Request for Qualifications for Construction Project Management Services

The Town of Chapel Hill is seeking Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) from consulting firms to provide comprehensive Construction Project Management Services for the North-South Bus Rapid Transit (NSBRT) project. This $188 million, 8.2-mile transit project involves managing the development of 5.2 miles of curbside bus-only lanes, 17 station areas, and traffic signal priority intersections. The selected consultant will be responsible for pre-construction services including design review and constructability analysis, on-site construction management, quality control, and post-construction services such as project closeout and operations training. The procurement requires a consulting team with specialized staff including a Transportation Construction Project Manager, Project Controls Manager, Quality Controls Manager, Project Representatives, Field Engineers, Structure Inspectors, and support specialists like a Federal Regulations Compliance Specialist and Community Liaison. Evaluation criteria will weight 30 points for firm experience, 30 points for project understanding, 25 points for work plan, and 15 points for client references. Key dates include a January 16, 2026 deadline for questions, proposal submissions due by January 30, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST, short-listed firm interviews between February 9-20, 2026, and final selection on February 27, 2026.

The project has specific requirements for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation and is federally funded through the Federal Transit Administration's Small Starts Project Development program. Contractors must comply with extensive federal regulations including Davis-Bacon provisions and Buy America requirements. Insurance requirements include $1,000,000 in Professional Liability Insurance, Commercial General Liability, Business Auto coverage, and Workers' Compensation, with the Town named as an additional insured. The contract will be negotiated with the top-ranked firm, with a project timeline spanning from final design in November 2026 through procurement (December 2026-June 2027) and construction (July 2027-November 2029). While no incumbent vendors are specified, the project involves integrating new transit infrastructure with existing transportation systems in the Chapel Hill area. The total project budget is $188 million, with the construction project management services contract to be competitively negotiated based on the comprehensive evaluation criteria.