On-Call Professional Engineering and Related Services for Development Services Department

The contract issued by Harnett County seeks qualifications from experienced engineering firms to provide on-call professional engineering and related services for the Development Services Department. The scope encompasses a broad range of activities including preliminary engineering studies, development review, site inspections, grant writing and administration, public meeting participation, ordinance review, and advisory support to facilitate ongoing development projects. Firms are required to submit detailed qualifications demonstrating their organizational capacity, team expertise, relevant project experience, and plans for engaging minority and women-owned businesses, with evaluations emphasizing qualifications, experience, understanding of scope, and financial strength. The RFQ encourages participation from diverse businesses and emphasizes compliance with equal employment opportunity laws, public records laws, and confidentiality protocols. The process is non-binding, with the County reserving rights to reject responses, negotiate, or re-advertise, and no specific contract or pricing terms are established at this stage. The solicitation, posted on October 7, 2025, with a deadline for submissions on November 7, 2025, does not specify a fixed performance period, delivery schedule, or detailed contractual clauses such as FAR references, packaging, or inspection procedures. It is structured as a qualification-based process, with proposals evaluated on criteria including firm stability, team experience, prior successes, and local/minority participation efforts, using a best value approach rather than lowest bid. Administrative instructions specify submission of one hard copy and one digital copy to a designated address in Lillington, NC, with no explicit mention of pricing or contract line items, as this is solely a qualification request. The RFQ emphasizes that all submitted materials become property of the County and that the process is conducted under North Carolina public records laws, with confidentiality provisions for proprietary information. Overall, the contract aims to establish a flexible, qualified pool of engineering firms capable of supporting the County’s development initiatives on an as-needed basis, with detailed administrative, legal, and evaluation criteria guiding the selection process.