Engineering Services for Construction _ Renovation Projects.pdf

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS AND

PROPOSALS

ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR

CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION PROJECTS

RFQ #26-097

October 14, 2026

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS AND PROPOSALS

ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR

WAKE COUNTY

CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION PROJECTS

October 8, 2026

Table of Contents Section Page

I. Project 3

II. Summary of Projects 3

III. Request 3

IV. Consultant Qualifications 4

V. Scope of Work 4

VI. Project Schedule 4

VII. Proposal Format Requirements 5

VIII. Selection of Engineering Consultant Firms 6

IX. Evaluation Criteria 7

X. Submission of Proposals 8

XI. Professional Services Agreement 8

XII. General Comments 8

XIII. Confidentiality of Documents 9

I. Project

Engineering Services for Wake County Construction & Renovation Projects

II. Summary of Projects

Wake County occupies or has responsibility for 200 buildings totaling over 5.0 million square feet of building space. In accordance with Wake County’s commitment to protecting and preserving its assets, the Facilities Design & Construction Department manages the planning, design and construction of all capital investment and preventive maintenance funding projects undertaken by the County. Generally, the projects include improvement and/or replacement of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and equipment for libraries, public safety facilities, health and human services buildings, justice and detention facilities, parks, office buildings, historic building restorations, emergency communications facilities, water and sewer facilities, and solid waste facilities. Design, construction work, materials testing and various other services are outsourced to private firms through competitive procurement methods as allowed by NC General Statutes. Construction costs for projects in this request will range between $10,000 and $4.0 million each.

The following projects are among those that have been targeted for implementation over the next 3 years:

Wake County Courthouse AHUs & VAV Replacements Wake County Courthouse Chiller and Pumps Replacements Wake County Detention Center AUS and CRAC Replacement Green Road Library HVAC Replacement Marble Museum AHUS and VAVs Replacement Wake County Public Safety Center Cooling Towers and Pumps Replacement Wake Brook HVAC Renovation Yates Mill AE Finley AHUs and VAVs Replacement Eastern Regional Center AHU & Chiller Replacement Law Enforcement Training Center AHU & VAV Replacement Radio Tower Generator Replacements Wake County Office Building Chiller, Cooling Tower, & AHU Replacements

In addition to the above, there will be some building system replacements that are part of much larger, more comprehensive renovation projects for which the selected engineering consultant firms from this RFQ may be requested as part of those overall design teams. Finally, there may also be several smaller planned projects managed by Wake County General Services, for which engineering services may be requested from the selected engineering consultant firms.

III. Request

Wake County Government hereby requests qualifications and proposals from engineering consultant firms for providing all mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering services required to satisfactorily complete all phases of an assigned project within stipulated time limitations. The engineering consultant firm shall take the lead project management role of the design team. Anticipated services include the following:

• Preliminary Design (Studies and Assessments)

• Cost estimating

• Life Cycle Cost analyses and evaluation of various alternative energy conservation options

(consistent with County Guidelines for Designing Energy Efficient Buildings)

• Schematic Design

• Design Development

• Construction Documents

• Bidding Phase

• Construction Administration

• Project Close-out including warranty administration

• All other services requested and customarily furnished by an engineer and its consultants on similar projects and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Standard Wake County Agreement for Professional Services.

IV. Consultant Qualifications

The engineering consultant firm and proposed staff to be assigned responsibilities on Wake County projects must be highly qualified and experienced in all phases of the planning, design, and construction of similar public facilities. In addition, the engineering consultant firm and proposed staff must have extensive experience in all aspects of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering on similar projects, extensive knowledge of the regulations governing the design, bidding, and construction of such facilities in the State of North Carolina, experience in extensive facility investigation and evaluation, Demonstrated experience in providing design and construction administration services for high-security facilities, and a proven capability to effectively and efficiently manage projects of similar complexity to produce a facility consistent with and meeting the needs and goals outlined by Wake County. Consulting firm will become knowledgeable of the “Wake County Design and Construction Guidelines and Standards” and the “Wake County Energy Design Management Guidelines”.

V. Scope of Work

Provide all mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering design services required for Wake County Construction & Renovation Projects.

VI. Project Schedule

The duration of projects varies from several months to years, depending on size, complexity, and logistical requirements. The contract documents for each project specifies the construction period and requires the awarded contractor to develop a detailed construction schedule.

VII. Proposal Format Requirements

All proposals shall be submitted on 8½” x 11" paper, side bound with Table of Contents and reference tabs for key sections. The total submittal shall not exceed either twenty (25) double-sided or fifty (50) single-sided pages with text, consecutively numbered (front/back covers, cover letter, Table of Contents and Tab pages are excluded from these totals). Submittals must include responses to each of the following:

A. Letter of Interest

Letter of interest including information about the engineering consultant’s firm such as history/background, years of service, number of employees, number of locations, certifications, professional memberships, and other relevant information which the engineering consultant believes to be of importance.

B. Project Organization and Staffing of Design Team

Provide the following:

1. Organization chart listing all assigned staff including job titles.

2. Detailed resumes of all assigned staff with list of completed projects and years of experience.

3. Description of responsibilities to be fulfilled by each assigned staff member.

4. Current workload of staff members.

C. Experience

Provide summary of at least four (4) representative projects for which the engineering consultant was responsible. Each of the project summaries shall include the following:

1. Description of facility or project, including size, functions housed, original project budget, actual project cost, and year completed,

2. Description of services provided,

3. Summary of client’s program along with key design elements and how they were addressed,

4. List of staff assigned to the project,

5. Degree of involvement (prime or associate),

6. Associate firms involved and their assigned responsibilities,

7. Principal and associate staff involved along with their assigned responsibilities, and

8. References including names, addresses (including e-mail addresses) and telephone numbers.

D. Design Approach

Provide the following:

1. Describe your approach to the project design to assure the Owner’s functional and quality requirements are satisfactorily addressed for the Project. Explain your firm’s procedures for quality control and coordination of the various disciplines of work in preparing construction documents.

2. Describe the process by which your firm will develop alternative schematic design solutions for the Project.

3. Explain the design team’s use of whole building energy analysis (including life cycle cost analyses) and identify in detail the specific studies which will be undertaken during the various phases of the Project to assure the building is energy efficient and complies with the County’s “Wake County Energy Design Management Guidelines.” Identify specific ASHRAE standards which will be followed and the specific computer software which will be used for energy analysis to insure efficient facility design.

4. Describe any Computer-Aided Drafting, Building Information Modeling, and Design technology that will be used by your firm and that of your associates.

5. Explain how your firm will prepare cost estimates and control project cost to assure the project budget is not exceeded.

6. Explain the management tools, techniques and procedures your firm uses to maintain the project’s schedule.

7. Describe your teams approach to evaluating existing conditions in complex occupied existing facilities.

8. Describe your team’s approach to operation and maintenance considerations in both the design and construction administration phases.

9. Explain how your firm manages the Construction Administration process to include conducting project meetings, reviewing submittals, responding to requests for information, issuing field orders, processing construction change directives, issuing bulletin drawings, reviewing and justifying contractors’ cost proposals, processing change orders, processing payment applications, performing final inspections and assembling close-out documents.

10. Describe in detail steps which will be taken by your firm to guard the Owner against defects and deficiencies in the work of the contractors during the construction phase.

11. Explain why you believe your firm is the most qualified firm to provide the requested services for this Project.

E. Consultant Professional Fees, Litigation, and Workload

1. Submit an hourly billing rate schedule for all personnel by job title who will work with the County in providing professional services for this project. Provide firm’s unit costs schedule.

2. List any pending or settled lawsuits, mediation or arbitration cases in which the firm was involved during the past ten (10) years.

3. List current and proposed projects including man-hour estimates, scheduled completion dates, and assigned team members. Provide workload chart indicating monthly commitments of team members for next twelve months.

VIII. Selection of Engineering Consultant Firms

A. Process

Procedures similar to those followed by Wake County in the selection of design consultants will be followed. This will ensure that the engineering consultant firms are selected in a fair and uniform manner and have appropriate qualifications and experience.

A Selection Committee comprised of County staff has been established. Upon receipt of proposals from respondents, Selection Committee members will review the proposals in detail and identify (“short list”) those firms that appear to be most qualified to provide services for the Project. Separate presentations and interview sessions will then be scheduled with the “short-listed” firms to permit the Selection Committee to further evaluate each firm’s qualifications and proposal. From these interviews, it is anticipated that the Selection Committee will select three (3) to four (4) firms to perform the referenced work. Upon selection, the Department of Facilities Design & Construction will the negotiate terms, conditions and fees of a professional services agreement with each selected firm.

In the event negotiations of specific contract terms and conditions prove unsuccessful with a selected firm, the Selection Committee will select another firm with which to begin contract negotiations.

B. Timeline

The key activities and milestone dates for the selection process are listed below:

Activity Milestone Date Announce Request for Qualifications and Proposal October 15, 2026 Deadline for Respondent Questions October 30, 2026 Proposal Submission Deadline November 5, 2026 Selection Committee Meeting to Determine Short List November 20, 2026 Selection Committee Presentation/Interviews Sessions December 11, 2026 Announce Firm Selections December 18, 2026

IX. Evaluation Criteria

A. The following criteria will be the basis on which firms will be selected for further consideration:

1. Core business strength,

2. Organizational chart and expertise/qualifications of staff,

3. Experience and past performance of firm on similar projects,

4. Project Quality Control plan including recent experience with cost control, change orders, and maintaining design and construction schedules,

5. Design approach including innovative design solutions, capabilities, and proven experience in extensive evaluations of facility energy consumption and life cycle cost analyses,

6. Operation and maintenance considerations in both design and construction administration phases,

7. Construction administration approach,

8. Hourly billing rates,

9. Record of successfully completed projects without major legal or technical problems,

10. Current workload, and

11. Other factors that may be appropriate for the Project.

X. Submission of Proposals

Five (5) complete packages must be received at the following address by 2:00 p.m. on Thursday November 5, 2026.

County of Wake Facilities Design & Construction Office 336 Fayetteville Street, WCOB 11th Floor, Raleigh, North Carolina 27601 Attention: Maged Sedarous, Facilities Project Manager

XI. Professional Services Agreement

Professional services required to complete the proposed projects will be authorized through the County’s standard form of Agreement for Professional Services. The terms of the Agreement will be a three-year period. Wake County will retain the option to renew at the end of the three-year term. Implementation of projects will be accomplished by amendment to the base Agreement.

XII. General Comments

A. Any cost incurred by respondents in preparing or submitting a Request for Qualifications and Proposal for the Project shall be the respondents’ sole responsibility.

B. All responses, inquiries or correspondence relating to this Request for Qualifications and Proposal will become the property of Wake County when received (subject to Section XIII – Confidentiality).

C. Wake County has sole discretion and reserves the right to reject any and all responses received with respect to this Request for Qualifications and Proposal and to cancel the process at any time prior to entering into a formal agreement. The County reserves the right to request additional information or clarification of information provided in the response without changing the terms of the Request for Qualifications and Proposal.

D. The Selection Committee intends to select a minimum of three engineering consultant firms to provide professional services for Wake County Facilities Design & Construction projects.

E. Please refer to the following website location for a copy of the Request for Qualifications and

Proposal and any other related information. If a question of general concern is asked by any firm, an addendum will be issued to include a copy of the written response.

http://www.wakegov.com/finance/business/rfp/Pages/bids.aspx

F. Below is a list of electronic files that can be accessed on the following ftp web site:

https://www.wakegov.com/departments-government/facilities-design-construction/facilities-design-construction-guidelines-standards

Agreement for Professional Services Amendment [One] to Agreement for Professional Services Wake County Energy Design Management Guidelines Wake County Design and Construction Guidelines and Standards

G. Respondents are advised to refrain from contact with Selection Committee members. Any specific questions regarding the Request for Qualifications and Proposal should be directed to the Project Manager at the following addresses:

Maged Sedarous Facilities Project Manager County of Wake Facilities Design & Construction Office Wake County Office Building, 11th Floor P.O. Box 550 Raleigh, NC 27602

TEL (919) 856.6364

FAX (919) 856-6355

maged.sedarous@wake.gov

XIII CONFIDENTIALITY OF DOCUMENTS

In general, documents that are submitted as part of the response to this Request for Qualifications and Proposal will become public records, and will be subject to public disclosure. North Carolina General Statutes Section 132-1.2 and 66-152 provide a method for protecting some documents from public disclosure. If the engineering consultant firm follows the procedures prescribed by those statutes and designates a document “confidential” or “trade secret”, the County will withhold the document from public disclosure to the extent that it is entitled or required to do so by applicable law.

If the County determines that a document that the engineering consultant firm has designated “confidential” or “trade secret” is not entitled to protection from public disclosure, the County will provide notice of that determination to the contact person designated by the firm, in any reasonable manner that the County can provide such notice, at least five business days prior to its public disclosure of the document. If the firm does not designate anyone to receive such notice, or if, within five business days after the designated person receives such notice, the firm does not initiate judicial proceedings to protect the confidentiality of the document, the County will not have any obligation to withhold the document from public disclosure.

By submitting to the County a document that the engineering consultant firm designates as “confidential” or “trade secret”, the firm agrees that in the event a third party brings any action against the County or any of its officials or employees to obtain disclosure of the document the firm will indemnify and hold harmless the County and each organization’s affected officials and employees from all costs, including attorney’s fees incurred by or assessed against any defendant, of defending against such action. The firm also agrees that at the County’s request the firm will intervene in any such action and assume all responsibility for defending against it, and that the firm’s failure to do so will relieve the County of all further obligations to protect the confidentiality of the document.