The University administration is in the process of putting together a request for proposal (RFP) for a master planner/developer to either remodel or rebuild all the residence halls on campus.An RFP is similar to a bid in that it is a request for quotes from contractors. An RFP is different from a bid because it takes criteria such as experience, quality and team congruency into consideration.

“An RFP looks more at qualifications,” Mike Davis, assistant vice president for business affairs for procurement and physical plant operations, said.

The University is looking for a company that will visit the campus, survey the existing residence halls and make recommendations.

“Recommendations could run from a complete renovation of all existing facilities to demolition of everything to construction of new halls or something in between,” Davis said. “We do not know what it’s going to be.”

Nicholls does not have the experts on campus needed to perform the master planner/developer duties needed. That is why an outside company has to be used, Davis explained.

If the master planner/developer decides to rebuild, then the residence halls might have to find new locations but not far from where they are now. The common trend at universities, said Davis, is to have the residence halls flank the cafeteria and the student union, similar to what Nicholls has now, because that is where student life is centered.

Davis said he will request permission from the Board of Supervisors to release the RFP most likely at the October meeting. Once the Board of Supervisors approves the request, a committee will review and grade the proposals and then make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors. If everything goes smoothly, a master planner/developer is expected to break ground by mid- to late-2005. “That is a very rough approximation,” Davis said.

“We are probably looking to lease the property to a 501C3 corporation just like we did for La Maison Du Bayou,” Davis said. “They, in turn, will look to a contractor to either renovate or demolish the buildings.”

Davis said the new residence halls would differ from La Maison Du Bayou because the office of residential life, the same office that currently manages the residence halls, will continue to manage them.

Students say they are looking forward to future changes. “It’s a step forward. The University needs to keep up with the times,” Clint Costanza, a sophomore from Holden and a Resident Assistant in Calecas, said.
Echo Ratcliff, culinary freshman from Kenner, also says change would be good. “We need carpet, and I don’t like these brick walls,” he said.

Administrators are also looking to create some office space by converting Ellender Hall into an office building.

“Its close proximity to existing academic buildings make it a logical choice for an office building,” Davis said.

The room layouts are not known yet, but there are plans for several different configurations. “We want several different levels of residence halls to offer students a choice on how much privacy they want,” Davis said.

The new buildings will most likely have to be built before the old ones can be torn down in order to maintain the same number of beds. Parking lots will also have to be built to maintain the same number of spaces during construction.

“We understand the frustration of the students, and we are working as fast as we can,” Davis said. “There are a lot of good people working very hard to deliver these things to the students.