Coke Building Warehouse Fire Sprinkler System

Lee County, North Carolina is requesting sealed bids for design, engineering, installation, testing, and commissioning of a fully compliant automatic wet fire sprinkler system for the Coke Building Warehouse at 1605 Hawkins Avenue in Sanford, with bids due July 14, 2026 at 2:00 PM and a pre-bid meeting on July 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM.

The scope covers a retrofit installation serving a 37,000 square foot mixed-use facility (approximately 32,114 square feet of warehouse and office space plus 5,000+ square feet of mezzanine) constructed in 1969 without existing sprinkler protection. The system must comply with North Carolina Code S-1 for non-separated mixed-use occupancy and all federal, state, and local fire codes. Warehouse ceiling height is 21 feet 4 inches from concrete floor to metal roof decking. Hydrant flow data from September 2025 shows Hawkins Avenue Hydrant HWKN-200 at 60 PSI static and 55 PSI residual, and Hawkins Avenue Hydrant HWKN-209 at 45 PSI flow and 1,244 gallons per minute. The complete system must include all water supply connections and supporting infrastructure as a turn-key wet sprinkler installation.

Lee County has established a 10% minority business enterprise (MBE) participation goal; bidders must submit Affidavit A (good faith efforts), Affidavit B (self-performance), or Affidavit C (minimum MBE participation achieved). Bidders must hold a valid North Carolina General Contractor's License and provide three references from similar projects completed within five years. All employees and subcontractor personnel require national background checks at contractor expense prior to site access.

The contract is awarded on a lump sum basis to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder. Substantial completion is required within 60 calendar days from Notice to Proceed; liquidated damages are $500 per calendar day for delays. Bid security of 5% of the aggregate base bid and performance and payment bonds of 100% of contract price are required. Insurance includes workers' compensation, commercial general liability ($2,000,000), commercial automobile ($1,000,000), professional liability ($1,000,000), pollution liability ($1,000,000), cyber liability ($1,000,000), and abuse and molestation ($300,000 per claim). Contractors must comply with E-Verify, Iran Divestment Act certification, and Israel Boycott List certification. Payment is net 30 days from invoice. Addendum 1 was issued July 7, 2026; questions were due July 9, 2026, and a final addendum is scheduled for July 10, 2026. Contact Lee County at 919-718-4605, extension 5495, or bkey@leecountync.gov.