Request for Qualifications (RFQ) Owner’s Advisor for Chowan River Dock Project

Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
Owner's Advisor for Chowan River Dock Project
Issued: October 1, 2026
Responses Due: October 30, 2026

Notice of Advertisement
County of Hertford, North Carolina
Is Soliciting Statements of Qualifications for
Owner's Representative Services
For Chowan River Dock project
Statements of Qualification will be received by mail until 4:00
PM (local time) on October 30, 2026 at the Hertford County
Government Center, Attn: William Shanahan, Jr., County
Manager, 115 Justice Drive, Winton, North Carolina, 27986.
The scope of work in this project includes assisting the
County of Hertford ("County") as an Owner's Advisor in the
design and construction of the Chowan River Dock Project.
Services may include advising and assisting the County in
developing the project criteria as part of the public
procurement phase, performing design administration
services, reviewing equipment and material specifications,
assisting in the administration of the construction phase,
reviewing project costs and project schedules, and other
applicable support functions and services. This is a Request
for Qualifications (RFQ). Do not submit total price
information nor work product with your submittal package.
Firms must be licensed in the State of North Carolina, as set
forth under Chapter 89C of the North Carolina General
Statutes. The firm's License number shall be designated in
the State of Qualifications.
Additional information regarding the RFQ can be found on
the County's website.
The County reserves the right to reject any or all submittals,
to waive technicalities and to make such selection deemed
in its best interest. With limited response, the County
reserves the right to extend the solicitation opening date as
appropriate in order to assure a competitive procurement
process.
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Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
Owner's Advisor for Chowan River Dock Project
I. Submittal Deadline
Statement of Qualifications submittals ("SOQs" or "Responses") for the services
specified in this RFQ will be received by the County of Hertford (the "County") until
4:00 PM on October 30, 2026, 2026 at the specified location listed below.
Responses received by the correct time shall be considered. Responses received
after the due date and time will not be considered.
All SOQ submittals shall be Send tracking number to:
mailed to:
County of Hertford william.shanahan@hertfordcountync.gov
Attn: William Shanahan, Jr.,
County Manager
Hertford County Government Center
115 Justice Drive
Winton, NC 27986
In the interest of cost-savings, consistency of the submittals and more efficient use
of time by the pre-selection committee, the qualifications information package
should not include any notebooks, binders, tabs, clips, etc. The format should be
8-1/2" x 11" pages.
Submit one (1) original and five (5) copies in printed form and an electronic copy
in a ZIP file via email to william.shanahan@hertfordcountync.gov. If the original
and give copies in printed form are mailed to the County, the email containing the
electronic ZIP file copy must also contain the tracking number for the mailed
envelope. Responses must be submitted in an envelope labeled Chowan River
Dock Project Owner's Advisor Statement of Qualifications along with the
submitter's name and address clearly indicated on the envelope. Instructions for
preparing the SOQ are provided herein.
Electronic (email) or facsimile will not be accepted.
Deadline for Questions: 5:00 PM on October 20, 2026.
All questions and clarifications regarding the scope of services or other items
related to this RFQ must be submitted in writing by e-mail to
william.shanahan@hertfordcountync.gov no later than the due date listed above.
Selection criteria are outlined in this document. The County reserves the right to
reject any or all submittals, to waive technicalities and to make such selection
deemed in its best interest. With limited response, the County reserves the right
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to extend the solicitation period as appropriate in order to assure a competitive
procurement process.
Responses received after the required deadline will not be accepted. Responses
will be discussed at a subsequent meeting of the County Board of Commissioners.
The County Board of Commissioners will score the Responses in accordance with
the criteria set forth in greater detail below and select the best qualified firm to
negotiate a contract with. The County reserves the right to approve responses,
deny responses, negotiate responses, or re-advertise for additional responses for
the Project if deemed necessary by the County Board of Commissioners. The
Board of Commissioners reserves the right to interview any or all applicants to help
aid in determining the best qualified firm.
II. General
Pursuant to N.C. General Statutes 143-64.31, et seq., the County is seeking SOQs from
qualified firms interested in performing Owner Advisor services to the County in
connection with the Chowan River Dock Project. The intent of this RFQ is to select and
contract with an engineering firm by qualifications-based selection to act as the Owner's
Advisor ("OA") in connection with the design and construction of a new commercial dock
along the Chowan River. In order to offer OA services, the proposing firms must be
properly licensed to provide engineering services in the State of North Carolina. More
information on the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors
maybe found at https://www.ncbels.org/.
The County of Hertford, with a population of over 21,000, is situated along the Chowan
River in the northeastern part of North Carolina. Partially bordering the Virginia state line,
the County's seat is located in Winton, North Carolina. In an effort to promote economic
development, support local industry, and improve commercial access to waterfront areas,
the County is planning to design and construct a publicly-owned industrial dock along the
Chowan River and a public road capable of supporting industrial loads leading to the dock
(the "Project"). The dock will be located off of River Road. When complete, the site is
expected to include a dock, barge, one or more maritime cranes, utilities, and new public
access road.
On March 12, 2025, the North Carolina General Assembly appropriated $51,000,000 from
the Stabilization and Inflation Reserve in Section 2.2(q) of S.L. 2022-74 to the N.C.
Department of Commerce to be used for the Project as follows: (i) forty million dollars
($40,000,000) for reimbursement for costs incurred in permitting, engineering, designing,
and constructing the dock, and (ii) eleven million dollars ($11,000,000) for constructing a
public road to the dock. See Section 4.4.(a) of S.L. 2025-92.
The OA should act as an extension of the County's staff. The OA must be prepared to
assist the County in developing a detailed Project Criteria designed specifically to meet
the County's needs and to manage project risk. These services may include criteria
development, design administration, review of equipment and material specifications,
review of project costs, review of project schedules, commissioning and other applicable
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support functions and services. The OA must work with the County to customize services
to most effectively match the project's requirements and the County's needs, allowing the
scope of work to be tailored to provide services that are necessary to supplement the
County's existing project staff's availability. The OA shall have thorough knowledge and
expertise with public infrastructure, marine/waterfront facilities, docks, maritime cranes,
industrial access improvements, heavy civil work, roadway construction, or similar
commercial/industrial site development.
III. Schedule
Description Deadline
RFQ Posted October1, 2026
Questions Due October 20, 2026
RFQ Response Due October 30, 2026
RFQ Responses Reviewed November 1st-30th
Interviews (If Necessary) TBD
Selection Announced No later than December 15. 2026
IV. Anticipated Project Budget
The anticipated total project budget (permitting, design, engineering, construction, and
administration) for the Project is $40,000,000 for the dock and $11,000,000 for the public
road.
V. Submittal Requirements
a. Method of Submission:
In the interest of cost- savings, consistency of the submittals and more efficient
use of time by the pre- selection committee, the qualifications information package
should not include any notebooks, binders, tabs, clips, etc. The format should be
8-1/2" x 11" pages.
b. Response Submittal Requirements:
Please provide the following information in the sequence of the following major
headings described below:
i. Cover Letter: Briefly introduce your firm (the "Respondent Firm"), local office,
principal in charge, the name of your OA Representative and why they were
chosen for this Project, the name and title of the individual with contract signature
authority to enter into an agreement with the County, and contact information for
any follow-up questions from the County regarding the statement of
qualifications.
The cover letter shall also expressly certify and represent that (i) the Respondent
Firm and all proposed team members are not currently debarred, suspended,
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proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from
participation in this Project by any State or Federal department or agency and (ii)
the information contained in the Respondent Firm's SOQ package, including all
documents, delivered or to be delivered to the County, are true, accurate, and
complete and that the Respondent Firm's SOQ package includes all information
necessary to ensure that the statements therein do not in whole or in part mislead
the County as to any material facts.
In the event Respondent Firm's debarment, suspension, eligibility or exclusion
status changes after the submission of the SOQ package, Respondent Firm shall
immediately notify the County of the change and the reasons for the change.
ii. Statement of Qualifications: Provide a statement of qualifications setting forth the
following information:
1. Respondent's Background: Provide full and truthful answers to the
Respondent's Background Questionnaire utilizing the form included with this
RFQ as Attachment 1.
2. Relevant Experience: Identify a minimum of six (6) representative projects
within the last 10 years, of which at least (i) three (3) involved either dock or
marine/waterfront projects and (ii) three (3) involved strictly OA services
(including as an owner's representative, a project advisor, or a construction
administrator) without any formal design responsibilities. Respondent Firms
are encouraged to prioritize public infrastructure, marine/waterfront facilities,
docks, industrial access improvements, heavy civil work, roadway
construction, or similar commercial/industrial site development projects.
Respondent Firm shall include the following information for each project:
a. Project owner's name;
b. Name, address, telephone number, and email address for Owner's point
of contact for project;
c. Title and description of the project;
d. Location of the project;
e. Description of the services Respondent Firm provided;
f. Whether any claims or litigation involving the design or construction of the
project are pending and, if so, a compete explanation;
g. The contract time for the project as bid, the completion dates for the
project, the actual time to complete, and an explanation for any time
overruns;
h. The total bid amount for the project, the project's final cost, and an
explanation for any costs overruns, including change orders.
Respondents should also include the approximate number of such public
projects they have worked on in the capacities identified above.
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The County reserves the right if, in its judgment, the six (6) projects submitted
under this section are not representative of the overall history of the
Respondent's performance over the last ten (10) years to require the
Respondent to submit relevant information for up to two (2) additional projects
over the last ten (10) years.
3. Project Team: Provide a detailed organization chart that presents an
adequately staffed team to be dedicated to this Project. This should include
the OA Representative, engineer(s), and other supporting staff to be used in
completion of the work. Respondent Firm shall provide the following
information for each person identified:
a. Resume (2 page maximum) listing name, qualifications, background for
the candidate, and any professional license or certification held. Include
names and addresses of companies who have employed him/her during
the last 10 years;
b. Ownership interest in the Respondent Firm, if any;
c. Professional, relevant qualifications for up to five (5) projects, including
the projects listed under the "Relevant Experience" sections of the
response, in which the individual(s) had a significant role;
d. Office location and number of year's employee has worked with their
current firm;
e. Current work load and public projects awarded;
f. Proximity to and familiarity with the area where the Project is to be located;
g. Design administration capabilities;
h. Construction administration capabilities;
i. The specific experience the proposed OA Representative has in
performing similar services for or in connection with related or similar
projects;
j. Sub-consultants to be utilized in the execution of the Project must be
clearly identified within the organizational chart. Provide resumes and
contact information for any proposed sub-consultants. Resumes shall be
a maximum of two (2) pages and shall include relevant qualifications,
relevant project experience (up to three (3) projects for each sub-
consultant proposed as part of the Project team), professional licenses
and registrations, and present and anticipated workload. Projects listed
shall demonstrate prior successful teaming with the Respondent Firm.
4. Reputation of Firm. Provide a record of successfully completed projects
without major legal or technical problems in the ten (10) years. Listed projects
should identify whether the Respondent Firm was performing OA services,
design services, construction administration services, or a combination of the
three. State whether the Respondent Firm has been sued or had a claim filed
against it for (i) failure to properly perform its OA services, (ii) defective design
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or errors and omissions, (ii) failure to properly perform construction contract
administration services, or (iii) failure to pay subconsultants in the last five (5)
years. If the answer is "yes', please provide details of such suit or claim and
the resolution of the matter.
VI. Selection Process
a. Maintaining the integrity of the RFQ process is of paramount importance for the
County. To this end, do not contact the County Board of Commissioners, the
County Manager, or any member of the County staff regarding the subject matter
of this RFQ until a selection is made, other than the County's designated contact
person identified in the introduction to this RFQ. Failure to abide by this
requirement shall be grounds for disqualification from this selection process.
b. The County will establish a pre-selection committee to review and evaluate the
SOQs. The pre-selection committee will evaluate the SOQs independently in
accordance with the published evaluation criteria. The County reserves the right
to conduct interviews with a shortlist of selected Respondent Firms ("Short-Listed
Respondent Firms").
c. At its sole discretion, the County may ask written questions of Respondent Firms,
seek written clarification, and conduct discussions with or interviews of
Respondent Firms on their SOQs.
d. The County will provide written notification to all Short Listed Respondent Firms of
the selection at the conclusion of the committee review and evaluation.
e. At the County's discretion, it will negotiate with the best qualified Respondent Firm.
The "best qualified" Respondent Firm is the Respondent Firm that the County
determines achieves the apparent best overall ranking. If the County is unable to
execute a contract with the Respondent Firm, negotiations with the best qualified
Respondent Firm may be terminated in writing, and the County may proceed to
negotiate with the next best qualified Respondent Firm based on overall rankings.
The County may continue in accordance with this procedure until a contract
agreement is reached or the selection process is terminated. Negotiations are at
the County's sole discretion.
f. In the evaluation and ranking of Respondent Firms, the County will consider the
information submitted in each Respondent Firm's SOQ as well as any meetings
with respect to the evaluation criteria set forth in the RFQ.
g. The initial evaluation criteria/factors and relative weights listed below will be used
to recommend selection of the best qualified Respondent Firm or for the purpose
of selecting Short-Listed Respondent Firms. The County may choose to award
without engaging in interview discussions.
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SOQ Criteria Weight
Relevant Project Experience 40
-- Experience serving as an owner's advisor,
owner's representative, project advisor, or
construction administrator for public projects;
--Experience with design-build, preferably
involving public infrastructure, marine/waterfront
facilities, docks, industrial access improvements,
heavy civil work, roadway construction, or similar
commercial/industrial site development;
--Experience with dock, waterfront, shoreline,
utility, roadway, access, grading, erosion control,
or heavy civil work;
--Experience with permitting and regulatory
coordination for infrastructure projects, including
environmental and transportation-related
approvals where applicable;
Project Team and Personnel 10
--Adequate staff and proposed team for the
project;
--Current workload and public projects awarded;
--Proximity to and familiarity with the area where
the project is located;
--Design administration capabilities;
--Construction administration capabilities;
OA Services Capabilities 30
--Experience reviewing design submittals,
construction schedules, RFIs, change order
requests, payment applications, field reports,
testing results, and closeout documentation;
--Ability to attend and represent Owner at project
meetings, track action items, and keep the
County informed on the status of the Project;
--Demonstrated ability to review and monitor
project schedules, including critical path issues,
milestone tracking, delay risks, and recovery
plans;
--Ability to advise the County on cost
reasonableness and potential financial
exposure;
--Capacity to provide concise written reports to
owner staff on schedule, budget, risks, pending
decisions, claims/issues, and recommended
next steps;
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Reputation of Firm 10
--Successful completion of projects of similar
size, scope, and complexity;
--Demonstrated ability to evaluate whether
design and construction work complies with
contract documents, permits, applicable
standards, and the owner's project objectives;
--Experience coordinating with design
professionals, inspectors, testing firms,
regulatory authorities, contractors, and owner
staff;
--Familiarity with quality control/quality
assurance procedures for civil infrastructure and
commercial construction;
--Disclosure of any litigation, arbitration, claims,
defaults, terminations, bankruptcies, or conflicts
relevant to the firm's qualifications;
Public Owner and Local Government 10
Experience
--Prior work for counties, municipalities, or other
public entities;
--Familiarity with North Carolina local
government decision-making;
VII. General Conditions and Requirements
a. E-Verify. E-Verify is the federal program operated by the United States
Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies, or any successor
or equivalent program, used to verify the work authorization of newly hired
employees pursuant to federal law. The Respondent Firm that is selected by the
County and with whom the County successfully negotiates a contract shall be
required to ensure that if Respondent or anyone performing work under the
contract with the County: (i) uses E-Verify if required to do so; and (ii) otherwise
complies with applicable law.
b. Proof of Insurance. The Respondent Firm that is selected by the County and with
whom the County successfully negotiates a contract shall be required to provide
proof of insurance with an original insurance certification naming the County as
additional insured if selected.
VIII. Minimum Insurance Requirements
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