RFP 2026-060 On Call for Cost Estimating Services Capital Improvement Projects

Request for Proposal No. 2026-060
Cost Estimating Services
Due Date: May 28, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM Local Time
Submittal Location: Electronic Submission
Union County Government Center
Procurement Department
600 Patton Ave,
Monroe, NC 28110
Procurement Contact:
Juan Rodriguez-Cruz
Procurement Specialist
704.283.3519
Juan.Rodriguez-Cruz@unioncountync.gov

Contents
1 Notice of Advertisement ................................................................................................................ 4
2 Submittal Details ........................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE ........................................................................................................................ 5
2.2 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................ 5
2.3 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS ........................................................................................................................................... 5
2.4 PROPOSAL ADDENDUM .......................................................................................................................................... 5
2.5 COMMUNICATION................................................................................................................................................... 6
3 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 6
3.1 COUNTY ................................................................................................................................................................. 6
3.2 PURPOSE ................................................................................................................................................................ 6
3.3 PROJECT BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................................................... 6
4 Scope of Services ............................................................................................................................ 7
5 Detailed Submittal Requirements and Instructions ................................................................... 7
5.1 TERMS OF SUBMISSION ........................................................................................................................................... 7
5.2 DUPLICATE PROPOSALS........................................................................................................................................... 8
5.3 PROPOSAL FORMAT ................................................................................................................................................ 8
5.3.1 Section A - Cover Letter ................................................................................................................................ 9
5.3.2 Section B - project team .............................................................................................................................. 10
5.3.3 Section C - project experience..................................................................................................................... 10
5.3.4 Section D - project management, approAch and quality control ................................................................. 11
5.3.5 Section E - Reputation of respondent .......................................................................................................... 11
5.3.6 Section F - References................................................................................................................................. 11
5.3.7 section g - Cost Proposal ............................................................................................................................ 11
5.3.8 Section H - Required Signature Forms ....................................................................................................... 12
6 Evaluation Criteria and Selection Process................................................................................. 12
6.1 SELECTION PARTICIPANTS .................................................................................................................................... 12
6.2 EVALUATION SELECTION PROCESS ...................................................................................................................... 12
6.3 AWARD PROCEDURE ............................................................................................................................................ 14
7 General Conditions and Requirements ..................................................................................... 14
7.1 TERMS AND CONDITIONS...................................................................................................................................... 14
7.2 TRAVEL AND EXPENSE POLICY ............................................................................................................................ 15
7.3 CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS .............................................................................................................................. 15
7.4 SUB-OFFEROR/PARTNER DISCLOSURE ................................................................................................................. 15
7.5 EXCEPTION TO THE RFP ....................................................................................................................................... 15
7.6 MODIFICATION OR WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSAL .................................................................................................. 15
7.7 EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY ................................................................................................................... 16
7.8 MINORITY AND SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION PLAN ...................................................................................... 16
7.9 LICENSES .............................................................................................................................................................. 16
7.10 E-VERIFY ............................................................................................................................................................. 16
7.11 DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE .................................................................................................................................... 16
7.12 INSURANCE .......................................................................................................................................................... 17
7.13 INDEMNIFICATION ................................................................................................................................................ 19
8 Appendix A - Cost PropOsal...................................................................................................... 20
9 Appendix B - Proposal Submission Form ................................................................................. 22
10 Appendix C - Addendum and Anti-Collusion Form................................................................ 23
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RFP 2026-060 Cost Estimating Services

11 Appendix D - Template Contract .............................................................................................. 24
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RFP 2026-060 Cost Estimating Services

1 NOTICE OF ADVERTISEMENT
Union County, North Carolina
Request for Proposals No. 2026-060
Cost Estimating Services
Electronic proposals will be received by the Union County's Procurement & Contract Management
Department by 11:00 AM EDT on May 28, 2026. Late submittals will not be accepted.
Union County, North Carolina, through its Facilities Department, is seeking proposals from
qualified firms to provide Cost Estimating Services on call, as-needed basis for various Capital
Improvement Projects.
Copies of the solicitation may be obtained from the locations listed below:
1. Download the Solicitation Documents from the Union County website:
https://www.unioncountync.gov/departments/bids-procurement/current-bids
2. Download the Solicitation Documents from the State of North Carolina eVP website:
https://evp.nc.gov/solicitations/ (Search County of Union)
All questions about the meaning or intent of the RFP Documents are to be submitted in writing to the
Procurement Representative listed on the cover page (Juan.Rodriguez-Cruz@unioncountync.gov)
no later than May 7, 2026, at 5:00 PM Local Time.
Union County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive technicalities and to make
such selection deemed in its best interest.
Union County reserves the right to award to multiple vendors.
Offerors are required to comply with the non-collusion requirements set forth in the Solicitation
Documents.
Union County encourages good faith effort outreach to Minority Businesses (HUB Certified) and
Small Businesses.
--End of Advertisement--
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2 SUBMITTAL DETAILS
2.1 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE
All Proposals are to be received electronically by the Union County Procurement Department
no later than May 28, 2026, at 11:00 AM Local Time, per the instructions below. Any
proposals received after this date and time shall be rejected without exception.
2.2 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The proposal must be submitted electronically using the following link:
https://lfportal.unioncountync.gov/Forms/procurementsubmit. The proposal must be signed
by a person who is authorized to bind the proposing Company. Instructions for preparing the
proposal are provided herein.
Select the solicitation drop down arrow and choose this RFP from the list. Complete the form,
upload your proposal as one (1) complete document, and select submit. The maximum
accepted size is 30 MB. A delivery notification email, from LF-Forms@co.union.nc.us, will be
sent as your confirmation of receipt.
Paper submissions and/or email submissions will not be accepted.
There is no expressed or implied obligation for Union County to reimburse for any expenses
incurred in preparing proposals in response to this request.
Union County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive technicalities and to
make such selection deemed in its best interest, cancel this solicitation and award to multiple
vendors.
2.3 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS
Proposal questions will be due on or before May 7, 2026, at 5:00 PM Local Time. The primary
purpose of this is to provide participating vendors with the opportunity to ask questions, in
writing, related to the RFP.
Submit questions by email to Juan Rodriguez-Cruz at Juan.Rodriguez-
Cruz@unioncountync.gov by the deadline shown above. The email should identify the
proposal number and title. All questions and answers may be posted as addenda on
www.unioncountync.gov and https://evp.nc.gov/solicitations/.
2.4 PROPOSAL ADDENDUM
Union County may modify the RFP prior to the date fixed for submission of proposals by the
issuance of an addendum. Should an Offeror find discrepancies or omissions in this RFP, or any
other documents provided by Union County, the Offeror should immediately notify the County of
such potential discrepancy in writing via email as noted above.
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Any addenda to these documents shall be issued in writing. No oral statements, explanations,
or commitments by anyone shall be of effect unless incorporated in the written addenda.
Receipt of Addenda shall be acknowledged by the Offeror on Appendix C, Addendum and
Anti-Collusion Form.
2.5 COMMUNICATION
All communications, any modifications, clarifications, amendments, questions, responses or
any other matters related to this Request for Proposals must be made only through the
Procurement Contact noted on the cover of this RFP. A violation of this provision is cause for
the County to reject a Company's proposal. No contact regarding this document with other
County employees is permitted and may be grounds for disqualification.
3 INTRODUCTION
3.1 COUNTY
The County (estimated population 263,386) is located in the central, southern piedmont. The
County provides its citizens with a full array of services that include public safety,
water/wastewater utilities and sanitation, human services, cultural and recreational activities,
and general government administration.
3.2 PURPOSE
Union County is seeking proposals from qualified firms to provide cost estimating services on
an on-call, as-needed basis for various Capital Improvement Projects. The County may select
multiple firms to provide services under a Master Agreement. Services will be assigned
through task orders based on project needs. This is a Request for Proposals (RFP). The
County will evaluate proposals based on qualifications, experience, project approach, and
pricing to determine the best value. Selection of firms does not guarantee any minimum
amount of work. Project assignments may be distributed among selected firms based on
qualifications, expertise, availability, and the needs of the County.
3.3 PROJECT BACKGROUND
Union County Facilities manages a wide range of capital improvement projects, including
new construction, renovations, and infrastructure improvements across County-owned
facilities.
These projects require cost estimating services to support planning, budgeting, and
informed decision-making, and to help ensure projects are delivered within established
financial parameters. Services may be required during various phases of a project, including
pre-design, design development, bidding, and construction.
Due to the volume and varying nature of capital projects, the County intends to establish
one or more on-call contracts with qualified firms to provide timely and reliable cost
estimating services.
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The selected firms will support multiple departments and projects across the County as
needs arise.
4 SCOPE OF SERVICES
The Cost Estimator shall provide traditional cost estimating services, comprehensive cost
estimates for projects and repairs to support informed decision making, review and
consultation along with other authorized special services appropriate to the project such
as, but not limited to, quantity take-offs, cost research, risk and contingency, reporting,
collaboration and change order reviews. The services will be provided for capital projects,
but not limited to, those identified in the 2026 Union County Capital Improvement Plan
(CIP), or subsequent amendments or updates to the CIP, 2026 Union County Water
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), or subsequent amendments or updates to the CIP, and
any other capital projects undertaken by Union County divisions or departments.
The estimator shall provide estimating services on various projects as the need arises and
as directed by Union County. The County will specify services to be performed by the
estimator via a written task order. The estimator will acknowledge all such written task
orders within 24 hours or receipt and complete all services within the timeframe stated in
each individual task order. A written scope for each task order will be provided to the
estimator and will be the basis of negotiations between Union County and the estimator
regarding fee, scheduling of the proposed task, personnel and labor hours as well as an
itemized list of deliverables and other expenses, such as reimbursables, that are deemed
necessary to accomplish the proposed work. Each task order may include any or all of
the work elements outlined herein and may be modified to add or delete certain elements
at the discretion of Union County. The contract agreement will provide for payment for
phases of work completed with options to proceed through all phases or to discontinue
work as circumstances may dictate. The final scope of services, together with the
estimating fee, will be included in the final executed Agreement.
NOTE: This is a Request for Proposals (RFP). Responding firms shall submit both
qualifications and pricing as outlined in this solicitation. The County will evaluate proposals
based on a combination of qualifications, experience, and cost to determine the best
value.
5 DETAILED SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS
5.1 TERMS OF SUBMISSION
All material received from a person or company ("Offeror") in response to this solicitation shall
become the property of Union County and will not be returned to the Offeror. Any and all costs
incurred by an Offeror in preparing, submitting, or presenting submissions are the Offeror's
sole responsibility and Union County shall not reimburse the Offeror. All responses to this
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solicitation will be considered a public record and subject to disclosure under applicable public
records law.
Any material in a response which the Offeror considers a trade secret and exempt from
disclosure as a public record under applicable law, including N.C.G.S. 132-1.2 and 66-152,
must be properly designated as a trade secret. In order to properly designate such material,
the Offeror must: (i) submit any trade secret materials in a separate envelope, or file, from all
other submitted material, being clearly marked as "Trade Secret - Confidential and Proprietary
Information," and (ii) stamp the same trade secret/confidentiality designation on each page of
the materials therein which contain trade secrets.
To the extent consistent with public records law, Union County will make reasonable efforts
to maintain the confidential nature of trade secrets, as determined by Union County and
subject to the conditions set forth herein. Offeror understands and agrees by submitting a
response to this solicitation, that if a request is made to review or produce a copy of any
information in the Offeror's materials which was properly labeled by the Offeror as a trade
secret, Union County will notify the Offeror of the request and the date that such materials will
be released to the requestor unless the Offeror obtains a court order enjoining that
disclosure. If the Offeror fails to obtain the court order enjoining disclosure prior to that date,
Offeror understands and agrees that Union County will release the requested information to
the requestor on that date.
All task order pricing shall be consistent with the rates and pricing structure submitted in the
Contractor's proposal unless otherwise approved in writing by the County.
Furthermore, the Offeror also agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Union County and
each of its officers, employees, and agents from all costs, damages, and expenses incurred
in connection with refusing to disclose any material that has been designated as a trade
secret by Offeror.
5.2 DUPLICATE PROPOSALS
No more than one (1) proposal from any Offeror will be considered by the County. In the
event multiple proposals are submitted in violation of this provision, the County will have the
right to determine which proposal will be considered, or at its sole option, reject all such
multiple proposals.
5.3 PROPOSAL FORMAT
The County desires all responses to be identical in format. While the County's format
may represent a departure from the Offeror's preference, the County requests adherence to
the format. All responses are to be in the format described below.
Offerors should prepare their proposals in accordance with the instructions outlined in this
section. Each Offeror is required to submit the proposal electronically - Refer to Section 2.2.
Each section should be identified as described below. Proposals should be prepared as simply
as possible and provide a straightforward, concise description of the proposer's capabilities
to satisfy the requirements of the RFP.
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The successful Offeror's proposal must include all responses to the requirements contained
within this RFP and all appendices (if applicable) must be completed in their entirety.
The utmost attention should be given to accuracy, completeness, and clarity of content. All
parts, pages, figures, or tables should be numbered and clearly labeled. Response
information should be limited to pertinent information only. Marketing and sales type
information is not to be included.
The total length of the submittal, including cover letter, should be no more than 25 single-
sided pages. Submittals should be on 8 12" x 11" paper with an 11-point minimum text size;
special graphics may be included on 11" x 17" paper with an 11-point minimum text size, if
necessary. These special graphics pages will count toward the 25-page limit. The 11-point
minimum text size does not apply to graphics, captions, tables, or figures, and there is no
specific font style required.
Key personnel resumes may also be provided as an appendix to the document and will not
count against the page limit. Covers, section acknowledgements, and the required forms, do
not count against the page limit.
The RFP should include a response to each of the following criteria. Failure to address each
area could result in rejection of a proposal. Please provide a table of contents in the format
of the proposal requirements along with tabs identifying each section and subsection. Include
examples of procedures, reports, or other information where applicable.
The proposal should be organized and identified by sections as follows:
* Section A - Cover Letter
* Section B - Project Team
* Section C - Project Experience
* Section D - Project Management, Approach and Quality Control
* Section E - Reputation of Offeror
* Section F - References
* Section G - Cost Proposal
Appendix A - Cost Proposal (completed); submit with Proposal
o
* Section H - Required Forms
Appendix B - Proposal Submission (signed)
Appendix C - Addenda Receipt and Anti-Collusion (signed)
There are eight (8) Sections to this proposal. The instructions for each Section are
outlined below.
Omissions and incomplete answers may be deemed unresponsive.
5.3.1 SECTION A - COVER LETTER
The proposal must include a cover letter attesting to its accuracy and signed by an
individual authorized to execute binding legal documents on behalf of the Offeror.
Include the following:
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* Legal company name and DBA (if applicable).
* Company address, telephone number and website address.
* Location providing service, address, and telephone number.
* Name of single point of contact, title, direct telephone number and/or
extension, and email address.
* Name of person with binding authority, title, address, direct telephone number
and/or extension, and email address.
* Stipulate that the proposal price will be valid for a period of 120 days.
* Make the following representations and warranty in the cover letter, the falsity
of which might result in rejection of its proposal: "The information contained in
this proposal or any part thereof, including any exhibits, schedules, and other
documents and instruments delivered or to be delivered to the County, is true,
accurate, and complete. This proposal 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."
5.3.2 SECTION B - PROJECT TEAM
Provide a detailed organization chart that presents the team to be dedicated to these
services. This should include the project manager, and other support staff to be used in
completion of the work. Information to be included in this section shall include:
* Professional, relevant qualifications of each team member, including which
projects listed under the Project Experience section of the response, the
project team individual(s) had a significant role.
* Include any professional license information held for each team member,
as applicable.
* Office location and number of years team members have worked with the
Offeror's company.
* Available time (in percent) that each team member may commit to these
services.
* Highlight relevant experience of each proposed team member in cost
estimating services, including quantity take-offs, cost analysis, budgeting
support, and related services.
5.3.3 SECTION C - PROJECT EXPERIENCE
Provide a minimum of five (5) representative projects demonstrating your firm's
experience providing Cost Estimating Services for public sector or governmental
entities. Each project should demonstrate experience with services similar in scope to
those described in this RFP.
Include the following for each project:
* Owner's name
* Owner's contact person's name, address, telephone number, and email
address
* Title and description of the project
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