01 R103 032026.pdf

RLP NO. 57-47091-26-FA, PAGE 1 GSA TEMPLATE R103 (5/25)

USDA REQUEST

FOR LEASE

PROPOSALS

NO. 57-47091-26-FA,

MOUNTAIN CITY,

TENNESSEE

Offers due by 04/16/2026

In order to be considered for award, offers conforming to the requirements of the RLP shall be received no later than 4:30 PM EASTERN on the date above. See “Receipt Of Lease Proposals” herein for additional information.

This Request for Lease Proposals ("RLP") sets forth instructions and requirements for proposals for a Lease described in the RLP documents.

Proposals conforming to the RLP requirements will be evaluated in accordance with the Basis of Award set forth herein to select an Offeror for award. The Government will award the Lease to the selected Offeror, subject to the conditions herein.

The information collection requirements contained in this Solicitation/Contract, that are not required by regulation, have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act and assigned the OMB Control No. 3090-0086.

SMALL RLP

GSA TEMPLATE R103 (5/25)

RLP NO. 57-47091-26-FA, PAGE 2 GSA TEMPLATE R103 (5/25)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1 - STATEMENT OF REQUIREMENTS

1.01 GENERAL INFORMATION (SMALL) (OCT 2023)

1.02 AMOUNT AND TYPE OF SPACE AND LEASE TERM (SLAT) (OCT 2020)

1.03 NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE AND SMALL BUSINESS SIZE STANDARD

(OCT 2023)

SECTION 2 - SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

2.01 INCORPORATED SOLICITATION PROVISIONS (SMALL) (OCT 2024)

2.02 FLOOD PLAINS (OCT 2022)

SECTION 3 - ELIGIBILITY AND PREFERENCES FOR AWARD

3.01 BASIS OF AWARD (OCT 2023)

3.02 SEISMIC SAFETY – MODERATE SEISMICITY (MAY 2025)

3.03 INTENTIONALLY DELETED

3.04 ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND SECURITY ACT (SMALL) (MAY 2025)

3.05 INTENTIONALLY DELETED

3.06 HUBZONE SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN PRICE PREFERENCE WAIVER (SMALL) (OCT 2023)

SECTION 4 - HOW TO OFFER

4.01 RECEIPT OF LEASE PROPOSALS (SMALL) (OCT 2023)

4.02 PROPOSAL CONTENTS FOR SMALL LEASES (OCT 2024)

4.03 FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SUBMITTALS (SMALL) (OCT 2020)

4.04 EISA SUBMITTALS (SMALL) (SEP 2015)

4.05 INTENTIONALLY DELETED

RLP NO. 57-47091-26-FA, PAGE 3 GSA TEMPLATE R103 (5/25)

SECTION 1 - STATEMENT OF REQUIREMENTS

1.01 GENERAL INFORMATION (SMALL) (OCT 2023)

A. This Request for Lease Proposals (RLP) sets forth instructions and requirements for proposals for a Lease described in the RLP documents. The Government will evaluate proposals conforming to the RLP requirements in accordance with the Basis of Award set forth below to select an Offeror for award. The Government will award the Lease to the selected Offeror, subject to the conditions below.

B. Included in the RLP documents are the GSA Form 3626 (U.S. GOVERNMENT LEASE FOR REAL PROPERTY (Short Form)) which serves as an offer form and lease contract award document Supplemental Lease Requirements document, and GSA 3517A, General Clauses.

C. The Offeror's executed GSA Form 3626 shall constitute a firm offer. No Lease shall be formed until the Lease Contracting Officer

(LCO) executes the GSA Form 3626 and delivers a signed copy to the Offeror.

D. Offeror may not use Federal agency name(s) and/or acronym(s), e.g., General Services Administration, GSA, or Department of

Agriculture (USDA) in the entity name that owns and/or leases the Space to USDA.

1.02 AMOUNT AND TYPE OF SPACE AND LEASE TERM (SLAT) (OCT 2020)

The Space shall be located in a modern quality Building of sound and substantial construction with a facade of stone, marble, brick, stainless steel, aluminum or other permanent materials in good condition and acceptable to the LCO. If not a new Building, the Space offered shall be in a Building that has undergone, or will complete by occupancy, modernization, or adaptive reuse for the Space with modern conveniences.

STATE: Tennessee CITY: Mountain City

COUNTY: Johnson County DELINEATED AREA: City Limits of Mountain City, Tennessee

SPACE TYPE(S): General-purpose office and related space MINIMUM SQ. FT. (ABOA): 2,230 ABOA SF Minimum

MAXIMUM SQ. FT. (ABOA): 2,342 ABOA SF Maximum RENTABLE SQUARE FEET (RSF): Not to exceed 2,782 RSF

GOV SURFACE/OUTSIDE RESERVED PARKIGN

SPACES:

ONE (1) reserved, on-site surface parking spaces for official government vehicles owned or leased on behalf of the Government or privately owned vehicles designated for official use in performance of the Government’s mission.

PRODUCER/VISITOR SURFACE/OUTSIDE

RESERVED PARKING SPACES:

TEN (10) reserved, on-site surface parking spaces for privately owned producer and/or visitor parking. The parking lot shall have pull-through capabilities and shall not be obstructed by adjacent building(s), structure(s), and/or tenant usage. Parking shall be a maximum walking distance of 300-feet of the public entrance of the building.

EMPLOYEE SURFACE/ OUTSIDE NON-RESERVED

PARKING SPACES:

SEVEN (7) non-reserved parking spaces for privately owned lease employee use. These parking spaces shall either be on-site or off-site not exceeding ¼ walkable mile (1,320 feet) of the employee entrance of the building.

TOTAL PROPOSED LEASE TERM: TEN (10) YEARS (120 Months) INITIAL FIRM TERM: FIVE (5) Years (60 Months) INITIAL FULL TERM: FIVE (5) Years (60 Months)

TERMINATION RIGHTS: 120 Days’ written notice in whole or in parts after expiration of the firm lease term

OPTION TERM: None ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: • Turnkey Tenant Improvements with Post Award DIDs

• Square feet may reflect non-USDA partners where NRCS provides workspace to partners through agreement.

• The space offered, its location, and its surrounding areas must be compatible with the Government’s intended use.

• The space offered shall be in a professional office environment or surroundings with a prevalence for modern design and/or tasteful rehabilitation in modern use.

• The space offered will not be considered where any living quarters are located within the building.

• Subleases are not acceptable.

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• First floor space is preferred. Offered space must be contiguous and continuous, on one floor. If space offered is above the ground floor level, then at least one (1) accessible elevator will be required.

• The Government will have access to the Space 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. Normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Federal Holidays).

• Offered space must meet Government requirements for fire safety, accessibility, seismic, and sustainability per the terms of the Lease.

• A fully serviced lease is required.

• Offered space shall not be in the 1-percent-annual chance floodplain.

1.03 NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE AND SMALL BUSINESS SIZE

STANDARD (OCT 2023)

A. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 531120 (Exception).

B. The small business size standard for the applicable NAICS code is found at HTTPS://WWW.SBA.GOV/DOCUMENT/SUPPORT-

TABLE-SIZE-STANDARDS STANDARDS.

SECTION 2 - SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

2.01 INCORPORATED SOLICITATION PROVISIONS (SMALL) (OCT 2024)

GSA 3516A, SOLICITATION PROVISIONS (For Simplified Acquisition of Leasehold Interests in Real Property) are attached to this

RLP.

2.02 FLOOD PLAINS (OCT 2022)

A. A Lease will not be awarded for any offered Property located within a 1-percent-annual-chance floodplain (formerly referred to as 100-year floodplain) unless the Government has determined that there is no practicable alternative. An Offeror may offer less than its entire site in order to exclude a portion of the site that falls within a floodplain, so long as the portion offered meets all the requirements of this RLP and does not impact the Government’s full use and enjoyment of the Premises. If an Offeror intends that the offered Property that will become the Premises for purposes of this Lease will be something other than the entire site as recorded in tax or other property records the Offeror shall clearly demarcate the offered Property on its site plan/map submissions and shall propose an adjustment to property taxes on an appropriate pro rata basis. For such an offer, the Government may determine that the offered Property does not adequately avoid development in a 1-percent-annual-chance floodplain.

B. In addition, a Lease will not be awarded for any offered Property adjacent to 1-percent-annual-chance floodplain, where such an adjacency would, as determined by the Government, restrict ingress or egress to the Premises in the event of a flood, unless there is no practicable alternative.

SECTION 3 - ELIGIBILITY AND PREFERENCES FOR AWARD

3.01 BASIS OF AWARD (OCT 2023)

A. Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Approach. The Lease will be awarded to the responsible Offeror whose offer conforms to the requirements of this RLP and Lease documents and is the lowest priced technically acceptable offer submitted, based on the lowest price per square foot, according to the ANSI/BOMA Z65.1-2017 definition for Occupant Area, which means “the total aggregated area used by an Occupant before Load Factors are applied, consisting of Tenant Area and Tenant Ancillary Area.”

The Method A – Multiple Load Factor Method shall apply.

B. INTENTIONALLY DELETED

C. See FAR Clause 52.219-4 Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns, as listed under the attached GSA 3517A, General Clauses.

D. If an offer contains terms taking exception to or modifying any Lease provision, the Government will not be under any obligation to award a Lease in response to that offer.

3.02 SEISMIC SAFETY – MODERATE SEISMICITY (MAY 2025)

In accordance with the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977, the following apply:

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A. The Government intends to award a Lease to an Offeror of a Building that is in compliance with the Seismic Standards. If an offer is received which is in compliance with the Seismic Standards and the other requirements of this RLP, then other offers which do not comply with the Seismic Standards will not be considered. If none of the offers is in compliance with the Seismic Standards, the LCO will make the award to the Offeror whose offer meets the other requirements of this RLP and provides the best value to the Government, taking into account price, seismic safety and any other evaluation factors specified in this RLP.

B. An offered Building will be considered to be in compliance with the Seismic Standards if it meets one of the following conditions:

1. The offer includes a representation that the Building will have less than 10,000 ABOA SF of Space leased to the Federal Government upon commencement of the lease term (Seismic Form D),

2. The offer includes a Seismic Certificate certifying that the Building is a Benchmark Building (Seismic Form A).

3. The offer includes a Seismic Certificate based on a Tier I Evaluation showing that the Building meets the Seismic Standards

(Seismic Form B). The submission must include the checklists and backup calculations from the Tier 1 Evaluation.

4. The offer includes a Seismic Certificate based on a Tier 2 or Tier 3 Evaluation showing that the Building complies with the Seismic Standards (Seismic Form B). If the certificate is based on a Tier 2 or Tier 3 Evaluation, the data, working papers, calculations and reports from the evaluation must be made available to the Government.

5. The offer includes a commitment to retrofit the Building to satisfy all of the Basic Safety Objective requirements of ASCE/SEI

41 (Seismic Form C, Part 1). If the Offeror proposes to retrofit the Building, the offer must include a Tier 1 report with all supporting documents, a narrative explaining the process and scope of retrofit, and a schedule for the seismic retrofit. The Offeror shall provide a construction schedule, concept design for the seismic upgrade, and supporting documents for the retrofit, including structural calculations, drawings, specifications, and geotechnical report to the Government for review and approval prior to award. The documentation must demonstrate the seismic retrofit will meet the seismic standards and be completed within the time frame required.

6. The offer includes a pre-award commitment to construct a new Building, using local building codes (Seismic Form C, Part

2).

C. The LCO may allow an Offeror to submit a Seismic Certificate after the deadline for final proposal revisions. However, the LCO is not obligated to delay award in order to enable an Offeror to submit a Seismic Certificate.

D. Definitions. For the purpose of this paragraph:

1. “ASCE/SEI 31” means the American Society of Civil Engineers standard, Seismic Evaluation of Existing Buildings. You can purchase ASCE/SEI from ASCE at (800) 548-2723 or by visiting HTTP://WWW.ASCE.ORG/PUBLICATIONS/.

2. “ASCE/SEI 41” means American Society of Civil Engineers standard, Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings. You can purchase ASCE/SEI from ASCE at (800) 548-2723 or by visiting HTTP://WWW.ASCE.ORG/PUBLICATIONS/.

3. “Benchmark Building” means a building that was designed and built, or retrofitted, in accordance with the seismic provisions of the applicable codes specified in Section 1.3.1 of RP 8.

4. Engineer” means a professional engineer who is licensed in Civil or Structural Engineering and qualified in the structural design of buildings. They must be licensed in the state where the property is located.

5. “RP 8” means “Standards of Seismic Safety for Existing Federally Owned and Leased Buildings ICSSC Recommended Practice 8 (RP 8),” issued by the Interagency Committee on Seismic Safety in Construction as ICSSC RP 8 and the National Institute of Standards and Technology as NIST GCR 11-917-12. RP 8 can be obtained from

HTTPS://WWW.NIST.GOV/PUBLICATIONS/

6. “Seismic Certificate” means a certificate executed and stamped by an Engineer on the appropriate Certificate of Seismic

Compliance form included with this RLP together with any required attachments.

7. “Seismic Standards” means the requirements of RP 8 Section 2.2 for Life Safety Performance Level in ASCE/SEI 31 or the Basic Safety Objective in ASCE/SEI 41, unless otherwise specified.

8. “Tier 1 Evaluation” means an evaluation by an Engineer in accordance with Chapters 2.0 and 3.0 of ASCE/SEI 31. A Tier

1 Evaluation must include the appropriate Structural, Nonstructural and Geologic Site Hazards and Foundation Checklists.

9. “Tier 2 Evaluation” means an evaluation by an Engineer in accordance with Chapter 4.0 of ASCE/SEI 31.

10. “Tier 3 Evaluation” means an evaluation by an Engineer in accordance with Chapter 5.0 of ASCE/SEI 31.

3.03 INTENTIONALLY DELETED

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3.04 ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND SECURITY ACT (SMALL) (MAY 2025)

A. The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) establishes requirements for Government leases relating to energy efficiency standards and potential cost-effective energy efficiency and conservation improvements.

B. If the offered Space is not in a Building that has earned the ENERGY STAR® Label within one year prior to the due date for final proposal revisions, Offerors are required to include in their lease proposal an agreement to renovate the Building for all energy efficiency and conservation improvements that it has determined would be cost effective over the Firm Term of the Lease, if any, prior to acceptance of the Space

C. The term "cost effective" means an improvement that will result in substantial operational cost savings to the landlord by reducing electricity or fossil fuel consumption, water, or other utility costs. The term "operational cost savings" means a reduction in operational costs to the landlord through the application of Building improvements that achieve cost savings over the Firm Term of the Lease sufficient to pay the incremental additional costs of making the Building improvements.

D. Instructions for obtaining an ENERGY STAR® Label are provided at

HTTPS://WWW.ENERGYSTAR.GOV/BUILDINGS/BUILDING_RECOGNITION (use “Portfolio Manager” to apply). The ENERGY STAR® BUILDING UPGRADE MANUAL and BUILDING UPGRADE VALUE CALCULATOR are tools which can be useful in considering energy efficiency and conservation improvements to Buildings.

E. If the offered Space is not in a Building that has earned the ENERGY STAR® Label within one year prior to the due date for final proposal revisions, the successful Offeror will be excused from performing any agreed-to energy efficiency and conservation renovations if it obtains the Energy Star Label prior to the Government’s acceptance of the Space

F. If no improvements are proposed, the Offeror must demonstrate to the Government using the ENERGY STAR® Online Tools why no energy efficiency and conservation improvements are cost effective. If such explanation is unreasonable, the offer may be rejected.

3.05 INTENTIONALLY DELETED

3.06 HUBZONE SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN PRICE PREFERENCE WAIVER (SMALL) (OCT 2023)

A HUBZone small business concern (SBC) Offeror may elect to waive the price evaluation preference provided in the “Basis of Award” paragraph. In such a case, no price evaluation preference shall apply to the evaluation of the HUBZone SBC.

SECTION 4 - HOW TO OFFER

4.01 RECEIPT OF LEASE PROPOSALS (SMALL) (OCT 2023)

A. Offeror is authorized to transmit its lease proposal as an attachment to an email. Offeror's email shall include the name, address and telephone number of the Offeror, and identify the name and title of the individual signing on behalf of the Offeror. Offeror's signed Lease proposal must be saved in a generally accessible format (such as portable document format (pdf)), which displays a visible image of all original document signatures and must be transmitted as an attachment to the email. Only emails transmitted to, and received at, the USDA email address identified in the RLP will be accepted. Offeror submitting a Lease proposal by email shall retain in its possession, and make available upon USDA's request, its original signed proposal.

B. In order to be considered for award, offers conforming to the requirements of the RLP shall be received no later than 4:30 PM

EASTERN on the date specified below at the following designated office and address, or email address:

DATE: THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2026

EMAIL ADDRESS: SHANNON.SCHOENING@USDA.GOV

C. Offers sent by United States mail or hand delivered (including delivery by commercial carrier) shall be deemed late if delivered to the address of the office designated for receipt of offers after the date and time established for receipt of offers.

D. Offers transmitted through email shall be deemed late if received at the designated email address after the date and time established for receipt of offers unless it was received at the initial point of entry to the Government infrastructure not later than 5:00 p.m. one Working Day prior to the date specified for receipt of proposals.

E. Offers may be also deemed timely if there is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received at the Government installation designated for receipt of proposals and was under the Government’s control prior to the time set for receipt of proposals; or if it was the only proposal received.

F. There will be no public opening of offers, and all offers will be confidential until the Lease has been awarded. However, the

Government may release proposals outside the Government such as to support contractors to assist in the evaluation of offers.

Such Government contractors shall be required to protect the data from unauthorized disclosure.

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4.02 PROPOSAL CONTENTS FOR SMALL LEASES (OCT 2024)

The proposal shall consist of the following documents:

DOCUMENT NAME OR DESCRIPTION EXHIBIT PAGES

U.S. Government Lease For Real Property (Short Form) (GSA Form 3626), completed and signed by Offeror A 2

Supplemental Lease Requirements, initialed by Offeror, initialed by Offeror B 20

Agency Specific Requirements, Mountain City, Johnson County, Tennessee, initialed by Offeror C 18

USDA IOD ADP and Wiring Guidelines 3.0 (11/03/2023) , initialed by Offeror D 11

USDA Facility Signage Guide (APRIL 2014), initialed by Offeror E 11

Security Requirements – Facility Security Level I, initialed by Offeror F 3 GSA Form 3517A, General Clauses (Acquisition of Leasehold Interests in Real Property for Leases at or Below the Simplified Lease Acquisition Threshold – SLAT), initialed by Offeror G 10

Tenant Improvement Cost Summary (TICS) Workbook H 30 Under provisions of FAR Subpart 15.4, the information provided with the Tenant Improvement price proposal shall:

• Shall include a minimum of two (2) independent bids for each cost element indicated in TICS and required to meet the requirements of the Lease;

• Shall provide a detailed breakdown of all materials and labor components necessary to deliver to scope of work in the Lease, and as supported by independent bids that validate each cost element.

• Shall be reviewed by the USDA Lease Contracting Officer (LCO) for price, scope, and proper tenant improvement/ shell improvement separation. (See SHELL VS. TENANT IMPROVEMENT (TI) WORKSHEET for additional information.)

Seismic Form(s) – Refer to RLP para 3.02. Only complete and return applicable form. I 8

Computer generated plans/ AutoCAD set to 1/8" = 1'-0" (File extension .DWG) J ----------

• All plans submitted for consideration shall include floor plan(s) for which Space is being offered and floor plan(s) of the floor(s) of exit discharge (e.g., street level(s)). Each plan submitted shall include the locations of all exit stairs, elevators, and the Space(s) being offered to the Government. In addition, where Building exit stairs are interrupted or discontinued before the level of exit discharge, additional floor plans for the level(s) where exit stairs are interrupted or discontinued must also be provided.

• Plans shall include a proposed corridor pattern for typical floors and/or partial floors. The CAD file showing the offered Space should show the Poly-Line utilized to determine the square footage on a separate and unique layer. All architectural features of the Space shall be accurately shown.

• Plans shall reflect corridors in place or the proposed corridor pattern for both a typical full (single tenant) floor and/or partial (multi-tenant) floor. The corridors in place or proposed corridors shall meet local code requirements for issuance of occupancy permits.

GSA Form 1217, Lessor’s Annual Cost Statement ---------- 2 GSA Form 12000, Fire Protection and Life Safety information and documents (See applicable Fire Protection and Life Safety paragraphs) ---------- 2

Authorization from the ownership entity to submit an offer on the ownership entity’s behalf, if the offeror is not the owner of the Property ---------- ----------

Evidence of ownership or control of Building or site, including a copy of the Property deed ---------- ----------

Proof of signing authority (see GSA 3516A, Solicitation Provisions) ---------- ---------- Registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to the Lease Award Date, including completion of all required representations and certifications. This registration service is free of charge. ---------- ----------

4.03 FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY SUBMITTALS (SMALL) (OCT 2020)

A. The Offeror must submit the Fire Protection and Life Safety (FPLS) Submittal Information in A.1 through A.5, unless the Building meets either exemption in sub-paragraph B or C below.

1. Completed GSA Form 12000, Prelease Fire Protection and Life Safety Evaluation for an Office Building (Part A or Part B, as applicable).

2. A copy of the previous year’s fire alarm system maintenance record showing compliance with the requirements in NFPA 72 (if a system is installed in the Building).

3. A copy of the previous year’s automatic fire sprinkler system maintenance record showing compliance with the requirements in NFPA 25 (if a system is installed in the Building).

4. INTENTIONALLY DELETED

5. A valid Building Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) issued by the local jurisdiction. If the Building C of O is not available or the local jurisdiction does not issue a Building C of O, provide a report prepared by a licensed fire protection engineer with

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their assessment of the Building regarding compliance with all applicable local Fire Protection and Life Safety-related codes and ordinances.

B. If the Space offered is 10,000 RSF or less in area and is located on the 1st floor of the Building, Offeror is not required to submit to GSA the Fire Protection and Life Safety (FPLS) Submittal Information listed in A.1 through A.5 above.

C. If the Offeror provides a Building C of O obtained under any edition of the International Building Code (IBC), and the offered

Space meets or will meet all the requirements of the Lease with regard to Means of Egress, Automatic Fire Sprinkler System, and Fire Alarm System prior to occupancy, then Offeror is not required to submit to GSA the FPLS Submittal Information in A.1 through A.5 above.

4.04 EISA SUBMITTALS (SMALL) (SEP 2015)

No later than the due date for final proposal revisions, the Offeror must submit to the LCO:

A. Evidence of an Energy Star® label obtained within the 12 months prior to the due date of final proposal revisions, or

B. If the offered existing building will not have an ENERGY STAR® label by the date of final proposal revisions, a written statement addressing which energy efficiency and conservation improvements (can be made to the building must be submitted. If no cost-effective improvements can be made, the Offeror must demonstrate to the Government using the ENERGY STAR® Online Tools why no energy efficiency and conservation improvements are cost effective. This explanation will be subject to review by the LCO. If the explanation is considered unreasonable, the offer may be considered technically unacceptable.

4.05 INTENTIONALLY DELETED