Carroll County recreation officials told commissioners on Jan. 2 they will seek a qualified consultant to guide a large lighting upgrade project, with the county estimating an approximate total project budget of $1,000,000. Recreation Director Thad Ferguson presented a request for qualifications that would hire a firm to assess existing electrical systems, design upgrades or fixes and help prepare RFPs for fixtures and electrical work.

Ferguson said the county needs an outside professional because it is unclear whether a full electrical change-out will be required to install new fixtures and because warranty concerns could be jeopardized if work is done without professional coordination. The consultant would be asked to produce minimum qualifications for bidders, recommend whether to separate electrical and fixture procurements, and assist a review committee in evaluating proposals and drafting the RFP scope.

"Considering some of the complexities that we were running into... we thought bringing in a professional... might be the best option," Ferguson said. He noted the approximate budget for the overall project is $1,000,000 and said the RFQ documents specify minimum qualifications and a review process that would recommend a firm back to the Board of Commissioners.

County staff said they worked on the RFQ over the holidays and asked that the RFQ authorization be placed on the Jan. 7 consent agenda. If the RFQ is approved and a consultant hired, that firm would immediately begin assessing electrical systems and begin drafting one or two RFPs depending on recommended procurement structure.

The board agreed to place the RFQ on the consent agenda; no formal procurement contract was awarded at the work session.