4. #26-1014 - Request for Qualifications - Engineering Services for...

Location:	North Carolina
Posted:	Apr 7, 2026
Due:	May 5, 2026
Agency:	Catawba County
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	C - Architect and Engineering Services - Construction
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

ENGINEERING SERVICES

SANITARY SEWER FORCE MAIN CONVEYANCE SYSTEM PROJECT

RFQ NO. 26-1014

Date of Issue: April 7, 2026

Qualifications Statement Due Date: May 5, 2026

Time: 5:00 PM ET

Issued for:

Catawba County Utilities & Engineering

Water and Sewer Division

25 Government Drive

Newton, North Carolina 28658

(828) 465-8261

Issued by:

Catawba County Purchasing Manager

25 Government Drive

Newton, North Carolina 28658

(828) 465-8224

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INTRODUCTION

Catawba County (hereinafter “County”) is soliciting the submittal of qualification

statements from experienced Engineering Firms (hereinafter “Firm”) interested in

providing services for the development of a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER)

including route alternatives, project cost estimates, environmental impacts, etc.;

Engineering design including all necessary drawings and specifications; All necessary

permitting; Project bidding and award; Construction Administration and inspection

services, for a force main sanitary sewer conveyance system project estimated to be

22,000 linear feet to 61,000 linear feet in distance connecting to the Future Slanting

Bridge Sanitary Sewer Lift Station to the existing Hickory-Catawba Wastewater

Treatment Plant. The Conveyance System will be designed to convey 1.5 MGD, and

expandible to convey 3.0 MGD. This project is anticipated to include work within and

outside the NCDOT right-of-way. The property acquisition for this project will be

performed by others, but the Firm will be asked to obtain permits to locate the

conveyance system in NCDOT right-of-way where applicable. Eligible firms must have

demonstrated experience in the wastewater project development from PER through

project certification.

Catawba County reserves the right to reject any and all submittals. This submittal

request is neither a contractual offer nor a commitment to purchase services. The

County assumes no contractual obligation as a result of the issuance of this request,

the preparation or submission of a qualifications statement by a Firm, the evaluation

of statements or final selection.

PURPOSE

This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is being issued by County for the purpose of

soliciting Statements of Qualifications from firms for providing services for the design

and construction administration and inspection for a force main sanitary sewer

conveyance project in the southeastern part of Catawba County.

RFQ SCHEDULE

The table below shows the intended schedule for this RFQ. Catawba County will make

every effort to adhere to this schedule.

Event

Issue RFQ

Submitted Written Questions

Provide Responses to Questions

Submit Proposals

Contract Award

Contract Effective Date

Responsibility

County

Firms

County

Firms

County

Date and Time

April 7, 2026

April 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM

April 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM

May 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM

TBA

Upon execution

The qualifications statement shall be submitted no later than 5:00 PM on May 5,

2026. No submittals will be accepted after the deadline.

Once the submittals have been reviewed, the County reserves the right to shortlist

Firm(s) and request that the Firm(s) conduct a presentation and be interviewed by the

selection committee.

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RFQ QUESTIONS

Written questions shall be emailed to tinawright@catawbacountync.gov by the date and

time specified above. Firms should enter “RFQ # 26-1014 – Questions” as the subject

for the email. Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, the County’s

response, and any additional terms deemed necessary by the County will be posted in

the form of an addendum to the Catawba County website,

https://www.catawbacountync.gov/county-services/purchasing/bid-notices/ and

shall become an Addendum to this RFQ. No information, instruction or advice provided

orally or informally by any County personnel, whether made in response to a question

or otherwise in connection with this RFQ, shall be considered authoritative or binding.

Firms shall rely only on written material contained in an Addendum to this RFQ.

SUBMISSION OF QUALIFICATIONS

The qualifications statement must be submitted with one (1) original, one (1) copy and

one (1) electronic copy on flash drive. When responding to this RFQ, please follow all

instructions carefully. Please submit proposal contents according to the outline

specified. Failure to follow these instructions may be considered a non-responsive

submission and may result in immediate elimination from further consideration. The

qualifications statement should be sent to the address indicated in the table below.

Mailing address for delivery of

proposal via US Postal Service

RFQ Number: RFQ 26-1014

Catawba County Government Center

Attn: Purchasing Department

Post Office Box 389

Newton, North Carolina 28658

Office Address of delivery by any

other method (hand delivery,

overnight, or any other carrier)

RFQ Number: RFQ 26-1014

Catawba County Government Center

Attn: Purchasing Department

25 Government Drive

Newton, North Carolina 28658

IMPORTANT NOTE: All qualifications shall be physically delivered to the office address

listed above on or before the submission deadline in order to be considered timely,

regardless of the method of delivery. This is an absolute requirement. All risk of late

arrival due to unanticipated delay—whether delivered by hand, U.S. Postal Service,

courier or other delivery service is entirely on the Firm(s). It is the sole responsibility of

the Firm to have the qualifications physically in this Office by the specified time and

date of opening.

BACKGROUND

History of Utilities in the SECC

The Catawba County Board of Commissioners (BOC) has long recognized the role of

proactive infrastructure planning in establishing and maintaining a climate conducive

to fostering quality growth and development. Over time, the BOC has governed in such

a way that acknowledges the support role played by water and sewer infrastructure in

facilitating and enabling market-driven development, rather than pushing or propelling

that growth. In the early 2000’s, through an extensive public process involving design

charrettes and citizen-based committees, Catawba County developed the Sherrills Ford

Small Area Plan, in which the need for water and sewer investment and the notion of

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land use driving infrastructure requirements was explicitly laid out. This Land Use Plan

was updated in 2024.

The BOC also has a strong and long-standing tradition of partnership and collaboration.

As such, Catawba County operates a water and sewer utility system through a series of

partnership agreements involving municipalities within the region. Catawba County

offers these services to its citizens through contract with partner jurisdictions for

maintenance and operation of water and sewer systems, participating in various cost-

share models for the funding of line extensions and infrastructure investments to

support this approach. This series of agreements, some of which are specifically

discussed below, has evolved over time to yield a service delivery system whereby County

residents and businesses are afforded access to utilities provided by the County’s

municipal partners on behalf of the County.

WATER

The City of Hickory is the primary supplier of drinking water to the citizens of Catawba

County. As such, Catawba County entered into a contract with the City of Hickory in

August of 2000 for the provision of long-term supply of municipal water to Southeastern

Catawba County (SECC) through 2040. Thus, the SECC water distribution loop was a

needed benefit for the citizens of the SECC area, the towns of Maiden and Catawba, and

the cities of Claremont and Conover, ensuring the continuous flow of drinking water by

providing a fortified distribution system. All cities could benefit from the SECC loop in

the event of a catastrophic event involving their water distribution systems.

The SECC water distribution loop was developed in three separate, but co-dependent

phases. Between 2000 and 2016, Catawba County, in partnership with City of Hickory,

constructed the water loop from the Conover interconnect, south along Sherrills Ford

Road to NC Highway 150. From NC Highway 150, the waterline continued to East

Maiden Road and Olivers Cross Roads, eventually interconnecting with Hickory’s water

system on Startown Road.

SEWER

While the final phase of water was under construction, the County began to extend

sewer lines in the SECC area in an effort to expand service and spur economic

development, primarily along the NC Highway 150 corridor. Sewer infrastructure began

in 2010 with the northern section, a series of pump stations and force mains from

Sherrills Ford Elementary School along Mollys Backbone Road, then along Brown

Chapel Road, eventually connecting with City of Hickory’s sewer system at the Hickory-

Catawba Wastewater Treatment Plant. Sewer service then expanded along the NC

Highway 150 corridor with a series of gravity sewers, pump stations and, force main

sewers connecting to the northern project at Sherrills Ford Elementary School. Sewer

along the NC Highway 150 corridor was completed in 2019.

While the sewer system along NC Highway 150 was under construction, the Hickory-

Catawba Wastewater Treatment Facility expanded to 1.5 million gallons per day.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The Firm shall provide professional engineering services to assist with the following:

Finding a sanitary sewer force main route from the future site of the Slanting Bridge

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Sanitary Sewer Lift Station to the Hickory-Catawba Wastewater Treatment Plant. The

force main will be designed to convey 1.5 MGD upon completion and be expandable to

3.0 MGD. The consultant selected for this project shall prepare design plans and

specifications for force main; Obtain all necessary permits; Prepare bid documents and

assist with bidding the project; Assist the County in evaluating the bids; Provide

construction oversight and inspections services through the construction process; and

prepare the final record drawings for the project. The following tasks comprise the

general scope of work:

1. Project Kickoff Meeting

2. Develop Preliminary Engineering Report showing routing options and

discussing pros and cons of each

3. Survey selected route

4. Prepare any easement maps and descriptions needed for selected route

5. Prepare construction plans and specifications

6. Provide Assistance in preparation of bid documents

7. Provide assistance in responding to bid questions

8. Bid evaluation assistance and recommendation

9. Construction Kickoff Meeting

10. Contract Administration

11. Review submittals and answer RFIs

12. Provide construction oversite and inspection services

13. Review contractor’s invoices and make recommendation for payment

14. Prepare final record drawings in hardcopy and electronic/pdf format on a

flash drive. Electronic record drawings will include surveyed attributes for

inclusion in County’s GIS. Attributes include, but are not limited to, air

release valve location and pipe depth.

The list of tasks above is not meant to be a full description of the work, but a summary

breakdown of the scope in the design and construction of the gravity sewer.

CONTENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS STATEMENT

Respondents must carefully read the information in this “Contents of Qualifications

Statement” section and submit a complete Qualifications Statement responding to each

request for information. Incomplete Qualifications Statements will be considered non-

responsive and are subject to rejection.

Qualifications shall be submitted on 8-1/2 x 11 paper, side bound with Table of

Contents and reference tabs for key sections. Qualifications Statements shall be

limited to 30 pages, printed front and back.

The qualification statement must be submitted with one (1) original, one (1) copy and

one (1) electronic copy on flash drive.

Qualification Statement shall include the following information:

1. Introduction – Letter of Transmittal

• Summarize in a brief and concise manner the Firm’s understanding of the scope

of work and make a positive commitment to perform the work in a professional

and timely manner.

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This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

4. #26-1014 - Request for Qualifications - Engineering Services for Sanitary Sewer Force Main Conveyance System Project

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