Bowen Branch & Brushy Fork Streambank Stabilization

City of Winston-Salem
Request for Letters of Interest and Statements of Qualifications
RFQ26246
issue date: 6.15.2026
Proposals shall be complete and comply with the requirements listed herein. Page
limit is in accordance with Page Allowance Table in Section IV, FORMAT FOR
SUBMISSION OF QUALIFICATIONS
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Submit proposals electronically in PDF
format only by 12:00 noon, July 2, 2026 to Craig Nursey, P.E., at
craign@cityofws.org and to bids@cityofws.org. Proposals received after
this date and time will not be considered.
THE CITY OF WINSTON-SALEM DESIRES TO ENGAGE QUALIFIED ENGINEERING FIRMS
FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING DESIGN SERVICES FOR STREAMBANK STABILIZATION
OF BRUSHY FORK CREEK AND BOWEN BRANCH GREENWAY REPAIRS
Project Summary: The City of Winston-Salem's Engineering Division is inviting proposals from qualified
engineering firms interested in providing plans and specifications for competitive bidding to provide design
services for the repair and stabilization of approximately 2,000 linear feet of stream bank and channeling
along Bowen Branch between Bowen Boulevard and New Walkertown Road. This work includes design
and permitting for grading severely eroded creek banks, installing erosion control measures, installing grade
control (natural stone) structures, planting native plants (trees, shrubs, and plugs) removing trees as
necessary and reseeding.
All questions concerning this Request for Letters of Interest (RFLOI), Request for Qualifications (RFQ) or
Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) [collectively referred to as RFLOI, RFQ, or SOQ] or the scope of
services should be submitted in writing to Craig Nursey at the email address above by the End of Question
period of 12:00pm, June 23, 2026.
This RFQ will in no manner be construed as a commitment on the part of the City to award a contract. The
City reserves the right to reject any or all applications; to waive minor irregularities in the RFQ process or
in the applications; to re-advertise this RFQ; to postpone or cancel this process; select and procure parts of
services; and/or to change or modify the RFQ schedule at any time.
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SECTION 1: NOTICE TO PROPOSERS - City of WS Policies:
It is the policy of the City that an employee, officer, or agent of City may not participate in any manner in
the bidding, awarding, or administering of contracts in which they, or a member of their immediate family,
their business partner, or any organization in which they serve as an officer, director, trustee, or employee,
has a financial interest.
The successful proposer must comply with all provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
the Equal Employment Opportunity Act (EEOA), and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. By
submitting a proposal, the successful proposer agrees to indemnify the City from and against all claims,
suits, damages, costs, losses, and expenses in any manner arising out of, or connected with, the failure of
the Company, its subcontractors, agents, successors, assigns, officers, or employees to comply with the
provisions of the ADA, EEOA, or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
No special inducements will be considered that are not a part of the original bidding document.
City's Rights and Options
The City, at its sole discretion, reserves the following rights:
* To supplement, amend, substitute or otherwise modify this RFQ at any time
* To cancel this RFQ with or without the substitution of another RFQ
* To take any action affecting this RFQ, this RFQ process, or the services subject to this RFQ that
would be in the best interests of the city
* To issue additional requests for information
* To require one or more service providers to supplement, clarify, or provide additional information
in order for the city to evaluate the responses submitted
* To share the Proposals with City employees other than the Evaluation Committee or City advisory
committees as deemed necessary
* To award all, none, or any part of the Services that is in the best interest of the city, with one or
more of the Service Providers responding, which may be done with or without re-solicitation.
* To discuss and negotiate with selected Service Provider(s) any terms and conditions in the Proposals
including but not limited to financial terms
* To negotiate a contract with a service provider based on the information provided in response to this
RFQ
Public Records
Any material submitted in response to this RFQ will become a "public record" once the proposer's
document(s) is opened and the proposer is determined to be a participant in the solicitation process and
shall be subject to public disclosure consistent with Chapter 132, North Carolina General Statutes.
Proposals submitted under this Section shall not be subject to public inspection until a contract is awarded
N.C.G.S 143-129.8(d).
Trade Secrets/Confidentiality
Proposers must claim any material that qualifies as "trade secret" information under N.C.G.S. 66152(3) in
their response to this RFQ and must state the reasons why such exclusion from public disclosure is necessary
and legal.
To properly designate material as trade secret under these circumstances, each Proposer must take the
following precautions: (a) any trade secrets submitted by a Proposer should be submitted in a separate,
sealed envelope marked "Trade Secret - Confidential and Proprietary Information - Do Not Disclose Except
for the Purpose of Evaluating this Proposal," and (b) the same trade secret/confidentiality designation
should be stamped on each page of the trade secret materials contained in the envelope.
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Do not attempt to designate your entire proposal as a trade secret, and do not attempt to designate
pricing information as a trade secret. Doing so may result in your bid being disqualified.
In submitting a proposal, each Proposer agrees that the City may reveal any trade secret materials contained
in such response to all City staff and City officials involved in the selection process, and to any outside
consultant or other third parties who assist City in the selection process. Furthermore, each Proposer agrees
to indemnify and hold harmless the City and each of its officers, employees, and agents from all costs,
damages, and expenses incurred in connection with disclosing any material, which the Proposer has
designated as a trade secret.
The City reserves the right to make all final determination(s) of the applicability of North Carolina General
Statutes 132-1.2, Confidential Information.
Familiarity with Laws and Ordinances
The submission of a proposal on the services requested herein shall be considered as a representation that
the Proposer is familiar with all federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, rules, and regulations which affect
those engaged or employed in the provision of such services, or which in any way affects the conduct of
the provision of such services; and no plea of misunderstanding will be considered on account of ignorance
thereof. If the Proposer discovers any provisions in the RFQ documents that are contrary to or inconsistent
with any law, ordinance, or regulation, it shall be reported to the City in writing without delay.
The Proposer agrees that in carrying out this contract, compliance will be maintained with all applicable
federal, state, and local laws, specifically including, without limitations, the Occupational Safety and Health
Act of 1970 and Section 1324A, the Immigration Reform and Control Act.
The Proposer certifies that the proposal is made in good faith and without collusion with any person making
a proposal or with any officer or employee of the City.
The undersigned further agrees, in connection with the performance of this contract, not to discriminate
against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, gender, age, handicap,
political affiliation, or national origin.
Proposals are to be signed by an officer of the company authorized to bind the submitter to its provisions.
Failure to manually sign the appropriate proposal form will disqualify the proposer and the proposal will
not be considered.
Ethics Policy / Code of Conduct
The City of Winston-Salem has established guidelines for ethical standards of conduct for City
representatives and to provide guidance in determining what conduct is appropriate in particular cases. City
representatives should maintain high standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, honesty, and fairness in
carrying out public duties; avoid any improprieties in their roles as public servants including the appearance
of impropriety; and never use their position or power for improper personal gain. In establishing an ethics
policy, the City of Winston-Salem desires to protect the public against decisions that are affected by undue
influence, conflicts of interest, or any other violation of these policies as well as promote and strengthen
the confidence of the public in their governing body. For a complete review of the City Policy as it relates
to this solicitation, click the following link. https://www.cityofws.org/820/Procurement-Guidelines
Stimulation of the Local Economy
In an effort to stimulate the local economy, foster development and promote efficiency in the provision of
city services and the completion of various city projects, the City of Winston-Salem has undertaken an
initiative to strongly encourage all parties contracting with the City of Winston-Salem to evaluate their
internal operations and hiring practices and, where appropriate, to initiate efforts to stimulate the local
economy by hiring applicants and contractors from the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Area and by
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utilizing minority and women contractors and service providers. Such efforts to stimulate the local
economy may be accomplished by posting job vacancies with the North Carolina Employment Security
Commission, the Piedmont Triad Regional Council of Governments, and the Winston-Salem Urban
League; and utilizing the State of North Carolina Office for Historically Underutilized Business database
(https://evp.nc.gov/vendors) or other local resources such as the City of Winston-Salem M/WBE Program
to identify Winston-Salem/Forsyth County based contractors and subcontractors. Stimulation of the local
economy requires a collaborative effort of both the public and private sector. The city is committed to taking
reasonable steps to achieve said goal.
Iran Divestment Act
Provider hereby certifies that it is not on the North Carolina State Treasurer's list of persons engaging in
business activities in Iran, prepared pursuant to NCGS 147-86.58, nor will Provider utilize on this
agreement any subcontractor on such list.
Divestment from Companies that Boycott Israel
Contractor hereby certifies that it is not on the North Carolina State Treasurer's list of companies engaged
in a boycott of Israel in violation of NCGS 147-86.80 et. seq. and that it will not utilize on this agreement
any subcontractor on said list.
E-Verify Compliance
Per N.C.G.S. 143-133.3 CONTRACTOR shall comply with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of
the North Carolina General Statutes. Further, if the CONTRACTOR utilizes a subcontractor, the
CONTRACTOR shall require the subcontractor to comply with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64
of the North Carolina General Statutes."
Right to Audit
To confirm compliance with the terms of this Agreement, the City's MWBE program, local, state, and
federal laws and regulations, the City may, at all reasonable times upon reasonable prior notice during
usual business hours, inspect, audit and examine for a period up to five (5) years after completion of the
service or project detailed in this Agreement, all accounts and books of Contractor and, where necessary,
make copies of the Contractor's documents necessary to determine compliance. Such right may be
exercised through any agent or employee of City or by independent certified public accountants designated
by the City. The Contractor shall permit the aforementioned inspection, audit and examination, and where
necessary, the City to make copies of documents verifying compliance as indicated herein."
Qualifications
Pursuant to N.C.G.S. Chapter 55 Article 15 entitled Foreign Corporations, the successful bidder, if bidding
on behalf of a corporation or LLC, must have on file with the Secretary of State of the State of North
Carolina a Certificate of Authority to transact business in this state. If bidding on behalf of a sole
proprietorship or business under an assumed name, the successful bidder must be registered as such with
the Forsyth County Register of Deeds. Submission of a bid while not in compliance with this requirement
will result in the bid being rejected as non-responsible.
Termination
Unless otherwise agreed upon in writing by the parties, this Agreement may be terminated by either party
for convenience with no less than ten (10) calendar days' notice. In the event of termination, the Contractor
will be paid for all Services properly rendered to the date of termination and shall promptly discontinue all
Services affected (unless a termination notice from the City directs otherwise). In the event of any
termination, the Contractor will be paid for all Services properly rendered to the date of termination and
shall (i) promptly discontinue all Services affected (unless a termination notice from the City directs
otherwise); and (ii) deliver to the City all documents, data, reports, estimates, summaries, and such other
information and materials as may have been accumulated by the Contractor in performing the Services
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herein. Other than being paid for Services properly rendered to the date of termination, Contractor hereby
waives any and all other claims for lost profits, lost opportunity, and for any and all other direct, indirect,
special, and consequential damages. In the event that the City terminates this Agreement due to the
Contractor's poor workmanship, failure to perform the Service set out herein or, otherwise, for breach of
this Agreement, or in the event that the Contractor terminates this Agreement for convenience or otherwise,
the City may pursue and recover all remedies available at law or in equity, as these remedies are cumulative
and do not exclude each other.
IMPORTANT: Winston-Salem City Code (Chapter 2, Article 1, Sec. 2-3) provides that the City may
disqualify any business from bidding on contracts of the City if a business fails to perform satisfactorily on
past or current projects.
Nondiscrimination Ordinance
As a condition of entering into this contact, the Contractor represents and warrants that it will fully comply
with the City's Non-Discrimination Policy, as set forth in Chapter 2, Section 2-8 Entitled "Policy of
Nondiscrimination" of the Winston-Salem City Code. As part of such compliance, the Contractor shall not
discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,
gender expression, pregnancy, veteran status, disability, age, marital status, familial status, protected
hairstyle, political affiliation or national origin in the screening of applicants, the hiring and treatment of its
employees, the provision of the goods and/or services set forth herein, or the solicitation, selection, hiring,
or treatment of its subcontractors, vendors or suppliers, (hereinafter collectively "subcontractors"), if any,
in connection with this contract or the contract solicitation process if applicable, nor shall the Contractor
retaliate against any person or entity for reporting instances of such discrimination. The Contractor shall
enact employment policies consistent with this obligation to refrain from such discrimination and shall
provide evidence of such to the City within 90 calendar days of the first receipt of City funds. The Contractor
shall provide equal opportunity for subcontractors to participate in all of its subcontracting and supply
opportunities, if any, under this contract, provided that nothing contained in this clause shall prohibit or
limit otherwise lawful efforts to remedy the effects of marketplace discrimination that has occurred or is
occurring in the marketplace. The Contractor understands and agrees that a violation of this clause shall be
considered a material breach of this contract and may result in termination of this contract, disqualification
of the Contractor from participating in future City contracts pursuant to Winston-Salem City Code Section
2-3 or other sanctions. Furthermore, as a condition of entering into this contract, the Contractor agrees to:
(a) promptly provide to the City in a format specified by the City all information and documentation that
may be requested by the City from time to time regarding the screening of applicants, the hiring and
treatment of its employees particularly if City funds were used in connection with hiring and compensation
process, and the solicitation, selection, treatment and payment of subcontractors, if any, in connection with
this Agreement; and (b) if requested, provide to the City within sixty days after the request a truthful and
complete list of the names of all subcontractors that the Grantee has used under this contract, including the
total dollar amount paid by the Contractor on each subcontract or supply contract. The Contractor further
agrees to fully cooperate in any investigation conducted by the City pursuant to the City's
Nondiscrimination Policy, to provide any documents, relevant to such investigation, that are requested by
the City. The Contractor agrees to provide to the City from time to time on the City's request, payment
affidavits detailing the amounts paid by the Contractor to subcontractors and suppliers in connection with
this contract within a certain period of time. Such affidavits shall be in the format specified by the City
from time to time. Nothing in this contract shall negate or diminish the requirements of the City's MWBE
program. Nothing in this contract shall infringe upon any rights afforded to the Contractor by state or federal
law.
End of Section 1: Notice To Proposers - City of WS Policies
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SECTION 2: SCOPE OF SERVICES
The Bowen Branch Greenway Stream Restoration Project seeks to restore, stabilize and enhance a stream
reach of Brushy Fork Creek located adjacent to the Bowen Branch Greenway in Winston-Salem, NC.
Sedimentation is resulting from streambank erosion and channel head cutting along the stream channels,
and the streambank erosion is causing extensive downstream migration of sediment and associated
nutrients, as well as damage to the adjacent greenway. This project will restore and enhance approximately
2,000 linear feet of stream to significantly reduce stream bank erosion and improve water quality and
aquatic habitat, and repair adjacent greenway and drainage infrastructure.
This project will need to address the stream restoration and enhancements to be in harmony with the
adjacent properties and to protect adjacent public and private utility infrastructure. Stream Bank
Stabilization and Restoration work will be completed using natural channel design methodology. All
designs must comply with the requirements of local, state, and federal regulatory agencies.
The awarded firm will prepare recommendations to protect the greenway and other infrastructure from
stream erosion and improve the water quality of the stream. The design could include assessing and
evaluating the existing conditions of the stream bank and greenway, feasibility studies, detailed
construction drawings, and specifications for stream bank stabilization; stream restoration; stream and
greenway repair or relocation.
This is not intended to be all-inclusive, nor is it guaranteed that all of the above tasks will be utilized. A
more defined Scope of Work will be developed during negotiation with the selected firm.
End of Section 2: Scope of Services
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SECTION 3 - FORMAT FOR SUBMISSION OF A LETTER OF INTEREST
Firms submitting proposals are encouraged to carefully check them for conformance to the requirements
identified herein. All qualified firms who submit responsive proposals will be considered. If, however,
a proposal does not meet these requirements, they will be disqualified, and no exceptions will be granted.
Do NOT submit fee information with your proposal!
FORMAT FOR SUBMISSION:
Submit only electronic proposals in PDF format only, as noted on Page 1. To ensure delivery, proposals
larger than 20 MB in size should be split into Part 1, Part 2, etc. All Letters of Interest should be limited
to eighteen (18) pages including the cover sheet, unless more than 5 pages are needed to document good
faith efforts related to the M/WBE goal or M/WBE certification in another state.
Each LOI/SOQ should be assembled as follows:
Section I - Cover/Introductory Letter
The introductory letter should be addressed to: Craig Nursey, Civil Engineering Project Coordinator
City of Winston-Salem Engineering Department
P.O. Box 2511
Winston-Salem, NC 27102
The letter should be no more than two (2) pages and should contain the following information:
* Expression of firm's interest in executing the work noted;
* Statement of any possible conflicts of interest;
* Summation of information contained within the letter of interest, including an email address, street
address and telephone number for the firm's contact person.
* General information about the firm, including the number of years in business;
* Location of office or offices where the work is to be performed;
Section II -Staffing Information
This section is limited to four (4) pages and should contain the following information:
* Organizational chart indicating personnel to be assigned to this project; include discipline and list
availability;
* Resumes or documentation outlining the unique qualifications/experience of key team members;
* Identify project personnel/sub-consultants' qualifications, experience, and availability;
Section III -Project Understanding and Similar Projects
This section is limited to seven (7) pages and should contain the following information:
* Understanding of this project (site conditions, greenway design, etc.);
* Anticipated approach to problems commonly discovered for projects of this type and magnitude;
* Proposed schedules (number of weeks) for completion of design, including revisions from review
by the City, and then bidding documents;
* Descriptions and visuals of similar projects performed within the last 10 years, especially for
municipalities. Provide owner name, contact email, location, year completed, and project budget
versus actual cost;
Section IV - MWBE Affidavit of Minority Participation/Good Faith Efforts
This section is limited to five (5 pages), unless additional pages are required to show good faith efforts, and
should contain the following information:
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* Identification of Business Participation- must be submitted with your letter of interest if your firm
will employ any sub-consultants on this project; and
* Good Faith Efforts; -OR-
* Form B - Intent to Perform Contract with Own Workforce, if the proposer intends to perform 100%
of the work required for the contract without the use of sub-consultants.
Please note that the 10% goal for participation by minority and women-owned businesses established
for this service applies to each project.
Note: If unsure of which specific M/WBE document is required for your response, contact
Gwendolyn Teal, Diversity Compliance Specialist at gwendolynt@cityofws.org or by phone
at 336-747-7459.
Section V -Client Satisfaction/References
This section is limited to one (1) page. Provide at least three (3) references relevant to the project scope.
Reference information should include name, title/position, email address and office and/or mobile phone
number. (References are not required to currently be employed by the project client but should be able to
substantiate the firm's performance on the project/contract.) The City intends to contact these references to
assess previous client satisfaction with similar work, therefore the City highly recommends submitters
ensure the reference's contact information is up-to-date and reference is willing to respond to the City's
outreach. References will be asked to assess not only the technical work conducted in the specific category,
but also the firm's ability to manage assigned tasks, e.g., responsiveness to client inquiries, meet established
timelines, fidelity and timeliness of invoices and other administrative activities.
Any letters of recommendation, evaluation forms, or other forms of recommendation from references can
be included here, but within the one (1) page limit.
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SECTION 4 - SELECTION and EVALUATION CRITERIA:
All qualified firms who submit responsive Letters of Interest will be considered. The evaluation of these
firms will be based on the Evaluation Criteria in this Section below and if the firm meets the MWBE goals,
self performs all work or submits documentation showing that it has made a Good Faith Effort to meet the
established goals.
The City will select firms to provide professional services based on demonstrated competence and
qualifications in accordance with applicable North Carolina statutes governing the procurement of
professional services.
The City of Winston-Salem reserves the sole right to award a contract or contracts to the most qualified
firm(s) on the basis of best overall proposal most advantageous to the City. The City of Winston-Salem is
therefore not bound to accept a proposal on the basis of lowest price. The City of Winston-Salem also
reserves the right to make multiple awards, based on experience and qualifications if it is deemed in the
City's best interest.
Evaluation of submittals will be conducted by a committee comprised of City staff. The committee may
include representatives from the Office of the City Engineer, the Winston-Salem Department of Recreation
and Parks, WS/Forsyth County Utilities, Stormwater, and other departments as appropriate. Proposals will
be evaluated based on the firm's ability to meet the requirements of this RFQ, including overall experience,
past performance, project management skills and capabilities, knowledge and familiarity with the type of
services required, qualifications and experience of proposed staff (including sub-consultants), capacity to
perform the work in a timely manner, and demonstrated commitment to meeting established MWBE goals.
General questions regarding the selection process may be directed to the project engineer identified in this
solicitation.
The City will conduct a fair and impartial evaluation of all responsive submittals received. The City reserves
the right to request clarifications or additional information from any firm regarding its submittal. The
selected firm will be notified by telephone. All responsive firms will be notified by email of the final
selection results. Once a firm is selected, a detailed scope of services, and associated fee proposal, and
implementation schedule will be refined, agreed to and once signed, will be identified and attached to the
City's standard professional services agreement. The successful bidder for this project will be required to
execute the City's "Professional Services Agreement". A copy of this document can be provided upon
request.
Insurance. The selected firm(s) will be required to furnish proof of Professional Liability insurance
coverage in the minimum amount of $1,000,000.00 per claim. The firm(s) must have an adequate
accounting system to identify costs chargeable to the project. The City of Winston-Salem MUST be named
as additional insured on the certificate of insurance supplied to the City.
Any firm wishing to be considered must be properly registered with the Office of the North Carolina
Secretary of State and with the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors
(NCBELS). Any firm proposing to use corporate subsidiaries or subcontractors must include a statement
that these companies are properly registered with the NCBELS and/or the NC Board for Licensing of
Geologists (NCBLG). The Engineer(s) performing the work and in responsible charge of the work must
be a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) in the State of North Carolina and must have a good ethical and
professional standing. It will be the responsibility of the selected private firm(s) to verify the registration
of any corporate subsidiary or subcontractor prior to submitting an LOI. Firms which are not providing
engineering services need not be registered with the NCBELS. Some of the services being solicited may
not require a license. It is the responsibility of each firm to adhere to all laws of the State of North Carolina.
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Title VI Nondiscrimination Notification. The City of Winston-Salem in accordance with Title VI of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal
Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination
in Federally-assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby
notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this
advertisement, minority business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to
this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in
consideration for an award.
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