(a) It is the public policy of this State and all public subdivisions and Local Governmental Units thereof, except in cases of special emergency involving the health and safety of the people or their property, to announce all requirements for architectural, engineering, surveying, construction management at risk services, design-build services, and public-private partnership construction services to select firms qualified to provide such services on the basis of demonstrated competence and qualification for the type of professional services required without regard to fee other than unit price information at this stage, and thereafter to negotiate a contract for those services at a fair and reasonable fee with the best qualified firm. If a contract cannot be negotiated with the best qualified firm, negotiations with that firm shall be terminated and initiated with the next best qualified firm. Selection of a firm under this Article shall include the use of good faith efforts by the public entity to notify minority firms of the opportunity to submit qualifications for consideration by the public entity.

(a1) A resident firm providing architectural, engineering, surveying, construction management at risk services, design-build services, or public-private partnership construction services shall be granted a preference over a nonresident firm, in the same manner, on the same basis, and to the extent that a preference is granted in awarding contracts for these services by the other state to its resident firms over firms resident in the State of North Carolina. For purposes of this section, a resident firm is a firm that has paid unemployment taxes or income taxes in North Carolina and whose principal place of business is located in this State.

(b) Recodified as N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-133.1(a) by Session Laws 2014-42, s. 3, effective October 1, 2014, and applicable to contracts awarded on or after that date.

(c) Recodified as N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-133.1(b) by Session Laws 2014-42, s. 3, effective October 1, 2014, and applicable to contracts awarded on or after that date.

(d) Recodified as N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-133.1(c) by Session Laws 2014-42, s. 3, effective October 1, 2014, and applicable to contracts awarded on or after that date.

(e) For purposes of this Article, the definition in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-128.1B and N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-128.1C shall apply.

(f) Except as provided in this subsection, no work product or design may be solicited, submitted, or considered as part of the selection process under this Article; and no costs or fees, other than unit price information, may be solicited, submitted, or considered as part of the selection process under this Article. Examples of prior completed work may be solicited, submitted, and considered when determining demonstrated competence and qualification of professional services; and discussion of concepts or approaches to the project, including impact on project schedules, is encouraged. (1987, c. 102, s. 1; 1989, c. 230, s. 2; 2001-496, s. 1; 2006-210, s. 1; 2013-401, s. 1; 2014-42, ss. 3, 4.)