WhaleFindOpportunity Memo
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Scranton Gerrity Park Engineering and Design Services

City of Scranton, Office of Business Administration

Medium FitSubcontractor – Park Design & Public Realm
Deadline: April 21, 2026
Contract: Design completion by December 31, 2026
Channel: OpenGov Procurement Portal

Executive Summary

This is a live design-led municipal park-improvement opportunity for Gerrity Park in North Scranton, Pennsylvania. The scope includes topographic survey, base mapping, engineering and design for park improvements, preparation of construction-ready documents, and construction supervision for playground surfacing and a concrete walking trail. For YH LAB, this opportunity is worth pursuing only as a subcontractor on a technically stronger team. The project type is highly aligned with YH LAB's park and public-realm strengths, but the scope also includes survey, engineering, and inspection capacity that the current profile does not support on a sole-prime basis.

Requirements & Fit Assessment

Detailed topographic surveyRequired

No survey capability is stated in the current YH LAB profile

Partner can close gap

Base mapping and existing-conditions documentationRequired

YH LAB can support design interpretation but not necessarily the full technical mapping workflow alone

Partner can close gap

Engineering and design services for park improvementsRequired

YH LAB fits the design side well but not the full engineering side alone

Partner can close gap

Design documents for ADA playground surfacing and walking trailRequired

The park, trail, accessibility, and public-realm components fit YH LAB's strongest subject area

Construction supervision and oversightRequired

YH LAB can participate, but should not lead this alone without a stronger technical prime

Partner can close gap

Construction inspection and final sign-offRequired

Final technical sign-off appears outside the current YH LAB-only profile

Partner can close gap

Minimum five years under current business nameRequired

YH LAB profile shows 3 years in operation, which is a direct prime-risk issue

Partner can close gap

Insurance and required certifications/affidavitsRequired

Administrative compliance is likely manageable, but it does not solve the technical and experience gaps

Partner can close gap

YH LAB adds meaningful park-design and public-realm value, especially on the design of accessible recreation improvements, but it does not close the survey, engineering, inspection, or firm-experience gap alone.

Recommended Partner Profile

Pennsylvania civil/site engineering firm with municipal park or recreation-project experience. In-house or tightly partnered survey capability. Construction administration and inspection depth. Comfortable taking technical responsibility and final sign-off.

Why this partner type matters

  • Closes the survey and engineering gap
  • Handles technical construction oversight and sign-off
  • Allows YH LAB to contribute where it is strongest: park design, public-realm quality, accessibility-sensitive site thinking
Needed for eligibility? Yes — YH LAB appears weak against the five-year-history signal and technical sign-off expectations
Needed for win? Yes — a stronger technical prime materially improves credibility for a city engineering/design procurement

Top Partner Recommendations

Greenman-Pedersen (GPI)

86%****
Moosic, PA (Scranton area)
Scranton park experienceMunicipal engineeringSurvey capabilityLocal presence

Direct public evidence that Scranton already proposed GPI for Connell Park design work in 2025; very strong locality and municipal-park signal

Risk: No named contact surfaced in this pass; fallback is office route

Moosic Office
info@gpinet.com(570) 342-3700

HRG

81%****
Pittsburgh, PA (statewide)
Parks & recreation practiceSurvey capabilityTrail designConstruction phase services

Official parks-and-recreation practice with survey, site design, trail design, construction phase services, and landscape architecture

Risk: Less geographically local than GPI; has in-house landscape architecture

Jim Feath
jfeath@hrg-inc.com724.779.4777

Colwell-Naegele Associates

71%***
Clarks Summit, PA (local)
Local presenceMunicipal engineeringScranton Parks Study teamBorough engineer experience

Directly named on Scranton's 2022 Parks Study consultant team and local municipal engineering presence in the region

Risk: Less public project detail was surfaced in this pass than for GPI or HRG

Robert Naegele
info@colwellnaegele.com570-586-5091

Main Risks & Limitations

medium
Short time window

The deadline is April 21, 2026 — time-sensitive relative to the current date

medium
Five-year experience requirement

YH LAB shows 3 years in operation, which is a meaningful prime-risk issue and could be disqualifying

low
Limited RFP packet

The local PDF is only a one-page scope summary, so some bidder requirements come from the workbook row rather than a full RFP packet

low
Web-only partner search

Partner recommendations based on public web evidence, not prior teaming history

Bottom Line

Pursue as subcontractor

Role: Park design and public-realm subconsultant

Next move: Reach out to GPI first, then HRG, while keeping Colwell-Naegele as a local fallback

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