RFI 2.6.2026.docx
DOCX document 19 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- 36C24426R0017
About this file
This file is a Questions and Answers document addressing clarifications on the solicitation for Replace Electrical Deficiencies Phase 1 at the Altoona Veterans Administration Medical Center. The Veterans Integrated Service Network #04 (VISN 04) Contracting Office is seeking a single firm fixed-price construction contract for electrical deficiency correction work at 2907 Pleasant Valley Boulevard, Altoona, PA 16602. The period of performance is 18 months from receipt of Notice to Proceed, with the proposal due date extended to February 18, 2026 at 4:30 PM EST. The contract is set aside for small businesses with annual receipts not to exceed $45 million (confirmed through SAM.gov at time of offer and award). Proposals must be submitted through SAM.gov in accordance with solicitation instructions, and awards are anticipated within several weeks, with Notice to Proceed typically issued within one to two weeks of award.
Key contractual requirements include compliance with Buy American Act provisions for construction materials (FAR 52.225-11), specific tax exemptions for certain building machinery and equipment categories, and mandatory on-site staffing including a full-time Site Safety Health Officer (three separate individuals required), Construction Quality Control personnel (may be contractor employees), and contractor-provided commissioning services. Work in active hospital areas such as hallways, waiting rooms, and common areas may require after-hours performance to avoid disrupting hospital operations. The specification and drawing documents are available through SAM.gov, with a pre-bid site visit held on January 22, 2026. The RFI document also clarifies that CVE verification requirements were carried over from previous solicitations and do not apply to this small business set-aside, and that the contractor must address lead time concerns for equipment procurement within the revised 18-month contract duration.
View the file
Other files
Show all 29
On GovTribe
Work with this file
- Download the original file
- Contacts named in this file
- Similar government files
- Ask GovTribe AI about this file
Text version
1. The last line of the solicitation lists being CVE verified. The link for "vetbiz.gov" does not work. Are firms submitting a proposal required to be Veteran-owned? What is CVE-verified? Are you able to review our firm and advise if we are eligible? The CVE is a hold over from previous requirement, and does not apply to the Small Business Set-aside. Small Business confirmation should be found though the small business search, https://search.certifications.sba.gov/.
2. Please confirm if the $45M in annual receipts for the past three years is total (all three years combined) or annual average. 45M is correct, eligibility is confirmed through SAM.gov at time of offeror and award.
3. Are there any SDB/VBE utilization requirements for proposers? The CVE is a hold over from previous requirement, and this is a small business set aside.
4. The lead time on equipment for this project exceeds the contract duration time. Has that information been presented to you? Are there any revisions in the works to extend contract duration? Updated SOW provided in amendment. Period of performance is 18 months.
5. The due date for this solicitation is President's Day which is a Federal holiday. Will that be revised? This is extended as per this amendment to 2/18/2026 4:30PM.
6. Will the sign in sheet from the pre-bid on 1/22/25 be provided to bidders? Yes, provided in this amendment.
7. Is BABA required for materials purchased? Yes, Buy American is required for construction materials IAW 52.225-11.
8. This will be our first time submitting a proposal for this type of project. How do we register to show our interest in providing a proposal? How do we submit our proposal? Through the SAM website? Submit in accordance with the instructions to offerors provided in the solicitation.
9. We are requesting an extension to give sub-contractors and vendors enough time to provide prime contractors with pricing. Extended per this amendment.
10. The lead time on equipment for this project exceeds the contract duration time. Has that information been presented to you? Are there any revisions in the works to extend contract duration? Revised SOW in this amendment.
11. What is the equipment line item in the bid schedule for? Is this for the electrical equipment that will be installed in the new switchgear house or for the equipment that will be used across all trades on the project? The schedule has one item we utilize that for the job cost since this is FFP we don’t usually need a break down of the proposal just the total cost based off the SOW.
12. Is this project tax exempt. Tax exemptions per the FAR/VAAR are item dependent the entire job would not be tax exempt certain equipment is.
The exemption is limited to the following types of machinery and equipment:
A. Air conditioning limited to heating, cooling, purification, humidification, dehumidification, and ventilation B. Electrical (not including wire, conduit, receptacle and junction boxes);
C. Plumbing (not including pipes, fittings, pipe supports and hangers);
D. Communications limited to voice, video, data, and sound;
E. Alarms limited to fire, security, and detection;
F. Control systems limited to energy management, traffic, and parking lot and building access G. Medical systems limited to diagnosis and treatment, medical gas, nurse call, and doctor paging H. Laboratory system;
I. Cathodic protection system;
J. Furniture, cabinetry, and kitchen equipment.
The term "building machinery and equipment" shall include boilers, chillers, air cleaners, humidifiers, fans, switchgear, pumps, telephones, speakers, horns, motion detectors, dampers, actuators, grills, registers, traffic signals, sensors, card access devices, guardrails, medial devices, floor troughs and grates, and laundry equipment, together with integral coverings and enclosures.
The term "building machinery and equipment" shall not include guardrail posts, pipes, fittings, pipe supports and hangers, underground tanks, wire, conduit, receptacle and junction boxes, insulation, ductwork, and covering thereof. A tax exempt form for the station.
13. Per the Solicitation, offers are to be good for 180 days, do you anticipate this award period to take 180 days. From receipt to award we generally anticipate several weeks based on the project sizetax-exemptquirement. 180 is unlikely but has happened prior we would rather the offerors understand worse case scenarios.
14. Once award is given, how long do you anticipate to issue NTP. Issue to NTP can be as little as 1 day to several weeks usually a safe bet is two weeks.
15. Is the SSHO (Site Safety Health Officer) allowed to perform additional duties or are they required to perform only SSHO duties full time while working is being completed on site? They must be three separate individuals.
16. Are the CQC personnel permitted to be employees of the contractor or is a third party CQC firm required. Can be contractor employees.
17. Please verify the areas of the hospital that would require other than normal working hours. (Monday through Friday – 7:00am till 3:30pm) Some of our work will take place in areas currently in use by the hospital for their daily operation. Examples of these areas are Hallway, waiting room, and common areas. Work that may affect hospital operations have potential to be performed after hours.
18. Has a commissioning agent been selected for this project. None have been selected, contractor to provide commissioning as per solicitation.
19. Detail 5/8-AE-102 shows no cap flashing under the precast cap. It only shows the receiver counter flashing for the roofing. Typically, this would have some kind of flashing under it. The spec'd flashing is very costly. Is flashing to be installed under the precast cap? Please find attached an updated sheet 08-AE102 showing the clarified parapet detail
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .