The Board of Directors of Beauvoir invite companies to submit a proposal for the preparation of plans for the development of the Gulf Coast Botanical Gardens at Beauvoir in Biloxi, Mississippi. A major focus of this development will be to develop arboretum and botanical gardens around the historical home of President and Mrs. Jefferson Davis. Proposals and statements of qualifications are to be received at the address given below (page 2) no later than the close of business day on November 2, 2000. Please provide one original and fifteen copies.

Statements of qualifications should address relative experience in completing botanical garden and arboretum plans with particular emphasis on historical sites. The Board wishes to contract with a consultant or consultants having multi-disciplinary expertise including planning, needs assessment, development, design and supervision of botanical garden establishment. Required qualifications, content and format are included in the attached statement entitled: Statement of Qualifications - Information Requirements.

Firms submitting proposals should address all elements related to development of the existing historical site. Required proposal content and format are included in an attached document entitled: Proposed Information Requirements.

The cost of the proposal shall be negotiated with the Board of Directors of Beauvoir and may include all or parts of the proposal submitted.

Candidates for this work must provide a schedule of activities, deliverables, and payments in their proposal. At a minimum the development plan should include the following:

• Inventory of conditions and resources
• Identification and analysis of opportunities
• Identification and evaluation of alternative development strategies
• Development of a final plan for creation of the Arboretum Botanical Garden Complex

The criteria to be used in evaluating proposals submitted by competing firms are:

• Experience of both the firms and individual personnel in related projects
• Conceptual plan of action
• Staffing and support assigned to the project and the firms current work load
• Project cost
• Quality of written and/or oral presentations
• Firms ability to meet its proposed schedule
• Firms past performance as evidence by client satisfaction
• In house capabilities of the successful firm

In addition to the written proposal, the Board may request that an oral presentation of the proposal be made to the Botanical Garden Advisory Committee and/or the Board of Directors of Beauvoir. Of course, firms submitting proposals may associate with one or more related firms. Proposals, statements of qualifications, as well as questions regarding this solicitation may be addressed to Robert L. Hawkins III, Executive Director at:

Scope of Work:

Beauvoir, as an historical site, is the last residence of President and Mrs. Jefferson Davis. It is the intent of the Board of Directors of Beauvoir to fully develop the entire Beauvoir site with an arboretum and botanical garden complex of renown quality. This botanical garden should keep in mind the historical nature of Beauvoir. It is the intent of the Board that any botanical garden development plans focus and highlight the unique history of the Beauvoir site. Particular interest should be paid to developing the historical vegetable and flower gardens of Mrs. Davis, the citrus grove of President Davis, the tomb of the unknown soldier, the historical cemetery site, Oyster Bayou and the pre-Biloxi forest.

Oyster Bayou, now a freshwater lake located wholly on the site, once connected directly to Mississippi Sound. It is the intent of the Board that this Bayou be returned to its original environment, if possible. The area on the northwest part of the site called the pre-Biloxi forest is one of native hardwoods and large long-leaf pines and represents an environment unique to much of the lower south in the 1800's.

For any plan to be successfully implemented, it must recognize the opportunities of the development site. Issues which must be addressed in this site include the caring capacity of the site, parking, access, the development of public facilities, maintenance of existing historical structures, native vegetation which consist primarily of large stately Live Oaks, and the site's location.

Information concerning the site including a map showing existing building and landmark location in a jpeg format is available at: www.msstate.edu/dept/crec/beauvoir.html. In addition, information used to generate this jpeg site map is available in arcview file for manipulation and management with your own software at the above referenced site. Additional information at this site includes pictures of many areas located within the site and maybe referenced either directly or by noting their locations on the site map as well as scanned historical documents outlining the history of the site. Interested persons may also visit the Beauvoir web site at www.beauvoir.org

Statement of Qualifications - Information Requirements:

Statements of Qualifications shall be organized as follows:

• Name of firm (s)
• Contact person
• Mailing Address
• Telephone number
• Facsimile number
• Project management and staffing, including detailed resumes of key personnel
• Prior related project experience of firm(s) included in the project team (include project titles, city, reference contact, date of project, consultant project manager name, brief description of project).

Proposal Information Requirements:

Proposals shall be organized as follows:

• Name of firm(s)
• Contact person
• Mailing Address
• Telephone number
• Facsimile numb er
• Detailed methodology and scope of work by task
• Project management and staffing
• Schedule of activities, deliverables and payments
• Cost proposal (detailed breakdown not required)