Richland County OKs annual RFQ for design professionals; certifies Jan. 23 record and approves requisitions

The Richland County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 28, 2025 authorized the issuance of the county's annual request for qualifications (RFQ) for design professionals, certified the record of proceedings from Jan. 23, 2025 and approved requisitions, including an item related to the Belleville sewer project, the board said.

Commissioner Tony Barrow asked for the motion to issue the annual RFQ, saying the county conducts the solicitation each year to keep a roster of design professionals on hand for projects. County Administrator Andrew Keller explained a recent change in state qualification-based selection practice: he said the law now treats anticipated design fees in a new threshold band and requires the county to keep on file firms that respond to an RFQ when a project’s design fee is expected to fall within that band. Keller said that if the projected design fee is between $25,000 and $50,000 the county must solicit and keep qualifications on file; if a design fee is expected to exceed $50,000, a project-specific RFQ is required.

The board also moved to certify the Jan. 23, 2025 record of proceedings and to approve requisitions brought forward at the meeting. Commissioners recorded affirmative votes and the chair adjourned the meeting at 9:33 a.m.

No public-comment discussion, detailed budget breakdowns or dissenting votes on the RFQ authority were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt. The transcript shows the Belleville sewer project was mentioned in the requisitions approval; no additional details about contract amounts, implementation schedule or funding sources for that project were specified in the excerpt.