RFQ - Water Supply Long Term Planning

Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) in Wilmington, North Carolina, is requesting statements of qualifications from consulting engineering firms for water supply long-term planning services, with SOQs due September 10, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. This is a qualifications-based selection with a project budget cap of $300,000 and final fees to be negotiated following selection.

The scope requires the selected firm to develop an inventory of future water supply alternatives; identify average and peak day capacity of each alternative with associated treatment requirements and capital investment costs; develop a scoring and ranking methodology for combinations of alternatives to satisfy a minimum of 50 MGD additional peak day demand beyond current capacity; identify regulatory hurdles and affected stakeholders; and estimate timelines for each alternative from planning to completion. Deliverables include GIS layers and Excel files as working tools for CFPUA staff. The project charter meeting is scheduled for October 2026, the draft workplan is due December 2026, and all final deliverables are due October 2027.

The awardee must maintain Professional Liability insurance of not less than $2,000,000 per loss, General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate, Workers Compensation of $500,000 / $500,000 / $500,000, and Auto Liability Insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence, with CFPUA named as additional insured on all applicable policies.

Evaluation focuses on three criteria: Project Understanding & Approach (35%), Relevant Firm Experience (35%), and Overall Staff Experience Proposed for this Project (30%). One firm will be selected. SOQs are limited to 25 pages or less, excluding cover page, table of contents, tabs, resumes, and appendices, with a maximum file size of 25 MB. Questions regarding the RFQ are due August 26, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., and should be submitted to bids@cfpua.org.