Water Source Heat Pump System Replacement

Isothermal Community College in Spindale, North Carolina, issued Invitation for Bid (IFB #2526-03) for the turnkey demolition and replacement of an existing rooftop water source heat pump system, cooling tower, and condenser water pumps at the Lifelong Learning Center. The procurement requires a qualified mechanical contractor to furnish and install one AAON RNA-030-WSHP packaged rooftop water source heat pump, one SPX Cooling Technologies (Marley) MD5006NAF1L cooling tower, and two Taco F13007 condenser water pumps, along with all associated labor, materials, equipment, supervision, permits, crane services, startup, testing, balancing, and incidental work necessary for turnkey completion. Bidders must hold a valid North Carolina General Contractor License with appropriate HVAC and mechanical classifications at the time of bid submission and must be registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State prior to contract execution. A mandatory site visit is scheduled for March 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM, with late arrivals prohibited and non-attendance resulting in automatic bid rejection. Written questions must be submitted by March 26, 2026, at 2:00 PM ET, with responses provided by March 27, 2026. Sealed bids are due April 8, 2026, at 2:00 PM ET at the College's Business Office. The evaluation criteria prioritize the lowest responsive bid meeting specifications while considering past performance, customer references, and financial stability, with the College reserving the right to make separate awards, reject bids, or cancel the procurement entirely.

Isothermal Community College has established a 10 percent Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) participation goal for subcontractor utilization, requiring vendors to provide HUB participation information with their submissions. Bidders must furnish at least three customer references for similar projects, submit a Certification of Financial Condition, and carry required insurance including Commercial General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, Workers' Compensation at statutory limits, and Automobile Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, with the College named as Additional Insured on all policies. The contract is project-based and shall remain in effect through completion of all required work, system startup, submission of closeout documentation, and final written acceptance, with automatic expiration upon completion and no renewal terms. Bidders must provide pricing for seven base bid line items plus one alternate bid item for condenser water piping replacement, with all prices constituting the total cost for complete performance. No specific budget range or award value has been disclosed in the procurement documents; pricing will be determined through competitive sealed bidding with award to the lowest responsive qualified bidder.