Physical Security Design and Consulting

Wake County, North Carolina is requesting qualifications for physical security design and consulting services to support new construction, renovation, and security improvement projects across its portfolio of more than 186 buildings totaling 5.0 million square feet, with proposals due October 5, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. The County intends to establish relationships with two to three qualified consultant firms.

The scope encompasses preliminary design studies and assessments, schematic design, design development, construction documents and specifications, bidding phase support, construction administration, systems commissioning, project closeout, and security assessments. Facility types include libraries, public safety facilities, justice and detention centers, health and human services buildings, and office buildings, with individual project construction costs ranging from $10,000 to over $1 million. Consultant firms must demonstrate extensive experience in access control, electrified hardware integration, security camera systems, security infrastructure, and security network design on similar public facility projects, along with thorough knowledge of North Carolina design, bidding, and construction regulations.

Proposals must not exceed 25 double-sided or 50 single-sided pages and must include a letter of interest, project organization and staffing details with resumes, summaries of at least eight representative projects (four design/construction and four security assessments), design and assessment approaches, hourly billing rate schedules, and current workload documentation. Seven complete packages are required at the Wake County Facilities Design & Construction Office.

Selection criteria include core business strength, staff expertise and qualifications, past performance on similar projects, quality control procedures, familiarity with the North Carolina area, construction administration approach, billing rates, litigation history, and current workload capacity. Questions are due September 21, 2026. The Selection Committee will determine short-listed firms in late October 2026, with presentation and interview sessions in early November 2026 and firm selections announced in mid-November 2026. All responses become County property and are subject to public disclosure under North Carolina General Statutes, though firms may designate documents as confidential or trade secret following specified procedures.