Rowan County issues request for construction firms for future $15 million capital projects

Published 12:10 am Thursday, May 2, 2024

SALISBURY — Rowan County has issued a request for proposals for construction firms to provide consulting services for current and future capital projects valued at over $15 million.

The scope of work in the request outlines the expectations that the firm that is awarded the contract would adhere to. There are four requirements for firms that wish to submit, with half detailing experiences involving airport projects, including the explicit requirement that any submission detail past experience working on airports. Any submission is also required to detail experience with projects regulated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The other two requirements are that the firm have experience as a construction manager at risk and that the firm be able to detail its experience with projects totaling $250 million at some point within the last two years.

The grading criteria is also outlined in the request for proposals. Ten percent of the evaluation will be the proposed cost from the firm, 20 percent will be the firm’s experience with similar airport projects in the past, 45 percent will be the service, reliability and history of the firm, 15 percent will be the qualifications of key personnel within the firm and 10 percent will be the references the firm can provide from local or North Carolina sources. The grading will be done on a scale of one to five.

In March, the Rowan County Board of Commissioners approved the signing of a contract with Talbert, Bright and Ellington Inc., an engineering consulting firm that focuses on airports, for “planning and engineering services for the future development of Rowan County Airport,” as laid out in the contract document. That contract is for a term of five years and the county has the option to extend it for another year.

The request for the proposals for the architectural and construction administration services listed 11 projects that the county was considering implementing within the upcoming five years:

  • Improvement or replacement of the instrument landing systems 
  • Environmental assessments, development and constructions for a taxiway
  • Upgrading or replacing the airfield’s lighting; removal of obstructions such as trees inside of and surrounding the airport
  • Updating the Airport Master Plan and Airport Layout Plan
  • Pavement rehabilitation for the apron and ramp areas
  • Clearing and grading
  • Replacement or relocation of the medium intensity approach light system
  • Development and construction of a ramp and apron area
  • Development of general aviation and corporate hangars
  • Airport development planning

The deadline for submissions for the request for proposals for construction management services is listed as 3 p.m. on May 9. The deadline for written questions about the request is 5 p.m. on Friday, May 3.

The recommended submission format is a coversheet, listed experience of the firm, a list of the project team and their resumes, references on past quality of work, other supporting data a firm believes is relevant and the proposed fee schedule. For information on how to submit the proposal, the request is viewable on the Rowan County Purchasing Department’s webpage, located at https://www.rowancountync.gov/675/Purchasing.