RFQ - Water Supply Long Term Planning

The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) is seeking qualified consulting engineering firms to develop a long-term water supply plan aimed at identifying and evaluating potential future water supply alternatives capable of meeting an additional 50 million gallons per day of peak demand. This request for qualifications (RFQ), issued under solicitation number 345-07/07/2026-2, is a qualifications-based procurement governed by North Carolina’s Mini Brooks Act, which requires selection based on professional competence rather than price. The statement of qualifications (SOQ) must be submitted as a single PDF file not exceeding 25 pages, excluding cover, table of contents, tabs, resumes, and appendices, with a total file size under 25MB. Proposals must be emailed to bids@cfpua.org by 2:00 PM on August 4, 2026, and late submissions will not be accepted. The evaluation will focus on three equally weighted criteria: project understanding and approach (35%), relevant firm experience (35%), and overall staff experience proposed for the project (30%), with the highest-ranked firm being selected for fee negotiation within a $300,000 budget cap. The work will produce a project charter by September 2026, a detailed draft workplan by November 2026, and a final comprehensive report with GIS layers and supporting Excel tools due by September 2027. Firms must be registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State and carry mandatory insurance coverage including $1 million/$2 million general liability, $1 million auto liability, $2 million professional liability, and workers’ compensation as required by state law, with CFPUA named as an additional insured. No federal acquisition regulations apply; the process excludes small business set-asides, socioeconomic preferences, UEI or CAGE codes, and federal invoicing systems. All performance and deliverables are to occur within North Carolina, and no physical packaging or marking requirements are specified.