Municipal and state construction projects are subject to M.G.L. 7C, sections 44-47 (Public Building Projects Design Services). All public libraries are, by definition, public buildings. This means that certain state requirements apply to both the building itself and also to the process of planning, designing, and constructing it.
Designer Selection is subject to MBE/WBE/VBE requirements, which stand for Minority Business Enterprise, Women Business Enterprise, and Veteran Business Enterprise. Contact Meghan Costa at the Supplier Diversity Office (SDO) after procuring your OPM to obtain your project's goal percentages prior to issuing your RFQ for the designer.
Everything you ever wanted to know about designer selection from the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General. The manual covers laws and best practices for the procurement of goods and services, as they pertain to all project phases from planning through construction and for all types of types of public building projects.
It includes information about the CM at Risk option, and contains sample contracts and additional sources of assistance.
The good news: This document is written for the layperson.
The caveat: Laws and their provisions are subject to interpretation. The information presented in this Resource Guide is based on opinions from the Massachusetts Inspector General’s Office and the MBLC.
