historic buildings in the project area need to be evaluated to see if they still meet

eligibility criteria or contribute to additional time periods of significance or to additional themes to

the current District (e.g., Urban Renewal). It is possible they need to be considered as a

separate Historic District(s). There have been changes in this core area including changes to

building appearances, demolitions, additions, and address changes. Today, the project area is

comprised of commercial, public, office, and multi-family residential uses. The Class III project

will look at structures built on or before 1980 in order to prepare for a possible amendment, or

nomination, as a next step, that may occur after the conclusion of this Class III Inventory.

Scope of Services

The BHPC, through this Request for Proposals (RFP), seeks a qualified consultant to conduct a

Class III intensive architectural survey of the Downtown area.

The scope of services includes the following tasks:

1. Archival Research & Historical Narrative. Conduct thorough literature review of

previous related projects and Class III inventories of the project area using the ND State

Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) system and other available materials. The project

consultant will use all applicable archives, the State Historical Society of North Dakota,

City, County, and other records, as needed, to gather data on the properties in the

project area. This will include reviewing the previous National Register of Historic Places

(NRHP) nomination for the Bismarck Downtown Historic District (see the Resources

section).

2. Architectural Intensive Survey. Conduct an intensive level survey of buildings and

structures within the identified survey boundary to collect new field data and complete

new and updated site forms for qualifying properties. The intensive survey will:

a. Document the existing historic character and conditions of each property within

the survey area, completing a North Dakota Cultural Resources Survey (NDCRS)

Architectural Site Form for each property in the survey area. Data collected will

include locational information, property boundaries, current ownership, date of

construction, known architects or contractors, assessment of integrity, evaluation

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Downtown District Survey Request for Proposals

City of Bismarck, North Dakota

of significance under the NRHP Criteria, and site photographs meeting or

exceeding minimum NDCRS Site Form Data requirements.

b. Update existing documentation of any previously recorded cultural resources

within the survey area. Where eligibility has been recommended or determined in

a previous survey, such recommendation will remain unchanged unless the

consultant provides evidence that the statement warrants change.

c. Provide a historic context and architectural themes for the development of the

survey area and make recommendations for future preservation activities,

including evaluation of whether the current NRHP historic district should be

amended and/or if a new nomination should occur.

d. Not include entry onto private property. All work, including photography, will be

conducted from the public right-of-way adjacent to the property.

3. Boundary Recommendation. This would include the creation of a map showing the

boundary for the period of significance. This boundary may be different from the current

NRHP historic district boundary and should be noted if so. This should be updated

based on current conditions identified within the survey area.

4. Establish Period(s) of Significance and Themes. A table identifying historically or

architecturally significant properties, including evaluation of both individually eligible and

contributing sites is required. The evaluation of the significance of historic properties

using established criteria is required. This may include the application of the criteria

within identified historic contexts and architectural themes of the current District or the

consultant may provide revised historic contexts and/or architectural themes with

justification.

5. Formatting. Edit all documents for grammar, punctuation, and clarity prior to submission

to the BHPC or SHPO.

6. Document Submission. Submittal of the written report and NDCRS Architectural site

forms for review and final submission must follow all SHPO site form and report

requirements (see ND SHPO Guidelines Manual for Cultural Resource Inventory

Projects and NDCRS Architectural Site Form Manual under the Resources section).

e. NDCRS architectural site forms will be submitted first to the BHPC for review and

comments. The BHPC will provide comments within 15 days to the consultant.

The consultant will have 15 days to make the corrections and will submit to

SHPO. An initial ten percent of the site forms should be submitted to SHPO for

review early on to ensure compliance with format and data requirements.

Typically, SHPO has 15 days for review of the submitted site forms. The

consultant will be responsible for making any modifications required by SHPO

within 15 days of SHPO providing comments. Submission of revised site forms

should be submitted to SHPO by the end 2026, unless otherwise agreed upon by

all parties.

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Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541310Architectural Services
• NAICS 541330Engineering Services
• NAICS 541620Environmental Consulting Services

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