Volume 45 - Issue 11 - March 12, 2026
State of Kansas
Department of Administration
Office of Facilities and Property Management
Notice of Requested Engineering Services
Notice is hereby given of the commencement of the selection process for engineering services for the Chiller Plant, Kansas Vet Diagnostics Laboratory, and Derby Complex at Kansas State University. Kansas State University invested heavily into expanding the campus district chilled water infrastructure in 2016. Since 2016, the university has connected several buildings/additions onto the district chilled water system, including the College of Business, College of Engineering Phase IV, Wefald/Kramer Dining Center, Nichols Hall, Student Union, Eisenhower Hall, Bluemont Hall, Call Hall, and several others.
The new chilled water plant, CP-2, was designed to expand with future demand and to operate in concert with the campus’ original plant, CP-1. The total firm chilled water capacity for the campus is currently 8,289 tons; whereas, the connected campus load will soon exceed firm capacity by about 250 tons through additional connections currently underway and associated with projects at the Western Star Global Grain and Food Center, Fairchild Hall, Thompson Hall, and the Strong Complex. The recently completed and approved campus masterplan included a detailed study of campus utility infrastructure including analysis for the existing and projected cooling needs for campus. This data indicates an immediate need to expand CP-2 to meet the growing cooling needs of campus.
This advertisement is for a single design services contract for the following scope as indicated in our February 2026 Kansas Board of Regents approved program for Chilled Water Expansion:
- Expanding CP-2 with an additional 2,950-ton chiller and all associated equipment needed for immediate expansion, including pumps electrical gear, cooling tower, and controls.
- Connection and underground piping to serve the new Kansas Vet Diagnostics Laboratory with chilled water from the district system.
- Connection, underground piping, and building modifications needed for serving the Derby Complex (West, Moore, Haymaker, Ford, and Derby) with chilled water from the district system.
The university intends to evaluate the ROI, necessary underground piping, infrastructure, and associated construction and operational costs for completing these enhancements. Estimated construction costs for the entire scope are estimated at $13,520,000 construction and $7,000,000 of equipment, for a total construction cost of $20,520,000. The project will be phased, with design and construction executed when/as funds are available. The initial project phase for Chiller Plant 2 expansion is estimated to be: $4.6M construction, with $7M in equipment to be specified by engineer, ordered by owner, and installed by contractor (approximately $12M in construction costs, total).
An architectural/engineering program is available at http://admin.ks.gov/offices/ofpm/dcc/arch-eng-programs. For more information, contact Lisa Johnson at lisajohnson@ksu.edu or phone at 785-532-0379. To be considered, one (1) PDF file of the following should be provided: State of Kansas Professional Qualifications DCC Forms 051-054, inclusive, and information regarding similar projects. These forms may be found at https://admin.ks.gov/offices/facilities-property-management/design-construction--compliance/forms-and-documents. State of Kansas Professional Qualifications DCC Form 050 for each firm and consultant should be provided at the end of each proposal. Please include your firm name, agency abbreviation, and an abbreviated project name in the title of the PDF document. Proposals should be less than 5 Mb and follow the current State Building Advisory Commission guidelines which can be found in Part B – Chapter 2 of the Building Design and Construction Manual at https://admin.ks.gov/offices/facilities-property-management/design-construction--compliance/building-design-and-construction-manual-bdcm. Paper copies and flash drives containing copies of the proposals are not required.
Proposals should be sent to professional.qualifications@ks.gov. Proposals received after the date and time noted below will not be forwarded to the State Building Advisory Commission for review. If you have questions about the proposal submissions, please contact Barbara Schilling at Barb.Schilling@ks.gov or call 785-291-3695. The PDF proposal submissions shall be delivered to the attention of the State Building Advisory Commission by 2:00 p.m. on or before March 27, 2026.
The State of Kansas, as a matter of public policy, encourages anyone doing business with the State of Kansas to take steps to discourage human trafficking. If prospective bidders/vendors/contractors have any policies or participate in any initiatives that discourage human trafficking, then the prospective bidder/vendor/contractor is encouraged to submit same as part of their bid response.
Barbara Schilling
Deputy Director-DCC
Office of Facilities and Property Management
Kansas Department of Administration
Doc. No. 053952
