DESIGN-BUILD SERVICES FOR NEW WELLS-HEARNE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

January 30, 2026

DESIGN-BUILD SERVICES

NEW WELLS-HEARNE

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

QUESTION DEADLINE: 2:00 p.m. EST, February 17, 2026

PROPOSAL DEADLINE: 3:00 p.m. EST, February 26, 2026

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Design-Build Services

New Wells-Hearne Elementary School

Wilson County Schools

North Carolina

Wilson County Schools (WCS) requests Statements of Qualifications for Design-Build Services from qualified firms interested in providing comprehensive design and construction services for the new Wells-Hearne Elementary School project. Pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 143-64.31, WCS utilizes a “qualifications-based” selection process without consideration of fee during the initial phase of selecting the Design-Build (D-B) firm. The school district’s primary objective in using the D-B delivery method is to utilize fast-tracked design and construction services to deliver quality construction in an economical and efficient manner. WCS believes this approach will provide a greater return on investment resulting in a logistically sequenced, turn-key facility that will enhance the educational opportunities of the students and staff utilizing the facility.

Project Site: Wells Elementary School is located at 1400 Grove St North, Wilson, NC 27893

Project Scope: The project consists of the design and construction of a new, consolidated, elementary school to replace the existing Wells and Margaret Hearne Elementary Schools. The new facility will be located on the current campus of Wells Elementary School and designed to accommodate approximately 1,000 students following North Carolina Department of Public Instruction space profile standards. Upon completion of the new facility, both existing schools will be demolished.

Total Project Budget: Not to exceed $44,100,000.

Project Schedule: Funding for the project has been provided through the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund grant. Work will commence immediately upon award and progress diligently to achieve substantial completion of the new school, ready for move in December 2027. The project will reach final completion by July 2028, following the demolition of Wells Elementary School and remaining site improvements.

Qualifications Evaluation Criteria and Weighting: Statement of qualifications from interested firms with specific experience in similar projects will be evaluated by the Evaluation Committee using the following criteria. Firms should address each criterion in the order listed. Complete responses to criteria 1- 4 are required. Proposals shall be limited to 50 pages total (25 pages for double-sided responses).

1. Design-Build Expertise on Public School Projects (25%): Provide an overview of your proposed D-B team and their experience delivering all aspects of a Design-Build public school project including programming, preconstruction, design, project management, construction, collaboration, reporting, and closeout. Include an organizational chart of both the Design and Construction teams, resumes of key team members, identification of any key subconsultants, and designation of a primary contact person for the team. Note: The design-builder shall obtain written approval from the district prior to changing key personnel after the contract has been awarded.

2. Past performance on similar school projects (35%): List your most relevant school projects completed by the proposed team and describe how your team handled the design and planning, constructability, coordination with multiple authorities, and execution of constructing a new school while the existing campus remained operational. Provide a minimum of three (3) public school owner references with their contact information.

3. Local preference for Resident North Carolina firms (20%): Provide the location of offices and key staff that will service this project, highlight experience with local jurisdictions and ordinances. Resident firms may receive preference in procurement of Design Build, Architectural, and subsequent subcontractor selections. A Resident firm is a firm that has paid unemployment taxes or income taxes in North Carolina and whose principal place of business is located in this State.

4. Innovative, Efficient, Methodical Approach (20%): Describe strategies your team will utilize to maintain control of the project budget and contribute in-house or any type of value-added, cost-effective measures. Showcase recent examples and provide GMP and final unit price information from a member(s) of the proposed project team only.

Each Offeror shall submit with its proposal an explanation of its project team selection consisting of either:

A. A list of licensed contractors, subcontractors and design professionals the design-builder proposes to use on the project, OR

B. A list of the licensed contractors and design professionals whom the design-builder proposes to use for the project's design and construction along with an outline of the strategy for open subcontractor selection in accordance with Article 8 of Chapter 143 of the North Carolina General Statutes.

Number of Copies and Due Date:

Submit eight (8) copies AND a digital copy by 3:00 p.m. EST, Thursday, February 26th, 2026 delivered in person or by courier to:

Greg Woodard

Wilson County Schools

519 Ward Boulevard, Building 1, Unit A

Wilson, NC 27893

(252) 399-7823

greg.woodard@wilsonschoolsnc.net

WCS is not responsible for late packages and Statements of Qualifications/Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered. Copies via email will not be accepted. Label the outside of the package “New Wells-Hearnes Elementary School Design-Build Proposal” with the due date.

Offerors shall only use the above contact and not contact other staff or elected officials in regards to this procurement process. Improper contact may result in disqualification of your proposal. Any questions that are necessary to complete proposals should be sent in writing prior to the submission deadline to the name listed above.

Following evaluation, the three most highly qualified Design-Build firms will be ranked. If fewer than three qualified responses have been received, the district shall re-solicit for design-builders. If as a result of such second solicitation not as many as three responses are received, the district may then begin negotiations with the highest-ranked design-builder under G.S. 143-64.31 even though fewer than three responses were received. If the District deems appropriate, it may invite some or all responding firms to participate in interviews.

Other Conditions:

A. The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and is not required to award a contract if deemed to be in the best interest of the District.

B. The District shall not be liable for any costs incurred by any firm responding to this RFQ. Firms submitting a proposal in response to this RFQ agree that the materials and submittals are prepared at the firm’s own expense with the express understanding that the firm cannot make any claims whatsoever for reimbursement from the district.

C. The Offeror certifies that to the best of its knowledge, no employee of the District nor any member thereof, nor any public agency or official affected by the proposal, has a pecuniary interest in the business of the Offeror, and that no person associated with the Offeror has any interest that would conflict in any manner with the performance of the proposal.

D. The District does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other basis prohibited by state law relating to discrimination in employment.

E. WCS encourages the participation of small, women-owned, minority-owned, and Historically Underutilized Businesses. No project specific participation percentage has been established therefore, the state goal of 10% minority business participation shall prevail unless otherwise approved prior to bidding. All Board of Education Policies and Procedures shall apply to this contract. To qualify as a MBE/HUB, at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the business must be owned by one or more persons who are members of at least one of the groups set forth in N.C.G.S. § 143-128.4(b), or in the case of a corporation, at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the stock is owned by one or more persons who are members of at least one of the groups set forth in N.C.G.S. § 143-128.4(b).

F. Any firm submitting a proposal for consideration warrants that it possesses sufficient working capacity, financial strength, and bonding capacity to fully perform the work required of this project.

Submitting Confidential Information

Each proposal becomes the property of the County/District and is considered a public record except for material that qualifies as “Trade Secret” information under North Carolina General Statute § 66-152 et seq. Trade secret material must be submitted in a separate sealed envelope and clearly marked on each page. Proposals entirely designated as trade secrets may be disqualified.

Wilson County Schools participates in the North Carolina electronic Vendor Portal (eVP), which is the State of North Carolina's system to connect vendors with state government organizations that purchase goods and services. To bid on this solicitation you must be registered as a vendor in the eVP and your account must be active. Please visit https://eprocurement.nc.gov/ to learn more about eVP and https://evp.nc.gov/ to register as a vendor and activate or verify your account.