Tech Questions Tracker - Martinez - 5.12.26.pdf

TECHNICAL QUESTIONS AND SOLICITATION #: 36C77626R0036

RESPONSES TRACKING SHEET PROJECT TITLE: Martinez Parking Structure – Design Build

# RECEIVED ANSWERED CONTRACTOR QUESTION VA RESPONSE

1 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Will the government pay for materials stored per VAAR 852.232-70 and FAR 52.232-5? We have experienced PCAC Contracting Officers refusal to pay for materials stored on site during these periods of material shortages and the need to expedite procurement of materials when available to meet schedule obligations and prevent project delays. This is an important factor in preparing Price proposals.

In accordance with contract terms and conditions, Contractors should not submit an offer assuming the Government will approve monthly progress payments for material and/or equipment procured by the Contractor and stored on the construction site, as space is available, or at a local approved location off the site. Payment of stored materials and/or equipment is at the Contracting Officer’s discretion and will be handled on a case-by-case basis during the contract and under such terms and conditions as the Contracting Officer approves.

3 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Please confirm that this project is a competitive SDVOSB set-aside and that any bonding provided by a contractor must be through a SDVOSB or SBA/VA APPROVED Mentor-Protégé partnership under the SBA/VA Mentor- Protégé program in which the partnership has been approved prior to the due date.

This project is set aside for SDVOSBs. The bonding requirements must be met for this project per the applicable clauses, provisions, and instructions to offerors.

4 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Please confirm that a large business not part of an SBA/VA APPROVED Mentor-Protégé team under the VA Mentor-Protégé program cannot provide a bid guarantee or a payment & performance bond for a SDVOSB.

Confirmed. This project is set aside for SDVOSBs. The bonding requirements must be met for this project per the applicable clauses, provisions, and instructions to offerors.

5 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 When visiting the link, I noticed the project was “set aside for Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business” – does this mean that General Contractors cannot bid the project unless they meet that requirement?

Yes, this project is a 100% set-aside for SDVOSBs. The prime contractor submitting the offer must be certified as such in the SBA VetCert database.

6 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Is this project tax exempt? If the project is sales tax exempt will the government/VA provide a sales tax exemption certificate?

No. See Special Note regarding FAR 52.229-3 Federal, State, and Local Taxes in the solicitation. It is solely the responsibility of the offeror to include all state and local sales or use taxes for construction materials, and all other applicable taxes, in their bid or proposal price.

7 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Will the Government provide detailed written requirements for contractor badging? Please clarify the process for obtaining PIV badges, including required documentation, background checks, and estimated processing timeframes.

Regardless of affiliation, everyone working within VA facilities or requiring access to VA information systems requires a VA PIV Card. PIV badging requirements can be found at https://www.osp.va.gov/How_To_Get_A_VA_ID_Badge.asp

Immediately after the bonds are provided to the Government, the contractor shall immediately start working with the identified COR at the site to commence the VA PIV process for all known contractor personnel that will be working the project. All contractors must have a PIV Card in order to work on site.

9 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Will the VA allow deviations to Buy American Act if the noted products are not available?

The process of requesting exceptions to the Buy American Act is detailed in the provision at FAR 52.225-12, Notice of Buy American Requirement—Construction Materials Under Trade Agreements, and the clause at FAR 52.225-11 Buy American—Construction Materials under Trade Agreements, in the solicitation. Any items not compliant must be specifically listed in the offer.

10 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Due to current potentially significant tariffs being placed on the importation of building materials such as wood or steel by the current Presidential Executive Branch, if a tariff is placed after bid time and before award will the government consider a price escalation on a contract value for products such as steel or wood should the executive branch levee tariffs effecting such materials? Most of these materials would still have been Buy American compliant as the tariffs would increase pricing on all steel or wood materials, regardless of origin.

This will be awarded as a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract and all escalation should be factored in your FFP.

Additionally, FAR 52.216-4 “Economic Price Adjustment – Labor and Material” is not included in the solicitation and will not be added.

https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.osp.va.gov%2FHow_To_Get_A_VA_ID_Badge.asp&data=05%7C02%7C%7Ca161741650ed4b22218208de6008203d%7Ce95f1b23abaf45ee821db7ab251ab3bf%7C0%7C0%7C639053785169652282%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=bOyRo4yD6UcMOZ261M7rEERPQ4zyMuZo1ibLTo%2BidoM%3D&reserved=0

11 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 RFP §2.8.A.5 specifies font no smaller than 11 point, while §2.9.A.2.b (Phase II) specifies font no smaller than 12 point. Please confirm whether Phase I proposals must use 11-pt or 12-pt minimum Times New Roman.

In Phase I and Phase II font should be no smaller than 11 point and font Times New Roman.

12 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Are graphics, tables, charts, and organizational charts allowed to use a font smaller than 11/12 pt in Phase I (similar to the explicit Phase II allowance for graphics)?

Yes.

13 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Is the cover/title page, TOC, and preface excluded from the 25-page limit for Phase I (the explicit Phase II exclusion language does not appear in §2.9.A.1)?

See section 2.9 A Phase I Format And Evaluation:

1. Format: The offer, including title page, detailed table of contents, and preface for Phase I shall be submitted in one (1) PDF document and shall not exceed a total of TWENTY- FIVE (25) pages. Factor 2: Past Performance information does not count towards this page limitation. The Offeror shall not include any price or price related material in the Phase I proposal. Use graphic presentations where such use will contribute to the compactness and clarity of the proposal.

2. Capability to Perform: The Offeror shall provide a letter from their surety demonstrating the offeror’s total bonding capacity and current available bonding capacity. Total bonding capacity and current available bonding capacity must be outlined in a letter dated no earlier than the solicitation release date.

Capability to perform will not count towards the page limitation.

14 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 RFP §2.9.A.3 Factor 2 says past performance must be 75% complete OR completed within last 5 years.

Elsewhere §2.9.A.3 says "Projects must have been completed within the last eight years, or at least 75% complete." Please confirm: is the recency window 5 years or 8 years for relevancy assessment?

RFP 36C77626R0045 Phase I criteria 2 Past Performance Evaluation Methodology is revised to state:

“Recency and Relevancy Evaluation: The Government will evaluate each project submitted to ensure the project is recent, meaning projects must have been completed within the last eight years, or at least 75% complete. Projects older than eight years or not at least 75% completed will not be evaluated. The Government will evaluate each recent project to determine the relevancy of the project to the solicitation requirements. The relevancy determination will be based on the Project Information Sheet provided by the Offeror.”

15 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 If a submitted past performance project is by a Joint Venture or includes work performed jointly with a teaming partner, will the entire JV's experience be credited to the prime, or only the prime's share?

Past performance completed as part of a Joint Venture may be credited to the prime contractor as long as the prime was a participant in that Joint Venture.

16 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 For projects where a CPARS report exists, is the offeror required to submit BOTH the CPARS and a PPQ, or is CPARS alone sufficient?

CPARS alone is sufficient.

17 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 May offerors submit projects performed by predecessor companies, JV partners, or key personnel even if at least one project must be by the Prime, or only as supplementary information?

Yes, but one project needs to be completed by the prime.

18 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 For the Lead Structural Engineer and Lead Civil Engineer, must the SE / PE license be active in California (the project state), or any U.S. jurisdiction?

The SE / PE license can be active in any U.S. jurisdiction.

19 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Is there a minimum experience requirement (years) for any of the 6 key personnel positions, or only education/certification?

There is not a minimum experience requirement in number of years listed in the criteria or methodology.

20 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Will substitution of key personnel between Phase I and Phase II be permitted? Section §2.9.B.5 Factor 1 says "the original team proposed for Phase I shall be maintained for Phase II" — please define the substitution rules referenced.

No. Key personnel submitted in Phase I shall be maintained in Phase II submission.

21 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Will the Government accept a single combined Surety letter showing both total bonding capacity and current available bonding capacity, or are two separate letters preferred?

In regards to the Capability to Preform section for phase I.

The format can be either one letter or two as long as the if provides the following:

The Offeror shall provide a letter from their surety demonstrating the offeror’s total bonding capacity and current available bonding capacity. Total bonding capacity and current available bonding capacity must be outlined in a letter dated no earlier than the solicitation release date.

Capability to perform will not count towards the page limitation.

22 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 What is the required bonding capacity threshold for Phase I qualification , must total/available capacity meet or exceed the funding ceiling ($21M), the upper magnitude ($50M), or another value?

Bonding capacity threshold for Phase I qualification shall meet available government budget of $21M.

23 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 When the formal site visit is scheduled in Phase II, will multiple representatives per offeror be permitted to attend?

Will subcontractors and consultants be allowed?

This information will be provided to offerors who are entered into Phase II. Multiple team members will be allowed.

24 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Phase II Factor 2 requires Draft Project Schedule per Spec 01 32 16.16. Spec 01 32 16.16 references Primavera P6 software for the executed contract — is the Phase II draft schedule expected in P6 native format, or is a PDF of the schedule sufficient at proposal stage?

A PDF of the Primavera software schedule is sufficient for the draft schedule.

25 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Phase II Factor 1 calls for design schematics in 25 pages.

Are the schematics counted in the 25-page limit, or excluded as graphics? May they be on 11x17 sheets, or strictly 8.5x11?

For the draft schedules 11x17 is acceptable.

RFP 36C77626R0036, A. Phase II Proposal Format and Evaluation. 2. Volume I Technical Solution and Draft Project Schedule, (a) is changed from

a. Technical must include a title page; detailed table of contents and preface Volume I Technical shall be submitted in one (1) PDF document for Volume I Technical and shall not exceed a total of TWENTY-FIVE (25) pages.

The title page, table of contents and preface are excluded from the page limits. Offerors must not include any price or price related material in the Volume I Technical proposal.

Use graphic presentations where such use will contribute to the compactness and clarity of the proposal.

And is hereby revised to submitted in one (1) PDF document for Volume I Technical and is not restricted to a page limitation. Offerors must not include any price or price related material in the Volume I Technical proposal. Use graphic presentations where such use will contribute to the compactness and clarity of the proposal.

26 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Are alternates, allowances, or unit pricing required or permitted in the Phase II Price Schedule (only Lines 0001 Design and 0002 Construction are listed)?

No alternates, allowances, or unit price are permitted in the Phase II price schedule. .

27 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 The SOW indicates demolition of an existing solar array within the construction footprint, please confirm whether the Government will (a) handle interconnect/utility coordination, (b) take ownership of removed PV modules, or (c) require salvage/recycling by the contractor.

(a) Government will not handle interconnect/utility coordination. Design Build Contractor is to handle coordination.

(b)(c) Government will not be taking ownership of the removed PV modules. Government will require salvage/recycling by the contractor.

28 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 The 100-space loss during construction, will the Government provide alternate parking arrangements or is the contractor responsible for temporary parking solutions / signage / shuttle?

The government will provide alternate parking arrangements for the 100 lost spaces.

29 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 For VAAR 852.219-75 compliance, please confirm which limitation tier applies to this design-build construction effort: 85% / general construction OR 75% / special trade.

Please use the 852.219-75 VA Notice of Limitations on subcontracting located as attachment 8 to RFP36C77626R0036 which has general construction pre-checked.

30 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 The Phase I proposal is limited to 25 pages (excluding Past Performance). Does the organizational chart, surety bonding letter, and Project Information Sheets count toward the 25-page limit?

See section 2.9 A Phase I Format And Evaluation:

1. Format: The offer, including title page, detailed table of contents, and preface for Phase I shall be submitted in one (1) PDF document and shall not exceed a total of TWENTY- FIVE (25) pages. Factor 2: Past Performance information does not count towards this page limitation. The Offeror shall not include any price or price related material in the Phase I proposal. Use graphic presentations where such use will contribute to the compactness and clarity of the proposal.

2. Capability to Perform: The Offeror shall provide a letter from their surety demonstrating the offeror’s total bonding capacity and current available bonding capacity.

Total bonding capacity and current available bonding capacity must be outlined in a letter dated no earlier than the solicitation release date. Capability to perform will not count towards the page limitation.

31 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 The solicitation states “Dual hatting will not be allowed.”

Please confirm that the Project Manager, Site Superintendent, and On-site Quality Control Specialist must be three separate individuals.

Yes. Three separate individuals.

32 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Is the surety letter demonstrating total and available bonding capacity required in Phase I, or only in Phase II?

Required in Phase I.

33 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 For the six required key personnel resumes (Project Manager, Site Superintendent, QC Specialist, Lead Architect, Lead Structural Engineer, Lead Civil Engineer), is the two-page limit per resume still in effect?

Yes. Please see section 2.9 A Factor: 1 Technical Qualifications (Technical ) Submission Criteria.

34 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 For Past Performance, must all projects exceed $10 million in value, and must at least one be performed by the Prime firm or can they all be by the Primes Sub contractor?

Each project submitted must exceed $10 million. One of those submitted projects must have been completed by the Prime.

35 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Projects must be at least 75% complete or completed within the past 5 years. Will projects completed 5–8 years ago still be considered if they meet the size/scope criteria?

recent, meaning projects must have been completed within the last eight years, or at least 75% complete. Projects older than eight years or not at least 75% completed will not be evaluated. The Government will evaluate each recent project to determine the relevancy of the project to the solicitation requirements. The relevancy determination will be based on the Project Information Sheet provided by the Offeror.”

36 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 If a CPARS report is not available, is a completed Past Performance Questionnaire (Attachment 4) acceptable for each project?

Yes.

37 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 For Phase I electronic submission, are there any restrictions on file naming, PDF version, or maximum email size beyond the stated 5 MB limit?

No.

38 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Regarding Phase I Factor 2 – Past Performance: The solicitation states that “At least one of the projects submitted must have been completed by the Prime.”

Please confirm whether the remaining one or two projects may be performed by proposed subcontractors, joint venture partners, predecessor companies, or key personnel.

Confirmed, one project must be completed by the prime.

39 04/28/2026 05/08/2026 Regarding Phase I Factor 2 – Past Performance: Will the evaluation consider relevant past performance projects completed by the proposed Design-Build Architect- Engineer (A-E) team members and/or by the Prime Contractor’s proposed major subcontractors, in addition to projects completed by the Prime?

At least one of the projects submitted must have been completed by the Prime. Offerors lacking relevant past performance history may submit information regarding predecessor companies or key personnel who have performed on other contracts. Such information shall, as a minimum, include: Name(s) of Predecessor Company/Sub-contractor and/or Key Personnel and include: Complete Address and Point of Contact; Telephone Number; and email address.

For offerors that are joint ventures, the evaluation will take into account past performance of the joint venture as well as the past performance of each party to the joint venture.

40 04/29/2026 05/08/2026 Can the VA allow projects completed within 8 years in stead of 5 years?

recent, meaning projects must have been completed within the last eight years, or at least 75% complete. Projects older than eight years or not at least 75% completed will not be evaluated. The Government will evaluate each recent project to determine the relevancy of the project to the solicitation requirements. The relevancy determination will be based on the Project Information Sheet provided by the Offeror.”

41 04/29/2026 05/08/2026 Can VA allow projects performed in active, 24/7 critical operations of similar complexity?

Phase I, Criteria 2 Past performance states in part:

“Size: Each submitted project must have a total value exceeding $10 million.

Scope: Projects must involve construction of a fully functional parking garage, demolition, electrical work, site development, utilities installation, and structural and mechanical construction. Preferably projects completed within VHA facilities.

Complexity: Projects must demonstrate parking garage construction in an active healthcare setting, with minimal system downtime. This includes effective phasing, coordination of critical path activities, and a detailed understanding of the statement of work.”

42 04/29/2026 05/08/2026 Are 11x17 acceptable for the project schedule? For the draft schedules 11x17 is acceptable.

43 04/29/2026 05/08/2026 Can the VA increase page count for Phase 2 proposals to 35 pages?

RFP 36C77626R0036, A. Phase II Proposal Format and Evaluation. 2. Volume I Technical Solution and Draft Project Schedule, (a) is changed from submitted in one (1) PDF document for Volume I Technical and shall not exceed a total of TWENTY-FIVE (25) pages.

The title page, table of contents and preface are excluded from the page limits. Offerors must not include any price or price related material in the Volume I Technical proposal.

Use graphic presentations where such use will contribute to the compactness and clarity of the proposal.

And is hereby revised to submitted in one (1) PDF document for Volume I Technical and is not restricted to a page limitation. Offerors must not include any price or price related material in the Volume I Technical proposal. Use graphic presentations where such use will contribute to the compactness and clarity of the proposal.

44 04/29/2026 05/08/2026 Can 11 point font size be used for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 submittals?

In Phase I and Phase II font should be no smaller than 11 point and font Times New Roman.

45 04/29/2026 05/08/2026 Please confirm that Phase I proposals only are due May 19, 2026, at 12:00 PM EDT, and that the Phase II RFP will be issued and due at a later date (after Phase I proposals are evaluated by VA).

Only Phase I Proposals are due May 19, 2026.

46 04/29/2026 05/08/2026 Please confirm the availability of laydown and parking areas for the contract. Will some portion of the dirt parking lot across the street be available as lay down for this effort?

See response to RFI #1

47 04/29/2026 05/08/2026 The solicitation cover sheet SF1442 Box 11 indicates a total of 484 calendar days through project completion.

However, the Attachment 1 SOW document (Pages 12-13, see table) indicate a total project duration (design & Construction) of 365 Days after NTP. Please clarify the VA’s intended project duration.

The government’s intended project duration is 390 days.

48 5/4/2026 05/08/2026 Factor 2 Past Performance indicates project must involve parking garage construction in an active healthcare setting.

Opportunities for new construction of a parking structures are not common for SDVOSB concerns. We request the Government allow new construction of any facility type to satisfy scope and complexity requirements for Past Performance.

recent, meaning projects must have been completed within the last eight years, or at least 75% complete. Projects older than eight years or not at least 75% completed will not be evaluated. The Government will evaluate each recent project to determine the relevancy of the project to the solicitation requirements. The relevancy determination will be based on the Project Information Sheet provided by the Offeror.”

No other changes are being made to the criteria.

49 5/4/2026 05/08/2026 On RFP Page 11, under Factor 2 it states that, for offerors that are joint ventures, the evaluation will take into account past performance of the joint venture as well as each party of the joint venture. For an SBA approved All Small Mentor-Protégé Joint-Venture, the purpose of the program is for the mentor to help the protégé develop their capabilities and experience. We respectfully request the Government allow project submitted by the mentor only of a Mentor-Protégé JV to satisfy the requirements for Past Performance/Relevant Experience.

For offerors that are SBA approved mentor protégée JV firms, the evaluation will take into account past performance of the mentor protégée JV as well as each party of the mentor protégée JV.

50 5/4/2026 05/08/2026 On RFP Page 11, under Factor 2 it states that projects must be at least 75% completed or have been completed within the past five (5) years from the date proposals are due. However, on RFP Page 12, under the paragraph that begins with “Recency and Relevancy Evaluation” it states, “…meaning projects must have been completed within the last eight years, or at least 75% complete.” Please clarify the discrepancy.

recent, meaning projects must have been completed within the last eight years, or at least 75% complete. Projects older than eight years or not at least 75% completed will not be evaluated. The Government will evaluate each recent project to determine the relevancy of the project to the solicitation requirements. The relevancy determination will be based on the Project Information Sheet provided by the Offeror.”

51 5/4/2026 05/08/2026 We respectfully request the Government extend the due date for Phase I proposals at least three weeks. Any additional time that can be provided would be greatly appreciated.

The government will not be extending the due date for phase I proposals

52 5/4/2026 05/08/2026 The RFP does not direct offerors to include a completed & signed copy of the SF1442 as well as any

Acknowledgement of Amendments in their Phase I submission. Please confirm that neither of these items are required for Phase I or please provide revised Phase I submission instructions.

Confirmed.

53 5/4/2026 05/08/2026 Page 11 of 84 of the RFP states “If a completed past performance evaluation is available in CPARS, it shall be submitted with the proposal for each project identified. If a CPARS report is not available, a completed and signed Past Performance Questionnaire (attachment 4) must be submitted in lieu of a CPARS report for the project.” To avoid asking contracting staff to complete the same form multiple times, please confirm that offerors may submit recently received Past Performance Questionnaires for submitted project examples.

Recently received and completed and signed Past Performance Questionnaire may be submitted.