Request for Qualifications: Programming Services for New Gastonia Fire Department Station

The City of Gastonia, North Carolina (City), invites statements of qualifications from qualified architectural and public safety facility planning firms to provide project-specific programming and pre-design services for a proposed new Gastonia Fire Department station in southeast Gastonia. This is a single-project RFQ, not an on-call services contract.

Project site: Gaston County Parcel Identification Number 306163, identified in county property records as 6095 Union Road, Gastonia, NC 28056, with approximately 7.49 mapped acres. County records identify the City of Gastonia as owner. [...]

The City seeks a practical, operationally informed program to support budgeting, project authorization, and a future architectural/engineering design procurement. Qualified firms should demonstrate experience with municipal fire stations, emergency response operations, and stakeholder-driven facility planning.

The selected consultant will work with City staff, Gastonia Fire Department leadership, and other stakeholders to develop a documented facility program and conceptual project framework. Anticipated tasks include:

• Project initiation: kickoff, information requests, stakeholder engagement plan, work plan, and schedule.
• Operational needs assessment: current and projected staffing, apparatus types and quantities, response functions, training, logistics, support operations, and future expansion needs.
• Space programming: room-by-room space needs, area allowances, adjacencies, functional relationships, separation of clean/dirty zones, secure/public circulation, gender-inclusive privacy, accessibility, and personnel wellness.
• Site due diligence and feasibility: desktop review and site walk; [...] Identify studies requiring separately retained specialists.
• Conceptual alternatives: at least two feasible site/building organization concepts, including preliminary apparatus bay arrangements, parking, circulation, and future expansion, with comparative advantages and limitations.
• Applicable codes and NFPA standards: identify and evaluate applicable adopted editions of the North Carolina State Building Code, Fire Code, accessibility requirements, and relevant National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. [...] The consultant shall identify the applicable editions, jurisdictional adoption status, and authority-having-jurisdiction determinations; standards not adopted as law shall be identified as planning best practices rather than mandatory code requirements.
• Budget and phasing: order-of-magnitude construction and total project cost ranges, assumptions, escalation/contingency, major cost drivers, and a conceptual implementation schedule.
• Final program: written facility program, space/area schedule, adjacency diagrams, conceptual site arrangements, assumptions, risks, recommendations, and presentation to City stakeholders.

Deliverables should include editable electronic files and PDF reports/presentations. The final scope, number of meetings, concept iterations, and schedule will be negotiated with the selected firm.

Excluded from this initial scope unless separately negotiated and authorized: complete schematic/design development, construction documents, permit applications, bidding services, construction administration, [...]. The programming award does not guarantee a subsequent design contract.

Submit a statement of qualifications (SOQ), **maximum 15 pages** including cover and back pages. Do not include a fee proposal in the initial qualifications submission.

Selection will follow the qualifications-based process under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-64.31, as applicable. Following selection, the City anticipates negotiating a detailed scope, schedule, and fair and reasonable compensation with the most qualified firm.

**Submission method:** Submit one electronic PDF to Matthew Young at matt.young@gastoninanc.gov, subject to City confirmation of the designated procurement contact before publication. Late submissions may be rejected. The City may issue addenda to clarify requirements or adjust dates.

Evaluation criteria

• Relevant fire station/public safety programming experience – **30%**
• Qualifications and availability of assigned project personnel – **25%**
• Understanding of the project and proposed methodology – **25%**
• Comparable municipal project performance and references – **10%**
• Ability to meet project schedule and coordinate locally – **10%**

The City may seek clarifications, check references, and interview shortlisted firms. Selection will be based on demonstrated qualifications, not initial fee competition.