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Multnomah County will soon have a list of architecture firms to perform most of the design work it will need over the next few years.

The request for proposals for architecture and engineering services 鈥渙n a requirements basis鈥� is a regular process that the county, as well as Oregon Health & Science University, Portland Community College, Kaiser Health Systems and others use to award contracts for design, and occasionally construction. This year, Multnomah County and OHSU are honing the process to better suit their specialty needs.

鈥淢ultnomah County doesn’t have as many large projects as other jurisdictions,鈥� said Brian R. Smith, purchasing manager for the county. 鈥淢ost of what we do is repair and remodel.鈥�

Smith said the county uses its list of design firms for projects with architecture and engineering contracts ranging from $5,000 to $150,000. By relying on one list, the county can start projects without needing to navigate a procurement process for each one.

The firms that sign open-ended, or 鈥渕aster,鈥� contracts with these agencies aren’t guaranteed work, but they can be called in for projects 鈥� ranging from a door replacement to a room remodel or even something bigger.

鈥淚t’s an efficiency the county needs to have,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚t makes the process for each project much shorter.鈥�

鈥淚t’s a system that works really well for us, and for the architects as well,鈥� OHSU Design and Construction Director LeeAnne Wrenn said. OHSU is in the process of finalizing agreements with the eight design firms it recently selected for master contracts.

By using the same firms for all of OHSU’s design work, Wrenn said the university benefits as architects learn how to deal with the same buildings.

鈥淎 lot of work is in existing buildings, and you have to learn what’s going to be effective and efficient in each building,鈥� Wrenn said.

OHSU also uses a master contract model for general contractors, which generates similar benefits, she said.

GBJ Architects this summer was selected for a master contract with OHSU.

鈥淚t’s really exciting for us,鈥� said Kimberly Ritter, a GBJ associate. 鈥淚t allows us to establish a working relationship with the institution, which is a real benefit.鈥�

GBJ specializes in health care work and has worked under similar contracts with OHSU, Kaiser and Multnomah County in the past.

鈥淚t’s a great opportunity for smaller firms,鈥� Smith said.

Both OHSU and Multnomah County approached their as-needed architecture contract procurement differently this year than in the past.

鈥淲e are trying to do a little better of a job matching specific A and E firms with our customers,鈥� Smith said. The county is looking at the diverse needs of its properties 鈥� health clinics, jails and offices 鈥� and selecting firms that specialize in such areas.

鈥淥ur facilities group told us that we’d get better outcomes on each project if we did a better job matching (specific needs),鈥� Smith said.

OHSU took a similar tactic: Three interview committees were convened to represent the university’s different property types 鈥� research and education, health care and animal housing 鈥� and four firms were selected to represent each category. Some firms were selected for multiple categories, Wrenn said.

鈥淓ach of these types requires a skill set that not every architecture firm has,鈥� Wrenn said.

In general, Wrenn said a good candidate for a master contract has a local office and experience upgrading old buildings, such as those with sprinkler systems and seismic safety issues.

GBJ principal Herb Griffin said he hasn’t seen more organizations move toward using open-ended contracts recently, but he hopes they will. 鈥淭hose who have been doing it see advantages,鈥� he said.

Despite a general increase in competition in the industry, OHSU didn’t see a big uptick in responses to its RFP 鈥� it received 33 applications, Wrenn said. She said she didn’t expect an increase, because the skills required are so specialized.

Smith said he doesn’t know whether Multnomah County will get more proposals this year than in the past. The RFP for 鈥淎rchitecture and Engineering Services on a Requirements Basis鈥� closes Sept. 28.

鈥淚 expect it to be competitive,鈥� he said.