OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Enterprise Services today signed a contract with Sellen Construction Co. and ZGF Architects, both of Seattle, for the design and possible construction of a new state office building on the north edge of the Capitol Campus in Olympia.

The state has agreed to a three-part contract with the Sellen and ZGF team:

• The first part is for building design services only, which will begin immediately.
• The second part addresses the demolition of the existing structure at 1063 S. Capitol Way and parking garage at 124 Union Ave S.W.
• The third part of the contract is to replace both buildings with a 210,000 square-foot, five-story office building. Construction is contingent upon funding approval by the 2015 Legislature.

The contract includes a clause allowing the state to cancel the agreement if lawmakers do not approve construction funding.

Last fall, Enterprise Services selected three potential design-build teams as part of a two-stage competition. The teams developed schematic designs for a building. In March, a committee of public and private professionals reviewed the proposals and selected Sellen and ZGF as the apparent successful team.

The other design-build teams were:

• Hoffman Construction of Portland, Belay Architecture of Tacoma and GBD Architects of Portland
• Mortenson Construction Co. of Minneapolis with a regional office in Kirkland and SRG Partnership Inc.'s Seattle branch office.

"It was a very competitive process because all of the teams submitted highly creative, responsive bids," said Rick Browning, Enterprise Services 1063 project manager. "We appreciate the hard work that all the teams did to give the state the most value for taxpayer dollars."

The state will pay a $200,000 competition honorarium to the two teams that were not selected.

The 1063 Block Replacement Project was initiated by the 2013 Legislature. The tenants of the new building will be the Washington State Patrol, portions of the Office of Financial Management and several legislative committees.

Enterprise Services is using a $13 million legislative appropriation to pay for the design of the building as well as other related costs. The department recently determined that the project will not have a significant impact on the environment.

Public comments about the project can be submitted to Enterprise Services by using the department's electronic mailbox at EASmail@des.wa.gov.

During the 2013-15 state budget cycle, Enterprise Services will manage nearly 800 design and construction projects valued at more than $580 million. The department has an established record of serving its clients with projects that are on time and within budget.

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