P02 RFI 36C10B26Q0218_EDCTM_2.26.26.pdf

Department of Veterans Affairs Enterprise Data Center and Telecommunications Modernization

Request for Information 36C10B26Q0218

1. Introduction

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued for conducting market research and planning purposes only. Accordingly, this RFI constitutes neither a Request for Quote, Request for Proposal, nor a guarantee that one will be issued by the Government in the future;

furthermore, it does not commit the Government to contract for any services described herein. Additionally, this RFI does not restrict the Government as to the ultimate acquisition approach. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.101(c), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

The purpose of this RFI is to identify qualified vendors who can meet Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requirements for the Enterprise Data Center and Telecommunications Modernization (EDCTM) initiative, and to obtain industry input on the best approach for structuring and executing this requirement. Any contract or order that might be awarded based on information received or derived from this market research will be the outcome of the competitive process. Your response to this RFI will be treated only as information for the Government to consider.

The Government is not responsible for any cost incurred by industry in furnishing this information. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested vendor’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation if any is issued. Any information submitted by respondents to this RFI is strictly voluntary. All submissions will become Government property and will not be returned.

Interested vendors are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted, or competition sensitive information contained in their response. VA is under no obligation to provide feedback to the company, or to contact the company for clarification of any information submitted in response to this RFI.

Be advised that set-aside decisions may be made based on the information provided in response to this RFI. Responses should be as complete and informative as possible.

2. Background

The VA, Office of Information and Technology, Infrastructure Operations, Data Center and Infrastructure Engineering division manages a large, geographically distributed portfolio of data centers, computer rooms, and telecommunications spaces. These environments support clinical, administrative, and mission-critical systems across the Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration, and National Cemetery Administration.

There is no single standard configuration across VA data center facilities. Infrastructure varies significantly from site to site, including differences in equipment racks, cabling standards, power distribution, cooling systems, and facility layouts.

3. RFI Response Instructions

All responsible sources may submit a response in accordance with the below information:

There is a page limitation for this RFI of 10 pages. The Government will not review any information or attachments in excess of the page limit.

NO MARKETING MATERIALS ARE ALLOWED AS PART OF THIS RFI.

Generic capability statements will not be accepted or reviewed.

a. Interested Vendors shall at a minimum provide the following information in the initial paragraph of the submission:

Name of Company:

Address:

Point of Contact:

Phone Number:

Email Address:

Company Business Size & Status:

For VOSB and SDVOSBs, proof of certification with

SBA:

NAICS Code(s):

* If you believe there is a more appropriate NAICS code, please provide that to the Government with your rationale.

Socioeconomic Data:

If a small business, please identify socio-economic category(ies).

Unique Entity Identifier

(UEI):

Existing Contractual Vehicles (GWAC, FSS, MAC, SEWP, or other):

Acronyms:

• FSS - Federal Supply Schedule,

• GWAC - Government-wide Acquisition Contract

• NAICS – North American Industry Classification

• NASA SEWP - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Solutions for Enterprise Wide

Procurement

• SBA – Small Business Administration

• SDVPSB – Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business

• VOSB – Veteran-Owned Small Business

For SDVOSB / VOSB concerns, indicate whether at least 50 percent of the cost of performance incurred is planned to be expended for employees of your concern or employees of other eligible SDVOSB/VOSB concerns.

Be advised that set-aside decisions may be made based on the information provided in response to this RFI. Responses should be as complete and informative as possible.

b. Brief Summary (not to exceed 10 pages), describing your company’s technical approach to meeting the requirements, outlined below.

VA anticipates award of a firm fixed price Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) or an alternative ordering-based strategy to establish a pre-priced listing of discrete, hardware-led deliverables for data center and telecommunications modernization work. The primary objectives for the procurement are:

1) Standardize legacy and non-standard telecommunications and data center physical infrastructure;

2) Identify and replace end-of-life or obsolete infrastructure components;

3) Standardize inconsistent or site-unique installation practices across facilities;

4) Update or complete design documentation and specifications; and

5) Eliminate infrastructure designs that increase operational risk, cost, or complexity.

The Government is seeking industry feedback to determine vendor capabilities, socio-economic categories, to identify industry best practices, and identify any alternate contract vehicles well-suited for this requirement.

Hardware-Led Deliverables with Bundled Services. The Government envisions ordering data center modernization work as hardware-led line items. Each line item would represent a major infrastructure activity (e.g., Computer Room Air Conditioner (CRAC) unit replacement, structured cabling refresh, rack and enclosure installation) priced on a firm-fixed-price basis. The price would include all ancillary services necessary to produce a complete, installed, and operational outcome—including but not limited to site survey, engineering design, procurement, installation, testing, and documentation.

Standardization Across Facilities. A key objective is to move VA data centers toward repeatable, standards-compliant configurations. The Government recognizes that site-specific conditions will vary and that contractors will need to account for that variability.

The Government is interested in how industry manages this challenge - particularly how vendors price work at facilities they have not previously been surveyed.

2.2 Illustrative Scope of Deliverables

The following categories are illustrative, not exhaustive, and are provided to communicate the Government’s requirement in general terms. Respondents are encouraged to share industry standards for the following categories and deliverables:

Telecommunications and IT Infrastructure

• Equipment racks, cabinets, and enclosures (including seismic requirements)

• Structured cabling systems—copper (e.g., Cat 6/6A) and fiber (backbone and horizontal)

• Patch panels, fiber enclosures, splice trays, and termination hardware

• Ladder rack, cable tray, and overhead pathway systems Power and Electrical Infrastructure

• Power distribution units (PDUs)—rack-level and room-level

• Busway systems and power whips

• Grounding and bonding infrastructure

• Electrical panels and supporting components Environmental and Cooling Infrastructure

• CRAC/CRAH units and precision cooling systems

• Hot aisle / cold aisle containment solutions

• Environmental monitoring sensors (temperature, humidity, airflow, leak detection) Facilities and Life Safety

• Fire detection and suppression systems for IT spaces

• Conduit, sleeves, penetrations, and pathway infrastructure

• Physical security components supporting telecommunications spaces

2.3 Applicable Standards

All deliverables under the anticipated BPA are expected to conform to VA-published telecommunications and facilities standards, including but not limited to:

• Infrastructure Standard for Telecommunications Spaces

• PG-18-12 Telecommunications Design Guide

• Other applicable VA, federal, and industry standards

Respondents are requested to address the following. The Government values candid, experience-based input. Submissions should focus on concepts, approaches, and lessons learned.

1. Relevant Capabilities and Experience. Briefly describe your company’s experience performing data center and telecommunications infrastructure build-out, modernization, or remediation work. Include both federal and commercial experience. Describe the geographic scope and scale of facilities you have supported.

2. Feasibility of the Proposed Approach. Is the Government’s concept of hardware-led, firm-fixed-price deliverables with all ancillary services bundled into a single line item price feasible? What are the strengths and limitations of this approach? What alternative or modified approaches would you recommend, and why?

3. Deliverable Categories and Equipment Listing. Based on your experience building and modernizing data centers, what categories of deliverables and specific line items should the Government include in a pre-priced equipment listing? How should these deliverables be structured to enable clear scoping, consistent pricing, and repeatable ordering across multiple facilities?

4. Pricing Approach for Site-Unseen Work. How does your company typically price data center infrastructure work at facilities you have not previously surveyed? How do you manage the cost variability inherent in site-unique conditions while maintaining firm-fixed pricing? What mechanisms (e.g., tiered pricing, facility complexity classes, site assessment phases) would you recommend?

5. Bundling Hardware and Services. The Government’s intent is that each ordered deliverable includes everything necessary to produce a complete, installed, and operational outcome (site survey, design, engineering, materials, installation, testing, documentation). How should these bundled deliverables be defined so that both the Government and the contractor have clear expectations and acceptance criteria?

6. Standardization Across Diverse Facilities. VA operates data centers and telecommunications spaces of widely varying age, size, and configuration. How do you recommend the Government structure deliverables to drive standardization while accommodating the realities of non-uniform existing environments?

7. Available Contract Vehicles. Identify any existing contractual vehicles (GWAC, FSS, SEWP, or other) through which your company could perform this work.

Include a recommended ordering approach strategy to meet the outcomes identified.

8. Quality, Scope, and Acceptance. What best practices do you recommend for managing scope definition, quality control, configuration management, and deliverable acceptance in a model where hardware and services are bundled into firm-fixed-price line items?

9. Small Business Participation. Identify your business size and socioeconomic status. If a small business, describe how you would staff and manage a nationwide data center modernization requirement of this scope. If a large business, describe your approach to maximizing small business subcontracting opportunities.

10. Additional Recommendations. Provide any additional recommendations, concerns, or considerations the Government should be aware of in structuring this requirement. The Government is not a data center construction expert and values industry expertise in shaping this approach.

Submissions should focus on concepts, approaches, and lessons learned rather than marketing material. The Government is seeking candid input to inform its requirement development.

Questions relating to this RFI must be submitted electronically no later than 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, March 4, 2026, via email to the Technology Acquisition Center (TAC) points of contact:

Contract Specialist: Michelle Prinston, michelle.prinston@va.gov Contracting Officer: Lori Walker, lori.walker1@va.gov

Responses to this RFI shall be submitted electronically no later than 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, March 11, 2026, via email to the Technology Acquisition Center (TAC) points of contact:

Contract Specialist: Michelle Prinston, michelle.prinston@va.gov Contracting Officer: Lori Walker, lori.walker1@va.gov

Please note EDCTM in the subject line of your response. Mark your response as “Proprietary Information” if the information is considered business sensitive. The email file size shall not exceed 5 MB.

All proprietary/company confidential material shall be clearly marked on every page that contains such.

RESPONDENTS ARE ADVISED THAT THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE DELAYED,

CANCELED, OR REVISED AT ANY TIME.

mailto:michelle.prinston@va.gov mailto:lori.walker1@va.gov mailto:michelle.prinston@va.gov mailto:lori.walker1@va.gov