C1DA--A/E Service to Renovate 4th Floor for Research Consolidation at the Lexington VA Healthcare System, Troy Bowling Campus Project # 596A4-21-101

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DESCRIPTION: This is a Pre-Solicitation Notice for project number 596A4-21-101 that requires Architect/Engineering (A/E) Design Services to Renovate 4th Floor for Research Consolidation at the Lexington VA Healthcare System, Troy Bowling Campus, located in Lexington, KY.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. ONLY THE A/E FIRMS RESPONDING TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BY SUBMITTING AN SF330 PACKAGE ON TIME WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR INITIAL EVALUATION. FOLLOWING INITIAL EVALUATION OF THE A/E FIRMS AND THEIR SF330S, A SOLICITATION FOR A PRICE PROPOSAL WILL BE SENT TO THE HIGHEST TECHNICALLY RATED A/E FIRM TO PROVIDE THE TYPE OF SERVICE(S) REQUIRED.

The A/E Services contract that is anticipated to be awarded will be procured in accordance with the Brooks Act (Public Law 92- 582), Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 36.6 and VA Acquisition Regulation 836.6. In accordance with FAR 36.209 Construction Contracts With Architect-Engineer Firms , no contract for the construction of a project shall be awarded to the firm that designed the project or its subsidiaries or affiliates, except with the approval of the head of the agency or authorized representative.

A/E DESIGN SERVICES SCOPE SYNOPSIS:

The Architect/Engineer (A/E) firm is to provide site investigation, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bid documents, and construction period services for Project No. 596A4-21-101 Renovate 4th Floor for Research Consolidation.

Approximately 16,600 sf of floor space supporting existing Research space on 4th floor will be renovated in order to provide a modern, state of the art, animal research lab to attract and maintain research grants. The Renovation will also allow the reduction or right- sizing of the existing animal research footprint from two floors to one floor: that is existing 3rd and 4th Research floors will be consolidated solely into the 4th floor.

Project will include the design and construction of the temporary and relocated animal test specimen and related activities, during the sixteen months of construction, where all holding, procedures, and testing is routinely performed. During this sixteen month construction period, the administrative research staff will remain on the 3rd floor. This project is required to consolidate research into right-sized space of the existing 4th floor research department. The 4th floor and 3rd floor research activities will be combined on this redesigned 4th floor space. Project will renovate and update all MEP on 4th floor, of Building 1A.

This allows 3rd floor space to be renovated under a future project to support functions in the medical center strategic plan.

Research Laboratory and Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU);

VMs Research Laboratory and Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU) Design Guides for planning and design standards are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.

Research Laboratory and Veterinary Medical Unit projects requiring interim guidance should refer to the latest edition of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Design Requirements Manual. Due to the detailed specificity of the NIH ORM to NIH facilities, a forthcoming list, not limited to the listed NIH ORM chapter/sections, support and enhance VA's design standards, guides, and manuals.

The Design Contractor/AE is responsible for the design of VA Research Laboratory and VMU facilities, and any conflicts between standards must be clarified through the project COR.

Note: PG-18-10 VA Design Manuals must continue to be used for design and engineering guidance. VA standards, guides, and manuals are in the VA TIL Catalog as further detailed below.

Design disciplines anticipated include architectural, asbestos and abatement specifications, industrial hygiene, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and physical security.

Program requirements for the Permanent 4th floor VMU/Research

Renovate the 4th floor of the Main Building, approximately 16,600 square feet, to accommodate the following minimum program requirements:

Administrative offices, wet lab spaces, procedure room(s), separate holding rooms for mice and rats, cage and rack washers, autoclave, cold room, sub-culture room, Shower rooms for male and female staff, Necropsy room, conference room, break room, and potential Storage room for large archive records as remaining space permits . An Entry-Vestibule (reception area) will require a secure door entry with PIV reader and AI phone.

Currently there are approximately 1250 mice and 40 rats. The mice population could potentially expand in the future and must be vetted during design. Rat population is expected to be stable but will be confirmed as design proceeds.

Minimum Detailed Design requirements for Permanent 4 t h f l o o r VMU/Research

Holding rooms need to be h a r d sur f a c e s , wash ab l e, a n d sealed no joints or seams. Hard deck ceilings, hard walls, and epoxy type finish floors.

Ceilings shall be closed surfaces to facilitate cleaning and sanitization- no

access panels and sealed light fixtures.

Noise control must be considered in all animal holding areas. Design must also consider any higher frequencies that would affect animal research, mice breeding, habitat, etc.

Selected entry points will require card readers and possible double locking doors/hardware for s a f e t y o r security.

Research and Holding zones shall require emergency backup power

Research and holding zone HVAC systems shall require 100% exhaust and 100% fresh air.

Air handling unit(s) and exhaust fan(s) shall be tied to emergency power circuits

Research and holding areas will require Programmable Controls for lighting, temperature, and humidity. Alarms will be required for adverse conditions; that is when critical levels are breached.

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Program requirements for Temporary 4th floor Vivarium (Tower Bldg- 4 South Wing)

Renovate the 4th floor -South Wing, of the Tower Building, approximately 10,800 square feet, to accommodate the following minimum program requirements:

Technical offices, Procedure room(s), Separate Holding rooms for mice and rats, cage washer, rack washer(s), autoclave, Cold room, Sub-Culture room, Shower rooms for male and female staff, Necropsy room, small meeting room, and break room as space allows. An entry vestibule will require a secure door entry with PIV reader and AI phone.

One (1) large holding room for Mice:

Space needs to be large enough to hold (3) - 3 x 6 x 6 cage units with 3 blower unit in between cage units.

Units hold 640 cages.

Projected Animal population for this period is 1400 mice

It is assumed that cages will not require separate ventilation but must be verified prior to design

Cages will not have automatic watering hence, water purification and acid infusion systems are required

One (1) small Holding room for Rats

Two (2) Procedure rooms anticipated - verify prior to design schematic submittal

Minimum Detailed Design requirements for Temporary 4 t h f l o o r VMU. (Tower Bldg- 4 South Wing )

Holding rooms need to be h a r d sur f a c e s, wash ab l e, a n d sealed no joints or seams. Hard deck ceilings, hard walls, and epoxy type finish floors.

Ceilings shall be closed surfaces to facilitate cleaning and sanitization- no

access panels and sealed light fixtures.

Noise control must be considered in all animal holding areas. Design must also consider any higher frequencies (above human recognition) that would affect animal research, mice breeding, habitat, etc.

Selected entry points will require card readers and possible double locking doors/hardware for s a f e t y o r security.

Research and Holding zones will require emergency backup power

Research and holding zone HVAC systems shall require 100% exhaust and 100% fresh air.

Air handling unit(s) and exhaust fan(s) shall be tied to emergency power circuits

Research and holding areas will require Programmable Controls for lighting, temperature, and humidity. Alarms will be required for adverse conditions; that is when critical levels are breached.

The A/E Firm shall meet the following general requirements for the design of this project:

The utilization of SEPS as required by VA standards. AE shall have previous training and experience in SEPS II as part of the project requirements. VA will provide the initial SEPS data.

The design team shall investigate all existing building conditions within project areas. Record drawings of earlier projects are generally available; however, a thorough field investigation is required to ensure an accurate design. Record drawings available will be shared with the design team.

Design must comply with the new Physical Security Directive issued on July 28, 2015, regarding Physical Security Design Manual for Mission Critical Buildings

An independent cost estimate by a third-party firm hired by the A/E design team. This cost estimator shall have extensive experience in the local Lexington KY bidding climate and construction market by providing a market survey and provide a cost estimate for all submissions in accordance with the CFM Manual for Preparation of Cost Estimates and Related Documents for VA Facilities.

The exterior or perimeter envelope shall be evaluated for energy efficiency and design shall include details for necessary upgrades to meet current code and VA standards.

All windows in the permanent project renovation areas shall be replaced to meet VA energy and security requirements. New windows shall comply with the Physical Security Design Manual for Mission Critical Buildings.

Asbestos or Lead Containing Materials may be present in the proposed project area. The VA will provide past survey documents for the buildings; however, it has been determined that the information is not complete for a project of this type. The design team Industrial Hygienist consultant will provide testing and design services for identification and abatement of asbestos or lead containing materials for the areas involved in the renovation.

Provide a detailed submittal register encompassing all required submittals and necessary permits or modification requests needed for this project.

Two (2) three-dimensional color renderings of the Research Renovation Areas are required as part of the Design Development final submission and the Construction Document final submission. Minimum size for each rendering is 30 X 42, and shall be hand delivered to VA during each design meeting.

Coordinate design work with Lexington VA Health Care System Engineering Service Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

Compliance with VA Sustainable Design Manual (August 2017). Provide a design that meets VA requirements for sustainability that includes:

Compliance with VA Sustainable Design Manual (Rev1, August 18, 2017) for Non-Recurring Maintenance (NRM) Program Projects AND including the following: Section 2.4 GUIDING PRINCIPLES COMPLIANCE AND VALIDATION; Section 2.5 COMMISSIONING; and Section 4.1 ENERGY CONSERVATION.

Provide a completed VA Checklist for Validating Compliance with the 2016 Guiding Principles for New Construction and Modernization; link: https://www.cfm.va.gov/til/sustain.asp

Provide a completed COMCheck output for all buildings/entire project; link: https://www.energycodes.gov/comcheck/

The Lexington VA Health Care System will be awarding a third-party commissioning contract for managing the commissioning process beginning with design start and awarding a third-party fire code review contract.

Project design shall clearly show work required, phasing of work required, and instructions to construction contractor regarding how to accomplish the necessary renovations in a 24/7 medical environment taking into consideration demolition, dust control, infection control, and specialized facility requirements as discussed with VA staff. Also included will be limitations, e.g. work required to be completed outside of standard administrative hours, work limited to periods shorter than a single shift, etc., for specific locations in the project. Bid deductions will be built into the scope of work of the project to allow for flexibility in construction award.

END OF DESIGN SCOPE SYNOPSIS

Digital copies of the as-builts are limited. The consultant will be expected to fully investigate and confirm the validity of hard copy as-builts and other drawings. This will include independent investigation of the VAMC s flat files by the consultant to determine and procure the information required for the complete design.

All offerors are advised that in accordance with VAAR 836.606-73 the total cost of the architect or engineer services contracted for must not exceed 6 percent of the estimated cost of the construction project plus any fees for related services and activities. Additionally, FAR Clause 52.236-2 (c) - Design Within Funding Limitation, will be applicable to this procurement action. Design limitation costs will be provided to the most highly rated AE firm selected to complete the design.

Interested firms should submit their current SF-330 to matthew.whisman@va.gov. The SF-330s are due by November 2, 2020 at 10:00 AM (EST).

Security Issues, Late Bids, Unreadable Offers

Late submission of offers are outlined at FAR Parts 52.212-1(f), 52.214-7, and 52.215-1(c) (3). Particular attention is warranted to the portion of the provision that relates to the timing of submission.

Please see FAR 15.207(c) for a description of the steps the Government shall take with regard to unreadable offers.

To avoid rejection of an offer, vendors must make every effort to ensure their electronic submission is virus-free. Submissions or portions thereof submitted and which the automatic system detects the presence of a virus or which are otherwise unreadable will be treated as unreadable pursuant to FAR Parts 14.406 and FAR 15.207(c ).

The virus scanning software used by our e-mail systems cannot always distinguish a macro from a virus. Therefore, sending a macro embedded in an e-mail message or an e-mail attachment may cause the e-mail offer to be quarantined. You may send both the spreadsheet and the spreadsheet saved in PDF format to ensure that your proposal is readable.

Password protecting your offer is not permitted. The Contracting Officer will file the offer electronically which will allow access only by designated individuals.

Important Notice: Apparent successful offerors must apply for and receive verification from the Department of Veteran Affairs Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE) in accordance with 38 CFR Part 74 and VAAR 819.70 by submission of documentation of Veteran status, ownership and control sufficient to establish appropriate status, offerors must be both VISIBLE and VERIFIED by the Department of Veteran Affairs Center for Veterans Enterprises at the time of submission of proposal. Failure to be both VERIFIED by CVE and VISIBLE on VetBiz at the time of proposal submission will result in the offeror s proposal being deemed non-responsive. All offerors are urged to contact the CVE and submit the aforementioned required documents to obtain CVE verification of their SDVOSB status if they have not already done so.

Response Time: The successful A-E shall abide by a four (4) hour response time for Lexington VA Healthcare System, Troy Bowling Campus, during the design phase and the construction period services (CPS) phase, as appropriate. The VA has no preference on the method utilized by contractors on achieving the four (4) hour response time. The response time will be determined from the moment the request to the A-E to be on site is submitted. The individual or individuals responding can be either the prime contractor or a subcontractor that s part of the design team.

The selection process will follow the guidance referenced within 36.602-3 and FAR 36.602-4. The Government will not pay, nor reimburse, any costs associated with responding to this request. The Government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement. Firms will be selected based on demonstrated competence and qualifications for the required work.

Contract Award Procedure: Before a small business is proposed as a potential contractor, they must be certified by VetBiz and registered in the System For Award Management (SAM) database. Register via the SAM internet site at www.sam.gov Failure of a proposed SDVOSB to be certified by the CVE at the time the SF 330 is submitted shall result in elimination from consideration as a proposed contractor. The proposed services will be obtained by a Negotiated Firm-Fixed Price Contract.

The review/design of architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, civil, or other engineering features of the work shall be accomplished by architects or engineers registered in a State or possession of the United States, or in Puerto Rico or in the District of Columbia.

The project drawings/design shall be in compliance with applicable standards and codes described in VA Program Guides and design materials. Master Construction Specifications Index, VA Construction Standards Index, VA Standards Index, and Criteria are available in the Technical Information Library (TIL) on VA Website address: http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/.

The awarded A/E firm will prepare drawings and specifications in sufficient detail such that qualified outside General Contracting companies can prepare accurate and timely proposals for the desired work. The awarded A/E firm is responsible for ensuring that the specifications and drawings supplied fully represent all of the work described in the Request for Proposal (RFP). The Medical Center must remain operational throughout the construction period and a detailed sequence of work will be provided by the A/E to minimize impact of the construction. The NAICS code for this project is 541330 with a small business size of $15 million. The SF-330 can be downloaded through the GSA Forms Library at: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/TOP, type in SF-330 in the Find a Form block and click on search.

SELECTION CRITERIA: Selection criteria for this acquisition are listed below;

Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of required services;

Specialized experience and technical competence in the type of work required, including, where appropriate, experience in energy conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction, and the use of recovered materials;

Capacity to accomplish the work in the required time;

Past performance on contracts with Government agencies and private industry in terms of cost control, quality of work, and compliance with performance schedules;

Location in the general geographical area of the project and knowledge of the locality of the project; provided, that application of this criterion leaves an appropriate number of qualified firms, given the nature and size of the project;

Reputation and standing of the firm and its principal officials with respect to professional performance, general management, and cooperativeness;

Record of significant claims against the firm because of improper or incomplete architectural and engineering services; and

Specific experience and qualifications of personnel proposed for assignment to the project and their record of working together as a team.

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. This is a request for SF 330's Architect/Engineer Qualifications packages only. Any requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. No material will be issued and no solicitation package or bidder/plan holder list will be issued. A solicitation will only be issued to the most highly qualified vendor.

Electronic Submission Requirements:

Unless paper offers are specifically authorized in an individual solicitation, all responses to solicitations must be submitted electronically as described below. Responses submitted in a paper form are unacceptable and will be returned. Failure to comply with this requirement may jeopardize the possibility of receiving an award for the contract due to noncompliance with the terms of the solicitation. You must submit your electronic offer, and any supplemental information (such as spreadsheets, backup data, technical information), using any of the electronic formats and media described below. Additionally, contractors are notified of the award via an electronic Notice of Award e-mail. The award document will be attached to the Notice of Award e-mail.

Acceptable Electronic Formats (Software) for Submission of Offers

Files readable using the current Microsoft* Office version Products: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Please see security note below for caution regarding use of macros. When submitting construction drawings contractors are required to submit one set in AutoCAD and one set in Adobe PDF. (purpose: contracting can open the PDF version and engineering can open AutoCAD files);

Files in Adobe* PDF (Portable Document Format) Files:Â When scanning documents scanner resolution should be set to 200 dots per inch, or greater;

Other electronic format.  If you wish to submit an offer using another format other than described in these instructions, e-mail the Contracting Officer who issued the solicitation.  Please submit your request at least ten (10) calendar days before the scheduled closing date of the solicitation.  Request a decision as to the format acceptability and make sure you receive approval of the alternate format before using it to send your offer; and

Submitted SF330 s are not to exceed a total of fifty (50) pages INCLUDING cover page and any other submitted documents.

Please note that we can no longer accept .zip files due to increasing security concerns.

E-mail Submission Procedures: For simplicity in this guidance, all submissions in response to a solicitation will be referred to as offers.

Subject Line:Â Include the solicitation number, name of company, and closing date of solicitation;

Size: Maximum size of the e-mail message shall not exceed five (5) megabytes. Only one email is permitted unless otherwise stated in this paragraph or in writing by a Contracting Officer. Submission is to be no more than a total of fifty (50) pages; and

The offer will be date and time stamped by the Microsoft Email system and will be the official record of receipt for the submission.

Point of Contact :

Matthew R. Whisman

(859) 281-3883

E-mail questions to: Matthew.Whisman@va.gov

VA NOTICE OF TOTAL SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE (DEC 2009)

(a) Definition. For the Department of Veterans Affairs, Service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern :

(1) Means a small business concern:

(i) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more service-disabled veterans (or eligible surviving spouses);

(ii) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans (or eligible surviving spouses) or, in the case of a service-disabled veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such veteran;

(iii) The business meets Federal small business size standards for the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code identified in the solicitation document; and

(iv) The business has been verified for ownership and control and is so listed in the Vendor Information Pages database, (http://www.VetBiz.gov).

(2) Service-disabled veteran means a veteran, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2), with a disability that is service-connected, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(16).

(b) General. (1) Offers are solicited only from service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns. Offers received from concerns that are not service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns shall not be considered.

(2) Any award resulting from this solicitation shall be made to a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern.

(c) Agreement. A service-disabled veteran owned small business concern agrees that in the performance of the contract, in the case of a contract for:

(1) Services (except construction), at least 50 percent of the cost of personnel for contract performance will be spent for employees of the concern or employees of other eligible service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns;

(2) Supplies (other than acquisition from a non-manufacturer of the supplies), at least 50 percent of the cost of manufacturing, excluding the cost of materials, will be performed by the concern or other eligible service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns;

(3) General construction, at least 15 percent of the cost of the contract performance incurred for personnel will be spent on the concern s employees or the employees of other eligible service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns; or

(4) Construction by special trade contractors, at least 25 percent of the cost of the contract performance incurred for personnel will be spent on the concern s employees or the employees of other eligible service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns.

(d) A joint venture may be considered a service-disabled veteran owned small business concern if

(1) At least one member of the joint venture is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern, and makes the following representations:Â That it is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern, and that it is a small business concern under the North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) code assigned to the procurement;

(2) Each other concern is small under the size standard corresponding to the NAICS code assigned to the procurement; and

(3) The joint venture meets the requirements of paragraph 7 of the explanation of Affiliates in 19.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

(4) The joint venture meets the requirements of 13 CFR 125.15(b).

(e) Any service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern (non-manufacturer) must meet the requirements in 19.102(f) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation to receive a benefit under this program.

END OF PRE-SOL NOTICE