Beaufort County | Cooler Tract EMS Station Flagship Facility

Beaufort County, South Carolina is requesting Statements of Qualifications from architectural and engineering firms to provide design, planning, permitting, cost estimating, bidding assistance, and construction administration services for a new Emergency Medical Services station at the County-owned Cooler Tract property, with qualifications due September 8, 2026 and a non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting scheduled for August 19, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.

The proposed facility is approximately 20,000 square feet and will include six apparatus bays, staff living quarters, administrative and support spaces, storage, emergency power systems, site access, parking, stormwater infrastructure, utility connections, and other required building and site improvements. This EMS station will serve as the first flagship County facility on the 17-acre Cooler Tract and establish a foundation for future County facility development on the site. The selected consultant team must include a prime architect, civil engineer, structural engineer, mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, plumbing/fire protection engineer, landscape architect if required, surveyor, geotechnical engineer, environmental consultant if required, cost estimator, technology/security consultant if required, traffic/access consultant if required, and permitting/stormwater specialist. All consultants must hold current professional licensure in South Carolina, possess experience with public-sector procurement and permitting, and demonstrate knowledge of South Carolina building codes and coastal design criteria.

Evaluation is based on 100 points across five criteria: relevant EMS, fire, public safety, or government facility experience (30 points); qualifications and experience of the proposed project team (25 points); understanding of project scope, site, and operational needs (15 points); approach to programming, design, permitting, resiliency, and cost control (15 points); and experience with coastal/hurricane-resilient design and mission-critical facilities (15 points). Qualification statements must not exceed 20 double-sided printed pages excluding covers. Fees will be determined through negotiations following selection. The County requires $1 million professional liability coverage per occurrence, along with commercial general liability, automobile liability, and umbrella coverage. Questions are due August 31, 2026 by 5:00 p.m. Submissions are made electronically through the Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/bcgov.