REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP #0003-FY27-Planning) for TOWN OF WAKE FOREST WAKE FOREST NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND BOUNDARY INCREASE

Description: Notice The Town of Wake Forest (as referred to as "the Town" or "Wake Forest") is soliciting Proposals from firm(s) or organization(s) qualified to provide professional services to conduct required research and writing to complete the research, documentation, and writing to complete the Additional Documentation and Boundary Increase of the Wake Forest National Register Historic District Nomination (WA1665). The Town seeks to identify qualified consultants who meet the Secretary of Interior's Professional Qualification Standards for Architectural History and possess required experience and knowledge to complete in full, the survey, additional documentation, extension of the period of significance, and boundary expansion of the Wake Forest National Register Historic District. All respondents to this Request for Proposals (RFP) are subject to the instructions communicated in this document and are cautioned to completely review the entire RFP and follow instructions carefully. Background Wake Forest is part of the Research Triangle, one of the fastest growing regions in the country, and located minutes from Raleigh, the state capital. In the past few decades, Wake Forest has transformed from a small, rural town into a thriving suburban community with an estimated population greater than 60,000. The Town of Wake Forest has a rich and diverse history in piedmont North Carolina. There are three National Register Historic Districts, one local historic district, fourteen locally designated historic landmarks, thirteen individually listed properties in the National Register of Historic Places, two study listed historic districts, and three study listed individual properties. The Town updated the architectural resource survey for the Town in 2020-21 and from that survey added the potential boundary expansions and extension of the period of significance to the North Carolina Study List. The 2003 Wake Forest National Register Historic District (WA1665) included 229 primary resources that formed the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century core of the town of Wake Forest. It included the institutional buildings associated with Wake Forest College, residences of college faculty and staff, houses of townspeople, churches, and commercial buildings. The campus is in the center of the district with Main Street, the north-south axis of the district, extending both north and south of the campus. Grid-patterned streets extend east and west from Main Street. The district was listed under Criterion A for its Educational significance as a college town associated with the Wake Forest Institute, later Wake Forest College, the first viable denominational college in the state. It was also significant under Criterion C for Architecture. Its period of significance extended from c.1820 to 1953, fifty years from its listing. It is important to note that Wake Forest College relocated to Winston-Salem in 1956. There are approximately 15 resources in the existing historic district that were constructed between 1953 and 1956 and may be associated with the College before its relocation. The 2020 Architectural Survey Update identified four areas that illustrate the continued growth and development of the Town of Wake Forest around the college campus through at least the 1960s. In addition, approximately 40 buildings within the 2003 Wake Forest National Register Historic District were constructed after 1953 and therefore listed as noncontributing. These properties must be reassessed to determine if they qualify as contributing under the extended period of significance. The Town received a Certified Local Government Grant to complete the additional documentation and boundary increase for the Wake Forest National Register Historic District. All project requirements must be submitted no later than February 28, 2028. The consultant will be responsible for all associated expenses with this project. The Town will provide administrative support including public outreach, communications, property contacts, and public notifications. The Town of Wake Forest has received a $25,000 federal pass-through Historic Preservation Fund grant for Certified Local Governments from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior administered through the State Historic Preservation Office and is providing a local match of $15,000 for a total project budget of $40,000. Stakeholders for this project include the historic district property owners, community members, the Wake Forest Historic Preservation Commission, Wake Forest Historical Museum, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and NC Historic Preservation Office. Objective The Town is seeking to amend the Wake Forest National Register Historic District (WA1665) to include additional documentation, boundary increase, and extension of the Period of Significance. These properties were added to the NC State Study List in 2021 resulting from the Town-wide historic resources survey completed that year. Scope and Required Services The selected firm will be required to complete all work necessary to successfully amend the Wake Forest National Register Historic District including additional information, Period of Significance, and Boundary Increase. All work must meet the documentation standards of the NC Historic Preservation Office and National Park Service. The final nomination will incorporate all comments from the Town of Wake Forest and State Historic Preservation Office. The scope of services for the additional documentation and boundary expansion will include the following tasks and deliverables (not exhaustive): review all existing information about the district and proposed expansion areas; update the architectural survey with photography and database entries; refine and justify the proposed boundary expansion; complete Additional Documentation to update and expand the district and expansion area's physical description, inventory list, history and contexts; support and justify a period of significance and, if justified, a Criterion Consideration G argument; create location and boundary maps; draft the National Register Nomination Additional Documentation to include site description and map, updated inventory, historical background and contexts, architectural description, integrity assessment, boundary description and maps, photographs with photo keys, and a statement of significance with a strong argument per National Register guidance. The consultant will obtain and use a survey database shell from the State Historic Preservation Office and follow applicable survey/database guidance and submission checklists. The consultant will make all recommended changes from Town, State Historic Preservation Office, and National Park Service to produce a complete final nomination. Proposal Content and Requirements Submittals shall include a Letter of Interest, firm and staff qualifications demonstrating Secretary of Interior professional qualifications for architectural history, information on similar projects within the last five years, experience with NCHPO and National Register staff, project approach addressing each task in the Scope of Services, an anticipated project schedule, three work samples of recent successfully listed National Register nominations (with at least one historic district or additional documentation/boundary increase), and three references. The submission shall be a maximum of 10 pages front and back (20 single-sided). Only digital work samples, which are excluded from the page limit, will be accepted. Firms or individuals submitting proposals shall have no association with elected or appointed officials that could be considered a conflict of interest. Submittal Deadline and Project Schedule Questions and clarifications due: November 20, 2026 by 2:00 p.m. (to Michelle Michael). Addendum with Q&A, if necessary, published by November 24, 2026. Proposal deadline: 5:00 p.m., Friday, December 11, 2026. Anticipated schedule includes review of submittals (12/14/2026-12/30/2026), interviews if necessary (1/5/2027-1/8/2027), contract finalized 2/19/2027, notice to proceed 2/26/2027, and project complete 2/28/2028. Selection and Evaluation Selection will be based on qualifications, experience, project approach, demonstrated National Register nomination experience, ability to complete grant-funded work on time and within budget, and communication with property owners and stakeholders. The Town reserves the right to reject any response that does not comply with content and format requirements and may conduct discussions or interviews. The Town will provide written notification to all firms regarding final selection by March 1, 2027. Additional Terms General contract terms, insurance, indemnity, E-Verify, compliance with Federal non-discrimination requirements, and other standard municipal contract provisions are included in the RFP appendices. All submissions become the exclusive property of the Town of Wake Forest and may be disclosed as required by law.