North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is requesting Letters of Interest and SF-254 forms for architectural and engineering design services for infrastructure renovations at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences' Nature Exploration Center in Raleigh, with submissions due September 8, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Proposing firms must be properly licensed to practice architecture, engineering, or landscape architecture in North Carolina.

The scope encompasses three primary components: LED lighting and electrical infrastructure upgrades involving replacement of approximately 225 surface-mounted HID cylinder light fixtures and approximately 51,300 square feet of fluorescent lamps with new LED lighting; first-floor repairs including removal of existing escalators, conversion to stairs, repairs and re-leveling of the topping slab, and replacement of tile and carpet; and fire alarm system replacement of the discontinued Notifier NFS2-3030 Fire Alarm Panel with a new modular control platform. The project also requires evaluation and replacement of the existing 277/480 volt Square D NEHB electrical panelboards, which are original to the building's 2000 construction and obsolete, with evaluation of the entire electrical distribution system for code compliance.

Design services carry a budget of $784,000 from the total project budget of $15.349 million, funded from SCIF General reserves for fiscal years 24–25 and 25–26 Repairs & Renovations. The three approved project line items are LED Lighting & Electrical Infrastructure Renovation at $8.042 million, First Floor Repairs, Escalator Removal & Stair Installation at $4.543 million, and Fire Alarm Replacement at $2.764 million.

Selection criteria include specialized expertise in the project type, past performance on similar projects, adequate staff and proposed design team, current workload and state projects awarded, proposed design approach, recent experience with project costs and schedules, construction administration capabilities, proximity to and familiarity with the project location, and record of successfully completed projects without major legal or technical problems. Submissions should include three copies of a Letter of Interest (no more than ten single-sided pages or five double-sided pages) and three copies of SF-254 formatted as 8.5" x 11" pages stapled in the upper left corner.