RFQ -Richardson Membrane Pilot.pdf

Request for Qualifications Professional Engineering Consulting Services

Richardson WTP Membrane Pilot Project Cape Fear Public Utility Authority

Wilmington, North Carolina August 7, 2026

General Information

The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) is seeking a qualified engineering consulting firm with demonstrated experience in the design, operation, testing, and evaluation of pilot-scale reverse osmosis (RO) membrane treatment systems for public drinking water applications. The selected consultant will provide professional engineering services for the Membrane Pilot Project at the Richardson Water Treatment Plant (WTP).

The selected consultant will provide engineering services generally as follows:

• Establish project performance objectives and owner-defined treatment criteria for the membrane pilot program.

• Performance-based monitoring and evaluation of commercially available low-pressure reverse osmosis (LP-RO) membranes. Services shall include data collection, normalization, review, and analysis of available membrane performance data.

• Identify, evaluate, and solicit qualified membrane manufacturers and suppliers capable of providing pilot-scale membrane elements suitable for treating Richardson WTP source water while meeting or exceeding finished water quality objectives established by CFPUA.

• Design and furnish a pilot-scale membrane treatment system and necessary components that can be safely integrated into the operating treatment facility while minimizing impacts to normal plant operations.

• Develop a comprehensive pilot testing plan that includes startup procedures, operating protocols, monitoring requirements, sampling frequency, analytical testing, membrane cleaning procedures, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC), and performance evaluation criteria.

• Provide operational, maintenance, troubleshooting, and engineering support throughout the pilot testing period, including regular review and communication of operating data, optimization of pilot operating conditions, and technical recommendations.

• Analyze pilot testing results and prepare a final pilot study technical memoranda documenting membrane performance, treatment effectiveness, operational considerations, design criteria, recommended membrane selection, and estimated full-scale capital, operation and maintenance, and lifecycle costs.

Submission of a Statement of Qualification (SOQ)

Consulting engineering firms are invited to submit a Statement of Qualification to the CFPUA to be received no later than 2:00 PM on September 8, 2026. Submittals received after this deadline will not be considered.

CFPUA will address questions regarding the RFQ until 2:00 PM on September 1, 2026. Questions submitted after this time will not be addressed. Questions concerning this advertisement should be directed to Ben Guerrieri, Procurement Manager, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, at bids@cfpua.org.

SOQ’s shall be limited to 20-pages or less, excluding cover page, tabs, resumes and appendices.

Firms shall submit their statement of qualifications for consideration in .pdf format to bids@cfpua.org. Maximum file size for .pdf submission is 25MB. A reply will be sent to the email address submitting the statement of qualifications to confirm receipt. It is the submitting firm’s responsibility to confirm that CFPUA has received statement of qualifications via email. If email reply is not received from bids@cfpua.org, please call 910-332-6472 or 910-332-6651 before deadline for submission.

Submitted information shall comply with N.C.G.S. 143-64.31 through 64.34 (aka Mini Brooks Act).

All SOQ’s will be evaluated by a CFPUA selection team.

One firm will be selected from this request for qualifications.

Description of Services

The scope of work is expected to include the services described herein. No guarantee is expressed or implied by the CFPUA that all services will be performed or that the selected consultant will perform all services associated with the project. The CFPUA may terminate work or pursue other consultant selections at any phase of the project. Services for construction phase support may be negotiated after final plans have been received and construction funding is approved.

Schedule

The CFPUA selection team will place strong emphasis on a firm’s ability to meet the schedule of deliverables outlined below. The selected consultant will be expected to complete final plans and specifications in general accordance with the project schedule shown below, or sooner.

o Submit SOQ September 8, 2026 o Complete Scope and Contract October 2, 2026 o Membrane Selection Evaluation December 1, 2026 o Pilot Skid Acquisition and Startup March 1, 2027 o Active Pilot Testing August 28, 2027 o Technical Memorandum(s) September 27, 2027 mailto:bids@cfpua.org

Consultant Selection

CFPUA will follow a qualifications-based selection process. Consultants must demonstrate their level of competence and qualification, and each sub-consultant's level of competence and qualification, with respect to the listed evaluation factors for the services needed.

SOQ’s will be evaluated based on the following four (4) considerations and the level of importance for each consideration. The SOQ shall be formatted consistently with the evaluation consideration. Criteria shown under each of the four (4) considerations are to be addressed in the SOQ. Consultants may provide additional information as necessary.

1. Project understanding and approach (30%)

a. Understanding of project drivers and success factors

b. Approach for the work and to keep the project on schedule

c. Description of the design team’s quality control program

d. Quality assurance approach to ensure accurate data collection and delivery throughout life of the project.

2. Relevant firm experience (25%)

a. Projects of similar size and scope

b. References and descriptions of similar projects

3. Overall staff experience proposed for this project (25%)

a. Qualifications and experience of the proposed project manager and key staff for each discipline.

b. Location and availability of each team member to facilitate efficient project execution

4. Project Management and Technical Expertise (20%)

a. Communication and coordination approach between consultants and CFPUA for project.

b. Experience in delivering technical memorandums and pilot study reports that effectively communicate pilot results, recommendations, and key findings.

A more detailed scope of work and fee schedule will be negotiated with the best qualified firm. If negotiations are not successful with any selected firm, CFPUA will terminate negotiations with that firm and initiate negotiations with the next best qualified firm. When a fair and reasonable fee is established, a contract award recommendation will be made to the CFPUA Board for its consideration.

Insurance Requirements

The following criteria will be deemed necessary for selection:

• The firm must meet the following insurance requirements. Workers’ Compensation may be waived if firm has no employees.

• General Liability $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate. Authority must be additional insured and endorsement required.

• Workers Compensation $500,000/$500,000/$500,000. Waiver of Subrogation against the Authority and endorsement required.

• Auto Liability Insurance $1,000,000 per occurrence combined single limits applicable to claims due to bodily injury and/or property damage. Authority must be additional insured and endorsement required.

• Professional Liability not less than $2,000,000 per loss.

• Any firm wishing to be considered must be properly registered with the Office of the Secretary of State.

Notification

The selected firms will be notified by telephone and/or email.

The CFPUA reserves the right to reject any and all Proposals.

CFPUA will address questions regarding the RFQ until 2:00PM on September 1, 2026. Questions submitted after this time will not be addressed. Any questions concerning this advertisement should be directed to Ben Guerrieri, Procurement Manager, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, at bids@cfpua.org by September 1, 2026 at 2:00PM.

mailto:bids@cfpua.org