TOWN OF WHITAKERS RFQ

Town of Whitakers

302 N.W. Railroad Street

PO Box 727

Whitakers, NC 27891

Phone (252) 437-4011 / Fax (252) 437-1720

Sammy L. Hopkins, Mayor Tamica Gray, Town Clerk

OWNER: Town of Whitakers, NC

PROJECT: Whitakers Proposed Community Center

SUBMITTAL DEADLINE: May 15, 2026

SEND SUBMITTALS TO: Ms. Tamica Gray, Town Clerk at above address (hard copies only).

1.0 PURPOSE

The Town of Whitakers is issuing this request for qualifications (RFQ) to hire an Owner’s Representative that will be responsible for completing all needed architectural/engineering services for the following project:

To assist the Town of Whitakers with evaluation of potential sites, geotechnical evaluation if needed, preliminary report, environmental report if required, provide essential data for USDA-RD funding application, design, bidding process and negotiation on construction contract, and construction administration necessary to construct and/or renovate a building to be used as a Community Center. Note: There is no existing Community Center within the Town of Whitakers.

2.0 SCOPE OF SERVICES

This project may be funded through a USDA Rural Development program. The tentative funding known at this time is projected to be $1,015, 000, which will include all soft and hard costs involved with this project. The selected firm will be required to help facilitate project funding through the preparation of a preliminary architectural/engineering report and possibly an environmental report. These reports will need to be prepared in accordance with the applicable guidelines.

A full architectural/engineering agreement will not be executed until project funds have been obligated to the project and all funding Agency requirements have been met. The full range of professional services will be further defined during project development but may include the following: evaluation of potential sites, geotechnical evaluation if needed, preliminary report, environmental report if required, provide essential data for USDA-RD funding application, design, bidding process and negotiation on construction contract, and construction administration necessary to construct and/or renovate a building to be used as a Community Center.

3.0 SELECTION PROCESS and SCHEDULE

Pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 143-64.31 and federal USDA Rural Development procurement guidelines, the Owner will utilize a qualification-based selection process without

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consideration of fee proposals in the initial stages of the selection. The selection process and schedule will be as follows:

3.1 Advertisement – This RFQ will be advertised in the Rocky Mount Telegram, the Town’s website, the NC Department of Administration – eVP website, and the RFQ will be made available to area consulting firms who have expressed an interest in the project.

3.1.1 RFQ Package – The package represents the overall expectations of the Owner. Any changes or additional requests will be submitted to each interested party by addendum. Each firm that requests a RFQ will need to provide a point of contact [email, phone, address] and will be placed on a list of interested parties.

3.1.2 Inquiries/Questions – Questions regarding the project or these requirements shall be directed to Dennis Patton, dennispatton718@gmail.com or 252-916-7013.

3.1.3 Inquiry/Submittal Deadlines – Any questions regarding these RFQ submittal package requirements or related documents may be submitted up to five (5) days prior to the submittal deadline. The submittal deadline is shown at the beginning of this document. Clarifications and/or additional information will be provided to all interested parties by the Owner by addenda to this package.

3.2 Short-List Selection, Facility or Sites Tours, and Interviews – The Owner’s RFQ Selection Committee will evaluate the written submittals based on the criteria identified in Section 4.0 below and determine a short-list of the most qualified. Selected firms will be contacted within thirty (30) days from the submittal deadline to establish existing facility or sites tour dates, interviews dates and times, and interview requirements.

3.3 Fee/Cost Negotiations – Once the Owner has completed their evaluation, they will rank the most qualified firms in order. The Owner will attempt to negotiate reasonable fees with the most qualified firm. If such negotiations are not successful, the Owner will attempt to negotiate with the next most qualified firm until an agreement can be made.

4.0 SELECTION CRITERIA

The selection process shall be based on the qualification information exhibited in the written submittal, the interview process, and reference checks completed by the Owner. Firms will be evaluated on past performance and relevant experience/expertise with similar projects, the qualifications and experience of key project team members who will be actively involved in the work, and the specified details of their project approach. Key selection criteria for this project will include, but may not be limited to the following:

• Clarity, organization, and level of detail in written proposal

• Proposed project approach

• Capacity/capability of company to complete the project

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• Structure and location of proposed project team

• Experience and qualifications of individuals on the proposed project team

• Similar project experience

• References from past similar projects

• Methods for cost, schedule, and quality controls for proposed project

5.0 SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

All costs for development of the written submittal and the oral presentation are entirely the obligation of the submitting entity and shall not be remunerated in any manner by the Owner.

The submittal shall be provided on 8.5” x 11” paper with a maximum of thirty (30) pages. Ten (10) hard copies of each submittal will be needed. The outline below shall be followed as a template for the report and the overall information that is expected with each submittal:

5.1 Company Information and Project Approach – Provide an overview of your company’s organization and general approach to this type of project. Include the following:

• Company mission statement.

• Company philosophy and core values.

• Detail your company’s overall profile: identify the principal office and what office would service this project; provide a corporate organizational chart for the company, inclusive of any parent companies; provide details regarding the number of employees, number of licensed professionals, and type of professional disciplines provided in-house.

• List company’s total project dollar volume over the past 3 years with an average volume per typical year.

• Discuss company’s total work capacity compared to total amount of work under contract, future projected contracts, and how this project would impact this capacity.

5.2 Proposed Project Team – Describe the organization of the project team that will work on this project.

• Detail how your company proposes to structure the project team to ensure a successful project. Include a list of professional consultants outside your firm you propose for this project. Provide specific information documenting their work with your firm on similar projects.

• Provide a detailed project specific organizational chart including titles and responsibilities of the key team members. Include a resume for each specific key team member.

• Describe the location/proximity of their office location to the proposed project location.

• Describe how this project will fit into the total workload of the project team during the project period.

• Explain why you believe your team is the most qualified to provide the requested services for this project.

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5.3 Similar Project Experience (Graphics and Narrative) – Provide five (5) project profiles of similar size and complexity where your company provided architectural/engineering professional services. Including the following information:

• Brief description of project and photo.

• Size, square foot of building, size of treatment facility, quantity of pipe installed, etc..

• Original total project cost detailed in the preliminary architectural/engineering report and the final actual project cost after completion.

• Owner contact information including names, phone numbers, and email addresses (this information will be used to check references).

• Completion dates.

• Architect/Engineer of record (provide specific details if the profiled project was completed by the proposed project team for this project).

5.4 Project Specific Statements – Given the limited scope provided in this RFQ, provide some project specific approaches that will be used to ensure a successful project.

• Describe the proposed methods for evaluation, cost, schedule, and quality controls during project development and construction.

6.0 MISCELLANEOUS REQUIREMENTS

6.1 USDA Rural Development – If this project is funded through a USDA Rural Development program, specific agency project guidelines and contract provisions will need to be followed. Additional information regarding these requirements can be provided by the Owner upon request.

6.2 Insurance – The Owner will expect the following insurance coverage during the life of the potential contract: Commercial General Liability, Professional Errors & Omission, Automobile Liability, and Worker’s Compensation.

6.3 Additional Information – The Owner reserves the right to request additional information or clarification of information provided in the response without changing the terms of this RFQ.

6.4 Confidentiality – In general, documents that are submitted as part of the response to this RFQ will become public records and will be subject to public disclosure. North Carolina General Statutes Section 132-1.2 and 66-152 provide a method for protecting some documents from public disclosure. If the architectural/engineering consultant firm follows the procedures prescribed by those statutes and designates a document “confidential” or “trade secret”, the Owner will withhold the document from public disclosure to the extent that it is entitled or required to do so by applicable law.