On-Call Marine and Coastal Engineering Services Contract

This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) document issued by Beaufort County, South Carolina, solicits qualified consulting firms to provide on-call marine and coastal engineering services. The services encompass marine inspections, bridge evaluation and load rating analysis, design of marine structures including docks, bulkheads, seawalls, boat ramps, and shoreline stabilization, hydrographic surveys, dredging, project and construction management, permitting and regulatory compliance coordination, sediment transport analysis, wave analysis, grant writing, and resilience and sea-level rise planning. Beaufort County seeks to select up to three qualified consulting firms to provide these services on an on-call basis. A non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. EST via Microsoft Teams. Prospective respondents must submit questions by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. The qualification statement submission deadline is Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. EST through the Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/bcgov. Proposals must not exceed ten double-sided pages and must include an executive summary, approach to project objectives, experience and qualifications of the design team with organizational charts and key personnel resumes, and supporting materials. The contract term is one year with two one-year renewal options, for a potential three-year total engagement.

Evaluation will be points-based across five weighted criteria: Experience (25 points), Industry Knowledge and County Program Familiarity (25 points), Approach to Process (15 points), Staff Availability (15 points), and Similar Past Projects (20 points). The maximum annual contract value is $750,000 per selected consultant per year. No set-aside designations or restrictions targeting disadvantaged enterprises are specified; however, all respondents must comply with Title VI nondiscrimination requirements and maintain professional liability insurance with a minimum limit of $1,000,000 per occurrence, along with $1,000,000 in Commercial General Liability coverage. Selected firms must provide at least 50 percent of production on contracted projects using internal staffing, and any firm applying as prime may serve as a subconsultant on another team only if that role does not exceed 10 percent of contract value. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified. Anticipated funding sources include future sales tax, current and future impact fees, and grant funding opportunities. The contract is contingent on annual appropriations by County Council and may be terminated for convenience without penalty to the County.