Special Notice - Industry Day 27OCT2026.pdf

SPECIAL NOTICE

Title: Akeroyd Blood Donor Center Progressive-Design Build, Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is issuing this special notice to announce an upcoming solicitation for Progressive Design-Build under 10 U.S.C. § 2808a Other Transaction Authority for Construction for the Akeroyd Blood Donor Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. This notice is for informational and planning purposes to allow interested parties to prepare for the official solicitation release.

Progressive Design-Build (PDB) Approach: This requirement will be executed using a qualifications-based PDB model. Unlike traditional design-bid-build or fixed-price design-build, PDB is a collaborative, two-phase delivery method designed to optimize design, cost, and schedule alignment for complex projects.

The process is defined by two distinct phases under a single contract:

Phase 1 (Design and Preconstruction Services): After selecting a Company to serve as the progressive design-build team (Design-Builder and Designer of Record) based on qualifications and experience, not a final price, the Government, Company, and the end-user work as an integrated team. This phase focuses on collaboratively developing the project design from an early concept to a sufficiently detailed level (typically 60-90% completion).

Throughout this phase, the Company provides open-book cost estimates and constructability reviews to progressively align the project scope with the budget.

Phase 2 (Final Design and Construction): Once the design is advanced to an agreed-upon level of completion, the Company submits a commercial proposal, often a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP), for the final design and construction work. If the Government and the Company agree on the price and schedule, the contract is modified to authorize Phase 2.

If an agreement cannot be reached, the Government has an "off-ramp" option to take the completed design and procure the construction work via other means.

This progressive approach is intended to leverage the builder's expertise early, reduce risk by identifying challenges before construction begins, and provide greater cost certainty and budget control.

Industry Day

USACE intends to conduct a Virtual Industry Day from 1300-1500 CST on 27 October 2026 to provide an overview of the project, acquisition strategy, and anticipated requirements. This event will offer interested parties an opportunity to gain additional insight and ask questions in advance of the solicitation release.

General questions from industry participants will be permitted during the Industry Day; however, all discussions and responses provided during the event are considered unofficial and are for informational purposes only. Statements made during Industry Day do not constitute commitment, authorization, or binding guidance related to the future Program Solicitation.

Official Questions and Answers (Q&A) will be accepted and addressed following the release of the Program Solicitation.

Industry Day Registration details:

Date: Tuesday, 27 Oct 2026 Time: 1300-1500CST Location: Microsoft Teams Join: https://dod.teams.microsoft.us/meet/993632777339?p=eRBAH8hurpkBJzpO6x Meeting ID: 993 632 777 339 Passcode: a5Km9kX3

Registration Instructions: Please indicate your interest in attending by completing the Form:

https://forms.osi.apps.mil/r/TtqZu5UygP

POC: Michael Kithua, Michael.W.Kithua@usace.army.mil; Kathryn Seyer, kathryn.m.seyer@usace.army.mil

Project Overview

Project Title: Akeroyd Blood Donor Center Location: Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston Texas Agency: Defense Health Agency NAICS Code: 236220 Type of Award: Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), Progressive Design Build (PDB), with a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP), Part A award for Design Efforts and Part B option for Construction.

Programmed Amount: $39,500,000

Project Description

Construct a controlled, mission essential facility that is an optimally sized and configured 15,750 GSF Blood Donation Center that enables the staff of Akeroyd Blood Donor Center achieve their mission set by the Armed Services Blood Program and support the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) Trauma Center with generator to support essential walk-in refrigerator and laboratory equipment. The facility will enable blood donation, testing, processing, and shipping to satisfy hospital and Combatant Commander requirements. The Blood Donor Center will be a new, modern facility that is right sized to meet the demand of the Armed Services Blood Program mission to provide year-round blood products for service members, veterans and their families through 60-80 daily donations. The architecture will maximize natural light to provide comforting experience in lobbies, lounges, waiting rooms, and donation areas, and maintain separate flows between visitors (on-stage) and staff (off-stage) to optimize privacy, safety and visitor/staff satisfaction and minimize bottlenecks.

The project also includes demolishment and disposal of the existing Blood Donor Center which will be converted into the parking lot after the replacement facility is complete, accepted, and operational. The existing Blood Donor Center facility shall remain operational until the newly constructed facility is ready for occupancy. The design-builder shall develop and maintain a phasing, transition, logistics, safety, and utility-outage plan that avoids unnecessary disruption to blood-donation, processing, storage, and distribution operations in the existing facility throughout the construction, outfitting, and commissioning of the new facility.

Acquisition Strategy

The USACE will use a streamlined competitive selection process:

1. Step 1 – Request for Qualifications/White Papers: Interested parties will submit a Statement of Qualifications (max 20 pages).

This initial step serves as a rapid down-select to identify a short list of the most credible and experienced Offerors.

Action: A public solicitation will be posted on SAM.gov, issuing a Request for White Papers. Offerors will be required to respond with a concise, qualifications-based White Paper, not to exceed approximately 20 pages.

Focus: The White Paper will demonstrate the Offeror's corporate experience with projects of similar integrated acquisition strategy, size and complexity, highlight the qualifications of key personnel, and articulate their understanding of the PDB process and the project's unique technical challenges.

Timeline: The submission window will be compressed to an aggressive 15-day period to maintain procurement momentum and attract agile, responsive partners.

Local experience and construction projects awarded at Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston Texas

The government intends to down-select up to three Companies to proceed to the next step.

2. Step 2 – Pitches: Selected Companies will participate in pitch meetings.

This step is the cornerstone of the evaluation, moving beyond a paper-based assessment to a direct evaluation of the team's expertise, problem-solving abilities, and collaborative chemistry.

Action: After a rapid evaluation of the White Papers submission responses, the Government will invite up to three most qualified Companies to participate in mandatory, one-on-one pitch meetings.

Purpose: These are not standard, one-way presentations. They are structured, interactive Q&A sessions designed to simulate the real-world working environment of a Progressive Design-Build project. The Government will engage the Company in an active dialogue to evaluate how effectively the Company and key partners communicate with the Government and with one another. Additionally, the session will test the team's agility, responsiveness, and collaborative problem-solving capabilities when presented with shifting project requirements in real time.

Evaluation Criteria: This critical event allows the Government to assess the team’s true collaborative capabilities, depth of technical expertise, and overall "fit" for the PDB partnership; qualities that cannot be adequately judged from a written proposal alone.

Final Selection: Most Qualified Determination and Award

The selection decision will be made swiftly following the conclusion of the pitch meetings.

Action: The Government will make a final selection decision based on a holistic, most qualified best-value assessment.

Basis of Award: "Best value" in this context is defined not by the lowest price, but by the most qualified and highest degree of confidence in the Offeror's ability to serve as a successful long-term partner. The OTA will be negotiated and awarded to the Company that demonstrates the most compelling combination of experience (from the White Paper) and demonstrates collaborative and technical excellence (from the pitch meeting).

One company will be selected as the Progressive Design-Build team for award of initial design and preconstruction services, with a modification for design completion and construction award to be issued at a later date.

Important Information

Important Dates: Specific dates for the solicitation posting, question deadlines, and submission deadlines are still to be determined and will be included in the official solicitation. Interested parties are encouraged to monitor the official government point of entry for updates.

Team Requirements: Offerors will be required to propose a Progressive Design-Build team, including qualified Architects, Engineers, and construction personnel with demonstrated experience in medical facilities.

Offeror Requirements: Offerors must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) at the time of proposal submission.

Progressive Design Build Approach: This requirement will be executed using a PDB model under Other Transaction authority pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 2808a. This collaborative approach is intended to refine requirements and align the project’s scope, cost, and schedule.

All interested parties should monitor the official solicitation announcement, which will provide complete details and submission instructions. Draft documents may be provided at a future date for feedback and informational purposes only and are subject to change upon issuance of the formal Program Solicitation.