EE Smith RFQ - Q&A 1.pdf

Cumberland County Schools | Operations | Page 1

CUMBERLAND COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Questions, Answers & Clarifications

E.E. Smith High School Replacement Project

Solicitation Professional Architectural, Engineering, Planning, and Construction Administration Services

Original RFQ Issued July 16, 2026

Addendum Date August 5, 2026

SOQ Deadline August 13, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST

ADDENDUM NOTICE: This document is incorporated into and becomes part of the RFQ. If a response in this addendum conflicts with the original RFQ, this addendum controls. All other terms, conditions, and requirements remain unchanged. Questions have been lightly edited for spelling, punctuation, and clarity without changing their meaning.

Questions and Responses The following responses clarify the requirements of the RFQ and should be read together with the original solicitation.

QUESTION 1

For Tab 2 - Letter of Interest, is there something specific the Board would like to see that is not already covered by the Executive Summary?

RESPONSE

Yes. The Letter of Interest should be a brief, formal letter signed by an officer or principal authorized to commit the firm. It should confirm the firm's interest in the project, acknowledge its understanding of the RFQ and project scope, identify the prime firm or joint venture and primary contact, and confirm the firm's availability and intent to proceed with negotiations if selected. It does not need to repeat the Executive Summary's discussion of the firm's differentiators, comparable project, leadership team, or lessons learned.

RFQ ADDENDUM NO. 1

E.E. Smith High School Replacement Project

Cumberland County Schools | Operations | Page 2

QUESTION 2

Could you clarify what the Board would like to see under Tab 9 - Past Performance Matrix, and how it differs from the Tab 4 Relevant Project Experience Matrix?

RESPONSE

Tab 4 is intended to demonstrate the relevance and comparability of the firm's project experience. It should include the project name, owner, completion date, construction value, gross square footage, public-high-school status, replacement status, demolition scope, and the involvement of the proposed team members. Tab 9 is intended to show how well the firm performed on its most relevant public educational projects. For the projects selected as most relevant, provide the original and final construction contract amounts; the original and actual substantial-completion dates; total change orders, including owner-requested and design-related amounts when available; any claims or disputes and their resolution; and a current owner reference. Tab 4 addresses relevance; Tab 9 addresses performance outcomes.

QUESTION 3

The RFQ indicates a scoring preference for experience with occupied, phased renovations, but it also states that students will be relocated to an off-site swing campus. Is the intent to evaluate familiarity with redeveloping an existing campus and working with stakeholders, rather than the safety concerns of an occupied renovation?

RESPONSE

Yes. The current intent remains to relocate students to an off-site swing campus during the primary demolition and construction work. Respondents should not assume that the existing campus will remain occupied by students during that work. The preference is intended to recognize experience with complex existing-campus redevelopment, demolition and utility sequencing, constrained-site logistics, stakeholder coordination, and maintaining continuity for school and community operations. Final phasing will be developed with the selected design firm and Construction Manager.

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QUESTION 4

Section II.B requests experience with State Construction Office review, approval, and permitting protocols. Since the State Construction Office generally reviews State-owned projects, was the intent to reference the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and/or the North Carolina Department of Insurance?

RESPONSE

Yes. Section II.B is clarified. The intended experience is with North Carolina Department of Public Instruction School Planning review and the applicable building, fire, accessibility, and permitting authorities, including the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal and local authorities having jurisdiction, as applicable. State Construction Office experience may be identified as relevant experience, but it is not a separate pass/fail requirement for this locally owned public-school project. The requirement for experience coordinating projects financed through the Local Government Commission remains.

QUESTION 5

Does the current program include a natatorium similar to the program contemplated when an earlier RFQ was issued for this project?

RESPONSE

At this time, a natatorium is not included as a required base-program element. The selected firm will participate in the educational-programming process, and any future consideration of aquatic facilities would be subject to program validation, site feasibility, available funding, and Board approval.

Respondents should not assume a natatorium when preparing their Statements of Qualifications.

QUESTION 6

Section VII, Tab 4 refers to a Past Performance Matrix. Please clarify what information the Board is requesting in the matrix.

RESPONSE

For clarity, Tab 4 is the Relevant Project Experience Matrix, while Tab 9 is the Past Performance Matrix.

Tab 4 should contain the project-comparability information specifically listed in Section VII. Tab 9 should provide performance outcomes for the firm's most relevant public educational projects, including original and final contract amounts, planned and actual completion dates, change-order information, claims or disputes, and a current owner reference.

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QUESTION 7

Much of the information requested in Tabs 1-11 is also included in the SF 330 under Tab 12.

Should respondents submit the SF 330, a separate Statement of Qualifications tailored to the requested tabs, or both?

RESPONSE

Both are required. Respondents must submit a Statement of Qualifications organized in the Tab 1 through Tab 11 structure described in the RFQ and include a completed SF 330 as Tab 12. The SF 330 is exempt from the 35-page limit. Reasonable cross-references may be used to reduce unnecessary repetition, but each required tab must be present and clearly responsive to the specific information requested in that section.

QUESTION 8

Will the Board accept a response from a joint venture or team of partnering firms, and may the mandatory qualifications be satisfied collectively, or must each firm independently meet every requirement?

RESPONSE

A joint venture or team of partnering firms may respond. Experience-based thresholds may be demonstrated collectively by the proposed team, provided the Statement of Qualifications clearly identifies which firm and which personnel satisfy each requirement. The prime or lead entity must be clearly identified and must accept overall contractual responsibility. Each partner must meet the licensure and corporate-integrity requirements applicable to its assigned scope, and the proposed team must collectively demonstrate the required North Carolina presence and capabilities. Key-personnel requirements apply to the individuals proposed, regardless of firm affiliation.

QUESTION 9

Section II.B requires respondents to have served as the primary author for educational programming and educational-specifications development for three North Carolina public schools. Is the intent that teams have developed districtwide educational-specification standards for three school districts, or that they have completed educational programming and written educational specifications for three individual school projects?

RESPONSE

The requirement refers to project-specific educational programming and written educational specifications for at least three North Carolina K-12 public-school projects. It does not require the development of districtwide standards for three separate school districts. The projects may be within the same district or different districts. Respondents should identify the project, owner, scope of the programming effort, resulting deliverable, and the firm and individuals who served as the primary authors.

Cumberland County Schools | Operations | Page 5

QUESTION 10

Section VII, Tab 4 lists a Lead Educational Planner, but that role is not listed in the other sections describing Key Personnel. Is the Lead Educational Planner considered Key Personnel?

RESPONSE

Yes. The Lead Educational Planner is considered a key member of the proposed team and should be identified in Tab 5, with relevant experience also shown in Tab 4. However, the specific experience and personnel-continuity mandates stated in Sections VII and VIII apply to the Project Manager and Lead Architect unless otherwise expressly stated.

QUESTION 11

What information is the Board seeking in the Tab 9 Past Performance Matrix?

RESPONSE

The Board is seeking measurable delivery results for the firm's most relevant public educational projects.

Include the project and owner; original and final construction contract amounts; original and actual substantial-completion dates; total change orders, including owner-requested and design-related amounts when available; claims or disputes and their resolution; and a current owner contact who can verify performance. This matrix is separate from Tab 4 because it evaluates cost, schedule, change management, and owner satisfaction rather than project comparability alone.

QUESTION 12

Section VI describes the 35-page limit in terms of single-sided pages. Must the printed submission be single-sided, or is that language only intended to explain how pages are counted?

RESPONSE

The language establishes the page-counting method. Double-sided hard copies are acceptable; however, each printed side containing content counts as one page toward the 35-page limit. The electronic PDF may not exceed 35 pages, excluding the items specifically exempted in Section VI.

QUESTION 13

When Tab 4 requests the 'explicitly defined roles' of the Project Manager, Lead Architect, and Lead Educational Planner, does the Board want the name of the person who filled each role or a brief description of the duties?

RESPONSE

Provide both. For each project listed in the Tab 4 matrix, identify the specific individual who served in each applicable role and briefly describe that person's actual responsibilities and contribution to that project. A generic job description, without identifying the person and the work performed on the referenced project, is not sufficient. If a proposed team member did not participate in a listed project, state 'Not involved.'

Questions and Responses