Request for Qualifications:?Wake Transit On-Call for?Transit Planning, Engineering, Marketing/Communications, Technology, Management and Financial?Services

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
FOR
ON-CALL TRANSIT PLANNING, ENGINEERING,
MARKETING/COMMUNICATIONS, TECHNOLOGY,
MANAGEMENT, AND FINANCIAL SERVICES
(FYs 2027-2029)
Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
City of Raleigh
Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority
Town of Cary
March 18, 2026
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Introduction and Background
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), through a joint procurement process with the
City of Raleigh, the Town of Cary, and the Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority
(GoTriangle), is inviting interested and qualified consulting firms or individuals to submit Statements of
Qualifications (SOQs) demonstrating the ability to perform a variety of planning, marketing and
communications, engineering and environmental, technology, program and project oversight/management,
and financial services for a multi-jurisdictional group of transit agencies and transportation planning
organizations on an "on-call" basis. Consultants or individuals are expected to have expertise in a variety of
disciplines.
In November of 2016, Wake County voters approved a one-half percent sales tax to be dedicated to the further
development and enhancement of public transportation systems within the county. The approval by the voters
of the sales tax, for which collection began in April 2017, was a significant milestone for allowing transportation
planning and transit-providing organizations in Wake County to implement an ambitious and community-
transformative 10-year countywide transit plan. The plan, known as the Wake County Transit Plan, was
originally adopted in May and June of 2016 by CAMPO, Wake County, and GoTriangle and covered a planning
horizon through 2027. The first update to the plan that extended its horizon to 2030 was adopted by CAMPO
and GoTriangle in April of 2021, and the second update to the plan that extended its horizon to 2035 was
adopted by CAMPO and GoTriangle in November of 2025. The Wake County Transit Plan allocates significant
resources to a number of project sponsors, including the City of Raleigh, the Town of Cary, GoTriangle, and
a host of other municipalities.
The Wake County Transit Plan calls for major improvements in four (4) key areas: (1) Connecting regionally;
(2) Connecting all Wake County communities; (3) Providing frequent and reliable urban mobility; and (4)
Enhancing access to transit. Meeting these goals will involve:
* Expanding the frequent bus network (routes operating at 15-minute frequencies of better) from 99
miles to over 300 miles
* Increasing service coverage such that the proportion of Wake County residents within 12-mile of all
day fixed-route transit service will grow from 40% to 44%
* Increasing service coverage such that the proportion of Wake County jobs within 12-mile of all day
fixed-route transit service will grow from 62% to 67%
* Strengthening cross-county links with express bus, bus rapid transit and regional rail investments
* Providing opportunities for community-centric and regional transit connectivity investment in every
Wake County municipality
* Implementing over 40 miles of bus rapid transit (BRT) service with supporting speed- and reliability-
enhancing infrastructure
* Extending the number of hours per day and days per week transit systems operate
* Improving transit operations, connectivity, and access through investment in a network of transfer
points, transit centers, operations and maintenance facilities, and new and improved bus stops.
The complete plan is accessible by visiting:
https://www.campo-nc.us/about-us/committees/wake-county-transit-planning-advisory-committee-
tpac/document-library/
The 2035 plan represents a total investment of greater than $3 billion over 10 years to be implemented by a
multitude of transit agencies and municipal governments in a synchronized and coordinated fashion. With the
initiation of multiple bus service improvements and new routes, construction of new and improved passenger-
facing facilities, and continued planning and design for BRT, much progress has been made toward
effectuating the plan's overarching goals since the original plan's adoption in 2016. To date, over $1.8 billion
in additional transit investment has been authorized for specific projects. However, an abundance of effort
remains necessary in the coming years to fully realize the vision set by the Wake County Transit Plan.
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The first procurement occurred in 2016, and in 2022 CAMPO, City of Raleigh, Town of Cary and GoTriangle
executed a Joint Procurement MOU and conducted an on-call procurement for FYs 2023 through 2026. The
2022 procurement resulted in a list of qualified consulting firms/individuals available to perform five (5)
categories of professional services on an on-call basis for a three (3)-year period from 2023-2026. Activities
performed under these solicitations included, but were not limited to:
* Fixed-guideway corridor major investment studies and alternatives analyses
* Multi-year bus service implementation plans
* A transit plan implementation public engagement policy
* Staffing Plans for transit plan implementation
* Program management plans for the Wake Transit Community Funding Area Program
* Customer and community attitudinal surveys
* Two updates to the Wake County Transit Plan
* A GoCary systemwide comprehensive operations analysis
* Regional transit technology integration studies
* Development of an online public-facing program implementation mapping and progress dashboard
tool
* Feasibility studies and site planning for transit facilities
City of Raleigh (GoRaleigh)-Operates 35 fixed bus routes and two microtransit services, and serves as the
project sponsor for the Wake Transit Plan's program of BRT projects, multiple transit centers and transfer
points, and bus stop improvements
Town of Cary (GoCary)-Operates 9 fixed bus routes and serves as the project sponsor for a significant
regional multimodal facility and transfer point and bus stop improvements
GoTriangle Tax District Administration (TDA) - A department of GoTriangle that is responsible for
management and oversight of the Wake Transit Financial Plan and financial model, as well as the financial
plans and models for the Durham and Orange County Transit Plans
GoTriangle-Regional transit agency operating primarily in Wake, Durham, and Orange Counties with 15
fixed bus routes and serves as the project sponsor for a significant regional transit center and bus stop
improvements
CAMPO-Metropolitan Planning Organization serving Wake County and portions of Franklin, Granville,
Harnett, Chatham and Johnston Counties.
This 2026 solicitation of professional services intends to both reconstitute an 'on-call' consulting services
relationship with qualified consulting firms or individuals for a three (3)-year period from Fiscal Year 2027
through Fiscal Year 2029 (June 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029)and expand the range of services procured to better
match with the current and projected needs of the Wake County Transit Plan project sponsors over this
ensuing time period. While the need to retain transit planning services will persist, specific capital projects
funded with Wake Transit tax revenues continue to move beyond feasibility and alternatives planning phases
to more advanced implementation phases. This reality requires the joint procurement partners to procure
services to support these advanced phases, such as engineering/design, environmental investigation and
review, real property acquisition-related services, financial services, program and project oversight and
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management services, etc. Because this is a joint solicitation of professional services among CAMPO, the
City of Raleigh, the Town of Cary, and GoTriangle, all four (4) of these parties were involved in the
development of the scope of services and will be involved in the qualifications review and consultant selection
process.
RFQ Schedule
ACTION DATE
Advertise RFQ Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Deadline for Questions 5:00 pm, Monday, March 30, 2026
Questions must be submitted in writing (no phone calls) no later than 5:00 pm on March 30, 2026, to
ben.howell@campo-nc.us. Questions and responses will be posted on www.campo-nc.us no
later than 5:00pm on April 2, 2026.
Pre-Qualifications Meeting (Question and Answer
10:00-11:00 am, Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Session for Potential Respondents)
A Pre-Qualifications Meeting is scheduled to be held virtually through Microsoft Teams. The pre-
qualifications meeting is not a requirement of potential SOQ Respondents, but registration is required
to attend. Register here:
https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/35d2b1ba-7657-494c-b944-8c5e9b6e1fcb@23f98eb6-
c8ce-4a93-8562-44f005daf93f
Statements of Qualifications Due By 1:00 pm, Monday, April 13, 2026
Deliver in PDF format via email with "SOQ for Wake Transit On-Call Consultant Services" on the email
subject line by 1pm EDT to: ben.howell@campo-nc.us.
SOQs opening 2:00 pm, Monday, April 13, 2026
Candidate Interviews (if necessary) May 11 - May 15, 2026
Preferred Candidate(s) Selection May 22, 2026
Scope of Services
All agencies involved in any transit planning, engineering, or technology development processes have a desire
to coordinate transit services regionally and to ensure appropriate integration of transit services that may be
operated by others, if applicable. While this solicitation for professional services is expected to lead to a
contractor-client relationship with CAMPO, the City of Raleigh, the Town of Cary, or GoTriangle, or a
combination thereof, coordination with other local governments and agencies will be required for successful
delivery of services that require regional coordination.
Throughout the life of the 'on-call' arrangement procured through this solicitation, it is anticipated that most
task orders to be deployed that may lead to a vendor contract will be initiated independently by one of the
parties to this joint solicitation. Consequently, selected consultants will negotiate any services to be provided
and the appropriate consideration to be paid, as well as specific contract terms, individually with either the
Town of Cary, City of Raleigh, CAMPO, or GoTriangle. Selected consultants will also report directly to the
respective procurement party throughout the life of the contractual relationship with that party. In some limited
cases, more than one of the procurement parties may wish to jointly contract with a selected consultant, and
accordingly, the selected consultant will report to those respective parties as detailed in a vendor contract.
The services or products of consultant(s) selected from this solicitation may also be procured by other
agencies or municipalities through a piggybacking approach, if those agencies deem it to be permitted and
lawful to do so.
This prospective opportunity for on-call services will cover a duration of three (3) fiscal years (FY 2027 - FY
2029) with the option to terminate for convenience and the option to renew for a period of up to an additional
two (2) fiscal years (FY 2030 - FY 2031), not to exceed a total duration of five (5) fiscal years (FY2027 -
FY2031). The scope of services for this solicitation is broken down into six (6) categories of services.
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Responding firms or individuals may submit an SOQ to be considered and compete for any or all of the six (6)
categories of services. However, all SOQ submissions must be submitted for a minimum of one (1) category
of services. It is envisioned that the following services may be needed during this period of time:
PLANNING SERVICES
* Public transportation planning, including but not limited to the following: corridor studies, feasibility
studies, high-capacity transit investment alternatives analyses, development of short- and long-range
transit service and infrastructure plans, blocking/runcutting, scheduling, Title VI analysis, Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) service planning, multi-modal coordination, etc.
* Transit-supportive land use planning and development coordination, which may include but would not
necessarily be limited to:
Station area land use plans,
o
Land use planning elements of corridor studies,
o
Development of transit-supportive land use implementation tools, such as zoning and
o
development codes,
Land development-specific negotiations and coordination,
o
Development and negotiation of public-private partnerships,
o
Affordable housing policy development and planning
o
* Multi-modal coordination planning to account for transit's intersection with other transportation modes
* Site selection and site planning for transit facilities
* Development of performance standards, guidelines, measures, and targets for transit services,
investment in supporting capital assets, and ongoing asset management
* Analysis and development of program- and project-level policies to support the integrity and necessary
program control for countywide plan implementation
* Assistance with grant funding applications for transit projects that are at the planning stage
* Embedded staff to support agency transit planning activities
* Financial planning that is ancillary to and supports transit planning activities
* Public/community engagement that is ancillary to and supports transit planning activities
* Preparing and delivering presentations that are ancillary to and support transit planning activities
* Production of reports, memos, etc. that are ancillary to and support transit planning activities
ENGINEERING/ENVIRONMENTAL/LAND ACQUISITION SERVICES
* Development of preliminary and final designs for transit facilities/infrastructure
* Management, including change management, for design processes
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* Development and finalization of construction documents for transit facilities/infrastructure
* Quality control reviews of design plans, construction documents, and construction processes
* Cost estimation, value engineering services, and facilitation of value engineering processes
* Land surveying
* Geotechnical investigations
* Environmental site assessments and environmental constraints and remediation planning
* Permitting services (e.g., permits from local governments and federal and state agencies)
* Environmental mitigation studies/reports
* Environmental analysis and documentation to support project planning and compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
* Title VI assessment and analysis to support environmental compliance requirements
* Public/community engagement that is ancillary to and supports transit facility/infrastructure design and
environmental analysis, review, and documentation activities
* Land and right-of-way acquisition negotiation, brokerage, and transaction support services
* Assistance with grant applications for transit projects that are at the design stage
* Embedded staff to support agency transit design/engineering, environmental, and land/right-of-way
acquisition activities
* Preparing and delivering presentations that are ancillary to and support transit facilities/infrastructure
design, environmental, and land acquisition activities
* Production of reports, memos, plan sets, construction specifications, etc. that are ancillary to and
support transit facilities/infrastructure design, environmental, and land acquisition activities
MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT SERVICES
* Designing and implementing public awareness marketing campaigns for transit services and
facilities
* Strategic Planning related to marketing, communication and engagement
* Policy and Guideline development related to marketing, communication and engagement
* Graphic Design related to marking, communications and engagement activities
* Developing transit program or project branding, including development of templates and brand
standards
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* Developing and disseminating press releases and other communication material related to
marketing or engagement campaigns
* Survey and study development and design (i.e. customer service, rider satisfaction,
origin/destination)
* Analysis and reporting of public engagement activities undertaken by Wake Transit partners
* Staff to support public engagement activities and events in the field (i.e. public workshops, pop-up
events and festivals)
* Public/community engagement that is ancillary to and supports marketing, communications and
engagement activities
* Embedded staff to support agency marketing, communications and engagement activities
* Preparing and delivering presentations that are ancillary to and marketing, communications and
engagement activities
* Production of reports, memos, plan sets, construction specifications, etc. that are ancillary to and
support marketing, communications and engagement activities
TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
* Creation of web mapping applications and interfaces for public users
* Website development and administration
* Transit Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) architecture strategic planning
* Technology integration and deployment planning
* Development and integration of trip hailing technology
* Planning and specification development for various Transit ITS system packages including, but not
limited to:
Fare Collection Management Systems
o
Asset Inventory and Management Systems
o
Customer Information Systems
o
Traffic Signal Priority Systems
o
Transit Fleet Management Systems
o
Transit Security Systems
o
* Digital visualization services to include graphic design, map creation, videos, recorded presentations,
etc.
* Public/community engagement that is ancillary to and supports technology development, deployment,
and integration activities
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* Embedded staff to support agency technology development, deployment, and integration activities
* Preparing and delivering presentations that are ancillary to and support technology development,
deployment, and integration activities
* Production of reports, memos, specifications documents, etc. that are ancillary to and support
technology development, deployment, and integration activities
PROGRAM AND PROJECT OVERSIGHT/MANAGEMENT SERVICES
* Project and program management oversight services
* Project and program management services for planning, design, and construction of transit
facilities/infrastructure
* Project risk management planning
* Independent value engineering and value engineering process management
* Programmatic compliance services
* Grants planning, development, and management services
* Master scheduling for projects and programs of projects
* Development of project delivery and contracting strategies
* Embedded staff to support agency project and program management and oversight activities
* Preparing and delivering presentations that are ancillary to and support agency project and program
management and oversight activities
* Production of reports, memos, specifications documents, etc. that are ancillary to and support agency
project and program management and oversight activities
FINANCIAL SERVICES
* Financial planning, advising, and modeling for projects and programs of projects
* Financial monitoring and audits
* Development of financial strategies and development and evaluation of financial scenarios
* Debt planning, issuance, and management consulting services
The selected firm(s) must guarantee that all technicians performing work are licensed as appropriate and
are legally able to perform related work as assigned.
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Statement of Qualifications Format and Content
The instructions below provide guidance on SOQ submission requirements to Respondents for
preparing and submitting concise responses to this RFQ. The purpose of this guidance is to establish
consistency in format and contents of submitted SOQs so that responses are complete, contain all
essential information, and can be easily evaluated. SOQs should be submitted electronically in PDF
format via email with "SOQ for Wake Transit On-Call Consultant Services" on the email subject line
by 1pm EDT on Monday, April 13, 2026, to: ben.howell@campo-nc.us.
SOQ Format
In order for the Evaluation Committee to adequately compare and evaluate qualifications objectively,
SOQs shall be submitted in accordance with the following:
* SOQs shall not exceed thirty (30) pages (8.5 inches x 11 inches in size, with the exception of
the organizational chart as provided in this section) in length, numbered 1 through 30, plus a
one (1)-page letter of interest.
* SOQ submissions shall not include any pages, attachments, appendices, or addendums
beyond the 30-page limit.
* All printing, except the front cover of the SOQ, shall be in Times New Roman font with a size
of no less than 11-point.
SOQs will need to include a comprehensive but concise response describing the consultant's or
individual's knowledge and experience with and proposed approach to the work described in the
Scope of Work section of this document. SOQ submissions shall contain the following elements in the
presented order:
1) Cover Sheet
The cover sheet shall clearly present the project title and the Respondent's name. The
cover sheet will not count toward the 30-page limit for SOQ submissions.
2) Table of Contents
3) A Concise Letter of Interest, including:
a. The name and address of the prime Consultant or individual and the state in which
it is incorporated and chiefly located;
b. A brief description of the Respondent (prime, sub-consultants and third-party
consultants) and its interest in performing the solicited professional services;
c. The specific categories of services detailed in the Scope of Services section of this
RFQ for which the Respondent is submitting its/her/his SOQ;
d. The name, address, phone numbers and email address of the designated contact
for the Respondent (prime consultant or individual);
e. Acknowledgement of receipt of all addenda to the RFQ document (each addendum
must be identified); and
f. Signature of duly authorized official of the prime consultant firm or individual.
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4) A statement indicating any judgments, lawsuits, administrative claims, or fine proceedings
against the Respondent (prime, sub-consultants and third-party consultants), or to which
the Respondent has been a party, within the last five (5) years, or pending litigation, related
to professional conduct or services. Include any fines levied by any governmental unit
relating to the proposed work in this RFQ such as fines from the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, Department of Labor, or other unit of government.
5) Description of the Respondent's understanding of the Scope of Services and strategy for
delivering the described services.
The Respondent shall outline the methodology and approach for the performance of the
potential services identified in the Scope of Work section of this RFQ. The project approach
shall provide a narrative description for providing the potential services, as well as any
substantive or procedural innovations used by the Respondent on similar projects or tasks
that are applicable to the services described in this RFQ.
6) Qualifications and experience of key supervisory personnel and their commitment to the
range of services solicited.
a. Team structure organizational chart [formatted on one (1), 11" x 17" page] -
counts toward 30-page submission limit
b. Provide a description of the structure of the Respondent's team, inter-relationships,
areas of responsibility, and the names of key personnel assigned to the potential
services to be provided along with their areas of responsibility and commitment to
those services.
7) Previous experience in solicited disciplines and engagements with similar scopes of
services.
Performance involves work that is the same or similar in nature, size, and complexity to
the services being procured under this solicitation. Provide a list of at least three (3)
projects similar in scope and magnitude to the services described in this RFQ that the team
(or individuals on the team) proposed from the responding firm/individual and/or its
subcontractors have undertaken within the last seven (7) years. The list should include:
a. Contract amount(s);
b. Funding source(s);
c. Description of work performed;
d. Client contact person(s); and
e. Phone number(s) and email addresses for the client contact.
8) Availability of firm and its demonstrated capability to perform the scope of services through
FY 2029 (June 30, 2029). The Respondent shall outline the availability of staff and
demonstrate the capability to perform any potential work on schedule in accordance with
services identified in the scope of services.
9) Participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms in performance of the
services.
Each party to this joint procurement may have a practice of setting annual DBE goals and
project-specific DBE goals. It is the expectation of this solicitation that selected firms will
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