Fairway Drive and Hospital Area Improvements

TOWN OF BOONE
REQUEST FOR LETTER OF INTEREST
THE TOWN OF BOONE DESIRES TO ENGAGE QUALIFIED PRIVATE ENGINEERING
FIRMS TO PROVIDE DESIGN, PERMITTING, BIDDING, CONSTRUCTION
ADMINISTRATION, AND INSPECTION SERVICES FOR NEW AND REPLACEMENT
PUBLIC WATER LINES.
Project Name: Fairway Drive and Hospital Area Improvements
The Town of Boone desires to engage a Private Engineering Firm (PEF) to provide design,
permitting, bidding, construction administration, and inspection services for new and
replacement public water lines along Fairway Drive and near Watauga Medical Center.
The Town of Boone is the official entity that will make decisions as to the selection of
engineering services.
Total project budget: $1,789,650.00
Source of grant funds: North Carolina Division of Water Infrastructure
The selected firm will report directly to the Town. The selected firm is to administer the
construction contract and ensure that all work is performed in accordance with the
contract and permit requirements.
The PEF will be responsible for providing engineers and technicians with the appropriate
skills and qualifications to ensure proper design, contract, and permit compliance. The
PEF will be directly responsible for oversight of the project for the Town. The PEF shall
indemnify and save harmless the Town for claims and liabilities resulting from negligence,
errors, or omissions of the PEF, including, but not limited to, the engineers, technicians, or
sub-consultants.
The private engineering firm must demonstrate the ability to provide construction
technicians with the appropriate skills and qualifications to perform inspection, materials
sampling, materials testing, surveying grade verification, documentation of pay
quantities, erosion control and permit compliance, safety compliance, and claims
avoidance.
Any firm wishing to be considered must be properly registered with the Office of the
Secretary of State and with the North Carolina Board of Registration for Professional
Engineers and Land Surveyors. Any firm proposing to use corporate subsidiaries or
subcontractors must include a statement that these companies are properly registered
with the NC Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. The
Engineers performing the work and in responsible charge of the work must be registered
Professional Engineers in the State of North Carolina and must have good ethical and
professional standing. It will be the responsibility of the selected private firm to verify the

registration of any corporate subsidiary or subcontractor prior to submitting a Letter of
Interest. The firm must have the financial ability to undertake the work and assume the
liability. The selected firm will be required to furnish proof of Professional Liability
insurance coverage in the minimum amount of $1,000,000. The firm must have an
adequate accounting system to identify costs chargeable to the project.
The proposed method of payment for this contract is lump sum.
The selection of a private engineering firm to provide the aforementioned services for this
specific project will be handled in accordance with the following process:
1. Submission by the private engineering firm of a Letter of Interest (LOI).
2. The town will review qualifications from the private engineering firm's
submittals.
3. The town will select a private engineering firm to provide the services
requested.
TIMING
The following are project milestone dates as set by the Division of Water Infrastructure
(DWI):
Milestone Date
Apply for all Necessary Permits ASAP
Bid and Design Package Submittal to DWI January 8, 2027
Bid and Design Package Approval by DWI July 9, 2027
Advertise Project, Receive Bids, Submit Bid October 8, 2027
Information, and Receive Authority to Award
Execute Construction Contract(s) January 7, 2028
The firm should include a statement in the letter of interest regarding the firm's ability to
meet the above milestones.
EVALUATION
Firms submitting LOIs to perform the work on this specific project will be evaluated based
on certain considerations. The following considerations will be utilized to select a firm
from those submitting an LOI:
1. The firm's experience, knowledge, familiarity, and past performance with public
water line design, modification, and construction inspection services - 40%
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2. The experience of the firm's proposed staff to perform the type of work required -
30%
3. The firm's understanding of the project-specific issues and its responsibility in
delivering services for the advertised project - 30%
North Carolina firms qualified to do the required work will be given priority consideration.
A North Carolina firm is a firm that maintains an office in North Carolina staffed with an
adequate number of employees judged by the Town to be capable of performing a
majority of the work required.
FORMAT FOR SUBMISSION OF A
TOWN OF BOONE
LETTER OF INTEREST
All letters of interest are limited to eight pages, inclusive of the cover sheet, and shall be
typed on 8 1/2" x 11" sheets, single-spaced, one-sided.
Section I - Cover/Introductory Letter
The introductory letter should be addressed to Joshua Eller, Deputy Public Works
Director. Said letter is limited to two pages and should contain the following elements of
information:
* Expression of the firm's interest in the work;
* Statement regarding the firm's possible conflict(s) of interest for the work;
* Statement regarding the firm's ability to meet the project milestone dates
listed above; and
* Summation of information contained in the letter of interest.
Section II - Evaluation Factors
This section is limited to three pages and should contain information regarding evaluation
and other factors listed in the advertisement such as:
* A brief synopsis of the firm's previous experience that is focused on the type of
project advertised for services (performed within the last seven years);
* The number of employees within the firm;
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* A brief description of the firm's approach to water line design, modification,
and construction administration, including the firm's understanding of its
responsibility concerning safety, contract administration, environmental
responsibility, claims, and project delivery;
* Experience with Division of Water Infrastructure-funded projects, including
record-keeping practices.
* The proposed personnel to be assigned to the work by discipline, and their
availability date on the project.
* Identify project personnel qualifications and experience as related to this work;
* Unique qualifications of key team members; and
* Any innovative approaches to be used.
Section III - Supportive Information
This section is limited to three pages and should contain the following
information:
* Capacity;
* Organizational chart indicating personnel to be assigned by discipline;
* The resumes of key personnel who are proposed to be assigned to the work;
* Names, classifications, and location(s) of the firms' North Carolina employees
and resources to be assigned to the advertised work;
* Other information.
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SUBMISSION OF LETTER OF INTEREST
Private engineering firms are invited to submit letters of interest for furnishing
engineering services to the Town by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 14, 2026. Letters of
interest received after this deadline will not be considered. Electronic submissions are
acceptable to the email address listed below.
Firms submitting letters of interest are encouraged to carefully check them for
conformance to the requirements stated above.
The mailing address is:
Town of Boone
Department of Public Works
Attn: Joshua Eller
321 East King Street
Boone, NC 28607
Or deliver to:
Town of Boone
Department of Public Works
Attn: Joshua Eller
321 East King Street
Boone, NC 28607
Or email to: Josh.Eller@boonenc.gov
Any questions concerning the advertisement should be directed to Joshua Eller at
Josh.Eller@boonenc.gov or by telephone at 828-268-6250.
If you feel the information provided is inadequate to submit a letter of interest, please
contact Joshua Eller, Deputy Public Works Director.
The Town is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages small, minority, and female-
owned businesses to submit qualifications.
NOTIFICATION
The firm selected will be notified by August 21, 2026. Notification will not be sent to
firms not selected.
The Town reserves the right to reject any and all Letters of Interest.
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