Dewberry will assess several options for improvements to ventilation systems for improved air quality and for the replacement of antiquated equipment that fails to meet the code and regulatory requirements of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers and the Centers for Disease Control. Additionally, the firm will evaluate the installation of new plumbing fixture controls to mitigate the transmission of pathogens, the installation of water filtration systems to improve water quality, and the implementation of water conservation measures throughout the state’s facilities.

Five firms were selected for the IDIQ contract, each with a roughly $30-million initial contract capacity. The IDIQ contracts are made possible by funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which was created by the federal government in 2021 to help communities offset the negative economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.