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Page 1 of 7 Request for Qualifications Engineering Services Three Forks Church Road Waterline Expansion Project RFQ No. 23-1101 Date of Issue: November 2nd, 2023 Qualifications Statement Due: December 6th, 2023 Time: 4:00 PM EST Issued By: Alexander County Administration 621 Liledoun Road Taylorsville, NC 28681 Phone: (828) 632-9332 Website: ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 2 of 7 INTRODUCTION Alexander County, North Carolina is requesting statements of qualifications from experienced engineering firms (hereinafter “Firm”) interested in providing engineering design services for the extension of approximately 11,000 linear feet (LF) of waterline. This project is intended to extend public water service from the intersection of SR 1328 (Kirby Lackey Road) along SR 1313 (Three Forks Church Road) to the intersection of SR 1333 (Bebber Road). The engineering design must include all necessary drawings and specifications; construction cost estimates; all necessary permitting; project bidding and recommendation of award; contract documents; and construction administration and inspection services. This project is anticipated to include work within the NCDOT right-of-way. The Firm will be asked to prepare all easement and property purchase plats for any required property acquisition. The Firm will be asked to obtain permits to locate the waterline in NCDOT right-of-way where applicable. Eligible firms must have demonstrated experience in waterline project development from design through project certification. Alexander County (hereinafter “County”) reserves the right to reject any and all submittals. This submittal request is neither a contractual offer nor a commitment to purchase services. The County assumes no contractual obligation as a result of the issuance of this request, the preparation or submission of a qualifications statement by a Firm, the evaluation of statements or final selection. RFQ SCHEDULE The table below shows the intended schedule for this RFQ process. Alexander County will make every effort possible to adhere to the schedule below. Statements of Qualification must be received no later than 4:00 PM EST, December 6th, 2023. No submittals will be accepted after this deadline. Event Responsibility Date & Time Issue RFQ County November 2nd, 2023 Submit Written Questions Firms November 10th, 2023 by 5:00 PM Provide Written Responses to Questions County November 15th by 5:00 PM Submit Statement of Qualifications Firms December 6th by 4:00 PM Contract Award County TBD Contract Effective Date County Upon Execution ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 3 of 7 RFQ QUESTIONS Written questions related to this RFQ or the project should be emailed to by the date and time specified above. Firms should enter “RFQ # 23-1101 – Questions” as the subject for the email. Questions received prior to the question submission deadline, the County’s response, and any additional terms deemed necessary by the County will be posted in the form of an addendum to the Alexander County website Bid Opportunities page, and shall become an Addendum to this RFQ. No information, instruction or advice provided orally or informally by any County personnel, whether made in response to a question or otherwise in connection with this RFQ, shall be considered authoritative or binding. Firms shall rely only on written material contained in an Addendum to this RFQ. SCOPE OF WORK The Firm shall provide professional engineering services to assist the County with the design, bidding, award recommendation, construction administration, and inspection for an approximately 11,000 LF water line extension along SR 1313 (Three Forks Church Rd) in northwest Alexander County. The Firm shall prepare design plans and specifications for the waterline; obtain all necessary permits; prepare bid documents; assist with bidding the project; assist the County in evaluating the bids and making an award recommendation; provide construction oversight and inspection services throughout the construction process; and prepare the final record drawings for the project. The following tasks comprise the general scope of work: 1. Project Kickoff Meeting 2. Survey route 3. Prepare construction plans and specifications 4. Prepare easement and/or right-of-way plats suitable for acquisition purposes 5. Provide assistance in preparation of bid documents 6. Provide assistance in responding to bid questions 7. Bid evaluation and award recommendation 8. Construction Kickoff Meeting 9. Review submittals 10. Provide construction oversight and inspection services 11. Review contractor’s invoices 12. Prepare final record drawings in hardcopy and electronic/PDF format The list of tasks noted above is not intended to be a comprehensive description of the work required for this project, but a summary of the scope in the design and construction of the waterline extension. The final scope of work may eb modified as agreed upon by both the selected Firm and County. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 4 of 7 QUALIFICATION SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS SUBMISSION DEADLINE Qualification submittals must be received by the County no later than 4:00 p.m. EST on December 6th, 2023 in order to be considered for evaluation under this RFQ. Submissions received by the County after this date and time will not be considered for evaluation. SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS Statements of Qualification must be submitted on 8-1/2” x 11” paper, side bound with a Table of Contents and corresponding reference tabs for key sections. Please submit one complete, bound copy of your Firm’s Statement of Qualifications for review by the County along with one electronic copy in PDF format on a USB flash drive. Statements of Qualification may be mailed to: Alexander County Administration ATTN: David Moose 621 Liledoun Road Taylorsville, NC 28681 Statements of Qualifications may also be hand delivered to the same address noted above. Hand delivery is recommended to ensure timely receipt of the Statement of Qualifications. The Firm assumes all responsibility for the timely submission and receipt of their Statement of Qualifications. Alexander County will not grant any exceptions to the submission deadline. SUBMITTAL FORMAT Submittals must be in the format noted above in “Submittal Instructions”. Please include a cover sheet or letter which identifies a contact person for your firm as well as legal firm name and address information. The following format is encouraged in order to provide consistency between submittals, aiding in evaluation and comparison. If the format below is modified please ensure to include the following information at a minimum: Letter of Transmittal: Summarize in a brief and concise manner the Firm’s understanding of the scope of work and make a positive commitment to perform the work in a professional and timely manner. Qualifications of Firm: Please include information which demonstrates the Firm’s qualifications for this project to include the following information. • General work plan that demonstrates the Firm’s complete understanding of the scope of work ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 5 of 7 • Firm’s recent history and experience in waterline design in the last three years as relates to projects of same or similar scope as this project. • Overall qualifications of project’s managers and key personnel • Previous project success for projects similar in scope to this project. • Overall experiencer with: o Developing written technical specifications o Waterline design o Project construction oversight and inspection o Project administration o Project closeout • Provide a summary of any litigation, claim(s), or contract dispute(s) filed by or against the Firm in the past five years that are related to the services that the Firm provides in the regular course of business. The summary shall state the nature of the litigation, claim, or contract dispute; a brief description of the case; the outcome or projected outcome; and the monetary amount involved. If no litigation claim(s) or contract dispute(s) have been filed by or against the Firm in the past five years, please state that. Project Team: Provide a list of the project team members, including the office location where they currently work, and identify the responsibility of each team member. For proposed sub-consultants, please provide the name of each firm, the office location, contact name, telephone number, and the services to be provided. Only staff who will be directly involved with the execution of the project should be included. Project Approach: Based upon the information contained herein, provide a brief narrative explaining the overall approach your firm/team will take to complete this project. References: Please provide a list of current and previous clients for work similar to the scope of this project for the past three years. Include names and location of project, brief description and firm’s key personnel’s involvement, name and telephone number of project manager, date of completion of the project, and overall project value/cost. Other Supporting Data: Please include any other information that you feel is relevant to the evaluation of your firm for this project. EVALUATION CRITERIA A selection committee will review and evaluate all responses to this RFQ and will determine the most qualified Firm to recommend for award. The criteria noted below will be used by the selection committee in ranking each prospective Firm. • Qualifications of the Firm (25pts): Points will be awarded based on the overall qualifications of the Firm through demonstration of experience in public water distribution system planning, design, permitting, and construction. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 6 of 7 • Qualifications of the Project Manager and Project Team (25pts: Points will be awarded based on noted experience in items listed in the Scope of Work above and familiarity with the region and permitting agencies. • Relevant Project Experience (25pts): Points will be awarded based on the relevant project experience of the Firm’s proposed project team personnel (especially the Project Manager) who demonstrate prior experience managing projects of similar scope and nature and who have a demonstrated working relationship with North Carolina regulatory agencies. • Project Understanding (20pts): Points will be awarded based on the Firm’s demonstrated thorough understanding of the project scope and goals. • References / Performance on Current and Past Projects (5pts): Points will be awarded based on a review of the Firm’s current and past performance on projects of similar scope. Alexander County reserves the right to reject any or all Qualifications Submittals received in response to this Request for Qualifications. Candidate firms may be asked to deliver a qualifications presentation to Alexander County staff before a final selection is made. Final selection and contracting will be subject to approval by the Alexander County Board of Commissioners. NONDISCRIMINATION & EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Alexander County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and invites the submission of qualifications from all entities including those designated as minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE), historically underutilized businesses (HUB), and certified/registered Section 3 businesses. Alexander County complies with all civil rights provisions of federal statutes and related authorities which prohibit discrimination in programs and activities receiving state and federal assistance. Alexander County does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, age, national origin, religion, or disability, in employment or provision of services. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION All qualification submittals shall become the property of Alexander County once submitted for consideration and will only be returned to the submitting firm at the County’s option and discretion. Any restrictions on the use of the information and data contained within the qualification submittal must be clearly stated in the submittal itself. The cost of preparing, submitting, and presenting a Statement of Qualifications is the sole responsibility of the submitting firm. Alexander County shall not be held liable for any costs, ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 7 of 7 direct or indirect, associated with the development, submission, or presentation of any submittal in response to this Request for Qualifications. Alexander County reserves the right to reject any and all qualification submittals, to consider alternatives, to waive irregularities, and to re-solicit a Request for Qualifications. Alexander County further reserves the right to cancel the RFQ in part or in whole at any time. This Request for Qualifications shall in no way obligate Alexander County to award a contract for this project. Alexander County makes no guarantees to any proposing firm until such time as the County approves a contract for engineering services for this project. - END OF DOCUMENT -