Assessment, Design, and Administration Services for HVAC System Replacement for Public Works and Transit Campuses

The Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina is requesting Statements of Qualifications from professional engineering firms for assessment, design, contract administration, and construction oversight of HVAC system replacements at two municipal campuses, with proposals due November 19, 2026. This is a qualifications-based selection under North Carolina General Statute 143-64.31 where fees will be negotiated following evaluation rather than competed on price.

The scope covers assessment and replacement of commercial ground source-based HVAC systems at the Public Works Campus and Transit Operations Campus, including evaluation of existing 0.75 to 5-ton heat pumps and 6-10 zoned systems across five buildings, preparation of a recommendations report with wet-stamped professional engineer certification, complete plans and specifications for competitive bidding, and comprehensive construction administration encompassing six design meetings, up to fourteen site visits during construction, pre-bid and pre-construction meetings, submittal reviews, and final commissioning. The RFQ also requests design analysis for potential cooling system additions to Fleet Repair Facilities as an Alternative #1 option. The contract term is three years commencing January 1, 2027.

Required insurance includes Commercial General Liability and Business Automobile of $1 million per occurrence, Workers' Compensation with $100,000 employer's liability and $500,000 disease policy limit per employee, and Cyber Liability of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. Contractors must comply with North Carolina E-Verify requirements and immigration laws. The Town encourages participation from small, minority, and women-owned businesses but does not establish a set-aside or participation goal.

Evaluation criteria emphasize firm qualifications, specialized experience with ground source HVAC systems, familiarity with project requirements, construction management experience, similar past projects, and past performance on budgets and schedules. The selection committee may interview up to three firms before selecting a preferred firm for fee negotiation. Questions are due November 2, 2026 by 2:00 p.m. EST. Anticipated selection and notification is December 15, 2026.