POLICY: If Preliminary Engineering (PE) Funding is an eligible phase of work, the procurement of Professional Services must be in accordance with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) regulations. Requirements for Professional Services must be publicly announced, acquired based on qualifications, and engaged at a fair and reasonable price. All Consultants and Subconsultants used by a Local Government Agency (LGA) must be prequalified by NCDOT. NCDOT must also review and concur with the solicitation, selection, and negotiation of a scope of work and cost proposal as well as the LGA's use of In-House Staff.
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Professional Services provide technical expertise in the Design/Plans phase, Right of Way (ROW) Acquisition, Utility Relocation, or Construction Contract Administration (CA)/Construction Engineering and Inspection (CEI) phase of a project. Professional Services can be provided by Consultants or In-House Staff to complete tasks. Specialists that may be engaged include engineers, architects, and landscape architects, among others.
Only Professional Services activities that directly contribute to the planning, design, development, implementation, or construction administration of the project are eligible for Federal-aid participation.
- For Design/Plans, Preliminary Engineering (PE) must be an eligible expense in the Agreement.
- For CA and CEI, construction must be an eligible expense in the Agreement.
Professional Engineering Firms (PEF) must be pre-qualified by NCDOT (see NCDOT Prequalification Requirements).
Note: If the LGA is not using Federal-aid funds for Reimbursement of professional services, then the LGA may follow its own process and procedures for procurement of firms. NCDOT will not review the solicitation or selection process, nor will approval of costs be required. However, NCDOT approval of planning documents, design plans, etc. will still be required. Therefore, NCDOT strongly encourages the use of a pre-qualified firm, but it is not required.
