Design-Build Services for Modernization of the Lynden & Sumas Land Ports of Entry

Solicitation No. 47PJ0025R0059

The General Services Administration (GSA) intends to issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a Design-Build (DB) contract for new construction services to replace the existing Lynden & Sumas Land Ports Of Entry (LPOE’s) located in Washington State. 

The Kenneth G. Ward (Lynden) Land Port of Entry is a limited-service port operating 16 hours daily serving personal vehicles, buses, and limited (permit only) commercial truck traffic between Lynden, WA and Aldergrove, British Columbia. The existing port was last modernized in 1986 and is no longer able to meet the operational needs of US CBP.  The port’s limited commercial capability results in unbalanced demand and escalating wait times at other commercial ports in the surrounding area. The modernization project will: expand, separate, and relocate Privately Owned Vehicles (POV) and Commercial vehicles. 

The Sumas Land Port of Entry serves personal vehicles, buses, pedestrians and commercial traffic between Sumas, WA and British Columbia. It has the 2nd most pedestrian crossings along the Northern Border and was last modernized in 1988. The Sumas LPOE is no longer able to meet the operational needs of the US CBP. GSA will expand and modernize POV and commercial screening operations. The modernization project will: increase POV lanes from 5 to 6 and commercial lanes from 2 to 4.  It will also provide a dedicated pedestrian corridor and outbound inspection processing.  The Sumas LPOE is located in a floodplain that experienced a significant flooding event in 2021. Flood- and stormwater management will be a significant aspect of the Sumas project.

GSA intends to award a firm-fixed price design-build contract pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) two-phase design-build selection procedures (FAR Subpart 36.3).  For this contract award process, GSA will issue two Solicitations in sequence: Phase 1 and Phase 2, respectively.

The purpose of Phase 1 (the Request for Qualifications) is to select the most highly qualified Offerors from Phase 1 to participate in Phase 2 (the Request for Proposals).  Once Phase 1 is complete, the Contracting Officer will invite the “short-listed” Offerors to submit Phase 2 proposals.  Potential Offerors are hereby placed on notice that GSA will publicly announce the names of the Phase 1 “short-list” on SAM.gov.

Maximum Number of “Short-Listed” Offerors: The Contracting Officer will select a maximum of three (3) of the most highly rated Offerors to proceed to Phase 2.

Phase 2 of the solicitation is prepared in accordance with FAR Part 15 and include the Phase 2 evaluation factors, developed in accordance with 15.304.  Phase 2 solicitations require submission of technical and price proposals, which are evaluated separately, in accordance with Part 15.

Stipend:  In consideration for the preparation of a Phase 2 technical proposal, GSA will pay a stipend to Offerors not selected for award of the resulting contract.  Offerors that submit incomplete or unacceptable Phase 2 proposals will not be eligible for a stipend.  For the avoidance of doubt, no stipend is paid during Phase 1.

At the conclusion of Phase 2, GSA intends to award a contract to a single Offeror for all design and all construction services.

This procurement will be open to large business firms.  The firm shall be required to present an acceptable small business subcontracting plan in accordance with FAR 19.7, as part of its proposal. 

The RFQ will be issued electronically in November/December 2025 at: http://www.SAM.gov/. 

Contracting Officer:

Shannon Sweeney

Email: Shannon.Sweeney@gsa.gov