Project labor market survey for project labor agreements (PLA) for:  cyber national mission force mission operations building (cnmf MOF) construction, fort george G. Meade, MD (FY27)

PROJECT LABOR MARKET SURVEY FOR PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS (PLA) FOR:  CYBER NATIONAL MISSION FORCE MISSION OPERATIONS BUILDING (CNMF MOF) CONSTRUCTION, FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MD (FY27)

SPECIAL NOTICE: PANNAD-24-P-0000004242

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(UPDATE JANUARY 2026)

The Government thanks all respondents to the original PLA market survey who provided both inisghtful and thorough responses and we would appreciated additional data on projects performed in the Fort Meade MD, area.  Please see the following 3 questions below and the attached Word Document and please respond accordingly. 

1. The CNMF project requires all labor to be U.S. Citizens.  Is there sufficient union labor in the geographic region to guarantee a steady supply of skilled, trained labor? Is there sufficient non-union labor in the geographic region to provide a steady supply of skilled workers?

      2. Can you provide a list of specific, qualified small business subcontractors you have worked with on past government projects            who have indicated they would not work under a PLA?

     3.  If a PLA were mandated for the CNMF project, how would that impact the labor dynamics and cost for other non-PLA       

          projects your firm might be executing concurrently at Fort Meade? Could it lead to wage inflation or labor disputes on those              separate contracts?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Original Notice 

This Special Notice is not a Request for Proposal, Request for Quote, or Invitation for Bid. There is no commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation, make awards, or pay for respondent's expenditures made in response to this notice. Interested vendors are responsible for monitoring this notice for any subsequent amendments. All submissions become government property and will not be returned. Any solicitation issued as a result of this notice will be in a separate announcement.

The Corps of Engineers - Baltimore District is soliciting comments from the construction community addressing the use of Project Labor Agreements (PLA) for a large-scale construction project in Fort George G. Meade, MD.

Background. The Government has a requirement for construction services for the construction efforts at Fort George G. Meade located in Maryland. In accordance with DFARS 236.204 – Disclosure of magnitudes of construction projects, the magnitude of this project is over $500,000,000.00.  The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for this requirement is 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction) Business Size Standard of $45.0 Million.

As a result of prior market research sources sought notices, one on one interviews, and the pre-solicitation conference held May 2025, the Baltimore District intends to utilize a version of Design-Build that seeks to maximize early contractor engagement and optimize the budget in terms of quality, scope, durability, and life-cycle cost.

Project Description. The CNMF MOF has a total building area requirement of 750,894 GSF to accommodate 2,437 personnel, including supporting facilities with associated site work and environmental measures.  The facility will be built on Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.  The primary facility will be comprised of a multi-story structure with full basement.  The facility includes open office areas, operations areas, collaboration spaces, food market, fitness center and remote learning/unclassified VTC areas. The mission support areas provide joint staff offices, executive offices, machine rooms, storage, and meeting rooms. The building will be SCIF construction with an elevated pedestrian walkway to an adjoining building currently under construction.

The project consists of core and shell structure and foundation; elevator conveyance systems; electrical/mechanical service and distribution components and systems; fire protection, alarm, and suppression; information technology infrastructure, communications, and security support infrastructure; exterior finishes and weatherproofing. 

Interiors build out will provide raised access floor systems, acoustically rated interior partitions and ceilings, power, lighting, environmental control and communications.  The primary facility is not a standard design.  Most of the structure will be built to Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) standards.  Project includes redundant primary power and Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) systems to ensure continuity of operations.  This project requires comprehensive interior design.

To accommodate the personnel occupying this building, an existing parking garage will be expanded under this project. The expansion will add approximately 1,758 parking spaces.

Industry Feedback Requested. In accordance with FAR 22.5, the Baltimore District is performing market research to assess market conditions to determine if an exception to the PLA requirements should be pursued. Specifically, the Baltimore District is requesting specific information as whether the inclusion of the PLA requirement would ‘substantially reduce the number of potential offerors to such a degree that adequate competition at a fair and reasonable price could not be achieved’ (FAR 22.504(d)(1)(ii)).

A project labor agreement is defined as a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement with one or more labor organization that establishes the terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project and is an agreement described in 29 U.S.C. § 158(f). See FAR 22.503 policy for details.

The Baltimore District is performing market research to assess market conditions to determine if an exception to the PLA requirements should be pursued. Specifically, the Baltimore District is requesting specific information as whether the inclusion of the PLA requirement would ‘substantially reduce the number of potential offerors to such a degree that adequate competition at a fair and reasonable price could not be achieved’ (FAR 22.504(d)(1)(ii)). The Baltimore District requests responses to the following construction labor questions. Specificity in your response is requested to fully inform our analysis of the competitive market.

1.  Do you have knowledge that a PLA has been used in the local area on projects of this kind?  If so, provide supporting documentation.  The information should include the following information on projects completed in the last 2-5 years:

a) Project Name and Location

b) Detailed Project Description

c) Initial Cost Estimate vs. Actual Final Cost

d) Was the project completed on time?

e) Number of craft trades present on the project

f) Was a PLA used?

g) Were there any challenges experienced during the project?

2.  Are you aware of skilled labor shortages in the area for those crafts that will be needed to complete the referenced project?  If so, elaborate and provide supporting documentation where possible.

1. Does the local market contain enough available skilled workers for this project? 

1. Are the other projects in the vicinity going to limit the pool of skill labor available for the subject project?
2. Are you aware of time sensitive issues/scheduling requirements that would impact the rate at which the referenced project should be completed?  If so, please elaborate and provide supporting documentation where possible.
3. Are there collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) that are likely to expire during the course of the subject project that might cause delays?
4. Identify any additional information you believe should be considered on the use of a PLA for the referenced project.
5. If the use of PLA will impact project costs, please quantify the impacts and provide rationale for the impacts (whether increase or decrease to project costs). Specificity is important for the analysis as to whether a PLA is appropriate, or a waiver should be pursued.
6. How would the use of a PLA impact the small business participation as subcontractors?  Are you aware of what small businesses are willing to enter a PLA as a subcontractor?  What is the threshold for small businesses to participate if they chose not to enter the PLA?
7. How does the PLA impact competition at the subcontractor level? Specificity is important to support an analysis.
8. How would a PLA on this project impact small business prime and subcontractors who are non-signatory to a PLA concurrently working a separate contract on the same project site.
9. Does your firm currently hold a PLA with the local trade association(s)? If not, will you pursue a PLA for this project?  If not, why not?

Please send your labor market survey responses via email to Erica Eaton at Erica.A.Eaton@usace.army.mil and Paula Beck atPaula.M.Beck@usace.army.mil no later than 11:00 AM EST on 05 November 2025.  Details and clarity in responses are essential in order for the District Contracting Officer to assess competitive impacts, if any.