Engineering & Design Services for Dam Decommission Project

City of Marion, NC
Lady Marian Dam
Request for Qualification Statements/Proposals (RFQ/P): Engineering and
Design Services for Dam Decommissioning Project
1. RFQ/P Overview & Project Introduction
A. Project Title: Lady Marian Dam Decommissioning Project
B. Issuing Organization: City of Marion
C. Date of Issuance: September 16, 2026
D. Qualification Statement/Proposal Submission Deadline: October 16, 2026 at 4:00PM
E. Project History, Description, and Objective: In this Request for Qualification
Statements/Proposals (RFQ/P) the City of Marion, NC ("City") requests qualification
statements/proposals from qualified firms interested in providing dam engineering and
design services for the decommissioning of the Lady Marian Dam located at 89
Westwood Chateau Drive, Marion, North Carolina. Services should include all
engineering and design services required to repair or replace the failed spillway (culvert)
to sufficiently facilitate the conversion of the dam to a "dry" impoundment, so that it
can be decommissioned by the State.
The Lady Marian dam is a 34 ft. "high hazard potential" dam that was constructed in
1965. The Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for the dam identified 67 properties at risk,
including Lady Marian Plaza shopping center, numerous businesses along North Main
Street, over 50 residential properties, public streets, and a US Highway. The only
spillway for the dam is a 34 ft. high riser (which failed during Hurricane Helene) and box
culvert that connects to a larger box culvert known as the Garden Creek culvert. The
6.5' x 7.5' (WxH) box culvert spillway for the Lady Marian Dam crosses Westwood
Chateau Drive (a City maintained street) and connects with a 10' x 7.5' box culvert that is
part of the Garden Creek drainage network, at the Lady Marian Plaza shopping center.
From there, the Garden Creek drainage network extends under the Lady Marian Plaza
shopping center parking lot and crosses under North Main Street to its discharge point
1

north of the intersection of Garden Creek Road and North Main Street. A map depicting
the approximate alignment of the spillway and Garden Creek culvert is attached.
In 2019, a Dam Safety Order (DSO-019-002) was issued by the NC Division of Energy,
Mineral, and Land Resources (NCDEMLR) Dam Safety for the repair or removal of the
Lady Marian Dam. The DSO was addressed to the five parties that the State has
identified as being responsible for the repair or breaching of the dam. That assertion
was based on the premise that the spillway includes all of the culvert from the spillway
riser at the lake to the point where the culvert discharges into Garden Creek, north of
the intersection of Garden Creek Road and North Main Street. The City maintains its
ownership interest is limited to the Right of Way for Westwood Chateau Drive (a City
maintained street that the culvert crosses under). The state has indicated, preliminarily,
that we can limit the dam "spillway" to the roughly 250 LF box culvert section between
the riser and the City of Marion right of way for Westwood Chateau Drive, if we can
"daylight" the culvert at the Westwood Chateau Drive right of way.
In 2020, a feasibility study determined that the dam could be decommissioned by
permanently draining the Lady Marian lake and repairing the failed box culvert (from the
spillway riser to the right of way for Westwood Chateau Drive) to facilitate the
conversion of the dam to a "dry" impoundment. The conventional approach to
breaching the dam was determined to be cost prohibitive due to the depth and
proximity of the box culvert spillway to a public road and residential structures integral
to the dam itself. Preliminary studies indicated that trenchless technology was the best
approach to replacing the failed box culvert.
The City retained a firm who prepared plans for the dam decommissioning in accordance
with the previously approved feasibility study. The approved decommissioning plans
were on hold pending allocation of a 2024 FEMA High Hazard Potential Dam
construction grant when Hurricane Helene came through western NC in September
2024. Flooding from Hurricane Helene caused the 34 ft. tall concrete riser to collapse,
creating the need for exigent repairs to ensure the safety of the remaining spillway.
Stabilization of the damaged area was completed with FEMA funding.
A redesign of the approved plans for the dam decommissioning is now required because
the damage from Hurricane Helene has invalidated the original approach of slip-lining
the culvert. The slip-lining option is no longer viable because debris from the riser
collapse became lodged in the culvert barrel under the extremely high-pressure head
present during the flood, causing further damage to the culvert. The City has been
approved for grant funds (FEMA High Hazard Potential Dam Grant and NC Dam Safety
Helene Grant) to complete this critical project. A new SOW is required by FEMA to
account for the changes at the site post-Helene and to determine the most optimal
method of decommissioning the dam. The firm selected to be the Engineer of Record
for this dam decommissioning project will be expected to perform all design and
engineering services for the entire project, from preliminary design through construction
and the successful decommissioning of the dam.
2

F. Acknowledgment of Government Funds: The Project authorized is the Lady Marian
Dam High Hazard Potential Dam Grant Project and NC Dam Safety Helene Grant to be to
be financed by grant funds awarded to the City of Marion by FEMA and the NCDEQ-
DEMLR. All prospective bidders or offerors and contracts awarded must acknowledge
that funding is contingent upon compliance with all terms and conditions of the funding
awards.
2. Scope of Work (SOW) & Technical Requirements
A. General Scope of Work: The City anticipates the selected firm's SOW may include, but
not be limited to, Project Management, Grant Administration, Geomatics - Survey &
Data Collection of Existing Conditions, Hydrologic & Hydraulic Design, Geotechnical and
Structural Investigations, Testing and Analysis, Preparation of Construction Drawings &
Technical Specifications, Permits & Approvals, Construction Bidding Services,
Construction Engineering - Administration & Observation, and Record Drawings &
Project Closeout for the Lady Marian Dam to be decommissioned. All engineering
services shall be performed in compliance with all federal, state, and local requirements,
including but not limited to the requirements of FEMA, OSHA, and NCDEQ.
B. Key Deliverables may include, but are not limited to the following:
o Deliverable 1: Architectural Concept & Schematics
o Deliverable 2: Construction Plans, Technical Specifications, and Opinion of
Probable Cost
o Deliverable 3: Permits and Approvals. The City anticipates the following
permits/approvals may be necessary for this project. Other permits/approvals
may also be necessary.
Plans and specifications for NCDEQ/DEMLR Dam Safety approval
FEMA approval
Environmental Permits
Erosion and Sediment Control
Traffic Control Plan
o Deliverable 4: Bid Advertisement, Pre-Bid Meeting & Addendums, Bid Opening,
Bid Tabulation & Recommendation, and Value Engineering if necessitated.
o Deliverable 5: Prepare the Project Manual & Construction Contract Documents
and assist the City with the contract execution process including, but not limited
to, obtaining certificates of insurance, performance bonds, payment bonds, and
all other required submittals.
o Deliverable 6: Construction Administration & Observation, As-Built Record
Drawings, and Project Close-Out & Handover
3

o Deliverable 7: Develop necessary correspondence, preparation of requisitions
for reimbursement, progress meetings, reports/presentations to the City Council.
C. Technical / Functional Specifications: Coordination with NCDEMLR Dam Safety, FEMA
and all other regulatory authorities.
3. Projected Timeline
* RFQ/P Release Date: September 16, 2026
* Questions from Firms Due: September 30, 2026 at 4pm
* Proposal Submission Deadline: October 16, 2026 at 4pm
* Evaluation Period: October 19, 2026 - October 30, 2026
* Announcement of Selected Firm: November 4, 2026
4. Proposal Submission Instructions
* An electronic (PDF) version of the Qualification Statement/Proposal (QS/P) must be
received by email at bsikes@marionnc.org (copy: wayers@marionnc.org,
cyoung@marionnc.org, and hclark@marionnc.org) by 4:00 p.m. on Friday October 16,
2026. Include "RFQ/P Lady Marian Dam" in the subject line of the email. Responses
received after the deadline will not be considered. The QS/P shall contain a maximum of
20 pages (including dividers, pages intentionally left blank, etc.). The Submitter's costs
incurred in responding to this RFQ/P are the Submitter's alone and the City does not
accept liability for any such costs. The City shall not be required to return any item
submitted.
* Point of Contact: Direct all inquiries to Public Works Director Brant Sikes at
bsikes@marionnc.org (copy: City Manager Woody Ayers at wayers@marionnc.org,
Finance Director Crystal Young at cyoung@marionnc.org and Funding
Coordinator/Special Project Assistant Hunter Clark at hclark@marionnc.org).
5. Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be reviewed and scored based on the following weights:
* Technical Approach and Understanding of Services Requested: 35 points
* Experience of Proposed Engineering Personnel with Similar Projects: 35 points
* Direct Experience with Administration of FEMA High Hazard Potential Dam Grants, NC
Dam Safety Helene Grants, and Projects Under a DSO : 10 points
* References & Past Performance: 10 points
4

* Firm capacity and availability: 10 points
6. Contents of Qualification Statements/Proposals (QS/P)
Interested firms desiring consideration are required to submit a Qualification
Statement/Proposal (QS/P) containing, at minimum, the following information. The QS/P shall
not exceed 20 total pages (including dividers, pages intentionally left blank, etc.).
A. Firm Name and Contact Information
i. Include the complete legal name and physical address of the prime
firm/company and the name, mailing address, email address, and telephone
number of the person the City should contact regarding the QS/P.
ii. If the firm has offices in more than one location, identify the location of the
office that would oversee the work of this project.
B. Brief history of the firm.
C. Narrative statement of the firm's understanding of the services being requested and
how the firm can provide these services to the City.
i. Include the firm's overall general vision for the project.
ii. Include an explanation of the firm's proposed approach and general action plan
to successfully complete such work.
iii. Describe any challenges anticipated that may impact the SOW or schedule and
proposed solutions to address these concerns.
iv. Discuss quality control and intended firm management of the quality of
proposed deliverables.
v. Explain how your team manages the process of reviewing subcontractor
submittals, clarification requests, issuances of bulletin drawings, reviews of
contractors' cost proposals, review and justification of change orders, payment
requests, final inspections, and assembly of the project close-out documents.
D. An estimation of the project timeline after authorization to proceed is provided by the
City.
E. Firm's related experience: Provide descriptions for up to a maximum of four (4)
reference projects for which the firm has provided services substantially similar to those
described in this RFQ/P. For each reference project, provide the following:
i. Name and location of the organization to which services were provided.
ii. Brief description of the project.
iii. Start and completion dates.
iv. Firm team members that worked on the project including their title and role.
v. Title, address, telephone number, and email address of a current contact
reference for the project.
F. Key Personnel
5

i. Provide a list of key personnel to be directly involved with this project. For each
member of the project team, provide relevant experience, length of service,
licenses and certifications, and responsibilities with regard to this project.
Please submit key reference contact information including telephone numbers,
fax numbers, and email addresses.
ii. Submit an organizational chart for the entire recommended project team.
G. Capacity
i. Provide an estimation of the time availability and workload capacity for key
personnel and the firm overall.
7. Compliance
Respondents are hereby notified that the submission of responses under this RFQ/P and any
subsequent contract are governed by the requirements of North Carolina law. Submissions and
contracts are further subject to the applicable requirements of federally funded projects.
8. Submissions and Clarifications
Do not submit any material which includes any generated work product or design. The City is
not requesting such material to be generated for this RFQ. Such information would not be
considered.
It is the responsibility of each submitter to examine the entire RFQ, seek clarifications in
writing, and review their submittal for accuracy before submitting their qualifications. Once
submission deadlines have passed, all submissions will be final. The City reserves the right to
ask for additional information from all parties that have submitted qualifications, and it
reserves the right to schedule interviews with potential firms.
The City of Marion reserves the right to: reject any and all qualification statements; select the
firm that is, by the City's determination, most qualified for the referenced work; waive technical
errors and informalities; and to accept the qualification statement which, in its sole judgment,
best serves the public interest. The City reserves the right to perform all or some of the services
described in this document with its own work force. The City also reserves the right to issue
future requests for qualifications, as needed, and solicit responses from firms not selected as
part of this process.
The City intends to negotiate a contract with the Submitter ranked most advantageous to the
City based on the requirements in this RFQ and Submitter's response. A written scope of
services will be established with the selected firm, a proposal including costs will be developed
6

and submitted by the firm, and the work will proceed immediately upon written authorization
by the City.
The City's intent in supplying information is that such information is solely used to the benefit
of this project and/or to assist firms in understanding the project for SOQ preparation.
It is the practice of the City to provide minorities an equal opportunity to participate in all
aspects of its contracting and procurement programs and to prohibit any and all discrimination
against persons or businesses in pursuit of these opportunities. The City of Marion is an Equal
Employment Opportunity Employer.
The City accepts no liability for the cost and expenses incurred by firms in responding to this
Procurement. Each Firm that enters into the Procurement process shall prepare the required
materials and the SOQ at its own expense and with the express understanding that the Firm
cannot make any claims whatsoever for reimbursement from the City for the costs and
expenses associated with the process, even in the event the City cancels this Project or rejects
all submittals.
7