36C77626R0106.docx

36C77626R0106

1. SOLICITATION NUMBER

2. TYPE OF SOLICITATION

3. DATE ISSUED

PAGE OF PAGES

4. CONTRACT NUMBER

5. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUEST NUMBER

6. PROJECT NUMBER

7. ISSUED BY

CODE

8. ADDRESS OFFER TO

a. NAME

b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area code) (NO COLLECT CALLS)

10. THE GOVERNMENT REQUIRES PERFORMANCE OF THE WORK DESCRIBED IN THESE DOCUMENTS (Title, identifying number, date) 12a. THE CONTRACTOR MUST FURNISH ANY REQUIRED PERFORMANCE AND PAYMENT BONDS?

(If "YES," indicate within how many calendar days after award in Item 12B.)

12b. CALENDAR DAYS

13. ADDITIONAL SOLICITATION REQUIREMENTS:

STANDARD FORM 1442 (REV. 8/2014)

STANDARD FORM 1442

Prescribed by GSA-FAR (48 CFR) 52.236-1(d)

SOLICITATION, OFFER,

AND AWARD

(Construction, Alteration, or Repair)

SOLICITATION

SOLICITATION

IMPORTANT - The "offer" section on the reverse must be fully completed by offeror.

9. FOR INFORMATION

CALL:

NOTE: In sealed bid solicitations "offer" and "offeror" mean "bid" and "bidder".

SEALED BID (IFB)

NEGOTIATED (RFP)

11. The Contractor shall begin performance within ____________ calendar days and complete it within calendar days after receiving award, notice to proceed. This performance period is mandatory negotiable. (See _____________________________).

YES

NO

a.

Sealed offers in original and ___________________copies to perform the work required are due at the place specified in Item 8 by _____________ (hour) local time _____________________ (date). If this is a sealed bid solicitation, offers must be publicly opened at that time. Sealed envelopes containing offers shall be marked to show the offeror's name and address, the solicitation number, the date and time offers are due.

b.

An offer guarantee is, is not required.

c.

All offers are subject to the (1) work requirements, and (2) other provisions and clauses incorporated in the solicitation in full text or by reference.

d.

Offers providing less than _______________________ calendar days for Government acceptance after the date offers are due will not be considered and will be rejected.

36C77626R0106 X 06-24-2026 689-22-700 36C776 Department of Veterans Affairs Program Contracting Activity Central 6100 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 490 Independence OH 44131 Department of Veterans Affairs Program Contract Activity Central 6100 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 490 Independence OH 44131 Jacquelyn Wise 216-447-8321 In accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 8127 (Public Law 109-461), this project is set aside for SDVOSBs on the PCAC VISN 1 Construction MATOC IDIQ vehicle in a trade-off evaluation approach.

The contractor shall provide all tools, equipment, materials, labor, supervision, personnel, and shall do all things necessary that will result in the completion of the 689-22-700 EHRM Infrastructure Upgrades construction project IAW the attached Specifications and Drawings.

This project is located at:

West Haven Medical Center 950 Campbell Ave West Haven CT 06516

VAAR Magnitude of Construction: $20,000,000 to $50,000,000

PLEASE NOTE: The Contractor agrees to attend any Post Award Conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration IAW FAR subpart 42.5.

X X X

1PM

EDT

07-31-2026 X

14. NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR

15. TELEPHONE NUMBER

16. REMITTANCE ADDRESS

CODE

FACILITY CODE

17. The offeror agrees to perform the work required at the prices specified below in strict accordance with the terms of the solicitation, if this offer is accepted by the Government in writing within __________ calendar days after the date offers are due.

AMOUNTS

18. The offeror agrees to furnish any required performance and payment bonds.

19. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS

AMENDMENT

NUMBER

DATE.

20a. NAME AND TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN OFFER 20b. SIGNATURE 20c. OFFER DATE

21. ITEMS ACCEPTED:

22. AMOUNT

23. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

24. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN

ITEM

25. OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION PURSUANT TO

10 U.S.C. 2304(c)( 41 U.S.C. 3304(a) (

26. ADMINISTERED BY

27. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

PHONE:

FAX:

28. NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT

29. AWARD

Your Contractor agrees offer on this solicitation is hereby accepted as to the items listed. This to furnish and deliver all items or perform all work requirements identified award consummates the contract, which consists of (a) the Government on this form and any continuation sheets for the consideration stated in solicitation and your offer, and (b) this contract award. No further cont-this contract. The rights and obligations of the parties to this contract ractual document is necessary.

shall be governed by (a) this contract award, (b) the solicitation, and (c) the clauses, representations, certifications, and specifications incorporated by reference in or attached to this contract.

30a. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTOR OR PERSON AUTHORIZED 31a. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

TO SIGN

30b. SIGNATURE 30c. DATE 31b. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 31c. AWARD DATE

BY

OFFER

AWARD

STANDARD FORM 1442 (REV. 8/2014) BACK

(Include ZIP Code) (Include area code) (Include only if different than Item 14.)

(Insert any number equal to or greater than the minimum requirement stated in Item 13d. Failure to insert any number means the offeror accepts the minimum in Item 13d.)

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the solicitation -- give number and date of each) (Type or print) (4 copies unless otherwise specified) (Type or print) (Type or print) (Contractor is required to sign this document and return _______ copies to issuing office.)

(Contractor is not required to sign this document.)

(Must be fully completed by offeror) (To be completed by Government)

CONTRACTING OFFICER WILL COMPLETE ITEM 28 OR 29 AS APPLICABLE

36C776 Department of Veterans Affairs Program Contracting Activity Central 6100 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 490 Independence OH 44131

VAFSC

Department of Veterans Affairs Financial Services Center Invoices to be Submitted Electronically https://www.fsc.va.gov/einvoice.asp e-Invoice Setup Info Phone 877-489-6135 877-353-9791 512-460-5429 Megan Dohm Contracting Officer

Table of Contents

A.3 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

ITEM INFORMATION

689-22-700 EHRM Infrastructure Upgrades West Haven CT - BASE BID: GENERAL CONSTRUCTION: Work includes site preparation for building operations, including demolition and removal of existing structures, and furnishing labor and materials to perform the EHRM Infrastructure Upgrades in accordance with the drawings and specifications.

Reference Section 1.2(A) General Intention and 1.3 Statement of Bid Items. for complete details.

PLEASE NOTE; The period of performance for this project is 730 calendar days after the contractor receives the Notice to Proceed (NTP).

PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 236220 - Commercial and Institutional Building Construction PRODUCT/SERVICE CODE: Z2DA - Repair or Alteration of Hospitals and Infirmaries

NOTICE

1. Line Item 0001 (Base) contains all the work for this project.

1. Offerors must provide a lump sum price for Line Item 0001 (Base). Failure to do so may render their offer unacceptable.

1. Award will be made on the Grand Total (Line Item 0001 - Base).

1. Pricing must be submitted in whole dollar values. Do NOT include pricing in cents.

1. Contractor is required to fill in their Unique Entity Identifier associated with SAM.gov in Block No. 14 on Standard Form (SF) 1442.

Page 1 of

INFORMATION REGARDING PROPOSAL MATERIAL, BID GUARANTEE AND BONDS

1.1 BID MATERIAL

Proposal materials consisting of drawings, specifications, and contract forms are included and/or attached as part of this Request For Proposals (RFP). The VA will not provide printed copies of drawings or specifications. It is the responsibility of the offeror to obtain the proposal materials in a time and manner sufficient to respond to this solicitation by the specified due date.

1.2 BID GUARANTEE

A Bid Guarantee, Standard Form 24 (SF 24), is required in an amount not less than 20 percent of the proposal price but shall not exceed $3,000,000. Failure to furnish the required bid guarantee in the proper form and amount, by the time set for receipt of proposals, may result in the proposal being deemed unacceptable. Copies of the SF 24 may be obtained from https://www.gsa.gov/forms.

1.3 PAYMENT & PERFORMANCE BONDS

The offeror to whom award is made will be required to furnish two bonds. A Payment Bond shall be provided on Standard Form 25A (SF 25A) and a Performance Bond shall be provided on Standard Form 25 (SF 25). Both bonds shall be submitted in accordance with FAR 52.228-15 Performance and Payment Bonds - Construction. Copies of SFs 25A and 25 may be obtained from https://www.gsa.gov/forms.

1.4 TAXES

Contractor must take into account FAR 52.229-3; “Federal, State and Local Taxes” (DEVIATION SEP 2025) and its Special Note in their pricing. The FAR clause and its Special Note provide guidance on taxes being applied to pricing.

INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND OTHER STATEMENTS TO OFFERORS

2.1 AVAILABILITY OF SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS

All solicitation-related documents will be published to Contract Opportunities at https://sam.gov/.

2.2 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

This is a Request for Proposals (RFP) in accordance with FAR Parts 15, 16 and 36. The Government intends to award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Offeror whose proposal represents the best value to the Government. A responsibility determination will be made in accordance with FAR 9.1, Responsible Prospective Contractors.

2.3 SDVOSB SET-ASIDE

This procurement is a 100% set-aside for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) concerns. To be considered eligible to receive award of a resulting contract, offerors must be certified as SDVOSBs by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and listed in the SBA certification database at the time of proposal submission and at time of award. Offers received from entities that are not certified SDVOSBs will not be considered. Failure to be certified at the time of proposal submission and at time of award will result in the offer being deemed unacceptable and ineligible for award. A joint venture may be considered eligible as an SDVOSB if the joint venture complies with the requirements in 13 CFR 128.402.

2.4 PRE-PROPOSAL SITE VISIT

A formal site visit has been scheduled for this project. This will be the only opportunity for potential offerors to visit the site. See Attachment 02 - Site Visit - West Haven for further information.

All potential offerors, subcontractors and suppliers are strongly encouraged to attend this site visit.

2.5 TECHNICAL QUESTIONS

Questions of a technical nature must be submitted by prospective offerors via e-mail to: Contract Specialist jacquelyn.wise@va.gov. The subject line of each e-mail must read: 689-22-700 – EHRM IU West Haven - Technical Questions. Oral questions of a technical nature are not acceptable due to the possibility of misunderstanding or misinterpretation. THE CUT-OFF DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF QUESTIONS IS July 20, 2026, at 1:00PM EST.

2.6 AMENDMENTS

Amendments to this solicitation will be posted at https://sam.gov/. Paper copies of the amendments will NOT be individually mailed. No other notification of amendments will be provided. Potential offerors are advised that they are responsible for obtaining and acknowledging any amendments to the solicitation. Failure to acknowledge an amendment may result in a proposal being considered ineligible for award as incomplete.

2.7 PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS

The Government will not pay for any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals.

2.8 PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

A. General:

Proposal Submission: Offerors must submit their proposals via e-mail to BOTH: Contract Specialist jacquelyn.wise@va.gov and Contracting Officer megan.dohm@va.gov. Proposals must be based on solicitation documents issued for RFP number 36C77626R0106. Proposals will be in the format set forth in this document. Proposals shall be received on or before the date and time specified in Block 13 of the SF 1442. There will be no public opening of the proposals. Only proposals submitted by email will be accepted. Hard-copy proposals will not be accepted.

B. Proposal Format:

1. Technical, Price and Administrative sections of the Offerors proposals will be evaluated independently; therefore, the Offeror must submit the proposal in three (3) Volumes: Volume I Technical, Volume II Price and Volume III Administrative. Offerors must send Volumes I, II and III as attachments in separate e-mails. Each volume must be labeled with the Offeror's organization, business address, and VA Solicitation Number. Each volume must be submitted as searchable PDF documents attached to an e-mail. Portions of proposals submitted via drop-box, hyperlink, or format rather than a searchable PDF attached to an email will not be considered, which may render the proposal incomplete. The proposal, in its entirety, shall not exceed three (3) e-mails (one e-mail for each volume). Each e-mail, including its attachments, must be less than 5MB in size. Offerors must Include page numbers and its company name in the header or footer of each page of all attachments.

2. Volume I Technical: Offerors shall format Volume I Technical proposal as listed below. The specific evaluation criteria and methodology is below.

a. Volume I Technical must include a title page and detailed table of contents. Volume I Technical shall be submitted in one (1) PDF document and shall not exceed a total of Twenty-eight (28) pages. The title page and table of contents are excluded from the page limits. All other documents count towards the page limit. 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.

b. A page is defined as each face of an 8.5 X 11-inch sheet of paper with 1-inch margins around the page perimeter containing information. The background color of each page of the submission shall be white or ivory stock and each page shall count as one (1) page. Excess pages will not be evaluated. Text lines must be single-spaced, and proposals shall be submitted using Times New Roman, with font no smaller than 12 point with normal proportional spacing. A smaller font size for any graphics presented in a proposal is permitted as long as the information is legible to the human eye. Fonts other than Times New Roman are permissible in the presentation of graphic material only.

c. The Offeror’s proposal must address the evaluation factor as detailed in the solicitation. Failure to submit a proposal in the format required may result in the proposal being deemed ineligible for award.

d. Volume I Technical, Proposal Requirements: The proposal must address the following submission requirements for Factors 1 Project Challenges/Phasing & Schedule, 2 Specialized Experience and 3 Key Personnel.

e. Factor 1 Project Challenges/Phasing: Offerors shall demonstrate their understanding of Specification Section 01 00 00 General Requirements; 1.6 Operations and Storage Areas, K Phasing contained in the RFP by submitting a draft phasing plan for construction that adheres to the requirements outlined in the specification. Each offeror’s phasing narrative must address the following:

1. Their understanding of the phasing requirements as outlined in the Specifications, particularly to the differentiation between day shift and night shift work.

2. The difference between the work tasks (new electrical installations, TR construction, civil/site work for new fiber) and how they may be performed in conjunction with each other depending on the General Contractor’s teaming and superintendence abilities.

3. Clear service-by-service work restrictions, with particular emphasis on the difference between patient care, lab and administrative spaces.

4. A description of how submittals (and their approvals) tie into an accurate phasing plan.

5. For Buildings 1 and 2, an estimate of how much new work (routing of new Category 6A cable) can be accomplished per day for evening “punch-down” by VA OIT personnel. Review breakdowns of buildings per floor on Overall Plan drawings.

6. How the General Contractor will work in concert with the following team players: The Construction Period Services Architect/Engineer (AE) for construction inspections; the Commissioning Agent (CxA) for start-up and commissioning requirements; VA Shops staff for coordination of outages and in the investigation of these outages; VA Police coordinating traffic control and user safety during trenching operations VA OIT personnel for the coordination of night work “punch-down” of new work (patch panel to switch) as well as the coordination of the leap-frogging of VA OIT-provided switches; the VA COR for overall construction administration (CA), safety, and infection control; and the VA COR’s third-party CM representative.

7. How to manage multiple impacts due to working in and around a functioning hospital. How the General Contractor will schedule disruptive type work (noise, dust generating, or material deliveries). How the contractor will manage utility outages and how they will not impact daily operations. This needs to address 3 items: Exterior trenching for diverse fiber duct bank, construction of MCR and generator buildings and interior TR builds and cabling.

8. How they will address Infection Control and Life Safety requirements as the work progresses, with specific ways the General Contractor will ensure the requirements in VA-issued ICRA permits are adhered to.

Total PDF pages for Factor 1 shall not exceed 5 pages. Excess pages will not be evaluated.

f. Factor 2 Specialized Experience: Offerors shall demonstrate successful experience in large-scale communication infrastructure construction projects. Specialized experience will be evaluated based on the size, scope, and complexity of completed projects, within active healthcare environments, particularly within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Offerors shall provide at least two (2) and no more than three (3) projects that demonstrate their ability to perform the proposed effort. Projects must be at least 75% completed or have been completed within the past five (5) years from the date proposals are due.

Size: At least two submitted projects must have a total value exceeding $10 million.

Scope: Projects must involve:

· New or upgrade of Telecommunication Rooms (TR) or new or upgrade of a Data Center.

· Structured cabling (Cat6, Cat6A).

· Fiber optic backbone installation (intra- or inter-building).

· UPS, power distribution, generator systems supporting IT and related HVAC loads.

· HVAC or CRAC systems serving IT spaces. Including monitoring of those systems.

· Physical security systems (PACS, IDS, or VSS).

· Civil or site work supporting IT or power systems (e.g., duct banks, hand/manholes, trenching).

· Work performed in an occupied healthcare or federal facility

· Infection control protocols Complexity: Projects must demonstrate successful coordination of telecommunications infrastructure upgrades in an active healthcare setting, with minimal system downtime. This includes effective phasing, coordination of critical path activities, and a detailed understanding of General Construction Specifications Division 27 – Telecommunications as outlined in the specifications.

Offeror shall provide a detailed summary Attachment 04 - Project Information Sheet for Contractors of least two (2) and no more than three (3) recent projects similar in size, scope, and complexity. Each summary shall include:

1. Owner Government Agency/Company which awarded contract and their contact information (Name, Title, Telephone Number, Email);

2. Contract Number;

3. Location (physical address) of project performance;

4. Project Name;

5. Project Description (Details of construction requirements, challenges, and solutions);

6. Project Cost and Cost Control Measures (original and final contract costs, contract mods, cost containment measures, value engineering, etc.);

7. Project Performance Period (Initial and actual, schedule impacts and efficiencies); and

8. Subcontractors (Name, Roles, Responsibilities, Percent of work).

In addition, for each project submitted, Offeror shall provide a narrative describing successful performance in the construction of infrastructure upgrades similar in scope to Project 689-22-700 EHRM Infrastructure Upgrades – West Haven, CT. The narrative shall include details on complexity, magnitude, challenges and degree of success. Offeror is encouraged to include supporting documents such as photographs. The narrative should address challenges with schedule, unforeseen site conditions, or other unusual factors, and explain how these challenges were overcome.

Total PDF pages for Factor 2 shall not exceed 15 pages, including any photos and narratives. Excess pages will not be evaluated.

g. Factor 3 Key Personnel: Offerors shall provide qualifications of proposed key personnel, to include Project Manager, Onsite Superintendent, Site Safety and Health Officer (SSHO), and Contractor’s Quality Control (CQC) System Manager, per solicitation specifications. Information to include the following: Name of individual, position title, years with company, education background and narrative for the Project Manager and Onsite Superintendent describing 1 completed project similar in size and scope. Size is defined as a completed project over 10 million dollars. Scope is defined as a completed project involving phased construction work (demolition, earthwork, carpentry, HVAC, electrical utility, plumbing, communications, fire suppression) in an active patient care setting. Include the following:

· Project Manager with a minimum of 5 years of construction supervision experience and a narrative demonstrating one (1) completed project similar in size and scope.

· Onsite Superintendent with a minimum of 5 years of construction supervision experience and a narrative demonstrating one (1) completed project similar in size and scope.

· SSHO with the minimum experience as outlined in the construction specifications 01 35 26. See Section 1.7 - Site Safety & Health Officer (SSHO) and Competent Person (CP) & 1.8 - Training

· CQC System Manager with the minimum experience as outlined in the construction specifications 01 45 00. See Section 3.2 CQC Plan and Section 3.4 Quality Control Organization, B CQC System Manager.

Total PDF pages for Factor 3 shall not exceed 8 pages. Excess pages will not be evaluated.

3. Volume II Price & Proposal Requirements: Offerors shall format the Volume II Price proposal as listed below. The proposal must include the following for Factor 4 Price.

a. Offerors shall complete the Price Schedule included in part A of this solicitation, providing their price for Line Item 0001.

b. The price must be Firm Fixed Price. The Offeror must take care not to include remarks that take exception to the Government’s Specifications/Drawings or pricing requirements or otherwise preclude the Government from evaluating the offer, which will result in the offeror’s proposal being rejected.

c. Offerors shall ensure the Signed Standard Form (SF) 1442 is provided. Offerors shall acknowledge receiving amendments by filling out section 19 of the SF 1442.

d. Bid Guarantee: The Offeror shall furnish a bid guarantee as stipulated in the solicitation (see FAR 52.228-1). The bid guarantee shall be provided on Standard Form 24. The bid bond shall be submitted as part of the electronic submission. In accordance with Class Deviation from the Federal Acquisition Regulation to Eliminate Hard Copy Original Documents, Signatures, Notarization, Seals on Bonds, and Other Seals for Certain Contract Requirements issued by the VA Executive Director, Office of Acquisition and Logistics and the Senior Procurement Executive on May 11, 2020, the requirement for an original bond, with the original signatures, notarization and seals has been eliminated. Failure to furnish the required bid guarantee on the proper form and for the proper amount by the time specified in Block 13 of SF 1442, may result in rejection of the proposal.

4. Volume III Administrative Information:

a. Representations & Certifications:

By submitting its offer, the Offeror verifies that, as of the date of its offer, its representations and certifications posted electronically in SAM for the applicable provisions are current, accurate, and complete. The Offeror’s representations and certifications in SAM are hereby incorporated by reference into its offer.

b. Certification of Independent Price Determination Offeror must provide their response to FAR 52.203-2 Certificate of Independent Price Determination, if applicable.

c. Information Regarding Responsibility Matters:

Offeror shall provide their response to FAR 52.209-7 (b) Information Regarding Responsibility Matters.

d. Certification Regarding Tax Matters:

Offeror shall provide their response to FAR 52.209-12 (b) Certification Regarding Tax Matters.

e. Violation of Arms Controls Treaties or Agreements:

Offeror must provide their response to FAR 52.209-13 (b)(1) or (2) Violation of Arms Controls Treaties or Agreements.

f. Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements – Notice and Representation:

The offeror shall provide their response to FAR 52.229-11 (d).

g. Limitations on Subcontracting:

The offeror must complete and sign the certification in VAAR 852.219-75, VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting—Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction, and return it with their proposal submission. The completed and signed certification will become part of the official award documentation. A copy of the clause to be completed and included with the proposal is attached as a separate document (see Attachment 01 Limitations on Subcontracting - Construction). Failure to return the entire clause, with the appropriate box marked, the offeror’s name entered, and the certification completed and signed, with the offeror’s proposal will result in the offer being ineligible for award.

h. Note for Joint Venture (JV) Offerors:

In accordance with VAAR 852.219-73(f) joint ventures may be eligible so long as the joint venture meets the requirements of 13 C.F.R. 128.402 In order to comply with 13 C.F.R. 128.402(c), JV offerors must include in a certification pursuant to 13 C.F.R. 128.402(e), signed by an authorized official of each partner to the joint venture, stating that the parties to the joint venture (1) have entered into a joint venture agreement that fully complies with 13 CFR § 128.402 and will perform the contract in compliance with the joint venture agreement. Failure to submit the certification will render the offeror ineligible for award.

2.9 EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

Upon receipt of written proposals, the CO will initially screen the proposals and verify that each proposal includes all required information, representations and certifications, and electronic media in the quantities and format specified in the RFP. In accordance with the terms of the RFP, failure to provide a complete proposal will result in the Offeror not being evaluated and the Offeror will be removed from the competition.

The Government reserves the right to award without negotiations based upon the initial evaluation of the proposals but reserves the right to open negotiations if determined to be necessary. All proposals shall be subject to evaluation by a team of Government personnel. The proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria provided in the solicitation. Using the tradeoff process under best value, it may be in the Government's best interest to consider award to other than the lowest price Offeror or other than highest rated Offeror. The intent is to award to the Offeror that offers the best value to the Government. “Best Value” means the expected outcome of an acquisition that, in the Government’s estimation, provides the greatest overall benefit in response to the requirement. Factors 1, 2, and 3, when combined are approximately equal to Price.

A. Factor 1 Project Challenges/Phasing & Schedule: The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s Phasing Plan and narrative descriptions for the following elements: (1) offeror’s understanding of the phasing requirements and differentiation of day and night shift work and work tasks; (2) accounts for work restrictions between patient care, lab and administrative spaces and how submittal approvals tie into an accurate phasing plan; (3) estimating how much new work can be accomplished; (4) addresses coordination with team members and how to not impact daily operations, specifically exterior trenching for diverse fiber bank, construction of MCR and generator buildings, and interior TR builds and cabling; and (5) addresses Infection Control and Life Safety requirements. Proposals that do not demonstrate these attributes present higher levels of risk and will be less favorably rated.

B. Factor 2 Specialized Experience: Specialized Experience will be evaluated on the basis of recency and relevancy to arrive at an overall Specialized Experience Rating.

The Government will first evaluate each project submitted to ensure the project is recent, meaning projects must have been completed within the last five years, or are at least 75% complete as of the proposal due date. Projects older than five 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 proposed requirement. The relevancy determination will be based on the Project Information Sheet provided by the Offeror. The Government will use the recency and relevancy of all projects submitted to assign a single Specialized Experience Rating.

C. Factor 3 Key Personnel: The evaluation will consider education, certifications, training, registration, overall and relevant experience, and longevity with the firm. Experience demonstrating (1) capability in same or similar key personnel positions on successful relevant projects of similar scope and magnitude to this solicitation; and (2) strong technical knowledge and skill required for this solicitation. Those not demonstrating these attributes present higher levels of risk and will be less favorably rated.

D. Factor 4 Price: The total evaluated price will be determined by the Offeror's price provided on the Price Schedule.

Note: If none of the offerors are within the available funding limitation or is otherwise determined to be other than fair and reasonable, the VA reserves the right to enter into negotiations with those offerors who are determined to be within the competitive range.

2.10 DETERMINATION OF RESPONSIBILITY

In accordance with FAR subpart 9.1, Responsible Prospective Contractors, a responsibility determination will be made for the apparent successful offeror prior to award of the project. The Contracting Officer reserves the right to request information to assist the Government in determining the apparent successful offeror responsible, including information regarding the offeror’s previous experience (including points of contact), organization (including company officers), technical qualifications, financial resources, and other information deemed necessary. These requests for information do not constitute negotiations. NOTE: Any information received by the Government that would be cause for a negative responsibility determination may deem the offeror ineligible for award

2.11 VETS 4212

Title 38, USC Section 4212(d), codified at 41 CFR Section 61-300, requires that federal contractors report, at least annually, the number and category of veterans who are within their workforce. Submission of the VETS-4212 reporting information can be done electronically at: http://www.dol.gov/vets/vets4212.htm. Award cannot be made unless the awardee has filed their VETS-4212 report. Therefore, all offerors are encouraged to file every year. The Contracting Officer may request a copy of the email confirmation of receipt notification prior to awarding the project.

2.12 PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT

The use of a project labor agreement (PLA) for contractors and subcontractors engaged in construction on this project is required. In accordance with FAR 52.222-33 Alternate II and FAR 52.222-34 Alternate I, a PLA must be submitted after contract award. PLAs are NOT to be submitted with bids.

2.13 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM)

The FAR requires that federal contractors register in the SAM database at https://sam.gov/ and enter all mandatory information into the system. In compliance with FAR 52.204-7, an offeror must have an active registration in SAM at the time an offer is submitted and at the time of award. The initial screening of proposals includes reviewing SAM.gov for compliance with this section.

2.14 DEVIATION NOTICE (FEB 2025)

System updates may lag policy updates. The System for Award Management (SAM) may continue to require entities to complete representations based on provisions that are not included in agency solicitations, including 52.222-25, Affirmative Action Compliance, 52.223-22, Public Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Goals—Representation, and paragraphs (d) and (t) of 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Products and Commercial Services. Contracting officers will not consider these representations when making award decisions or enforce requirements. Entities are not required to, nor are they able to, update their entity registration to remove these representations in SAM.

2.15 REVIEW REQUIRED REGISTRATION WITH CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT REPORTING SYSTEM (CPARS) As prescribed in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 42.1102(e), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) evaluates contractor past performance on all construction contracts that exceed $900,000 and shares those evaluations with other Federal Government contract specialists and procurement officials. The FAR requires that the contractor be provided an opportunity to comment on past performance evaluations prior to each report closing. To fulfill this requirement, VA uses an online database, CPARS, which is maintained by the Naval Sea Logistics Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. CPARS is available to all Federal agencies and is the system used to collect and retrieve performance assessment reports used in source selection determinations. CPARS also includes access to the federal awardee performance and integrity information system (FAPIIS). FAPIIS is a web-enabled application accessed via CPARS for contractor responsibility determination information.

Each contractor whose contract award is estimated to exceed $900,000 is required to register with CPARS database at the following web address: http://www.cpars.gov/. Help in registering can be obtained by contacting the CPARS Customer Service Desk at cpars-helpdesk@us.navy.mil. Registration should occur no later than thirty days after contract award and must be kept current should there be any change to the contractor’s registered representative.

For contracts with a period of one year or less, the contracting officer will perform a single evaluation when the contract is complete. For contracts exceeding one year, the contracting officer will evaluate the contractor’s performance annually. Interim reports will be filed each year until the last year of the contract, when the final report will be completed. The report shall be assigned in CPARS to the contractor’s designated representative for comment. The contractor representative will have thirty days to submit any comments and re-assign the report to the VA contracting officer.

Failure to have a current registration in the CPARS database, or to re-assign the report to the VA contracting officer within those thirty days, will result in the Government’s evaluation being placed on file in the database with a statement that the contractor failed to respond.

2.16 BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS AND SPECIAL AGREEMENT CHECKS

All contractor employees are subject to the same level of investigation as VA employees who have access to VA Sensitive Information. The level of background investigation is commensurate with the level of access needed to perform all work as identified in the solicitation documents. This requirement is applicable to all subcontractor personnel requiring the same access. As per VA Directive 0710, costs of background investigations will be borne by the contractor. Please be advised that the awardee will need to coordinate with the VA Medical Center concerning badging requirements.

2.17 REFERENCES TO VA ENGINEER, RESIDENT ENGINEER, OR PROJECT MANAGER

36C77626R0106 Any reference contained within the solicitation/contract specifications and/or drawings to the “VA Engineer,” “Resident Engineer,” or “Project Manager,” or their abbreviations shall be replaced with “Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).”

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SECTION E - SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

E.1 52.222-5 CONSTRUCTION WAGE RATE REQUIREMENTS-SECONDARY SITE OF THE WORK (MAY 2014)(DEVIATION NOV 2025)

(a) (1) The offeror must notify the Government if the offeror intends to perform work at any secondary site of the work, as defined in paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of the FAR clause at 52.222-6, Construction Wage Rate Requirements, of this solicitation.

(2) If the offeror is unsure if a planned work site satisfies the criteria for a secondary site of the work, the offeror must request a determination from the Contracting Officer.

(b) (1) If the wage determination provided by the Government for work at the primary site of the work is not applicable to the secondary site of the work, the offeror must request a wage determination from the Contracting Officer.

(2) The due date for receipt of offers will not be extended as a result of an offeror’s request for a wage determination for a secondary site of the work.

(End of Provision)

E.2 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part

-52#FAR_52_252_1

https://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/ (End of Provision)

GENERAL CONDITIONS

4.1 FAR 52.222-90 ADDRESSING DEI DISCRIMINATION BY FEDERAL CONTRACTORS (APR 2026)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause— Program participation means membership or participation in, or access or admission to: training, mentoring, or leadership development programs; educational opportunities; clubs; associations; or similar opportunities that are sponsored or established by the contractor or subcontractor. Racially discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities means disparate treatment based on race or ethnicity in the recruitment, employment (e.g., hiring, promotions), contracting (e.g., vendor agreements), program participation, or allocation or deployment of an entity's resources.

(b) In connection with the performance of work under this contract, the Contractor agrees as follows:

(1) The Contractor will not engage in any racially discriminatory DEI activities;

(2) The Contractor will furnish all information and reports, including providing access to books, records, and accounts, as required by the Contracting Officer, for purposes of ascertaining compliance with this clause;

(3) In the event of the Contractor's or a subcontractor's noncompliance with this clause, this contract may be canceled, terminated, or suspended in whole or in part, and the Contractor or subcontractor may be declared ineligible for further Government contracts;

(4) The Contractor will report any subcontractor's known or reasonably knowable conduct that may violate this clause to the Contracting Officer and take any appropriate remedial actions directed by the Contracting Officer; and

(5) The Contractor will inform the Contracting Officer if a subcontractor sues the Contractor and the suit puts at issue, in any way, the validity of this clause.

(6) The Contractor recognizes that compliance with the requirements of this clause are material to the Government's payment decisions for purposes of 31 U.S.C. 3729(b)(4). (c) The Contractor must include the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (c), in subcontracts at any tier, including those for commercial products and commercial services, except those where the place of delivery or performance is outside the United States.

(End of Clause)

Special Notes regarding FAR 52.229-3: Federal, State and Local Taxes:

Offerors are hereby notified that under Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. 12-412, the United States of America, or any of its respective agencies, is a tax-exempt entity immune from taxation when it is the purchaser, user, or consumer of tangible personal property. Pursuant to Conn. Agencies Regs. 12-426-18, when a contractor enters into a construction contract with a tax-exempt entity, it may purchase materials and supplies without payment of tax if the property will be installed or placed in the project and will remain in the project after completion. Therefore, the contractor’s purchase of such materials and supplies as are to be installed or placed in projects being performed within the State of Connecticut to be incorporated into the real property belonging to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is subject to the exemption from the State of Connecticut Taxes. To take advantage of the tax exemption the successful offeror under this solicitation must complete CERT-141 “Contractor’s Exempt Purchase Certificate” when it purchases construction materials for this contract and retain adequate records to support contractor’s use of the certificate and to show disposition of the materials and supplies purchased.

Notwithstanding FAR 52.229-3, all bids received in response to this solicitation are presumed to reflect this tax exemption and therefore should not include the State of Connecticut sales tax on sales of materials for incorporation into VA real estate under this contract.

4.2 VAAR 852.204-70 PERSONAL IDENTITY VERIFICATION OF CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL (DEVIATION) (MAR 2026)

(a) The Contractor shall comply with current Department of Veterans Affairs policy for personal identity verification of all employees performing under this contract when physical access to VA facilities, and/or logical access to VA information and VA information systems is required.

(b) The Contractor shall insert this clause in all subcontracts when the subcontractor’s employees will require physical access to VA facilities, and/or logical access to VA information and VA information systems.

(End of Clause)

4.3 VAAR 852.204-72 PERSONNEL VETTING AND CREDENTIALING (DEVIATION) (MAR 2026)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause – VA Information system is the same as information system and means, pursuant to 38 U.S.C. 5727, a discrete set of information resources organized for the collection, processing, maintenance, use, sharing, dissemination, or disposition of information whether automated or manual.

VA sensitive information means all VA data, on any storage media or in any form or format, which requires protection due to the risk of harm that could result from inadvertent or deliberate disclosure, alteration, or destruction of the information and includes sensitive personal information. The term includes information where improper use or disclosure could adversely affect the ability of VA to accomplish its mission, proprietary information, records about individuals requiring protection under various confidentiality provisions such as the Privacy Act and the HIPAA Privacy Rule, and information that can be withheld under the Freedom of Information Act. Examples of VA sensitive information include the following: individually-identifiable medical, benefits, and personnel information; financial, budgetary, research, quality assurance, confidential commercial, critical infrastructure, investigatory, and law enforcement information; information that is confidential and privileged in litigation such as information protected by the deliberative process privilege, attorney work-product privilege, and the attorney client privilege; and other information which, if released, could result in violation of law or harm or unfairness to any individual or group, or could adversely affect the national interest or the conduct of Federal programs.

(b) General. Contractor personnel assigned to work for or on behalf of VA must undergo a background investigation commensurate with the risk and sensitivity level designation associated with the work to be performed at the level indicated in the contract. The Contractor and subcontractors shall comply with VA Directive/Handbook 0710, Personnel Security and Suitability Program, which can be accessed at: https://vaww.va.gov/vapubs/index.cfm.

(c) Risk and Sensitivity Levels. The following table identifies the risk and sensitivity levels that apply to any personnel providing services under this contract. *VA Administrations, organizations and staff offices will use the OPM Position Designation Tool.

Positions/Tasks Designated as Non-Sensitive Positions – Tier 1/Low Risk

ALL

Positions/Tasks Designated as Non-Sensitive Positions – Tier 2/Mod Risk

NA

Positions/Tasks Designated as Non-Sensitive Positions – Tier 4/High Risk

NA

Security clearances are granted to individuals with a specific requirement for access to classified material (for example, Confidential, Secret and Top Secret). Contractor personnel that are required to obtain a security clearance will be subject to a Tier 3 or Tier 5 investigation. The following sensitivity designations have been assigned for the identified Tier 3 and Tier 5 required by this contract:

Tier 3: NA Tier 5: NA

(d) Fitness. The results from a background investigation are used to determine if an individual’s fitness is sufficient for that individual to perform work for or on behalf of VA in the position identified in this contract. Contractor fitness determinations are made in accordance with 5 CFR Part 731.202.

Fitness requirements for employment are separate and distinct from job qualifications. If a Contractor or subcontractor employee is found to be unsuitable or unfit to provide services under this contract, the Contractor shall immediately remove the employee from working on this contract and take those necessary steps that restrict the employee’s logical access to VA data, information, VA sensitive information, or information technology or VA information systems containing such data or information.

The Contractor shall advise the employee that they are not permitted to access any VA controlled building or real property in relation to this contract. The removal of an unfit Contractor or subcontractor employee does not alleviate the Contractor from satisfying the requirements of this contract. The Government will not reimburse the Contractor for any costs associated with the recruitment/replacement of an employee or subcontractor employee who is found to be unfit.

(e) Identification Cards. The Government will provide a Personal Identification Verification (PIV) card or other identification card, as necessary, to fit Contractor personnel who require physical access to VA facilities and/or logical access to VA data, information, VA…