Infill Pattern Book

RFP 02-26/27
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Infill Residential Pattern Book for the City of Sumter's Historic
Preservation Overlay Districts.
RFP Issuance Date:
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Submission Deadline:
Friday, October 30, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST
Submit Proposals To:
Proposals must be submitted electronically.
Vendors must upload proposals by visiting the following URL:
https://www.sumtersc.gov/departments/purchasing/rfp-rfq.
Deadline to Request additional information and submit Questions:
Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST
All questions will be posted & answered on the City's website
by Monday, October 19, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST
Questions should be directed by email only to:
Kyle Kelly
KKelly@sumtersc.gov
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The City of Sumter, South Carolina (the "City") invites qualified individuals or entities (referred to herein
as "Vendors") to submit proposals for the above titled project. This solicitation is a Request for Proposals
("RFP").
Submission Deadline
Proposals must be received no later than 2:00pm EST on Friday, October 30, 2026.
Submission
Proposals must be submitted electronically as described in Section E.4 of this solicitation.
Selection
The City of Sumter will conduct a formal selection process to determine the best qualified Vendor who
meets the City's needs and budget. A selection committee will review, evaluate, and score the proposals.
1 or more top scoring Vendors may be short-listed and invited to interview for the project.
Agreement
The City anticipates entering into a contract with 1 Vendor submitting the proposal deemed to be most
advantageous to the City. The selected Vendor shall be required to sign a formal agreement (the
"Agreement"). This RFP does not constitute an agreement or a contract with any Vendor. A proposal is
not binding until proposals are reviewed and accepted by the City Council of the City and the Agreement
is executed by both parties.
Development Costs
The City shall not be liable for any expense incurred in preparing a response to this RFP. Vendors should
prepare a straightforward and concise description of the Vendor's ability to meet the requirements of the
RFP.
Reserved Rights
The City reserves the right to accept or reject any and/or all proposals, to waive irregularities and
technicalities, and to request resubmission. The City shall be the sole judge of whether any proposal
and/or the resulting Agreement is in its best interest, and its decision shall be final. The City reserves the
right to accept or reject all or any part of a submission, if it is deemed in the best interest of the City. The
City, in its sole discretion, may expand the scope of work to include additional requirements. The City
reserves the right to investigate as it deems necessary to determine the ability of any Vendor to perform
the work or services requested. Each Vendor, upon request, shall provide such information as the City
deems necessary to evaluate its proposal.
Flexible Scope.
The scope of services described below is aspirational, but the City has budgetary limits. The City will
negotiate a contract price after qualifications-based selection is complete (including, without limitation,
by altering or reducing the scope of services).
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A. General Procurement Information
Responses to the RFP are not bids. If the City is willing and able to negotiate an agreement with the
successful Vendor, the Agreement shall contain, at a minimum, the terms and conditions (or substantially
the same terms and conditions) as hereinafter stated. The City reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to
reject all submissions, reissue a subsequent RFP, or terminate, restructure, or amend this procurement
process at any time. The final selection and contract negotiation rests solely with the City. It is the sole
responsibility of each Vendor to gather adequate information, review collateral documents, and make
those inquiries that are necessary and prudent as to the project. The Vendors are not entitled to rely on
the City or the City's representations or information to the exclusion of the Vendors' due diligence.
No questions may be directed to or contact made with the Mayor, other members of City Council, the
City Manager, or other staff not identified in this RFP as points of contacts during the period that this RFP
is made public until the final selection is made, except as otherwise provided for herein. Violation of this
prohibition may disqualify the Vendor from further consideration.
Any requests for additional information or questions concerning the procedures specified in this request
should be directed to Senior Planner Kyle Kelly, via email only to KKelly@sumtersc.gov, with "Infill
Residential Pattern Book" in the subject line.
The City will not accept telephone calls or visits regarding this RFP. No interpretation shall be binding
unless in writing from the City of Sumter.
All questions must be received by 2:00pm EST on Thursday, October 15, 2026. The City will not respond
to questions submitted after this deadline.
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B. Introduction
The City of Sumter, South Carolina, is soliciting proposals from consulting firms specializing in historic
preservation or a related field. The selected proposal will assist the City with developing an Infill
Residential Pattern Book for the City's historic preservation overlay district(s). This project is funded, in
part, by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and administered by the
South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH). The Infill Residential Pattern Book will also
assist and support the City's existing and projected regulatory plans and ordinances including the City of
Sumter Unified Development Ordinance.
The Sumter Infill Residential Pattern Book is part of the City's commitment to historic preservation. The
City is committed to the preservation of its historical and architectural resources and to the promotion of
development activities that preserve Sumter's historic character. The City proposes to develop the Infill
Residential Pattern Book to enhance the City's implementation of design guidelines in both existing
historic overlay districts and proposed new districts in Sumter's historic core, which is referenced as the
"Downtown Planning Area" in Sumter's 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
The proposed project represents one element of a larger effort by the City to provide a strong historic
preservation and design basis for redevelopment within the City's earliest residential neighborhoods,
including Hampton Park, the West End, Crosswell, Southside, and Anne Park. It will work in parallel with
the City's Design Guidelines, which provides information about typical architectural styles in the area and
guidance on maintenance, repair, and replacement issues for existing housing. The Pattern Book will be
based on buildings in Sumter's historic core, but it has broad applicability across all neighborhoods. It will
conform to local zoning, which sets out the legal requirements for development, and provide additional
design guidance to encourage infill that respects existing neighborhood fabric. This document will be
intended primarily for developers planning to build infill housing on vacant lots, but it may also prove
useful for homeowners interested in rehabilitating their homes.
The City's responsibilities include providing base data (historic and current images of structures),
coordinating public meetings, and facilitating the Consultant's access to local history sources and
introduction to key local stakeholders.
ANTICIPATED PROJECT SCHEDULE (dates subject to change)
October 30, 2026 Deadline for submittal of proposals to City.
November 30, 2026 Consultants notified of selection decision by the City.
December 14-18, 2026 Project start-up meeting (may be virtual) with City and SCDAH.
June 30, 2027 Consultant will submit draft pattern book not later than this date.
September 30, 2027 Consultant will submit final deliverables and present at public meeting
not later than this date.
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C. Scope of Work
The project scope of work will include the following required elements:
1. Initial Meeting with City and Public Meetings: City staff will schedule a meeting with the consultant
before work begins to discuss the scope of work, methodology, schedule, data formatting issues,
and other matters as necessary. All work associated with this request will be subject to review and
approval by SCDAH.
City staff will schedule an initial public meeting with the consultant to introduce the project to the
public and receive public comment. This may be part of a regularly scheduled Design Review Board
meeting or a separate public meeting specifically for this purpose.
The Consultant will be required to make a final public presentation to summarize the final
approved Infill Residential Pattern Book. This may be part of a regularly scheduled Design Review
Board meeting or a separate public meeting specifically for this purpose.
The Consultant will be required to conduct a training workshop on use and application of the final
approved Infill Residential Pattern Book specifically for City staff and members of the Design
Review Board.
2. Infill Residential Pattern Book: The consultant will tour the City's historic residential districts in
order to understand the issues and architectural styles. The pattern book should feature at least
8 different architectural base patterns informed by the traditional styles of homes found in
Sumter's historic residential core, along with standard alternate versions of each base model. The
consultant will recommend appropriate formats for the Infill Residential Pattern Book, allowing
for future updates as needed. The City will choose a format and authorize the consultant to
proceed with the Infill Residential Pattern Book.
The consultant's work product will include guidelines that assist the City of Sumter Design Review
Board and property owners in determining appropriate design for infill residential construction in
historic residential districts. Building elevation drawings, diagrams, and blueprints, illustrations,
and combination of photographs and drawings may be used to show examples of appropriate and
inappropriate design choices.
The City of Sumter and SCDAH will review a draft of the Infill Residential Pattern Book. The Design
Review Board and the public will also be afforded the opportunity to review and comment on the
draft document which shall be considered in finalizing the document. The consultant will address
all review comments in the final draft.
3. Project Updates: The Consultant will provide written (by e-mail is acceptable) progress reports to
the City and to SCDAH.
4. Deliverables: The Consultant will be required to submit all survey products in electronic format on
a portable hard drive, flash drive, or via an electronic file download service. Only the final report
will be submitted in hard copy printed format in addition to an electronic PDF copy. The following
required products are to be submitted by the Consultant and divided between the City and SCDAH
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as listed: 6 printed copies of the final report (including one unbound security copy) for the City;
2 printed copies of the final report (including one unbound security copy) for SCDAH.
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E. Selection Criteria and Submittal Format
1. Selection Criteria and Submittal Format
To assure similarity in proposal presentation and allow the evaluation team to easily compare
proposals, vendors shall prepare their proposals in accordance with the following formatting
requirements.
The format for the Vendor's response to the RFP is indicated below.
1. Transmittal Letter: The letter demonstrates Proposer's understands the project, the
commitment to perform the work within the time period, why the Proposer believes its
firm to be the best qualified to perform the work, and includes a statement that the
proposal is a firm and irrevocable offer for 90 calendar days.
2. Title Page. Title page must include the title - "Sumter Infill Residential Pattern Book
Proposal" - proposers name, address, and telephone, contact person with title, email, and
date. The Proposer may incorporate colored pictures and/or artwork to highlight proposal
presentation.
3. Table of Contents: The Table of Contents aids the evaluation process.
4. Professional Qualifications: Proposals will be evaluated for the consultant's relevant
educational background in history, architecture, architectural history, or historic
preservation, as well as demonstrated experience creating Residential Development Plans
for historic districts and experience working with local design review boards and
commissions. Personnel involved with managing and directing the project should have one
of the following: a graduate degree in architectural history, art history, historic
preservation, or closely related field; or, a bachelor's degree in architectural history, art
history, historic preservation or closely related field plus at least two years of professional
experience in historic preservation. Resumes of key personnel and examples of previous
projects are required to be submitted.
5. Proposed Methodology and Scope of Work: Proposals will be evaluated on the stated
approach to the work demonstrating the basic understanding of the requirements of the
project. A detailed description of work tasks associated with each phase of the work, a
preliminary assignment of key personnel and the timeframe associated with each task. The
proposal must demonstrate that the consultant understands the requirements of the City
of Sumter and SCDAH.
6. Management Plan and Timetable: Proposals will be evaluated for the consultant's stated
approach to managing the project, giving appropriate attention to project tasks, and the
overall proposed timetable for the project. The work plan must discuss the staffing levels
required to complete each task, as well as the relative effort that each member of the
proposed project team will be devoted to the project. The work plan must also include a
task-by-task schedule of the time required to complete the project by September 30, 2026.
7. Cost of Project: Proposals will be evaluated based in part on the overall cost for the project.
An itemized list of all proposed direct expenses for the project including travel, per diem
expenses, printing, etc. The consultant's proposal shall be the total cost as a lump sum.
The proposal must include all information requested in the RFP. Failure to do so may be
cause for rejection of the proposal.
8. Statement of compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended,
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prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or age in
programs assisted by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
9. Statement of compliance with the Debarment Certification, 43 CFR, Part 12, Section 12.510
and stating that neither the consultant nor its principals are presently debarred,
suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from
participation in this transaction by any Federal department or agency.
The successful firm/consultant shall comply with all applicable federal, state, local
governmental laws, rules, regulations, and orders in the performance of its duties under this
proposal.
2. Instructions for Questions
No interpretations or clarification of the meaning of the instructions or scope of services will be
allowed orally (except for general information). Every request for such interpretation should be e-
mailed to Kyle Kelly, at KKelly@sumtersc.gov no later than 2:00pm EST on Tuesday, October 15,
2026. All such interpretations and any supplemental instructions will be issued in the form of
written addenda to the Request for Proposals. The City will not respond to questions submitted
after this deadline.
3. Proposal Deadline
Proposals are due no later than 2:00pm EST on Friday, October 30, 2026.
4. Instructions for Submitting a Proposal
Vendors may access the electronic version of this RFP by visiting the following URL:
https://www.sumtersc.gov/departments/purchasing/rfp-rfq
Proposals must be submitted electronically. Vendors must upload proposals by visiting the
following URL: https://www.sumtersc.gov/departments/purchasing/rfp-rfq.
Vendors must complete the online submission form and upload all related documents. Prior to
clicking "submit", Vendors are responsible for ensuring that all documents intended to be
submitted have been uploaded to the website. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
The City undertakes no obligation to notify Vendors that a submission is incomplete. Vendors may
e-mail the City RFP contact to confirm that a submission with attachments exists. The City is under
no obligation to reply nor does lack of a reply lessen Vendor's responsibility to submit a complete
proposal. The City cannot confirm and will not open attachments to confirm completeness of
proposal until the official opening. In the case of multiple submittals by a single Vendor, the last
submittal by timestamp will be considered the final valid submittal of Proposer.
5. Ownership of Proposal Documentation
Upon receipt of proposals by the City, such proposals and all included documentation shall
become the property of the City, without compensation to the Vendor, for disposition or usage by
the City at its discretion. The City assumes no responsibility or obligation to proposers and will
make no payment for any cost associated with the preparation or submission of proposals.
6. Confidential Information
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All inquiries or correspondence relating to or about this RFP and all proposals submitted shall
become the property of the City when received and subject to public disclosure unless exempt
from disclosure by law. Unless required by law, proprietary or financial information submitted by
a proposer will not be disclosed if the Vendor visibly marks each part of the proposal which
proposer considers to be confidential or proprietary information with the word "Confidential".
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F. Selection Process
1. Acceptance / Rejection
Any proposals that do not conform to the essential requirements of the RFP shall be rejected. The
City reserves the right to waive informalities and minor irregularities in submittals and reserves
the sole right to determine what constitutes informalities and minor irregularities. The City also
reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received in response to this RFP and to
negotiate separately with competing proposers. The City is not obligated to enter into any
agreement on the basis of any submittal in response to this RFP. The City reserves the right to
request additional information from any firm submitting under this RFP if the City deems such
information necessary to further evaluate the firm's qualifications.
The evaluation committee shall consist of City employees. They will review each submittal based
upon the criteria listed herein. The written evaluation will produce a list of the top-rated proposals
that will be selected for possible interviews (short list). Vendors may or may not be interviewed
and the City reserves the right to conduct interviews at its sole discretion. Oral interviews, if
necessary, will be conducted to make a final decision. Short-listed Vendors (if any) will be
contacted via telephone or e-mail by the City to schedule an interview date and time. Vendors
should plan to have available, in person, key personnel who will be assigned to work on the
proposed project. Individuals who fail to attend a scheduled interview may not be given a score
which could jeopardize the firm's competitiveness. If awarded the project, all interview statements
will become part of the final Agreement.
2. Selection / Award Criteria
The award will be made to the highest ranked, responsive, and responsible Vendor whose offer is
determined to be the most advantageous to the City. The award may be made by individual
categories and/ or complete lot(s).
Vendors must be responsive to the requirements stated herein.
As noted, the City may request an interview phase. Scoring for interviews, should they be used,
will be on a separate scale (in addition to the 100-point proposal review scale included as Exhibit
B of this solicitation). The City reserves the right to hold interviews in addition to proposal
document review to select a top-ranked firm if it is determined to be needed.
It is anticipated that the submitted proposals will be evaluated and the top-ranking Vendor will
enter the contract negotiation stage. Negotiations will involve an effort to confirm a pricing
structure that is acceptable to all and to address any questions remaining after the selection
process. If an appropriate Agreement can be successfully negotiated between the parties, it will
be executed by the City Manager. If a successful Agreement cannot be negotiated with the
highest-ranked firm, negotiations will be undertaken with the next firm in order of ranked
preference.
The RFP does not commit the City to pay for direct or indirect costs. Any costs associated with RFP
preparation, selection interviews, and any other consultant activity prior to award of the
Agreement shall be at the proposer's expense.
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