Design of E.E. Smith High School Replacement Project
| Location: | North Carolina |
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| Posted: | Aug 5, 2026 |
| Due: | Aug 13, 2026 |
| Agency: | State Government of North Carolina |
| Type of Government: | State & Local |
| Category: |
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| Solicitation No: | 173-27002 |
| Publication URL: | To access bid details, please log in. |
| Solicitation Number: | 173-27002 |
| Project Title: | Design of E.E. Smith High School Replacement Project |
| Description: | Demolition of the existing E.E. Smith High School campus and the subsequent turnkey construction of an advanced replacement high school facility on the current 27-acre site. |
| Opening Date: | 8/13/2026 2:00 PM |
| Posted Date: | 8/6/2026 |
| Status: | Open |
| Department: | CUMBERLAND COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION |
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Solicitation Number
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173-27002
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Department
CUMBERLAND COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
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Status Reason
Open
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Opening Date
2026-08-13T14:00:00.0000000
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Posted Date
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2026-08-05T21:33:26.0000000Z
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Primary Commodity Code
Design Services
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Mandatory Conference/Site Visit
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—
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Special Instructions
See bid document.
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Solicitation Type
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RFP
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Owner
Susan Riddle
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Description
Demolition of the existing E.E. Smith High School campus and the subsequent turnkey construction of an advanced replacement high school facility on the current 27-acre site.
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Attachment Preview
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECTURAL, ENGINEERING,
PLANNING, & CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION
SERVICES
CUMBERLAND COUNTY BOARD OF
EDUCATION
Fayetteville, North Carolina
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)
Professional Architectural, Engineering, Planning, and Construction
Administration Services
Project: E.E. Smith High School Replacement Project
Solicitation Component
Detail / Key Milestone
Issuing Agency
Project Location
Issue Date
Proposal Submission Deadline
Delivery Destination
Cumberland County Board of Education
Fayetteville, North Carolina
July 16th, 2026
August 13th, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST
Cumberland County Schools Operations
Department
810 Gillespie Street, Fayetteville, NC 28306
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I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY & PURPOSE
The Cumberland County Board of Education (“the Board”) is formally soliciting Statements of
Qualifications from premier, highly qualified Architectural and Engineering (A/E) firms to deliver
comprehensive professional planning, design, bidding, and construction administration services
for the E.E. Smith High School Replacement Project.
Project Overview
● Scope: Demolition of the existing E.E. Smith High School campus and the subsequent
turnkey construction of an advanced replacement high school facility on the current
27-acre site.
● Logistics: Students will be temporarily decanted and relocated to an off-site swing
campus for the duration of the construction lifecycle.
● Lead Mandate: The selected A/E firm will serve as the prime design professional of
record. The scope spans educational programming, master planning, comprehensive
architectural and engineering design, cost control verification, public stakeholder
alignment, permitting coordination, and end-to-end construction administration.
The Board requires an established partner with an exceptional track record in large-scale public
K-12 campus replacements. The ideal firm must demonstrate exceptional execution in complex
urban demolition, design-phase cost validation, extensive civic engagement, and rigorous
budget alignment. Selection will be strictly conducted in accordance with the North Carolina
General Statutes governing Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) processes for professional
design services.
II. MANDATORY MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
(PASS/FAIL)
CRITICAL PROCUREMENT NOTICE: Failure to explicitly satisfy any individual criterion
detailed below shall result in immediate, non-negotiable disqualification prior to the
qualitative evaluation phase. Firms lacking verifiable, direct experience in public high
school replacement projects involving contiguous demolition and reconstruction will be
deemed non-responsive.
2
Firms must meet all of the following baseline requirements to advance:
A. Firm Profile & Verifiable Track Record
● K-12 Longevity: A minimum of fifteen (15) years of continuous corporate experience
providing specialized K-12 Architectural and Engineering design services.
● High School Volume: Verifiable completion of at least two (2) public high school projects
within the past ten (10) years.
● Capital Scale Thresholds:
○ Completion of at least three (3) public educational projects each exceeding
$80,000,000 in final construction value.
○ Completion of at least one (1) public educational project exceeding $100,000,000 in
final construction value.
○ Completion of at least one (1) public educational project exceeding 200,000 gross
square feet.
● Replacement Context: Verifiable completion of at least one (1) public high school
replacement project within the last ten (10) years that specifically included the structural
demolition of an active facility and the ground-up reconstruction of the replacement
campus.
B. Jurisdictional & Capabilities Compliance
● Lifecycle Breadth: Verifiable experience guiding public school clients from initial
educational programming through final regulatory closeout and commissioning.
● Educational Programming: Experience acting as the primary author for educational
programming and educational specifications development for a minimum of three (3)
North Carolina K-12 public school projects.
● Stakeholder Navigation: Demonstrated experience designing and executing public
communication frameworks for highly visible, politically sensitive capital projects.
● Agency Experience: Proven mastery navigating the review, approval, and permitting
protocols of the North Carolina State Construction Office (SCO) and projects financed via
the Local Government Commission (LGC).
C. Licensure, Presence, and Corporate Integrity
● Professional Standing: Maintain active corporate and individual professional licenses
required by the North Carolina Board of Architecture and the North Carolina Board of
Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors.
● In-State Infrastructure: Maintain an established, fully staffed physical office within the
State of North Carolina.
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● Corporate Integrity: Zero contract defaults, zero terminations for cause, zero active
debarments, and zero unresolved licensing sanctions within the preceding five (5) years.
D. Capital Definition Framework
Construction Value Definition: For all project references, "Construction Value" shall strictly
mean the final hard construction contract amount. This metric explicitly excludes land
acquisition costs, owner contingencies, furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) packages,
technology/network hardware purchases, financing fees, and owner soft costs.
III. COMPARABLE PROJECT EXPERIENCE
DETERMINATION
● Ineligible Scopes: Portfolios consisting primarily of elementary or middle schools, simple
structural additions, minor interior renovations, greenfield development sites, or
non-educational facilities may be ruled insufficiently comparable.
● Evaluation Focus: Heavy weighting will be applied to the precise alignment of project
parameters rather than the total aggregate volume of projects a firm has built.
● Preference Matrix: Premium scoring tiering will be awarded to firms showing direct
experience with occupied site transformations exceeding 200,000 square feet requiring
phased civil demolition.
IV. NO CONTACT POLICY
From the date of issuance of this solicitation until the final execution of an auxiliary contract, all
communication with elected officials or staff of the Cumberland County Board of Education
regarding this procurement is strictly prohibited.
● All technical or procedural questions must be submitted exclusively to the designated
point of contact identified in Section XII.
● Any violation of this mandate will result in immediate, non-appealable
disqualification of the submitting firm.
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