Central Utility Building Addition and Renovation Construction, UIP Subproject 1-CUB

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory seeks a general contractor to build an addition to and renovate its Central Utility Building (CUB), a critical infrastructure facility supplying chilled water, hot water, low conductivity water, and makeup water to laboratory buildings and systems, with proposals due November 17, 2026. The procurement is unencumbered by set-aside restrictions and carries a critical execution constraint: all construction work must be completed within Fermilab's accelerator shutdown window, anticipated January 1, 2028 through January 1, 2030.

Place of performance is Batavia, Illinois (Kane and DuPage Counties, Main Ring Area of the Fermilab site). The NAICS code is 236210, Industrial Building Construction, with a small business size standard of $45 million.

The contractor must demonstrate past performance on at least three comparable building construction or renovation projects, with at least one valued at $50 million or more and additional projects valued at $35 million or more, each including at least four specified components: renovation of existing structures, addition of new structures, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, site work, or installation of large water-cooled chillers (750+ tons capacity). Evaluation uses a Tradeoff method: technical merit at 70 points, business and price factors at 30 points.

Key project milestones are Notice to Proceed issuance by December 30, 2027; construction start January 3, 2028; AUP 1 CUB Extension completion January 31, 2029; AUP 2 Existing CUB Upgrade completion June 29, 2029; and final project completion September 28, 2029. The contract is firm fixed price, structured across 19 lump-sum bid items with six optional alternates. Mobilization costs are capped at 5 percent of total contract cost unless justified.

Financial and bonding requirements include a bid guarantee of 20 percent (not to exceed $3 million) of the bid price, audited financial statements for three fiscal years, a Letter of Intent from a Treasury-approved surety demonstrating single-project bonding capacity equal to the proposed price and aggregate capacity of at least $100 million, and a Current Ratio of 1.20 or greater. The subcontract is subject to 100 percent performance and payment bonds if the contract exceeds $35,000 and $150,000 respectively, Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements with certified weekly payroll submissions via LCPTracker, Buy American construction materials requirements, and Illinois tax exemption.

Safety and quality are pass/fail requirements: submission of Fermilab Subcontractor Injury & Illness Data Questionnaire demonstrating three-year rolling safety performance at or below 85 percent of Bureau of Labor Statistics averages, Construction Environmental Safety & Health Certification, NCCI Experience Modification Rating evaluation, OSHA 300A Form Logs, Corporate Safety and Health Plan compliant with 10 CFR Part 851, Corporate Quality Plan aligned with DOE Order 414.1E, and sample Certificate of Insurance demonstrating required coverage. Insurance minimums include Commercial General Liability at $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate, Automobile Liability at $1 million combined single limit, Excess Liability at $1 million (subcontracts under $3.5 million) or $5 million (subcontracts exceeding $3.5 million), Workers' Compensation at statutory limits with Employer's Liability at $1 million, Contractor's Pollution Liability at $1 million, and Products-Completed Operations coverage of $2 million maintained for ten years post-completion.

Amendment No. 1 (October 6, 2026) added three scheduled site visit dates: October 13, 14, and 15, 2026, each at 9:00 AM CT, with maximum ten visitors per date on first-come, first-served basis; visitors must complete a Site Access and Badging form at least seven days prior and present valid REAL ID. Amendment No. 2 (October 7, 2026) corrected the badge access link provided in Amendment 1. The Procurement Specialist is Chris Daleyo, (630) 840-4256, cdaley@fnal.gov. The contract will be a firm fixed-price subcontract with Fermi Forward Discovery Group, LLC, the operator of Fermilab under Department of Energy Prime Contract No. 89243024CSC000002.