Architectural, Engineering and Consulting Services for Beaufort County Airports

Beaufort County, South Carolina, through its Procurement Services Department, has issued Request for Qualifications (RFQ #022426) seeking aviation consulting firms to provide architectural, engineering, and consulting services for Hilton Head Island Airport and Beaufort Executive Airport over a contract term not to exceed five years. The scope of work encompasses airport consulting, preliminary and final design, estimating, bidding, and construction administration for projects including terminal design, runway extensions, runway safety areas, taxiways, aircraft aprons, airfield lighting, navigational aids, instrument landing systems, and hangars. Firms must demonstrate capability in assisting with grant applications and reimbursement requests from the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission (SCAC) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with qualifications evaluated on a 100-point scale: Qualifications of the Firm and Personnel (25 points), Overall Qualifications of the Project Manager and Project Team (20 points), Experience in Working with SCAC and FAA Regulations and Procedures (15 points), Ability to Meet DBE Goals (15 points), and Response Capability/Project Understanding (25 points). Responses must not exceed 15 double-sided pages and shall include an executive summary, explanation of the firm's planning process, experience and qualifications of team members, and any exceptions to the RFQ. A non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for 2:00 pm EST on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, with the qualification statement deadline of 3:00 pm EST on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, with submissions required electronically through the Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/bcgov.

The RFQ incorporates Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal requirements as part of the evaluation criteria, encouraging participation from minority-owned, women-owned, and other disadvantaged enterprises. Mandatory insurance requirements include Workers' Compensation, Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 each occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate), Comprehensive Automobile Liability ($500,000 combined single limit), Umbrella Liability ($2,000,000 minimum), and Professional Liability/Errors & Omissions ($1,000,000 per occurrence). The County reserves the right to select one or more firms and negotiate terms following selection based on qualifications rather than initial pricing proposals, with oral presentations required only if the top-ranked firm is not clearly identified. The contract will include standard provisions regarding termination for default, termination for convenience, and non-appropriation of funds. No incumbent vendor, current contractor, or award value information was specified in the procurement documentation.