Geotechnical Services - Lake Orange Intake Tower Replacement Project

Location:	North Carolina
Posted:	Oct 27, 2025
Due:	Nov 21, 2025
Agency:	State Government of North Carolina
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	C - Architect and Engineering Services - Construction Z - Maintenance, Repair or Alteration of Real Property
Solicitation No:	367-OC5464
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Solicitation Number:	367-OC5464
Project Title:	Geotechnical Services - Lake Orange Intake Tower Replacement Project
Description:	Orange County, North Carolina is releasing this Request for Qualifications (hereafter ‘RFQ’) seeking responses from qualified Providers to provide professional services to Orange County (hereafter ‘County’) for the Lake Orange Intake Tower Replacement Project, hereinafter referred to as “the Project”. Geotechnical investigations are required to support the engineering design of the planned replacement of the existing intake tower.
Opening Date:	11/21/2025 2:00 PM
Posted Date:	10/27/2025
Status:	Open
Department:	COUNTY OF ORANGE


Solicitation Number * 367-OC5464	Department COUNTY OF ORANGE	Status Reason Open
Opening Date 2025-11-21T14:00:00.0000000	Posted Date * 2025-10-27T14:57:30.0000000Z	Commodity Code Design Services
Mandatory Conference/Site Visit 2025-11-05T05:00:00.0000000Z	Special Instructions https://www.orangecountync.gov/Bids.aspx	Solicitation Type * Select RFP IFB RFI
Owner Lenny Amaro
Description Orange County, North Carolina is releasing this Request for Qualifications (hereafter ‘RFQ’) seeking responses from qualified Providers to provide professional services to Orange County (hereafter ‘County’) for the Lake Orange Intake Tower Replacement Project, hereinafter referred to as “the Project”. Geotechnical investigations are required to support the engineering design of the planned replacement of the existing intake tower.

Attachments RFQ367 OC5464 GEOTECHNICAL SERVICES FOR THE LAKE ORANGE INTAKE TOWER - FINAL.pdf (3.09 MB)

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Finance and Administrative Services Department –

Purchasing Division

RFQ #367-OC5464

Request for Qualifications to

Provide Professional Geotechnical Services

Lake Orange Intake Tower Replacement Project

Orange County, North Carolina

Date of Issue: October 27, 2025

Proposal Opening Date: November 21, 2025

At 2:00 P.M. ET

Direct all inquiries concerning this RFQ to:

Jovana Amaro

Finance Manager-Purchasing

Phone: 919-245-2651

Email: finance-purchasing@orangecountync.gov

Electronic responses ONLY will be accepted for this solicitation.

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1. Purpose:

Orange County, North Carolina is releasing this Request for Qualifications (hereafter

‘RFQ’) seeking responses from qualified Providers to provide professional services to

Orange County (hereafter ‘County’) for the Lake Orange Intake Tower Replacement

Project, hereinafter referred to as “the Project”. Geotechnical investigations are required

to support the engineering design of the planned replacement of the existing intake tower.

The engineering design for the Project is currently contracted and ongoing with the

Engineer (Schnabel Engineering South, PC). The new intake tower will be located in

roughly the same location as the existing intake tower and will be integrated into the

existing 48-inch RCP barrel/outlet pipe which passes through the earthen dam.

The available budget for the scope of professional services as described in this RFQ

(i.e., Geotechnical Investigations) is approximately $100,000. Construction costs for the

intake tower replacement are expected to exceed $500,000.

2. Background:

The Lake Orange Dam (hereafter “the Dam”) is located at 1221 Lake Orange Road in

Hillsborough, North Carolina. The Dam was constructed in the late 1960s via an earthen

berm and concrete spillway/channel across the East Fork of the Eno River so as to create

Lake Orange, a +/-150-acre surface water impoundment located within the Neuse River

basin. The primary uses of Lake Orange are public water supply and maintenance of

minimum dry weather flows in the East Fork of the Eno River. Limited recreational

activities on Lake Orange are permitted as secondary uses. Lake Orange has a normal

pool elevation of 615-ft (MSL) and has a drainage area of approximately 5,850 acres.

The Dam structural height is approximately 40-feet with a normal pool freeboard of

approximately 15-feet. The Dam crest length is approximately 1,100-feet and the Dam

crest width is approximately 16-feet. The original construction of the Dam was funded via

issuance of County bonds. The County is the current owner and operator of Lake Orange

and the Dam. See Exhibit A for site location, driving directions and site photographs of

existing conditions along the existing intake tower.

The Lake Orange reservoir is classified by the North Carolina Department of

Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) as Water Supply II – Undeveloped (WS-II) surface

waters, with additional NCDEQ classifications as High Quality Waters (HQW) and

Nutrient Sensitive Waters (NSW). Descriptions of North Carolina surface water

classifications are viewable online at: https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-

resources/planning/classification-standards.

In 2011, the NCDEQ classified the Dam as a Class C (High Hazard) dam, as defined in

15A NCAC 2K.0105 (Classification of Dams). The High Hazard classification of the Dam

warrants that any/all proposed repairs or alterations to the Dam be reviewed and

approved by NCDEQ prior to construction, as defined in 15A NCAC 02K.0201 (Obtaining

Approval for Dam Construction, Repair, or Removal). The NCDEQ tracking number for

the Dam is ORANG-005.

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3. Scope of Services:

The scope of services generally consists of the following elements. Individual elements

as shown below may or may not be awarded and contracted, based on available budget:

A. Intake Tower Replacement Project and Geotechnical Needs

The existing intake tower is original to the 1967-1968 construction of Lake Orange

and has surpassed its useful design life. The Project will include but will not be limited

to: a water control plan (e.g., an engineered temporary coffer dam or Owner-approved

equal), demolition of the existing intake tower, construction of a new reinforced

concrete intake tower – constructed in-situ – with all appurtenances, including but not

limited to a tower security/intruder prevention gate, a pedestrian access

walkway/bridge, site access safety measures inclusive of OSHA-compliant handrails,

a primary lake drain gate/valve, a primary tower drain gate/valve, three (3)

intermediate lake level control gates/valves, manual and/or automated drain

gate/valve actuators, a lake level monitoring device (ultrasonic level gauge or Owner-

approved equal), a permanent rain gauge, OSHA-compliant tower access manway(s)

and fixed interior access ladder(s), programming and integration of applicable

appurtenances to the County’s existing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

(SCADA) system, erosion and sedimentation control measures, and site restoration.

No traffic control or site perimeter security measures will be required, as the existing

intake tower is fully contained within County property.

The services requested in this RFQ are specific to geotechnical exploration to better

characterize the subsurface conditions (depth to rock and stiffness of overburden

soils) around the existing intake tower to aid in the design of the replacement intake

tower and a temporary cofferdam for the construction of the replacement intake tower.

The drilling will also include a boring in the dam crest to provide soils data for the

evaluation of construction loads on the dam and to install an open-standpipe

piezometer with a flush-mount cover that is rated for traffic loads.

NOTE: The ideal Provider should have professional experience with barge or boat

based geotechnical drilling operations and experience or familiarity performing

geotechnical investigations associated with Class C (High Hazard) dams.

B. Detailed Scope - Geotechnical Investigation:

The successful Provider, once contracted with the County, will be required to deliver

the following general scope of work, on time and within available budget:

1. Location of onsite utilities in the vicinity of the intake tower via locate ticket

submittal to the public utility locator (i.e., NC811), prior to drilling.

2. Drilling management and observation with soil and rock core sampling, logging,

and laboratory tracking/testing. During the project, all work areas shall be kept

in a neat and orderly manner. All discarded items shall be placed immediately

into heavy duty trash bags and removed from the site on a daily basis.

Absolutely no litter shall be discarded at the site. At the completion of drilling,

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all scrap or abandoned equipment, materials, and/or supplies of any nature

generated by the Provider shall be removed from the site. Backfilling of

borings/holes shall be accomplished in the presence of the Engineer unless the

Subcontractor is advised otherwise.

3. Subsurface geotechnical exploration in support of the water control plan and

intake tower replacement design. A total of five (5) borings is requested; four

(4) of which are located within the reservoir body, and one (1) of which is

located on crest of the earthen dam near the intake tower. The borings located

within the reservoir will require barge or boat-based drilling operations and must

be backfilled by pumping the hole dry and grouting up to the depth of the

mudline. The single boring located on the earthen dam will be converted to a

2-inch diameter Schedule 40 PVC open standpipe piezometer with traffic rated

flush-mounted surface cover installed in the boring. See Exhibit D for boring

locations and depths.

4. Direct coordination with the Engineer for observation of drilling operations and

Engineer evaluation and selection of drilling samples for laboratory testing. Soil

laboratory testing will be performed in coordination with the Engineer

subsequent to completion of the drilling efforts and a summary report will be

provided to the Owner by the Engineer (under separate contract).

5. The soil testing will generally consist of moisture content, gradations, and

plasticity testing. Rock core collections will be subject to RQD (Rock Quality

Designation) methodology per ASTM D6032. The actual quantities and type of

laboratory tests will be determined by the Engineer based on the findings and

obtained soil samples from the geotechnical exploration performed by the

Provider. For budgeting purposes, we have assumed the following minimum

tests for the obtained soil samples:

• 15 Moisture Content (ASTM D2216)

• 10 Atterberg Limits (ASTM D4318)

• 10 Gradation plus Hydrometer (ASTM D422 & D7928)

6. The successful Provider will coordinate with the County Engineer and the

Engineer on the Project. The County Manager shall have final authority on all

decisions relative to the Project, contingent on the Board of County

Commissioners’ approval.

OWNER'S RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Provide access to and reproduction of all pertinent records maintained

by the County.

2. Payment of all associated permit fees.

3. Provide direction with regard to fundamental Project objectives.

4. Provide detailed specifications for drilling operations to the Provider as

part of the impending contract between the Provider and the Owner.

Specifications will include, but not be limited to: number of soil

samples, amount of rock coring, packer testing, sample preservation

and handling, sample disposition, etc.

5. General review of all materials submitted.

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6. Designate a county representative to interface with citizens and press

and coordinate any public relation issues (i.e., County Engineer).

7. Timely responses to questions from Provider.

8. Timely processing for payment, all properly submitted and documented

Applications for Payment.

PROJECT TIMELINE:

1. Completion of Geotechnical Investigations and delivery of collected

samples to the Engineer for laboratory testing:

AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Time is of the essence so that ongoing

engineering design efforts can be finalized. Schedule to be determined

by the selected Provider and approved by Orange County.

4. Available Materials:

• Exhibit A – Site Location, Driving Directions, Site Photos

• Exhibit B – Required Orange County Forms

• Exhibit C – Orange County Services Agreement (example template)

• Exhibit D – Boring Location Plan

5. Notice to Providers Regarding RFQ Terms and Conditions

It shall be the Provider’s responsibility to read the instructions, Orange County’s terms

and conditions, all relevant exhibits and attachments, and any other components made a

part of this RFQ and comply with all requirements and specifications herein. Providers

also are responsible for obtaining and complying with all Addenda and other changes that

may be issued in connection with this RFQ.

If Providers have questions, issues, or exceptions regarding any term, condition, or other

component within this RFQ, those must be submitted as questions in accordance with the

instructions in Section 5.2 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS. If Orange County determines that

any changes will be made as a result of the questions asked, then such decisions will be

communicated in the form of an RFQ addendum.

Orange County reserves the right to reject any or all submittals, to waive minor

informalities and to make such selection deemed in its best interest.

Minority Bidders: Orange County encourages all businesses, including minority, and

women owned businesses to respond to all RFPs, ITBs, and RFQs.

The Provider will be required to use the County standard service contract. A sample

contract is included.

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

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Geotechnical Services - Lake Orange Intake Tower Replacement Project

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See also