Agency Instructions for Master Roster

Getting Started

In accordance with Contract Bulletin 99-5, dated October 18, 1999, state agencies must obtain approval to use the Master Roster list. To obtain permission, your state agency's Contract Coordinator should contact Admin's Real Estate and Construction Services (RECS) team by email at recs.contracting@state.mn.us or by phone at 651-201-2550.

You will need to use our Vendor Management System to utilize the Master Roster.

Master Roster Program Signed Certification Form

Project Thresholds

Contract Amount	Minimum Number of Vendors	Available Contract Type	Affirmative Action Certification	Affidavit of Non-Collusion	Certificate of Insurance	Certificate Regarding Lobbying
$5,000 to $49,999.99	1*	BSA, PTSC		required	required
$50,000.00 to $99,999.99	3	BSA, PTSC		required	required
$100,000.00 to $199,999.99	5	BSA, PTSC	required	required	required	required
$200,000.00 to $400,000.00	10	BSA, PTSC	required	required	required	required
More than $400,000.00	SDSB or Public RFP	BSA, PTSC	required	required	required	required

* Agency may select one vendor from the Master Roster to complete the work.
** If a firm is identified as Targeted Group or Economically Disadvantaged (TG/ED) within a Master Roster category, at least one of the chosen vendors must come from the TG/ED/VO roster.

Detailed Instructions

Click on the links below to read Master Roster instructions and requirements in more detail.

Instructions for Program Use
Admin's Construction Services team maintains a Master Roster of firms interested in performing work. The Master Roster includes 41 categories or work types. Each defined area of work contains a list of the firms that have requested to be placed on the Master Roster for that category of work. For a preview, see the "Categories and Rates" section below.

Where a firm is qualified for more than one area, its name will be located in each category for which it is qualified. Included with the firm listing is its contact, reference, and fee information. Information may be accessed by category type or alphabetically by firm.

Who is on the Master Roster

The Master Roster includes the following types of registered contractors:
- Architects
- Engineers
- Land Surveyors
- Landscape Architects
- Geoscientists
- Owner's Project Representatives
When to Use the Master Roster

Master Roster contractors are approved to do predesign, design through construction documents, and construction administration, including land surveying and geoscientist services.

Vendor Management

The Master Roster is updated electronically and is continually current. Firms requesting to be placed on the roster may submit their information at any time, and once their submittal is reviewed and approved, it will be added to the roster. On occasion firms are sent an electronic notice to renew or update their information. If a firm does not do this within 30 days they are automatically removed from the roster.

For more information regarding how to be included in the Master Roster, contractors should review the Master Roster RFQ. Once a firm is approved for the roster they will not need to apply again until February 27, 2026. However, firms are responsible for keeping their information accurate.

Selecting a Vendor from the Master Roster

For contracts estimated to cost less than $5,000, agencies may select any vendor from the program list. Standard state procurement guidelines apply.

Any projects estimated to cost more than $5,000 are required to follow the requirements listed in the section below labeled "Documentation Tables."

It is important that agencies follow and document their procedure when selecting a vendor as they may be required to justify their selection. If an agency does not follow the specific instructions, they must comply with the requirements defined by Admin's standard contracting procedures, available on the Office of State Procurement website at https://mn.gov/admin/osp/government/.

Categories and Rates

Categories of services available on the Master Roster are listed in the table below.

Complete lists of qualified vendors for each category are available to authorized users state agency by logging into our Vendor Management System. The categories found on the Master Roster include information on each firm and the work it has done that it believes makes it qualified to perform work in that category. Agencies should review the firm's qualifications prior to contracting to ensure the firm's prior experience is sufficient for the work the agency is seeking.

Attached to the firm's information is also a fee rate schedule. Click on "Fee" in the Vendor Management System to access this information.

Category	Description
Acoustical	Preparing reports, studies, testing, analysis, plans and specification for control and transmittance of sound.
Arts and Performing Arts Facilities	Schools that educate people in the areas of but not limited to dance, music and other art forms.
Audio/Visual Media	Preparation of plans and specifications for sound, video and other media type systems.
Bridges	See Roads and Bridges category below
Building Restoration	Historic preservation, refurbishing buildings to near original condition according to Minnesota Historical Society guidelines, rules and regulations.
Commissioning	Establishing systems operational goals, confirming successful operation, documentation of operational procedures, and training of staff
Correctional Facilities	Facilities of incarceration.
Educational Facilities	Schools, classrooms, school laboratories and places of an educational nature.
Energy Supply and Distribution	High Voltage systems that convey power in various forms from generation of the power to end users of the power both on site and in buildings.
Engineering-Building Energy Efficiency Engineer	A certified energy engineer for energy efficiency modeling, design and consulting.
Engineering-Civil	Preparing plans and specifications to construct or repair sites associated with construction of buildings or site development and mitigation.
Engineering-Electrical	Preparing plans and specifications to construct, remodel, or repair electrical systems.
Engineering-Environmental	Preparing plans and specifications to construct or remodel environmental systems, and preparing environmental assessments and environmental impact statements.
Engineering-Mechanical	Preparing plans and specifications to construct, remodel, or repair plumbing and mechanical systems.
Engineering-Structural	Preparing plans and specifications to construct, remodel, or repair structural systems.
Facility Condition Assessment	Collecting, analysis, assembling and reporting the condition of buildings for decision makers to use in the budgeting and project planning process.
Financial Auditing	Auditing of Contractor Payment Applications or other costs related to construction.
Food Service	Preparing plans and specifications to construct or remodel spaces used in the preparation and serving of food.
Geoscience Service	Consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, mapping, and inspection of geoscientific work and its responsible supervision; and, may include geologic investigations done by licensed geologists and soil surveys or making of soil maps done by licenses soil scientists and services provided by a licensed geological engineer
Health and Medical Facilities	Hospitals, nursing homes and infirmaries.
Interior Design	Preparing plans and specifications for finishes, systems and other furniture, fixtures, and equipment.
Intertechnologies and Telecommunications	Network and low voltage telecommunication infrastructures.
Landscape Architecture	Preparing plans and specifications to construct and improve sites.
Land Surveying	Means providing legal property description and preparing surveys of property with all utilities, typography and amenities.
Modular Furniture Design	Preparing plans and specifications for modular systems furniture, including space planning, layout design, furniture inventory, installation plans and parts list.
Office and Administration Facilities	Buildings that are used for general office workers.
Owner's project Representative (OPR)	Services and deliverables described in Attachment A of Addendum One to the Master Roster RFQ.
Predesign	The stage in the development of a project, prior to the design stage, during which the purpose, scope, cost, and schedule of the complete project are defined and instructions to design professionals are produced.
Project Administration	Doing selected functions as they relate to projects under construction.
Recreational Facilities	Facilities that provide services to all citizens to conduct leisure and entertaining activities.
Roads and Bridges	Horizontal construction that is used to convey people and goods as well as may include investigations, testing and load studies.
Roofing	All systems and devices used to cover and protect the tops of buildings and appurtenances.
Security Systems	Systems to monitor spaces, secure passage ways, doors, entrances and exits from buildings and spaces.
Service and Industrial Facilities	Facilities that provide manufactured goods and services to authorized clients.
Signage	All way finding or information conveying devices both in buildings and outdoors.
Specialty Electrical Systems	Specialty systems and industrial control systems such as SCADA
Sustainable Design	Modeling and analysis of building systems materials in accordance with Real Estate and Construction Services Sustainability Guidelines or LEEDS.
Temperature Control	Design and application of systems that control all aspects of HVAC and mechanical systems in building.
Water and Waste Systems	Water towers and sanitary sewer systems.
Other Categories
Appraisal	A written report that develops an opinion of value (usually market value) of real property, including land and/or buildings.
Cultural Resources	Archeological or Historical resource services to identify and evaluate projects to determine if they met the criteria to be considered historic projects or of culturally significance importance. Project assistance for planning, preparation, implementation and mitigation measures.
Relocation Assistance Firms	Relocation Assistance Firms means to develop and implement comprehensive relocation assistance plans tailored to the project's needs, including timeline development, budgeting, and logistical considerations. Provide advisory services to displaced individuals, businesses, and non-profits to help them understand their rights, benefits, and relocation options under the URA and state laws. Assist in locating comparable replacement properties, facilitate property inspections, and aid in addressing specific needs or requirements of the displaced parties. Provide assistance in relocation benefit determination and documentation.

Questions?

Please contact us at 651-201-2551 or by email at recs.contracting@state.mn.us if you have questions regarding this program.

Forms and Templates

Admin's Construction Services team has developed numerous templates that agencies will need when using the Master Roster. Agencies must use applicable templates, or an equivalent approved by Admin's Office of State Procurement when using the Master Roster contracting process. Templates are located at the Manuals, Guidelines, and Forms page on our website.

The forms you'll need are based upon the estimated cost for the project. Please review the section titled "Documentation Tables" below on this page to determine the documents needed for a particular sized project.
Ten Percent Retainage Authorization

Minnesota law requires that the final 10 percent of payment on professional/technical (P/T) contract be withheld until all tasks have been satisfactorily completed and certified by the head of the agency (Minnesota Statutes Section 16C.08 Subdivision 2(10)). The law includes an exception for Admin's Real Estate and Construction Services (RECS) P/T contracts for architects, engineers, surveyors, landscape architects, geoscientists, and interior designers.

Please keep in mind that RECS contracts do allow for withholding final payment until all the work is complete. Work completion may happen at various stages in the contract, and a warranty period may ensue. Substantial completion of a project may not be the same as the end date of a contract. Be sure you make this distinction when drafting contracts, so the withholding of final payment may continue until past the warranty period should it be necessary. RECS considers As-Built Drawings as one of the tasks to be included prior to final completion.
Evaluating Vendor Performance

Any vendor contract may be terminated for non-performance.

For contracts exceeding $25,000, the agency must complete the one page evaluation titled "Report on Professional/Technical Contracts Over $25,000." This document must be submitted online to the Department of Administration's Office of State Procurement, to fulfill the state mandated evaluation described in state law (Minn. Stat. Section 16C.08, subd. 4(c)). The head of an agency is directed to submit a one-page report to the Commissioner of Administration within 30 days of the final completion of a contract over $25,000.

The required form is available at https://mn.gov/admin/osp/government/providefeedback/vendor-performance.jsp.
RFP Process and Time Requirements

The Master Roster Program meets the Department of Administration's general requirements for publication of Requests for Proposal (RFPs) for contracts over $5,000.

When using the program, an agency may send an RFP to a specified number of vendors based on the dollar amount of the contract. The specified numbers of vendors are minimums. Nothing in the program prevents an agency from sending the RFP to more than the minimum numbers of vendors, nor from using traditional methods for RFP publication.

However, if an agency chooses to use the Master Roster Program it must use the firms identified on the Master Roster, and must agree to rotate work through the listed firms on a regular basis to ensure the work is spread fairly among the firms on the roster.
Contract Choices
The Master Roster Program allows for a choice of contracting formats.

Professional Technical Service Contracts

Professional Technical Service Contracts (PTSC) should be used for contracts that do not require design, such as predesign only, testing, or studies.

Basic Service Agreement Contracts

Basic Service Agreement (BSA) contracts should be used for contracts that require design and/or deliverables. There are variations within this category of contract:
- Basic Service Agreement - Design Consultant (BSA-DC): This contract should be used for projects with full-scope design and contract administration services.
- Basic Service Agreement - short form (BSA-SF): This contract should be used for projects with limited scope design and contract administration services.

Documentation Tables

Requirements for Targeted Group/Economically Disadvantaged
SWIFT Contract Entry
Questions?