AVIA RFQ 26-25 UST Incident 18989 Consulting and Remediation

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
FOR
AVIA 26-25
UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK
INCIDENT 18989 CONSULTING AND
REMEDIATION
DATE: June 8, 2026
(Nonfederal)
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I. INTRODUCTION
A. INVITATION TO PROPOSE
Pursuant to this Request for Qualifications ("RFQ"), Charlotte Douglas International Airport ("CLT" or
"Airport"), which is owned and operated by the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, is seeking statement of
qualifications ("SOQ") from qualified and experienced firms (individually or collectively, the "Firm")
interested to perform environmental consulting, engineering, and remedial services ("Work") particular to
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) Underground Storage Tank (UST) Section
Incident #18989, located at 5414 Airport Drive and properties adjacent (hereinafter referred to as the Site).
The adjacent properties may be owned by persons or entities other than the City of Charlotte. Tasks
performed under this scope will be directly related to NCDEQ guidance and directives (both current and
prospective) to address the presence, recovery, monitoring, and assessment of light non-aqueous phase
liquid (LNAPL) and associated hydrocarbons potentially located subsurface and/or on surface water,
potentially including the identification of the source of such pollutants. Specific details regarding this
incident and the Site can be found at: https://edocs.deq.nc.gov/WasteManagement/Welcome.aspx (the
"Work"). A full Scope of Work is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
The Work will be governed by a professional services agreement, a form copy of which is attached hereto
as Exhibit B (the "Agreement"). Firms are advised to carefully read and review the Agreement as they
prepare their SOQs in response to this RFQ. CLT reserves the right to revise the terms of the Agreement
at any time during the RFQ process and to negotiate different terms with the selected Firm.
Firms are encouraged to also carefully review all sections of this RFQ including all attachments and exhibits
as they prepare their SOQs. Failure to comply with the terms, conditions and requirements of this RFQ
may result in disqualification of the Firm in the sole discretion of CLT.
B. RFQ EXHIBITS
The following exhibits are attached to this RFQ and made part hereof:
Exhibit A Scope of Work
Exhibit B Form Professional Services Agreement
Exhibit C CBI Compliance Instructions and CBI Form #3
Exhibit D City Non-Discrimination Certification
C. RFQ SCHEDULE
DATE ACTIVITY (All times are ET)
June 8, 2026 Issue RFQ
June 24, 2026 Deadline for Submission of Written Questions by 5:00 pm
July 8, 2026 Proposals are Due by 2:00 pm
September 2026 City Council Date
November 1, 2026 Estimated Start Date
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CLT reserves the right to modify the deadline set forth in the above table in its sole discretion. Any such
modifications will be stated in an addendum as described in Section II. B below.
D. CHARLOTTE BUSINESS INCLUSION ("CBI") PROGRAM
The City has a long history of creating and implementing strategies to support and encourage local business
growth. In 2013, the City adopted the CBI Program to promote diversity, inclusion, and local business
opportunities in the City's contracting and procurement process for Minority, Women, and Small Business
Enterprises ("MWSBEs").
For this RFQ, the City will negotiate an MWSBE participation goal ("CBI Goal") with the selected Firm.
The CBI Goal will be made part of the selected Firm's Agreement. Firms are required to complete and
attach CBI Form #3 - Utilization Commitment to their SOQ. Please note, CBI Form #3 is the ONLY
CBI form that should be attached to the SOQ.
The selected Firm will be required to submit CBI Form #4 - Letter of Intent for each MWSBE the selected
Firm commits to use to meet the CBI Goal. Letters of Intent are due no later than three (3) business days
from the time they are requested by CLT, unless otherwise agreed by the parties. During the term of the
Agreement, the selected firm shall be required to submit CBI Form #6 - Payment Affidavit with each
invoice submitted to CLT for payment.
CBI Compliance Instructions and a form copy of CBI Form #3 are attached to this RFQ as Exhibit C.
The following information is available at the CBI website at www.charlottebusinessinclusion.com:
* A complete copy of the CBI Program;
* A complete list of registered MWSBEs; and
* Copies of all CBI forms.
E. TITLE VI SOLICITATION NOTICE (A5.3.1)
CLT, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C.
2000d to 2000d-4), 28CFR 50.3, and 49 CFR Part 21, hereby notifies all Firms that it will affirmatively
ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this RFQ, all contractors will be afforded full opportunity
to submit proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of
the owner's race, color, national origin, sex, creed,, age, or disability in consideration for an award.
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II. RFQ SELECTION PROCESS
A. POINT OF CONTACT
The point of contact for all submissions and correspondence regarding this RFQ will be as follows:
RFQ Project Manager - Ryan Lingholm
Email: ryan.lingholm@cltairport.com
Information related to this RFQ, including any addenda, will be posted to CLT's web-based Project
Management Information System (PMIS) Bid Portal using the link below. Written request for
clarification must be submitted electronically through the Bid Portal Q&A Board.
https://gateway.app.e-builder.net/app/bidders/landing?accountid=80fe0a4a-0c8f-4fcd-ac93-
cc9db65522cb&projectid=8636caaf-bcc9-4176-ab83-cc502ccc0396&bidpackageid=3072f824-33e2-
4236-8953-4d0388360433
B. INTERPRETATION AND ADDENDA
No interpretation or clarification regarding this RFQ will be made verbally to any Firm. Requests for
interpretation or clarification must be submitted electronically via the Bid Portal. When submitting a
request for interpretation or clarification, Firms are encouraged to reference the RFQ page and topic number
pertinent to the question(s). All questions must be submitted no later than the date and time stated in the
RFQ Schedule as the deadline for submission of questions. Any questions received after that time will not
be addressed.
Interpretations, clarifications and supplemental instructions from CLT will be in the form of a written
addendum, which will be posted to the CLT website at www.cltairport.com, select "Advertising for Bids
and Proposals," select "Business with CLT."
Only the written interpretations, clarifications or supplemental instructions set forth in the posted addenda
shall be binding, and Firms are warned that no other source is authorized to give information concerning,
explaining or interpreting this RFQ.
C. ATTEMPTS TO INFLUENCE THE SELECTION PROCESS
With the exception of written requests for interpretation or clarification submitted to the RFQ Project
Manager as described in Section II.B. above, Firms, including any and all persons acting on their behalf,
are strictly prohibited from contacting elected or appointed City officials, officers, or employees, on or
regarding any matter relating to this RFQ from the time the RFQ is issued until the start of the open business
meeting at which City Council is asked to approve the contract between the City and the selected Firm.
CLT reserves the right to disqualify any Firm who contacts a City or CLT official, employee,
representative, contractor, or agent concerning this RFQ other than in accordance with this section.
D. RFQ ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Firms shall thoroughly examine and become familiar with this RFQ, including forms, attachments, exhibits
and any addenda that may be issued. The failure or the neglect of a Firm to receive or examine any RFQ
document shall in no way relieve it from any obligation with respect to its SOQ or the obligations that flow
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from the submission and selection of an RFQ. No claim based upon a lack of knowledge or understanding
of any provision of this RFQ shall be allowed.
E. SELECTION CRITERIA AND MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Upon review and evaluation of all qualifying SOQs, including any interviews that the CLT may require,
the Evaluation Committee will select and recommend the Firm that, in its sole judgment, is most responsive
in meeting the requirements and objectives of this RFQ as set forth below.
1. Demonstrated Experience (Weight 30%)
a. Prime Firm. Demonstrated experience of the Prime Firm in providing similar services for
comparable airport projects within previous five (5) years; identify key qualifications,
certifications, credentials, and office locations where the work will be performed. Include the
Firm's North Carolina Wastewater/Groundwater Laboratory Certification from NCDEQ which
includes pH as a certified parameter.
b. Subconsultant Firm. Demonstrated experience of the Subconsultant Firms in providing similar
services for relevant projects in airports, transportation facilities, or similarly scaled or complex
facilities within previous five (5) years; identify key qualifications, certifications, credentials,
and office locations where the work will be performed.
c. List any and all contract terminations or scope withdrawals of services rendered within the
previous five (5) years.
d. Conflicts of Interest. List and describe any conflict of interest that may exist or that is
reasonably likely to arise. Include a statement of how the conflict(s) may be appropriately
mitigated and the steps the firm is willing to take in order to do so.
e. References: Include contact information for at least three non-CLT references, along with a
description of work for each reference.
2. Project Team (Weight 25%)
Identification of the project team that will be performing the Work, including:
a. The Water Pollution Control System Operators Certification Commission Physical Chemical
Grade 1 certified operator that will assume the role of Operator in Responsible Charge over the
facility;
b. Qualifications, certifications and other key credentials of each team member;
c. Demonstrated experience of each team member on comparable airport projects;
d. Geographic location of each team member; and
e. Current workload of each team member.
3. Proposed Approach (Weight 20%)
Approach to the performance of the Work and identification of key issues, considerations and
challenges specific to CLT.
a. Prepare a statement which describes the Proposer's understanding of the work involved in
performing the Scope of Work which is described in Exhibit A.
b. Discuss understanding of the proposed Scope of Work; the complexity, phasing, challenges,
and problems involved in planning and performing that work; approaches and philosophy for
dealing with problems; sensitivity; experience dealing with key issues; and, any additional
issues.
4. Resources (Weight 5%)
A description of the Firm's resources to complete Work, including without limitation: technical
resources, software, and hardware.
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a. Where applicable, ability to provide plans in AutoCAD and provide the City with drawing files
(See CAD Standards attached to the Form Professional Services Agreement);
b. Where applicable, ability to work with and provide Geographic Information System (GIS) files
compatible with the Airport's Airport Layout Plan (ALP) and other related GIS-based files;
c. Where applicable, the ability to provide graphics and renderings suitable for presentation at
meetings with elected officials, media events, public meetings, and printed and/or web-based
publications.
5. CBI Program (Weight 10%)
a. Provide a description of the Firm's proposed plan to comply with the CBI Program. The Firm
is required to submit a CBI Form #3 that lists each proposed MWSBE subcontractor that will
participate on the Work as described in I. (D) above.
6. SOQ Responsiveness and Completeness (Weight 10%)
a. Identify contract terminations and conflict of interest incidents within the previous 10 years at
CLT or other airports and explain circumstances.
b. Identify bankruptcies within previous 10 years and explain circumstances.
c. Identify pending claims or lawsuits between Firm and other airports and explain circumstances.
F. EVALUATION COMMITTEE AND AWARD OF CONTRACT
An Evaluation Committee will review all SOQs. As part of the evaluation process, the Evaluation
Committee may engage in discussions with any Firm to determine in greater detail the Firm's qualifications
and to learn about the Firm's proposed method of performance of the Work.
CLT may in its discretion schedule follow-up interviews with one or more Firms. During such interviews,
Firms will be required to present its qualifications and to respond in detail to any questions posed by the
Evaluation Committee. Firms will be notified in advance of the time and format of such interviews.
The Evaluation Committee will consider all relevant materials and information in making its selection. The
Evaluation Committee will select and recommend the Firm that it determines, in its sole discretion, is best
able to provide the Work.
CLT will inform the selected Firm that it has been selected, subject to final agreement between CLT and
the Firm on all terms and conditions of the Agreement. Upon Firm's execution of the Agreement, the
Aviation Director may submit it to City Council for approval. If CLT and the selected Firm are unable to
agree on the final terms, the selected Firm will be excused from further consideration and CLT may, at their
option, select another Firm.
The City Council may, in its sole and absolute discretion, accept or reject the recommendation of the
Evaluation Committee, Agreement, and supporting ancillary documents. The City shall have no
obligations under this RFQ until City Council has formally approved the award of the Agreement to
the selected Firm and the Agreement has been executed by both parties.
G. CONSENT TO INVESTIGATE
The selection of the Firm will be based on a thorough investigation of the proposals submitted in response
to this RFQ. As part of the selection process, CLT may request that Firms provide additional information,
including without limitation, financial records, certified bank statements or other company records relevant
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to the Evaluation Committees review of the proposals. By submitting an SOQ, each Firm consents to any
investigation CLT deems necessary.
H. DISQUALIFICATION OF PROPOSAL
Without in any way limiting CLT's right to reject any or all SOQs, Firms are advised that any of the
following may be considered as sufficient cause for the disqualification of a Firm and the rejection of an
SOQ: (i) failure to meet the eligibility requirements set forth in the Scope of Work; (ii) presence of an actual
or imminent conflict of interest that, in the City's sole discretion, is not subject to ready and sufficient
mitigation; (iii)submission of more than one SOQ by an individual, firm, partnership or corporation under
the same or different names, including the names it does business under; (iv) evidence of collusion among
Firms; or (v) improper communication as described in Section II. B. SOQs will be considered irregular and
may be rejected for omission, alterations of form, additions not called for, conditions, limitation,
unauthorized alternate proposals or other irregularities of any kind. All of the foregoing notwithstanding
CLT reserves the right to waive any irregularities in its sole discretion.
I. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
As stated in Section A above, the Work includes activities that relate to adjacent property owners as well
as users of City property that may both have been affected by, or may have contributed to North Carolina
Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) Underground Storage Tank (UST) Section Incident
#18989. The successful firm will be expected to perform all Work without regard to any effect or
implications that such Work may have for any legal entity other than the City of Charlotte. Proposing firms
are expected to perform any and all investigations necessary, based on the Site and any foreseeable related
areas, including adjacent property owners and users of CLT property, to determine if any conflict of interest
exists or could be reasonably expected to arise for them. That investigation will be summarized and
provided to the City in the Conflict of Interest Statement required by section III.(A)(2) below.
The City reserves the right to conduct its own investigation pursuant to Section G. above and to disqualify
a proposal due to an actual or imminent Conflict of Interest pursuant to Section G. above. Conflicts of
interest that may be appropriately mitigated or avoided will be considered and weighed as part of the
Evaluation pursuant to section E.1. above.
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III. PROPOSAL FORMAT AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
A. SOQ FORMAT
CLT desires all SOQs to be identical in format in order to facilitate the evaluation process. Failure to
comply with the format requirements set forth herein may result in rejection of the SOQ. SOQs must be
structured as follows:
1. Cover Page, should state the firm name and reference this RFQ.
2. Cover Letter, at a minimum, should include:
a. Contact information for the firm representative who will negotiate scope and fee.
b. Conflict of Interest Statement. A statement wherein the firm certifies that it has no conflict
of interest, real or apparent, direct or indirect, financial, relational, or organizational in
performing the Work. If there is any question that a conflict of interest of any nature,
exists, or is reasonably likely to arise, then a complete summary and explanation of the
conflict or potential conflict should be included in lieu of the certification.
c. Execution by a firm representative authorized to legally bind the firm.
d. Acknowledgement of addenda, if any.
3. A description of how the firm meets each of the Selection Criteria identified in Section II.E. above.
Please organize this section of the RFQ to clearly and completes address each of the selection
criteria described in Section II.E.
4. CBI Form # 3 should be submitted for this section, stating the MWSBE company(s) that selected
firm intends to use and a description of the scope of work for each MWSBE company identified,
EXCLUDING % or dollar values.
**CBI Form #3 is the ONLY CBI form that should be attached to the SOQ.
5. Commercial Non-Discrimination Certification - see Exhibit D.
B. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Firms must submit ONE (1) electronic version in searchable Adobe Acrobat .pdf format to the Bid Portal
no later than the date and time set forth in the RFQ Schedule above, according to CLT's clock.
All SOQs shall not exceed twenty (20) pages in 8 1/2" x 11" format, exclusive of cover pages, tab pages,
exhibits, and required forms, with all standard text no smaller than twelve (12) points. Failure of the firms
to organize the information required by this RFQ as outlined herein may result in CLT, at its sole discretion,
deeming the Firm non-responsive to the requirements of this RFQ. The Firm, however, may reduce the
repetition of identical information within several sections of the SOQ by making the appropriate cross-
references to other sections of the SOQ. Appendices shall not be allowed.
C. WITHDRAWAL OF SOQ; CORRECTION OF ERRORS
Withdrawal of an SOQ may occur at any time prior to the submission deadline as set forth in the RFQ
Schedule above, by written request, sent by email to the RFQ Project Manager. A request for withdrawal
will not be effective until CLT has confirmed, in writing, the receipt of such request. A request to withdraw
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an SOQ by telephone or facsimile shall not be considered a valid request to withdraw an SOQ. Withdrawal
of an SOQ by a Firm will not preclude the Firm's re-submission of a revised RFQ on or before the
submission deadline.
If Firm desires to amend a submitted SOQ before the submission deadline, Firm must follow the withdrawal
procedures described in this Section and resubmit the amended SOQ on or before the submission deadline.
Where there are corrections prior to submission, the Firm's representative signing the SOQ must initial
erasures or other corrections in the SOQ. The Firm further agrees that in the event of any obvious errors,
CLT reserves the right to waive such errors in its sole discretion.
D. PROPOSAL TERMS FIRM AND IRREVOCABLE
The signed SOQ shall be considered a firm offer on the part of the Firm. All SOQ responses (including all
statements, claims, declarations, prices and specifications in the SOQs) shall be considered firm and
irrevocable for purposes of contract negotiations unless specifically waived in writing by CLT. The
selected Firm should be prepared to have its SOQ and any relevant correspondence or documentation
incorporated into the Agreement, either in part or in its entirety, at CLT's election. Any false or misleading
statements found in the SOQ are grounds for disqualification of the Firm and termination of the Agreement.
This RFQ does not constitute an offer by CLT. No binding contract, obligation to negotiate, or any other
obligation shall be created on the part of CLT unless CLT and the Firm execute the Agreement following
award of such agreement by the City Council.
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IV. RFQ TERMS AND CONDITIONS
A. CLT's RIGHTS AND OPTIONS
CLT reserves the following rights, which may be exercised at CLT's sole discretion:
i. To supplement, amend, substitute, withdraw or otherwise modify this RFQ at any time;
ii. To issue additional requests for information;
iii. To require a Firm to supplement, clarify or provide additional information in order for CLT
to evaluate its SOQ;
iv. To conduct investigations with respect to the qualifications and experience of each Firm;
v. To waive any defect or irregularity in any SOQ received;
vi. To share the SOQs with City and/or CLT employees other than the Evaluation Committee
as deemed necessary;
vii. To award all, none, or any part of the scope of work set forth in this RFQ that is in the best
interest of CLT with or without re-solicitation;
viii. To discuss and negotiate with selected Firm(s) any terms and conditions in the SOQs;
ix. To enter into any agreement deemed by CLT to be in the best interest of CLT;
x. To reject any or all SOQs submitted; and
xi. To re-advertise for proposals using this RFQ or a different RFQ or solicitation.
B. ACCURACY OF RFQ AND RELATED DOCUMENTS
CLT assumes no responsibility for conclusions or interpretations derived from the information presented
in this RFQ, or otherwise distributed or made available during this selection process. In addition, CLT will
not be bound by or be responsible for any explanation, interpretation or conclusions of this RFQ or any
documents other than those provided by CLT through the issuance of addenda. In no event may a Firm rely
on any oral statement in relation to this RFQ.
Should a Firm find discrepancies or omissions in this RFQ or any other documents provided by CLT, the
Firm should immediately notify CLT of such discrepancy or omission in writing, and a written addendum
may be issued if CLT determines clarification necessary. Each Firm requesting a clarification or
interpretation will be responsible for delivering such requests to CLT as directed in Section II.B of this
RFQ.
C. FIRM'S COST OF PROPOSAL PREPARATION
Firms are responsible for any and all costs associated with the proposal process including, but not limited
to, the creation of the proposal and any interviews (if applicable). CLT will not accept any promotional
items as part of the proposal process and any such items included will either be discarded or, if so requested,
returned to the Firm at Firm's cost.
D. RIGHT TO TERMINATE NEGOTIATIONS / DISCUSSIONS
The Firm's participation in this process might result in CLT selecting the Firm to engage in further
discussions including the negotiation of the Agreement. The commencement of such discussions and
negotiations, however, does not signify a commitment by CLT to execute the Agreement or to continue
discussions and negotiations. CLT may terminate discussions and/or negotiations at any time and for any
reason prior to the award of a binding contract by the City Council, and either abandon the selection process
or select another Firm with whom to enter into negotiations.
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