RFPs for moving Innovation Campus buildings issued today

Two Requests for Proposals are issued today by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to accept bids to remove five historical and 16 movable metal buildings at the former State Fair Park. Another RFP later will deal with clearing remaining buildings. The entire process will clear the way this summer to begin development of the site into Innovation Campus. The Industrial Arts Building is not part of this removal process.

Beginning today, businesses, agencies or individuals interested in either the historical buildings or the removable metal buildings have until March 5 to submit a bid proposal. The historical buildings are contained in an area of the former state fairgrounds called Heritage Village are part of one RFP, and the movable metal buildings are part of the second RFP. Both are proceeding with the same proposal time schedule. Bids will be opened on those two proposals on March 5, and the notices to proceed will be given March 12. Winning bidders will have until April 30 to remove the buildings.

A third RFP issued in mid-March will include the "clean-up," demolition and removal of buildings not moved during the first-round RFPs. RFP details are on the Web at procurement Web site .

The historical buildings include the Hudson Cabin, a Burlington Northern caboose, the former Princeton Bank, the old Cheney Post Office, and a train depot from Roca. Christine Jackson, vice chancellor for Business and Finance at UNL, said there has been interest expressed by individuals and entities to purchase and move those structures, as well as several of the metal buildings. There are 16 metal buildings that could be taken apart and reassembled at a new site be useful as shops or storage for farming, livestock, or small- or heavy-equipment operations, ranging in size from 29 by 33 feet (Ticket Office) to 160 by 363 feet (Swine, Sheep and Goats building) and 200 by 200 feet (Horse Barn).

"We have had numerous calls about removing and reusing several of these buildings and expect there to be numerous bids on some of these structures," Jackson said. "The RFP process is in place to assure the fairest access and best revenue-return on these properties. It also puts the university's official process into motion to get the buildings removed in a timely way."

Jackson said the third RFP will wait until mid-March to follow the awarding of the first two rounds of contracts.

"We won't know what remains as residual structures until UNL awards contracts from the first RFPs. Then, rather quickly, we'll get the demolition in place from the third RFP," Jackson said. Bids will be awarded on the third RFP in mid-April.

Anyone interested in submitting a bid for the historical or metal buildings must attend a mandatory pre-bid meeting at 2 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Nebraska Union, 14th and R streets. The room location will be posted inside the Union.

Questions before the meeting can be addressed to Gary Kraft in UNL Procurement Services, gkraft2@unl.edu, or faxed to (402) 472-2246.