BACKGROUND
Mid-Carolina Council of Governments (MCCOG or Council) is the state-designated lead regional organization for Cumberland, Harnett, and Sampson counties. MCCOG is one of the 16 North Carolina Regional Councils of Governments formed to provide a wide variety of programs and services to their local governments and citizens. MCCOG provides technical assistance services to its member governments including land use planning, subdivision and zoning ordinance administration, infrastructure studies, general administrative assistance, transportation planning, professional development training, and administration of aging programs.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
MCCOG is requesting Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) in accordance with North Carolina statutes to provide professional services on an as-needed basis to the Council. MCCOG intends to contract with multiple firms. The following is a general description of the tasks that may be required. It is not intended to be all-inclusive, nor is it guaranteed that all the tasks will be utilized under every contract.  Responding firms may submit SOQs for all, a few or only one of the general tasks outlined below .
 
The scope of professional services includes, but is not limited to:
  • Regional and Local Planning
  • Zoning, Code Enforement, and Subdivision Review
  • GIS and Mapping Services
  • Economic Development Consulting Services
  • Project Solution Development and Project Management
  • Stakeholder Involvement, Coordination, and Facilitation
  • Marketing and Communications Planning and Management
  • Funding Application Preparation and Administration Services
  • Capital Improvement and Asset Management Planning
  • Financial (Enterprise and General) Analysis and Modeling and Rate Studies  
  • Technical Engineering Support Services
  • Meeting/Training Organization and Facilitation
  • Code Enforcement

A detailed scope of services will be negotiated for each project between the Council and the selected firms. The selected firms will be expected to address MCCOG’s needs in a timely manner for each respective project. Services will be requested on an “as needed – when needed” basis . Quantity of work will vary through the contract term. Selection does not guarantee a minimum amount of work to be assigned.

STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS
The format of the SOQs shall be submitted per the responding firm’s judgment. In general, SOQs shall be organized in a manner that will facilitate the evaluation of the responding firm and should specifically address each evaluation criterion. Additional information beyond what is listed for each criterion in the preceding section that is deemed relevant may also be submitted. To facilitate MCCOG’s objective review of the SOQs from different firms, the firms are requested to organize the main document using a standardized format. Each SOQ should contain the following :

1)     Cover letter on company letterhead signed by a Principal or other member of the firm authorized to commit the firm to contract for professional services .

2)     Table of Contents, with page numbers

3)      Information on the following topics :


Firm Profile Information
  • Firm name. Identify legal entity that would enter into contract with the MCCOG.
  • Address of principal office where work will be performed.
  • Phone number, website, and e-mail information.
  • Name and information of the individual who will be MCCOG’s primary contact.
  • General statement of firm’s history and financial stability.
  • Number of years the firm has been in business in its current capacity.
  • If applicable, the firm’s North Carolina Engineering License Number or other professional license information.
  • General insurance information as provided in similar RFQs.

Personnel Information
  • A brief resume of each team member should detail relevant experience, years of experience, job duties, educational background, and professional certifications.
  • Organizational chart specifying all project managers, key staff, and subcontractors. List the office location for all proposed team members.

Firm Experience
  • List relevant projects completed or in progress.
  • Nature and description of the project.
  • Project staff and their role.
  • Owner/representative’s information (email address and phone number).

Quality Control
  • Describe the firm’s quality control program, specifically its technical review process.

Management Approach
  • Describe the firm’s approach to managing similar projects.

SOQs are limited to 30 pages in length (or 15 pages double-sided or 30 pages single-sided) (on 8 ½ x 11 paper) with a minimum font size of 12 pt. The page count excludes the cover page, cover letter , table of contents, and section dividers . Section dividers are for section identification only and are not to be utilized for additional information space or they will be counted in the 30- page limit.


EVALUATION CRITERIA
Primary evaluation criteria and anticipated weights the Council intends to utilize to select the most qualified firms are listed below. MCCOG reserves the right to alter these criteria and weights assigned throughout the selection process. MCCOG staff will read, review and evaluate the qualifications independently based on the evaluation criteria. Selection is subjective in many areas and the decision of MCCOG will be final and not subject to re-evaluation by the firms submitting SOQs.

The following factors will be used in the initial evaluation process:
a.             Reputation, quality, and experience (35 points possible):
  • Experience in providing similar services of comparable size and complexity to municipalities, counties, regional councils or other governmental entities.
  • Favorable responses from project references.

b.           Experience of proposed team (40 points possible):
  • Appropriate experience and technical qualifications of the proposed team to provide services as described herein.
  • Recent experience of the project team providing services of similar scope.
  • Organizational structure of the team

c.            Quality Control (10 points possible):
  • Ensure that proper technologies are selected and utilized for the projects.
  • Ensure reports/deliverables are accurate, thorough, and delivered on time.
  • Adequacy of firm’s technical review process.

d.           Approach (10 points)
  • Proposed approach is effective.

e.           Proximity to MCCOG (5 points possible).

SOQs shall be submitted in PDF format via e-mail. Firms should not submit bound hard copies of the proposal. Only email submissions will be accepted .

Submissions must be emailed to Justin Hembree, Executive Director, MCCOG at [email protected] by 5pm EST time on Friday, February 21, 2020 . SOQs received after this deadline will not be considered. PDF files must contain the signatures of company representatives who are authorized to execute documents on behalf of the firm. Questions regarding this request should be directed to Justin Hembree and will be accepted until 5 pm EST on Friday, February 14, 2020 .

Maintaining the integrity of the SOQ process is of paramount importance for MCCOG. Please do not contact members of MCCOG or their staff regarding this contract until the award is presented for approval, other than MCCOG’s designated contact person.

The selected firms will be notified by telephone or e-mail and will be expected to enter into an agreement with MCCOG as soon as possible after notification. In the event an agreement cannot be negotiated with the selected firms, negotiations with that firm(s) will be terminated and initiated with the next best-qualified firm.

The Council reserves the right to select and enter into an Agreement with multiple firms. The Agreement shall be in effect for three years commencing on the date of its execution with options to extend up to an additional two years on a yearly basis.

MCCOG accepts no responsibility for expenses incurred during the preparation or delivery of SOQs. MCCOG reserves the right to:

  • Reject any and all statements of qualification
  • Select multiple firms for the referenced work
  • Waive technical errors and informalities
  • Accept the statement of qualifications, which, in its sole judgment, best serves the public interest.
  • In the event of limited response, extend the submittal deadline as appropriate in order to assure a competitive procurement process.