2026-009 RFQ Professional Environmental Engineering Planning Services-Post(PDF).pdf

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

FOR

ROWAN COUNTY

Professional Civil Engineering & Planning Services Environmental Management

# 2026-009

ROWAN COUNTY

130 West Innes Street Salisbury, NC 28144

704-216-8178 jody.farrow-bennett@rowancountync.gov

Date Issued: Thursday, March 26, 2026

Date Due: Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET

Administered By: Jody Farrow-Bennett, Purchasing Director mailto:jody.farrow-bennett@rowancountync.gov

Rowan County 2026-009 Request for Qualifications Date Due: Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET Civil Engineering & Planning Services

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Rowan County Environmental Management

Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is a solicitation for Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) from interested and qualified Consultants for environmental engineering and planning services for Rowan County Environmental Management. Rowan County may award a single master agreement or multiple agreements for the services required.

Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) for the Professional Civil Engineering & Planning Services for Rowan County Environmental Management will be accepted until Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET at the Rowan County Purchasing Department, 130 West Innes Street, Suite 31, Salisbury, North Carolina 28144. SOQs received after this time will be disqualified and faxed proposals will not be accepted. SOQs should be clearly marked and preferably sent via email or, if the respondent prefers, the documents can be delivered to:

Rowan County Purchasing Department Attn: Jody Farrow-Bennett, Purchasing Director

130 West Innes Street, Suite 31 Salisbury, NC 28144

704-216-8178 jody.farrow-bennett@rowancountync.gov https://www.rowancountync.gov/675/Purchasing

Once RFQ is public all questions related to RFQ should be directed to the Purchasing Director. Any contact related to the RFQ with County Staff and/or Board of Commissioners will be prohibited and cause for rejection. All questions shall be submitted in writing to the Purchasing Director.

Contracts funded with federal grant funds must be procured in a manner that conforms with all applicable Federal laws, policies, and standards.

Rowan County reserves the right to award and/or reject any and/or all submittals and waive any technicalities or irregularities. For complete details, consult the RFQ.

This is the 24th day of March 2026.

Rowan County

By: Jody Farrow-Bennett Rowan County Director of Purchasing https://www.rowancountync.gov/675/Purchasing

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1. Section 1: Introduction & General Instructions

1.1. Intent of Request

The purpose of this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is to obtain information from Civil Engineering and Planning consultants interested in providing expert professional, technical, and advisory services to Rowan County for anticipated planning and development projects related to waste management operations. This includes work associated with the Rowan County Landfill, Closed Landfills, Recycling Centers, and Convenience Centers.

The RFQ provides qualified professional consulting firms with a common, uniform set of specifications to assist in developing their responses and to ensure a consistent method for the County to fairly evaluate submissions and select a firm for a Master Agreement.

Respondents must be licensed to do business in the State of North Carolina.

1.2. Preliminary Schedule:

Task Date Release RFQ Thursday, March 26, 2026 Questions Friday, April 10, 2026, 5pm ET Accept Qualifications (Due Date) Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 3pm ET Interview (if applicable) Week of April 27, 2026 Award Contract on or after BOC Meeting in May 2026

2. Section 2: Requirement/Scope Civil engineering and planning services may include, but are not limited to, geotechnical site work and related projects. Services may also include assistance with land acquisition, master planning, feasibility studies, miscellaneous planning tasks, and other related projects as needed.

To be considered for selection, the Engineering and Planning Consultant must be qualified and capable of providing the following services:

1. Landfill planning, environmental analysis, land acquisition, preliminary design, final design, estimating, bidding, and construction administration services for proposed projects.

2. Financial planning, budgeting, and annual reporting assistance.

3. Annual airspace reporting and operational efficiency studies.

4. Alternative technology assessments.

5. Landfill development studies, including new and existing landfill cells.

6. Landfill permitting and compliance, including coordination with NCDEQ, EPA, and other regulatory agencies.

7. Facility design and assessments.

8. Waste diversion alternatives analysis and other best management practices (BMPs) for waste management.

9. Landfill design and operational support, including soil resource studies.

10. Landfill gas collection and control system design and permitting.

11. Construction administration**, quality assurance, and certification services.

12. Groundwater and gas compliance monitoring.

13. Corrective action and remediation services.

14. Managed competition analysis.

15. Procurement and grant writing support.

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3. Section 3: SOQ Submission Requirements

3.1. Submission and Deadline

One (1) electronic SOQ should be submitted in .pdf format using software such as Adobe, CutePDF or PDF Writer.

The address for electronic deliveries is: jody.farrow-bennett@rowancountync.gov and, if the respondent prefers delivering a paper version; the address for mailings/hand-deliveries is:

Rowan County Purchasing Department Attn: Jody Farrow-Bennett, Purchasing Director 130 West Innes Street, Suite 31 Salisbury, NC 28144

Subject: “RFQ 2026-009 Civil Engineering & Planning Services”.

SOQs received after the deadline of Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET, will not be considered.

All questions regarding this RFQ shall be submitted by 5 pm, April 10, 2026, by email to the same email address listed above.

No Contact shall be made with any Rowan County staff or elected officials once this RFQ is released to the public. Rowan County reserves the right to reject any and /or all SOQ’s and to waive informalities therein.

3.2. Submission Format

To facilitate review of your SOQ by Rowan County, it is requested that your submission conform to the following format:

Coversheet – List project title (Civil Engineering & Planning Services) the name of your firm, and the name, address, email address and telephone number of a contact person for questions concerning the proposal submitted.

Experience of the Firm – Provide a narrative of your firm’s prior experience and qualifications in landfill engineering, planning & construction work for similar North Carolina projects. Provide a list of similar landfill projects completed within the last five (5) years in North Carolina. Also, please reference the experience of firm personnel in working with EPA & NCDEQ regulations and procedures.

Project Team – Provide a list of the project team members that you propose to use on this project and identify the responsibility of each team member and their current office location. Provide a brief resume for each person, detailing specific similar project experience.

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Issues – Provide information that demonstrates the ability to meet required DBE goals for professional services. Provide information/qualifications on proposed DBE firm(s) to be used, including where and when the DBE firms have worked with your firm on past landfill projects similar to those outlined in this RFQ.

References – Provide the name, address, email address and telephone number of at least three (3) references familiar with the quality of work done by your firm on similar projects.

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Other Supporting Data – Include any other information you feel to be relevant to the selection of your firm for this project. The entire SOQ must not exceed twenty (20) pages, excluding the cover sheet and letter of introduction. SOQ’s exceeding 20 pages will not be considered.

4. Section 4: SOQ Evaluation and Selection

4.1. General Evaluation Procedure

Criteria to be used in screening and ranking of the SOQ and selection of the successful firm are as follows:

Qualifications of the Firm, Including Firm Personnel – Preference shall be given to those firms and personnel with experience and training in training in landfill planning, land acquisition, design and construction administration for similar projects, as outlined in this RFQ.

Response Capability / Project Understanding – Preference shall be afforded to those firms which in the opinion of Rowan County will be able to adequately respond to requests for consultation meetings or project administration requirements, and firms that have a detailed understanding of the project requirements.

Experience with Similar Projects – Qualifications of the Project Manager and those personnel that will be assigned to the project, including the location of their office, will be considered. Preference shall be given to project teams with specific experience in similar projects and any familiarity with the region and proposed projects, as outlined in this RFQ.

Experience in Working with EPA and NCDEQ Regulations and Procedures – Preference shall be given to project team personnel—particularly the Project Manager—who demonstrate an established working relationship with the EPA and NCDEQ, and who possess a thorough understanding of EPA and NCDEQ rules and regulations related to the design and development of waste management operations similar to the Rowan County Landfill and associated facilities.

Methodology –The firm’s system of methods, principles, understand of our detailed project requirements will be evaluated.

4.2. Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation criteria are intended to allow the County to evaluate specific aspects of a Respondent's experience, technical competence, and capability to perform.

The County will evaluate and rank the responsive SOQs by scoring the qualitative evaluation criteria set forth below to generate a Shortlist. The total number of points that will be used in evaluating all the factors for this SOQ is 100, allocated as shown below:

1. 20% = Qualifications of Key Personnel

2. 20% = Capability & Understanding

3. 20% = Experience with Similar Projects

4. 20% = Experience with EPA/NCDEQ

5. 10% = Methodology

6. 10% = References

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4.3 Contract

After all Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) have been reviewed, the selected firm(s) will be invited to negotiate a master contract with Rowan County for a three-year term, with the option of two consecutive one-year renewals, not to exceed a total of five (5) years, for Civil Engineering and Planning Services. Rowan County reserves the right to contract with the selected firm for all, or a portion of the services described in this Request for Qualifications and may award a single master agreement or multiple agreements as deemed in the County’s best interest.

For each project performed under the Master Contract, a detailed scope of work will be developed and agreed upon by the Engineering Consultant and Rowan County. This detailed scope of work and associated fee will be incorporated into a work authorization and included as an attachment to the contract. The contract will be non-exclusive and may be cancelled by either party at any time and for any reason.

5. Section 5: General Comments

1. Any cost incurred by respondents in preparing or submitting a proposal shall be the respondents’ sole responsibility.

2. All responses, inquiries or correspondence relating to this RFQ will become the property of the County.

3. The County reserves the right to reject any or all packages received or to request additional information as may be needed to determine qualifications. It is the intention of the County to negotiate contracts for services at fair and reasonable prices with what it determines to be the best qualified Consultant.

4. The County may or may not conduct interviews. If interviews are held, firms are hereby notified that the interview process will quickly follow the submittal deadline, and firms should prepare their submittal and proposed team accordingly. Elaborate presentations and submittals during the interview process are not expected or requested. Each interview will last no more than two hours and will be conducted at the J.

Newton Cohen, Sr. Rowan County Administration Building located at 130 West Innes Street.

5. The following Federal provisions apply pursuant to 2 C.F.R. § 200.326 and 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Appendix II (as applicable):

Equal Employment Opportunity (41 C.F.R. Part 60); Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C. 3141-3148); Copeland “Anti-Kickback” Act (40 U.S.C. 3145); Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (40 U.S.C. 3701- 3708); Rights to Inventions (37 C.F.R. § 401.2)Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q.) and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251-1387); Debarment and Suspension (Executive Orders 12549 and 12689); Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment (31 U.S.C. 1352); Procurement of Recovered Materials (2 C.F.R. § 200.323); Record Retention Requirements (2 CFR § 200.324); Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications (2 C.F.R. § 200.216); and Domestic Preferences for Procurements (2 C.F.R. § 200.322)

5. Section 5: General Comments