TOWN OF CLAYTON, NORTH CAROLINA

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Water, Sewer, and Electric SCADA Master Plan and Implementation Support Services

RFQ No. 700-2027-WR-03.

Issue Date: 10/28/2026

Statements of Qualifications Due: 12/2/2026

Town of Clayton | RFQ – Water, Sewer, and Electric SCADA Master Plan

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Notice of Request for Qualifications

2. Introduction and Purpose

3. Background

3.1 Town and Utility Organization

3.2 Water System

3.3 Wastewater System

3.4 Electric System

3.5 Current SCADA and OT Environment

3.6 Related Enterprise Systems and Initiatives

3.7 Known Issues and Drivers

4. Goals and Objectives

5. Scope of Services

PART A – SCADA MASTER PLAN

PART B – OPTIONAL IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT SERVICES

Out of Scope

6. Deliverables

7. Town Responsibilities

8. Anticipated Project Schedule

9. Statement of Qualifications Contents

10. Submission Requirements

11. Questions, Addenda, and Communications

12. Evaluation and Selection

12.1 Process

12.2 SOQ Evaluation Criteria

12.3 Interviews

13. Anticipated Selection Schedule

14. Contract Requirements

14.1 Agreement

14.2 Licensure and Registration

14.3 Insurance

15. Notice to Proposers Regarding RFQ Terms and Conditions

15.1 E-Verify

15.2 Iran Divestment and Israel Boycott

15.3 Nondiscrimination

15.4 Conflicts of Interest and Gifts

15.5 Public Records

15.6 Debarment

15.7 Sensitive Public Security Information

15.8 Vendor Neutrality

15.9 Federal or State Funding

15.10 Indemnification

15.11 Records and Audits

15.12 Appropriation of Funds

15.13 Lobbying

16. Reservation of Rights

17. Attachments Attachment A Acknowledgment of Addenda and Submittal Checklist

1. Notice of Request for Qualifications

The Town of Clayton, North Carolina (the “Town”) invites qualified professional engineering firms to submit Statements of Qualifications (“SOQs”) to develop a Water, Sewer, and Electric Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Master Plan and, at the Town’s option, to provide related implementation support services.

This solicitation is issued under the qualifications-based selection requirements of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-

64.31. Firms will be selected on demonstrated competence and qualifications. Fee or cost information shall not be included in any SOQ and will not be considered in selection. Compensation will be negotiated with the highest-ranked firm.

No project-specific design, plan, technical solution, or other uncompensated work product shall be solicited, submitted, or considered as part of the qualifications-based selection process, except as expressly permitted by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-64.31.

SOQs must be received electronically no later than 5pm EST on Wednesday December 2, 2026. Late submittals will not be considered.

RFQ Number 700-2027-WR-03

Issue Date 10/28/2026

Questions Due 11/16/2026

Addendum Issue Date 11/20/2026

SOQ Due 12/2/2026

Point of Contact Richard Livingston, Utility Analyst |rlivingston@townofclaytonnc.org | 919-553- 1530 x6532

Submittal Address rlivingston@townofclaytonnc.org

2. Introduction and Purpose

The Town owns and operates water, wastewater, and electric utilities serving a rapidly growing community in Johnston County. Each utility relies on SCADA and related operational technology (OT) to monitor and control critical infrastructure, yet these systems have developed incrementally — project by project, vendor by vendor, and department by department. The result is a collection of platforms, communication paths, and programming practices that are increasingly difficult to support, secure, and integrate with the Town’s enterprise systems.

The Town seeks a single, coherent plan that establishes where its SCADA and OT environment should be over a ten-year horizon, what it will cost, how it should be governed, and in what sequence investments should be made. The Master Plan is intended to support capital planning, rate setting, and budget decisions across two enterprise funds, and to give operators, engineers, and IT staff a shared set of standards for every future project.

The engagement is structured in two parts:

mailto:|rlivingston@townofclaytonnc.org

• Part A – SCADA Master Plan (base scope). Assessment of the current state, definition of a future-state architecture, gap analysis, standards framework, and a prioritized, cost-loaded implementation roadmap for water, sewer, and electric systems.

• Part B – Implementation Support Services (optional). Follow-on services authorized by individual task orders at the Town’s sole discretion, including detailed standards, design, procurement support, construction-phase services, cybersecurity implementation, and training.

The Town makes no commitment to issue any Part B task order. Respondents should nonetheless demonstrate the capacity to deliver both parts.

3. Background

3.1 Town and Utility Organization

Clayton is a council-manager municipality with a population of approximately 35,000. Utility operations are carried out by the Water Resources and Electric departments. Information Technology is a separate department that supports enterprise network infrastructure. The Water Resources and Electric funds are each operated as independent enterprise funds.

3.2 Water System

The Town purchases treated water from Johnston County, SCADA-monitored water facilities include:

Facility Type Count Notes

Water supply interconnects / master meters 14 Unmonitored

Elevated storage tanks 3 (4th under construction)

Levels, SCADA coordination with county BPS

Ground storage tanks 1 Level, SCADA coordination with county BPS

3.3 Wastewater System

The Town’s wastewater system includes the Little Creek Water Reclamation Facility (2.5 MGD), the Sam’s Branch Water Reclamation Facility (6 MGD), and an associated collection system. SCADA-monitored wastewater facilities include:

Facility Type Count Notes

Water reclamation facilities 2 1 Commissioning/Decommissioning 1Q 2027

Collection system lift stations 28 Radio telemetry

3.4 Electric System

The Town owns and operates an electric distribution system and is a member of the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency, served through ElectriCities of North Carolina. The Town receives wholesale power at 2 delivery points and serves approximately 10,000 customers. Wholesale demand charges are driven by coincident peak, visibility and control of system load and have direct financial value to the Electric Fund.

Asset Type Count Notes

Delivery points / substations 2

Distribution feeders 12 Currently 8

Automated reclosers 12 Currently 8

Capacitor banks (switched / fixed) 0 Future

Automated switches / sectionalizers 0 Future

Load management devices 2 Voltage control at substations

Distributed energy resources / generators monitored 6

3.5 Current SCADA and OT Environment

The following summarizes the Town’s current environment at a general level. Respondents should treat it as general information only; the selected firm will verify all conditions. Detailed configuration, network, and security information will be provided only to the selected firm after execution of the Non-Disclosure Agreement (Section 15.7).

Element Water Wastewater Collection Wastewater Reclamation Electric

HMI / SCADA

software and version

VTScada VTScada VTScada SEL HMI

Historian VTScada VTScada VTScada N/a

PLC / RTU /

IED platforms

Schneider Schneider SEL RTAC

Primary communications

Radio Radio LAN Cellular

Control center location

EST – FS2 EST – FS2 SBWRF Operations Center

System integrator / support contract

Inframark Inframark Inframark ElectriCities & Pungo Engineering

Staff dedicated to SCADA support

0 3 3 0

3.6 Related Enterprise Systems and Initiatives

The Master Plan must account for, and be coordinated with, the following systems and initiatives:

• Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). The Town operates a Sensus AMI system for water and electric metering. The Master Plan should address AMI data and network integration in a manner that does not depend on a particular AMI vendor.

• Asset and work management. Cityworks is the Town’s current asset and work management system for water, sewer, electric, and public works assets.

• GIS. The Town maintains Esri ArcGIS data for its utilities and is currently undergoing a GIS Master Planning exercise.

• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). The Town is replacing its financial and utility billing systems through RFP 700-Admin-2026-18, but currently uses Tyler’s New World Systems.

• Regulatory and resilience programs. America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) Risk and Resilience Assessment and Emergency Response Plan; NPDES Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) reporting; and North Carolina cybersecurity incident reporting requirements under G.S.

143-800.

• Growth and capital programs. The Town is commissioning a new 6 MGD reclamation facility that will incorporate SCADA during the planning horizon.

3.7 Known Issues and Drivers

Town staff have identified the following concerns, which the Master Plan should test and address:

• Obsolete or unsupported hardware and software.

• Absence of Town-wide standards for control system design, PLC programming, HMI graphics, alarm management, and tag naming, resulting in inconsistent look, feel, and maintainability across projects.

• Need to confirm redundancy and resilience of servers, communications, and control center infrastructure at critical facilities.

• Limited integration of SCADA data with CMMS, GIS, AMI, and reporting tools, constraining condition-based maintenance and performance measurement.

• Need for a periodic, independent review of OT cybersecurity practices against current federal and industry guidance.

• Limited internal staffing and reliance on outside integrators for routine changes.

• Electric: limited real-time visibility beyond delivery points; manual outage identification; no automated restoration capability.

• Water: Duplication of automatable efforts, namely: meter reading, data collection, etc.

• Communication failures leading to reduced data availability and quality.

• Lack of a centralized, API or other accessible historian for analytics.

4. Goals and Objectives

The Master Plan shall advance the following goals:

1. Reliability and resilience. Ensure SCADA functionality through secure, redundant, low-latency communications and supportable hardware and software, with no unmitigated single points of failure at critical facilities.

2. Security. Establish a defensible cybersecurity architecture and program for OT, proportionate to risk and sustainable with Town resources.

3. Visibility. Maximize operator and management visibility of critical asset condition and system performance across all three utilities.

4. Data as an asset. Make SCADA data available, governed, and usable by designated Town systems (CMMS, GIS, AMI, ERP, and analytics tools) to support predictive maintenance, regulatory reporting, and performance measurement.

5. Standardization. Adopt consensus-based industry standards and Town-specific design, programming, and naming standards that every future project must follow.

6. Grid modernization. Define a practical path toward distribution automation, outage management, and load management for the electric utility.

7. Fiscal stewardship. Produce a prioritized, cost-loaded roadmap that is separable by fund, compatible with the Town’s CIPs and rate models, and that identifies any applicable external funding opportunities.

8. Organizational capacity. Align staffing, roles, support contracts, and training with the systems the Town operates, so that the plan remains executable after the consultant departs.

5. Scope of Services

The tasks below describe the Town’s anticipated scope. The final scope, schedule, and fee will be negotiated with the selected firm and may be modified. Respondents may propose refinements in their approach.

PART A – SCADA MASTER PLAN

Task 1 – Project Management and Initiation

• Kickoff meeting with the Town project team to confirm goals, scope, schedule, communication protocols, organizational needs, and decision-making roles.

• Written data request and review of existing documentation (as-builts, network diagrams, I/O lists, PLC programs, integrator contracts, prior studies, AWIA assessments).

• Monthly progress reports and invoices showing percent complete by task, a running decision log, and an issues and risks register.

• Facilitation of a cross-departmental Steering Committee (Water Resources, Electric, Public Works, IT, Operations Management) at key milestones.

• Quality assurance and quality control review of all deliverables before submittal.

Task 2 – Field Investigations and Inventory

• Site visits to all primary facilities (both water reclamation facilities, control center(s), and electric delivery points/substations) and a representative sample of remote sites to be agreed at kickoff, covering each facility type in Section 3.

• Development of a SCADA and OT asset inventory (PLCs, RTUs, IEDs, HMIs, servers, network devices, radios and modems, instruments at critical points, panels, UPS) including make, model, firmware, age, support status, and condition.

• Inventory delivered in a format importable into CMMS and linkable to GIS feature identifiers.

• Electric site work shall be coordinated with Electric Department staff and comply with Town switching, access, and arc-flash safety procedures.

Task 3 – Current-State Assessment (Water, Sewer, and Electric)

Evaluate the existing environment against current industry practice in each of the following areas, identifying strengths, deficiencies, risks, and obsolescence timelines:

1. System architecture and control centers — topology, redundancy, failover, virtualization, and physical security of control rooms and server spaces.

2. SCADA/HMI software and licensing — platform versions, licensing models, support status, and the cost and risk of continuing, upgrading, or migrating.

3. Historian and data management — data retention, accessibility, backup, and suitability for analytics and reporting.

4. PLC, RTU, and IED hardware — standardization, spare parts, lifecycle status, and programming practices.

5. Instrumentation at critical control points — adequacy of feedback signals (run status, remote/local, fail), calibration practices, and alignment with regulatory and reporting needs.

6. Communications and telemetry — fiber, licensed and unlicensed radio, cellular, leased lines, and the potential to share infrastructure with AMI or other Town networks; latency, bandwidth, coverage, and resilience.

7. Cybersecurity — assessment of the OT security posture using ISA/IEC 62443, NIST SP 800-82, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0, CISA Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals, and AWWA cybersecurity guidance, addressing network segmentation, remote access, identity and access management, change management, secure configuration, patching, backup and recovery, logging and monitoring, and incident response.

8. Site power and environmental conditions — UPS, backup power, panel condition, and environmental protection at remote sites.

9. Alarm management and HMI design — comparison with ANSI/ISA-18.2 and ANSI/ISA-101, including alarm rationalization needs and operator workload.

10. Enterprise integration — current and potential data exchange with CMMS, ArcGIS, AMI, the future ERP, laboratory and compliance reporting, and Town dashboards; identification of a governed integration approach (e.g., a data layer or OT/IT demilitarized zone).

11. Organization, staffing, and work processes — roles and responsibilities among operations, Electric, IT, and integrators; support contracts; change management and documentation practices; training needs.

Task 4 – Electric SCADA and Grid Modernization Assessment

• Evaluate monitoring and control at substations and generator sites including relay and IED integration, protocols (DNP3, Modbus), and data available for operations and engineering.

• Assess the feasibility, benefits, and costs of field device automation: reclosers, capacitor banks, automated switches, and fault indicators.

• Evaluate distribution automation use cases, including fault location, isolation, and service restoration (FLISR) and volt/VAR optimization or conservation voltage reduction, with attention to coincident peak demand reduction value.

• Assess readiness for an Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) and/or Outage Management System (OMS), including GIS connectivity model requirements under the ArcGIS Utility Network, and AMI outage and restoration event integration.

• Evaluate load management and peak-shaving capabilities and monitoring of distributed energy resources, battery storage, and customer generation.

• Identify communications requirements specific to electric field devices and opportunities to share infrastructure with water and sewer telemetry.

• Coordinate findings with ElectriCities program offerings and any wholesale supplier data requirements.

Task 5 – Future-State Vision and Alternatives Analysis

• Facilitate visioning workshops with operations, engineering, IT, and management to define functional requirements and a ten-year target state.

• Develop and evaluate alternatives, at a minimum: (a) a converged platform for water, sewer, and electric versus separate utility platforms with common standards; (b) on-premises versus hybrid architectures; (c) communications alternatives; and (d) in-house, integrator, and hybrid support models.

• Compare alternatives on lifecycle total cost of ownership (capital, licensing, O&M, and staffing over at least 10 years), risk, operability, cybersecurity, vendor lock-in, and alignment with Town capacity.

• Recommend a preferred future-state architecture with conceptual network and system diagrams.

Task 6 – Gap Analysis and Prioritization

• Identify gaps between current and future states across technology, standards, staffing, and work processes.

• Prioritize gaps using a documented risk-based method (likelihood and consequence of failure, criticality of served assets, regulatory exposure, and cybersecurity risk), consistent with any Town asset management practices.

• Distinguish recommendations required by regulation from those recommended to meet industry standards or Town objectives, with the rationale for each.

Task 7 – Standards Framework

Develop a framework of Town SCADA standards, with outlines and key requirements sufficient to govern near-term projects. Detailed standards may be completed under Part B (Implementation Assistance). The framework shall address:

• Control system design and panel standards, including preferred hardware families.

• PLC and RTU programming standards, templates, and documentation requirements.

• HMI graphics and alarm philosophy, consistent with ISA-101 and ISA-18.2.

• Tag and asset naming conventions aligned with CMMS asset IDs and GIS feature identifiers.

• Network, communications, and cybersecurity standards, including remote access and vendor access requirements.

• Contractor and integrator requirements for submittals, testing (FAT/SAT), commissioning, and as-built documentation.

• Necessary additions to the Town’s manual of standards and specifications document (MSSD).

Task 8 – Implementation Roadmap and Capital Improvement Plan

• Develop a phased roadmap for near-term (0–2 years), mid-term (3–5 years), and long-term (6–10 years) horizons covering technology, staffing and organization, and work-process improvements.

• Prepare project sheets for each recommended project with scope, justification, dependencies, sequencing, AACE Class 4 or 5 capital cost estimates, and incremental annual O&M and licensing costs.

• Present all costs by enterprise fund (Water/Sewer and Electric), with a documented and defensible allocation method for shared infrastructure (e.g., control center, communications backbone, cybersecurity tools), in a format compatible with the Town’s CIPs and rate models. To include percentage breakdown across departments and within services (e.g. 50% Electric, 25% Water, 25% Sewer)

• Recommend staffing levels, position roles, and a training plan, with associated costs.

• Identify potential external funding sources (e.g., State Revolving Funds, North Carolina Division of Water Infrastructure programs, FEMA hazard mitigation and BRIC, U.S. DOE grid resilience programs, and state and federal cybersecurity grant programs) and the projects each could support.

Task 9 – Master Plan Report and Presentations

• Draft Master Plan for Town review, with a review workshop to resolve comments.

• Final Master Plan, including an executive summary written for elected officials and the public.

• Separately bound Confidential Cybersecurity Appendix (see Section 15.7).

• Presentation to the Town Council and summary presentation materials.

PART B – OPTIONAL IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT SERVICES

Upon completion of, or concurrent with, Part A, the Town may issue task orders for services including, but not limited to:

• Completion of detailed SCADA standards, templates, and specifications.

• Preliminary and final design, plans, and specifications for near-term SCADA, communications, and electric automation projects.

• Procurement support for system integrators, platforms, and communications, including solicitation documents and evaluation assistance.

• Cybersecurity implementation support: network segmentation design, secure remote access, OT monitoring, incident response planning, and tabletop exercises.

• Bid-phase and construction-phase services, site acceptance testing, commissioning, and record drawing review.

• Alarm rationalization, HMI migration planning, and historian or data-integration projects.

• Operator and technician training, development of standard operating procedures, and manual-operation contingency procedures.

• Owner’s advisor services for ongoing program management and integrator oversight.

• Grant application support.

Each task order will define scope, schedule, deliverables, and compensation, and will be executed under the master Professional Services Agreement.

No Part B service may begin until the Town issues a written task order executed by authorized representatives of the Town and Consultant. Each task order shall identify the scope, deliverables, schedule, not-to-exceed compensation, reimbursable expenses, funding source, enterprise-fund allocation, insurance requirements, and any required cybersecurity controls. Each task order and amendment is subject to applicable approval authority, appropriation, availability of funds, and preaudit certification under N.C.

Gen. Stat. § 159-28. Work performed before a fully executed task order and written Notice to Proceed is at the Consultant’s risk.

Out of Scope

• Equipment purchase, installation, or construction, except as specifically authorized by a Part B task order.

• Electric system load forecasting, capacity planning, or protection coordination studies, except as needed to evaluate automation feasibility.

• Enterprise IT systems (ERP, AMI head-end replacement) other than integration requirements and interfaces.

6. Deliverables

All deliverables shall be provided electronically in native editable formats and searchable PDF. Drawings shall be provided in Visio or like format and PDF; spatial data in Esri-compatible formats; and inventories and cost models in Microsoft Excel with formulas intact.

Deliverable Format Associated Task

Project management plan and schedule PDF or Excel Task 1

Monthly progress reports and decision log PDF / Excel Task 1

SCADA and OT asset inventory Excel (CMMS-importable); GIS link fields

Task 2

TM 1 – Current-State Assessment Word / PDF Task 3

TM 2 – Electric SCADA and Grid Modernization Assessment

Word / PDF Task 4

TM 3 – Alternatives Analysis and Recommended Future State, with architecture diagrams

Word / PDF; Visio/CAD Task 5

TM 4 – Gap Analysis and Standards Framework

Word / PDF Tasks 6–7

CIP project sheets and cost model, by fund Excel Task 8

Draft and Final Master Plan; Executive Summary

Word / PDF Task 9

Confidential Cybersecurity Appendix PDF (restricted distribution) Tasks 3, 9

Town Council presentation PowerPoint / PDF Task 9

7. Town Responsibilities

• Designate a Project Manager and Steering Committee and make operations, Electric, and IT staff reasonably available for interviews and workshops.

• Provide available records, drawings, prior studies, integrator documentation, and system access, subject to execution of the Town’s non-disclosure agreement.

• Provide site access, escorts, and switching coordination for electric facilities.

• Review draft deliverables within 30 business days of receipt.

8. Anticipated Project Schedule

The Town anticipates that Part A will be completed within 12 months of Notice to Proceed. Respondents should propose a schedule that identifies early deliverables useful to near-term decisions, particularly the current-state findings and any immediate cybersecurity or obsolescence risks, which should be communicated to the Town as soon as identified rather than held for the final report.

9. Statement of Qualifications Contents

SOQs shall be organized in the following sections, tabbed and in this order. The entirety of the SOQ shall not exceed 40 single-sided pages at 8.5 × 11 inches, with no font smaller than 11 point (10 point permitted in tables and graphics). Eleven-by-seventeen inch pages count as two pages.

A. Cover Letter (2 pages maximum)

Signed by an officer authorized to bind the firm; identify the primary contact, the proposed Project Manager, the location of the office from which work will be managed, and acknowledge receipt of all addenda.

B. Firm Overview

Firm history, size, relevant service lines, and office locations; identification of all subconsultants and their roles. Disclose any ownership interest in, affiliation with, reseller or partner agreements with, or revenue from SCADA software vendors, hardware manufacturers, or system integrators.

C. Project Team

Organization chart showing key personnel and subconsultants, with roles and estimated percentage of availability. Key personnel shall include, at a minimum, a Project Manager; leads for water/wastewater SCADA, electric distribution SCADA and automation, communications, and OT cybersecurity; and a lead for capital planning and cost estimating. Identify professional licenses and relevant certifications (e.g., PE, GICSP, CISSP, ISA/IEC 62443 certificates). Resumes of no more than two pages each shall be provided in an appendix.

D. Relevant Experience

Describe at least three (3) water and/or wastewater SCADA master plans or major SCADA assessments and at least one (1) electric distribution SCADA, distribution automation, or ADMS/OMS planning projects completed in the last seven (7) years. Multi-utility projects are particularly relevant. For each, provide client, size, scope, dates, outcomes, the key personnel proposed here who worked on it and their roles, and whether recommendations were implemented.

E. Project Understanding and Approach

Describe the firm’s understanding of the Town’s needs and its approach to each Part A task, including methods for field investigation, cybersecurity assessment, alternatives evaluation, cost allocation by fund, and engagement of operators and staff. Identify critical success factors and potential concerns or obstacles, with proposed mitigation. Describe how the firm would approach Part B services if authorized.

F. Schedule, Capacity, and Project Controls

Provide a preliminary schedule with milestones, a statement of current and projected workload for key personnel, and a description of quality control, budget, and schedule management practices.

G. References

Provide at least four (4) client references from projects listed in Section D, with name, title, organization, telephone, and email. The Town may contact references not listed.

H. Exceptions

State any exceptions to this RFQ or the attached Professional Services Agreement. Exceptions not identified may not be considered during negotiation.

I. Required Forms

Completed Attachments A through C.

10. Submission Requirements

• Submit one searchable PDF file to rlivingston@townofclaytonnc.org no later than 5pm EST on Wednesday December 2nd, 2026. EST is the time of record

• The email subject line shall read: “SOQ – Water, Sewer, and Electric SCADA Master Plan – RFQ No. 700-2027-WR-03 – [Firm Name].”

• It is the respondent’s sole responsibility to ensure timely receipt. The Town’s email or portal timestamp is the official time of receipt. The Town is not responsible for delays or file-size rejections. Respondents should request and retain confirmation of receipt. All late proposals will be deemed non-responsive.

11. Questions, Addenda, and Communications

Questions received prior to the submission deadline of 11/16/2026 by 5pm will be answered by the Town and posted in the form of an addenda to the North Carolina eVP website and shall become an Addendum to this RFQ. No information, instruction, or advice provided orally or informally by any Town personnel, whether made in response to a question or otherwise in connection with this RFQ, shall be considered authoritative or binding. Proposers shall rely only on written material contained in an Addendum to this

RFQ.

It is the Proposer's responsibility to ensure that all addendum(s) have been reviewed, acknowledgement form signed and returned with the RFQ. Failure to sign the acknowledgement form and include the addendum(s) with your RFQ will result in your response being rejected

From issuance of this RFQ until award, respondents shall not communicate about this solicitation with any Town elected official, employee, or evaluation committee member other than the Point of Contact.

Violation may result in disqualification. This restriction does not apply to routine communications on unrelated, ongoing Town work.

12. Evaluation and Selection

12.1 Process

A selection committee of at least four Town staff representing Water Resources, Electric, IT, Procurement and Operations Management will evaluate SOQs. The committee may shortlist firms for interviews.

Following interviews, if held, firms will be ranked, and the Town will negotiate scope and fee with the highest-ranked firm. If a satisfactory agreement cannot be reached, negotiations will be terminated in writing and the Town will negotiate with the next-ranked firm, and so on.

12.2 SOQ Evaluation Criteria

Criterion Points

Project understanding and technical approach, including identification of critical issues and mitigation

Qualifications and experience of key personnel, including OT cybersecurity and electric distribution automation expertise mailto:rlivingston@townofclaytonnc.org

Criterion Points

Firm and team experience on comparable water/wastewater and electric SCADA master plans 25

Project management, schedule, capacity of key personnel, and quality control 10

References and past performance, including evidence that prior plans were implemented 10

Total 100

12.3 Interviews

Shortlisted firms may be invited to an interview, consisting of a presentation by the proposed key personnel (approximately 25 minutes) followed by questions from the committee. The proposed Project Manager and technical leads must attend. Interview scores, if held, will determine final ranking; SOQ scores are used for shortlisting only, if interviews are necessary and conducted.

Interview Criterion Points

Presentation of approach and understanding of Town priorities 40

Responses to committee questions 40

Depth of key personnel involvement and clarity of communication 20

Total 100

13. Anticipated Selection Schedule

Milestone Date

RFQ issued 10/28/2026

Questions due 11/16/2026 by 5pm EST

Final addendum issued 11/20/2026 by 5pm EST

SOQs due 12/2/2026

Shortlist notification 12/9/2026

Interviews (If held) Week beginning 12/14/2026

Scope and fee negotiation TBD

Town Council award TBD

Notice to Proceed TBD

The Town reserves the right to modify this schedule.

14. Contract Requirements

14.1 Agreement

The selected firm will be expected to execute the Town’s standard Professional Services Agreement (Attachment B), under which Part A will be authorized by the initial agreement and Part B services by individual task orders. The agreement term is anticipated to be three (3) years, with up to two (2) one-year extensions by mutual agreement. Any contract is subject to pre-audit certification under the Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act, G.S. 159-28.

14.2 Licensure and Registration

Firms licensed in other states may submit. Before execution, the selected firm must be registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State and hold a current firm license with the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors. Final engineering work products shall be sealed by a professional engineer licensed in North Carolina.

14.3 Insurance

The selected firm shall maintain, at minimum, the following coverage, with the Town named as additional insured on general and automobile liability policies:

Coverage Minimum Limits

Commercial General Liability $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate

Workers’ Compensation Statutory

Employer’s Liability $500,000 each accident

Professional Liability $1,000,000 per claim and aggregate

Cyber / Technology Errors and Omissions $2,000,000 per claim, covering network security and privacy liability

15. Notice to Proposers Regarding RFQ Terms and Conditions

It shall be the Proposer’s responsibility to read the Instructions, the Town’s terms and conditions, all relevant attachments, and any other components made a part of this RFQ, and to comply with all requirements and specifications provided herein.

The following terms and conditions apply to this RFQ solicitation process and will be incorporated into the resulting contract as applicable. The Town expects the resulting contract to include the RFP and proposal response as exhibits.

15.1 E-Verify

Contractor shall comply with E-Verify, the federal E-Verify program operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies, or any successor or equivalent program used to verify the work authorization of newly hired employees pursuant to federal law and in accordance with N.C.G.S. § 64-25 et seq. In addition, to the best of Contractor’s knowledge, any subcontractor employed by Contractor as a part of this contract shall be in compliance with the requirements of E-Verify and N.C.G.S.

§ 64-25 et seq..

15.2 Iran Divestment and Israel Boycott

Pursuant to G.S. 147-86.59 and G.S. 147-86.81, the Town may not contract with a firm identified on the State Treasurer’s Final Divestment List or list of companies that boycott Israel.

15.3 Nondiscrimination

The Town does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or disability in contracting.

15.4 Conflicts of Interest and Gifts

Proposers shall comply with North Carolina General Statutes § 14-234 and North Carolina General Statutes § 133-32. No proposer shall participate in this solicitation where a financial or personal conflict of interest exists or could be perceived; all such conflicts must be disclosed in writing with the proposal.

Violation may result in disqualification, contract termination, and any other remedies permitted by law

15.5 Public Records

SOQs become public records under G.S. Chapter 132 upon award. Information a respondent believes is a trade secret under G.S. 132-1.2 must be clearly marked “CONFIDENTIAL” on each page where it appears. Marking an entire SOQ as confidential is not acceptable.

15.6 Debarment

Respondents certify by submission that neither the firm nor its principals are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from contracting with any federal, state, or local agency, and have no active exclusion in SAM.gov.

15.7 Sensitive Public Security Information

Information concerning the Town’s SCADA, network architecture, and cybersecurity posture is sensitive public security information under G.S. 132-1.7 and is not a public record. The selected firm and all personnel with access (including subcontractors and vendors) shall execute the Town’s Non-Disclosure Agreement (Attachment C) before receiving such information, shall store and transmit it only by Town-approved secure means, and shall return, destroy, or retain under agreed upon policy it upon project completion. Cybersecurity findings shall be delivered only in the separately bound Confidential Cybersecurity Appendix. The firm shall promptly notify the Town of any suspected compromise of Town information. Any confidentiality requirements survive completion.

15.8 Vendor Neutrality

The Town expects technology recommendations that are independent of commercial interest. The selected firm shall disclose all affiliations described in Section 9.B and update them during the engagement. Unless waived in writing by the Town, the firm and its affiliates and subconsultants may not serve as the system integrator, or supply hardware or software, for any project for which the firm prepared the specifications under this agreement.

15.9 Federal or State Funding

If federal or State Revolving Fund financing is used for any portion of the work, the selected firm shall comply with applicable requirements, including 2 CFR Part 200 (Appendix II contract provisions), the Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment certification, Davis-Bacon requirements where applicable to construction-phase services, and any funding-agency conditions incorporated by amendment.

15.10 Indemnification

The Consultant shall indemnify and hold harmless the Town from claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses to the extent proximately caused by the Consultant's negligence, errors, omissions, recklessness, or willful misconduct, consistent with N.C.G.S. § 22B-1. The Agreement will not impose upon a design professional a duty to defend professional-negligence claims where such obligation is prohibited by North Carolina law.

15.11 Records and Audits

The Proposer shall maintain such detailed records as may be necessary to demonstrate its performance of the duties required by this Agreement, including the date, time, and nature of services rendered. These records shall be maintained for a period of three years from the date of the final payment under this Agreement and shall be subject to inspection by Town. The Town shall have the right to audit any billings or examine any records maintained pursuant to this Agreement both before and after payment. Payment under this Agreement shall not foreclose the right of the Town to recover excessive and/or illegal payments.

15.12 Appropriation of Funds

The obligations of the Town under the resulting Agreement are contingent upon the availability of funds lawfully appropriated by the Town Council for the purpose of this Agreement. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to obligate the Town to expend funds beyond those appropriated for the applicable fiscal year. In the event that sufficient funds are not appropriated or otherwise made available by the Town Council for any subsequent fiscal year, the Town may terminate the Agreement, in whole or in part, without penalty or further obligation upon thirty (30) days written notice to the Contractor.

15.13 Lobbying

By responding to this solicitation, the Proposer certifies that it has not and will not pay any person or firm to influence or attempt to influence an officer or employee of the Town or the State of North Carolina, or any elected official in connection with obtaining a contract as a result of this RFQ.

Other Terms and Conditions will be in Attachment B. Negotiation of Terms of the Contract will be during the Contract Phase

16. Reservation of Rights

The Town reserves the right to: reject any or all SOQs; waive minor irregularities and informalities; request clarification or additional information from any respondent; modify or cancel this RFQ by addendum;

negotiate a scope different from that described herein; decline to issue any Part B task order; and make no award. Issuance of this RFQ does not obligate the Town to enter into any agreement, and the Town is not liable for any costs incurred by respondents in preparing SOQs, attending interviews, or negotiating. All work authorized is subject to the appropriation and availability of funds.

17. Attachments

Attachment Title

A Acknowledgment of Addenda and Submittal Checklist

B Town of Clayton Standard Professional Services Agreement

C Non-Disclosure Agreement for Sensitive Public Security Information

Attachment A

Acknowledgment of Addenda and Submittal Checklist

The undersigned acknowledges receipt of the following addenda:

Addendum No. Date Received Initials

Submittal checklist (respondent to verify):

• Signed cover letter (Section 9.A)

• Response within the page limit

• Vendor and integrator affiliation disclosure (Section 9.B)

• Resumes of key personnel (2 pages maximum each)

• Exceptions statement (Section 9.H)

• Attachments A completed and signed

• No fee, rate, or cost information included

Firm Name: ____________________________________________

Authorized Signature: __________________________________

Printed Name and Title: ________________________________

Date: ______________________

Contract Number: _______________

Town of Clayton

AGREEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

This Agreement for Professional Services (‘Agreement’), by and between the Town of Clayton (hereafter, "Town") and (Contractor), a professional (Type of Service) firm with a Professional Corporation with offices in North Carolina (hereafter, "Professional").

RECITALS

WHEREAS, the Town has completed necessary steps for retention of Structural Engineering services under applicable Town policies; and

WHEREAS, Town chose Professional to provide professional services for Town and Professional desires to provide such services.

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:

ARTICLE 1

EFFECTIVE DATE AND SCOPE OF SERVICES

1.1 The Recitals are incorporated into Agreement. This Agreement shall be effective upon execution by both parties (‘Effective Date’).

1.2 This Agreement is for professional (Type of Service) services to be provided by Professional with respect to the Project located in the Town of Clayton, North Carolina. Professional shall provide all services including reports and other deliverables as described herein and in Attachment A, attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference (‘Basic Services’). Professional shall also provide Additional Services as may from time-to-time be agreed upon by duly authorized written amendment to this Agreement (‘Written Amendment’). Basic Services and Additional Services are collectively referred to as ‘Professional Services’ or ‘Services.’

1.3 Basic Services shall commence after Effective Date and Professional’s receipt of a Notice to Proceed from Town and shall be performed in accordance with any schedule contained in Agreement (sometimes ‘Milestone Dates’).

1.4 Professional represents and agrees that now and continuing for the term of Agreement, Professional:

a. is experienced, qualified, skilled and fully capable of performing Services in a competent and professional manner;

b. shall exercise reasonable care and diligence, and shall act in the best interest of Town;

c. shall act in accordance with generally accepted standards of Professional’s practice applicable to the locality; and shall comply with this Agreement and with all applicable federal, state and local laws, ordinances, codes, rules and regulations (collectively ‘Laws and Regulations’);

d. is qualified to do business in North Carolina and will make all necessary filings and perform other actions required to remain in good standing with the North Carolina Secretary of State, and possesses all necessary qualifications, licenses and certifications;

e. shall perform in a timely manner and in accordance with all Milestone Dates or other schedules required under this Agreement, time being of the essence;

f. shall work in good faith with Town to meet requirements imposed by the federal or state government or other funding entity if grants are used to fund any portion of Project; and, Revised 09/28/2026

g. the individual(s) signing Agreement have the right and power to do so and bind Professional to the obligations set forth herein and such individuals do so personally warrant that they have such authority.

ARTICLE 2

RESPONSIBILITIES OF PROFESSIONAL

2.1 Standard of Care

2.1.1 Professional shall assure that all drawings, specifications, plans, surveys, reports, technical memoranda, testing protocol, designs, electronic databases and other documents and all deliverables (‘Documents and Deliverables’) prepared by Professional are in accordance with all Laws and Regulations.

2.1.2 Professional shall be responsible for all errors or omissions in Documents and Deliverables and shall correct at no additional cost to Town any and all errors, omissions, discrepancies, ambiguities, mistakes or conflicts in the Documents and Deliverables. Professional shall reimburse Town for the aggregate cost to Town for all errors and omissions of Professional.

2.1.3 In addition to any other damages that might be due to Town hereunder in connection with the breach of this Agreement by Professional, Professional shall reimburse Town for costs, damages and expenses that are the result of errors, omissions or delays of Professional, including those of Professional’s subcontractors.

2.1.4 Professional shall expedite and accelerate its efforts as necessary to perform in accordance with this Agreement at no additional cost to Town, if Town reasonably determines that Professional is behind schedule.

2.2 Key Personnel and Subcontractors. No changes in Professional’s personnel or subcontractors designated in Attachment A as those who will provide Services shall be permitted except with the prior written consent of Town, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. Such replacement personnel and subcontractors shall have the same or higher qualifications and experience as those being substituted. If Professional provides any Services through the use of subcontractors, Professional shall be solely responsible for all aspects of subcontractor(s) conduct and performance. Additionally, Professional’s contracts with subcontractor(s) shall include a provision that, in the event this Agreement is terminated for cause by Town, Town may take assignment of such contract of Professional with their subcontractor.

2.3 Taxes, Permits and Licenses. Unless otherwise provided, Professional is responsible for all applicable taxes and license fees and shall acquire all licenses and permits required by Laws and Regulations.

ARTICLE 3

COMPENSATION FOR SERVICES

3.1 Compensation for Basic Services.

The Total Fixed Fee for Basic Services, which is a ‘total’ fee that includes all costs and expenses, is a not to exceed amount of $(Amount) unless changed by a duly authorized amendment. As set forth in Attachment A, Basic Services have been divided into ‘phases’ or ‘tasks.’

Upon the satisfactory completion of each phase or task Professional shall submit to Town an Invoice for that phase or task. The Invoice shall be in a form acceptable to Town and shall show the Services performed in the completion of the phase or task.

Payments for phases or tasks that have been satisfactorily completed will be made by Town within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt of an acceptable Invoice. In the event Town finds any part of an Invoice not to be acceptable, it shall identify to the Professional the part or parts which are not acceptable and shall pay the part or parts of the Invoice which are acceptable. The Town shall have the right to deduct from payments to the Professional any costs or damages incurred, or which may be incurred, by Town as a result of the Professional’s failure to perform on any phase or task, following reasonable notice and opportunity to cure such nonperformance by Professional.

3.2 Compensation for Additional Services. Additional Services shall be as set forth in Written Amendment.

Payments for Additional Services that have been properly approved and satisfactorily completed will be made by Town within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt of an invoice that is in form and substance acceptable to Town. In the event the Town finds any part of an invoice not to be acceptable, it shall identify to the Professional the part or parts which are not acceptable and shall pay the part or parts of the invoice which are acceptable, if any. Town shall have the right to deduct from payments to Professional any costs or damages incurred, or which may be incurred, by Town as a result of Professional’s failure to perform any Service, following reasonable notice and opportunity to cure such nonperformance by Professional. Unless otherwise agreed, compensation shall be on a time-spent basis at the hourly rates shown in Attachment A.

3.3 Accounting Records and Other Records. Accounting records of Professional’s compensation for Services and Additional Services (and Reimbursable Expenses, if permitted under this Agreement) shall be maintained by Professional in accordance with generally accepted accounting practices and shall be available for inspection and copying by Town at mutually convenient times for a period of three (3) years after termination of this Agreement.

ARTICLE 4

RESPONSIBILITIES OF TOWN

4.1 Cooperation and Coordination. In addition to being responsible for the duties set forth as duties or responsibilities of Town in RFP, Town may designate, in writing, a person to act as project manager who shall coordinate the project work and who shall be available during working hours as often as may be reasonably required to render decisions within guidelines established by the Town manager and to furnish information.

Town shall examine documents submitted by Professional and shall make reasonable efforts to render timely decisions pertaining thereto so as not to unduly delay the orderly progress of Professional’s Services.

ARTICLE 5

INSURANCE

5.1 Insurance. Professional and Professional’s permitted subcontractors shall purchase and maintain on a primary basis and at its sole expense during the term and for three years after the termination of this Contract insurance for the following: protection from claims under Worker’s or Workmen’s Compensation Acts covering…