Oh, you want to talk to someone who has complicated vocal languages that can express many different things? How about whales?
Oh they also have to use tools? Meet crows.
But buildings and civilizations are a must! Soo beavers? Ants even?
There are so many amazing beings on this one planet that we can interact with, we don't need to go find aliens. Maybe we should just, I dunno, keep this planet habitable?