Construction of the Power Generation with Microgrid at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL), New Hanover, NJ

The Department of the Army Corps of Engineers Engineering District New York seeks sealed bids for construction of a Power Generation with Microgrid system at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL) in Burlington County, New Jersey, with sealed bids due September 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST. The procurement is 100% unrestricted full and open competition with HUBZone price evaluation preference; NAICS code is 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction) with a small business size standard of $45 million.

Place of performance is McGuire Air Force Base, NJ. The project involves design and construction of a comprehensive distributed energy resource microgrid including two 500 kW natural gas generators (Cummins C500N6B basis of design), three 500 kW/500 kWh battery energy storage systems, a 414.72 kW DC (400 kW AC minimum) solar photovoltaic array with Mission Solar modules and CPS inverter, pad-mounted transformers, switchboards, medium-voltage cables, microgrid control system (Schneider Electric C&I Microgrid Flex ECC platform basis of design), and associated civil, electrical, and mechanical infrastructure. Contract duration is 720 calendar days from Notice to Proceed, commencing within 10 calendar days of award. Work is restricted to regular business hours (7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday–Friday, excluding federal holidays) unless approved otherwise.

The government estimate is $16.429 million for base plus optional items. Contract line items include construction (CLIN 0001), final record drawings pre-priced at $50,000 (CLIN 0002), and an optional 100 kW photovoltaic array expansion (CLIN 0003); bidders must price both base and optional items or face rejection. Bid guarantee is 20% of bid price or $3 million, whichever is less. The contract is firm fixed price. Prevailing wage rates per Davis-Bacon Act apply (Burlington County, New Jersey). Five bids were received by September 28; low bid was PKF-Mark III, Inc. at $11.350 million.

Key technical requirements include black-start capability to restore 2.5 MW of critical loads within 60 seconds, seamless grid-connected and island-mode transitions, 10-millisecond anti-islanding disconnect, independent third-party acceptance testing per NETA ATS 2025 with results submitted 45 days prior to testing, NABCEP-certified solar installation, geotechnical engineer on-site during earthwork, and material testing by Corps-validated laboratory. All microgrid hardware must be commercial, warrantied products from single manufacturers with ISO 9001 compliance; all software must be licensed to the Government in perpetuity without periodic renewal. Contractor must provide project superintendent with minimum 10 years construction experience and 5 years as superintendent on similar projects, Critical Path Method scheduling in Primavera P6, quality control and safety plans per USACE EM 385-1-1, and partnering sessions. Work requires coordination with base security, traffic management, utility services, and compliance with military installation regulations and photography restrictions.

An amendment (W912DS26BA0320001) issued September 18, 2026 revised eight drawings and nine specification sections; bidders must acknowledge receipt prior to the proposal deadline. A bidder walkthrough was held September 3, 2026 at Building 678; visitor passes and Real ID-compliant identification are required for base access. An RFI log documents 111 contractor inquiries addressing BESS sizing, cybersecurity per UFC 4-010-06 and UFGS 25 05 11, equipment specifications (meter models Siemens 9410 or Schneider 8650 preferred; SEL-735 rejected), utility coordination, and Davis-Bacon wage corrections. The contract is subject to availability of funds, which are not currently appropriated. Contracting officer: Michael McCue, michael.l.mccue@usace.army.mil.