Sources Sought Announcement - Upcoming Design Build Opportunity - Grand Portage Land Port of Entry Project

The General Services Administration (GSA) is issuing a sources sought announcement for the Grand Portage Land Port of Entry (LPOE) Project located at 9403 MN-61 in Grand Portage, Minnesota 55605 to determine the interest, availability, and capability of Small, Service Disabled Veteran Owned, 8(a), HUBZone, and Woman Owned Small Business concerns as well as Tribally owned concerns. The NAICS code for this procurement is 236220. The estimated design build cost of construction is between $55,000,000 and $65,000,000.

The anticipated project is a new LPOE within the Grand Portage Indian Reservation about five miles northeast of Grand Portage, Minnesota. The proposed site is adjacent to an existing LPOE of approximately 8.1 acres. The port serves passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and pedestrians crossing between the United States and Neebing, Ontario, Canada. The redesign and modernization of the port, which is the second largest in Minnesota, will provide better support for its national security and international commerce functions. Additional lanes and a wider commercial truck lane will shorten vehicle processing times for tourists and residents accessing local community businesses, including Ryden’s Border Store, Grand Portage State Park, Grand Portage Lodge and Casino, Grand Portage National Monument Heritage Center, and the town of Grand Marais. The intended delivery method is Design Build (DB) which will be a firm fixed price contract.

The existing facility was constructed in 1965, and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. The site is within State Highway 61 and spans the full width of the highway permanent easement. The 30,000 to 33,100 gross square foot requirement includes space for Customs and Border Protection to more effectively and safely process the incoming and outgoing traffic across the border.

Since the extreme climate of northern Minnesota will have a direct effect on the energy use and materials at this facility, the project will use long-lasting materials, which are sustainable, climate resilient, low maintenance, functional, technologically efficient, and flexible. We will use high-performance green technology to reduce energy use 20%.

Passive energy-saving strategies may include:

• Capturing internal heat gain.
• Reducing heat loss with window glazing, thermochromic glass films, airtight assemblies, and above-code-minimum insulation.
• Incorporating thermal bridging, passive solar heating, and daylight harvesting.

Active energy-saving strategies may include:

• Geothermal heating and cooling.
• Heat recovery systems.
• Energy-efficiency building automation controls.
• LED lighting.
• Energy generation through photovoltaic and wind turbine systems.
• Electric vehicle charging stations.

The facility will be designed to be net-zero carbon ready and achieve LEED Gold standards.

The DB scope of work includes all labor and materials required to provide design and construction services for the Grand Portage LPOE project pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Two-Phase Design-Build Selection Procedures and incorporating Art in Architecture Program, and Design - Construction - Operational Excellence policies and procedures. The design for the project will conform to the Federal Building Design Standards, 2021 Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service P-100, and other building codes and standards as applicable to this project. 

Design services, which will be accomplished through the contract, will be necessary to meet the functional requirements of prospective tenants, fulfill policy and regulatory criteria, and provide state of the art workplaces that help define interior design standards for the building. Designed solutions shall be consistent with the latest objectives of GSA, prospective tenants, and best practices in architectural planning and design.

The services requested of the DB shall cover a wide range of design and construction activities including all management, supervision, labor, equipment, and materials required to provide architectural, engineering, construction, and other related services necessary to design and construct the new facilities as well as demolish and renovate existing facilities. Related services include, but are not limited to, site planning, utility relocation (as needed), testing and inspection during construction, commissioning, and potential additional analysis of the site.

The project is funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

It is anticipated the Request For Proposal (RFP) will be posted to SAM.gov in December 2023. The awardee will be required to undergo the security clearance process. The full extent of the work will be described in the solicitation when it is posted. No other information will be available before the solicitation is posted.

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT for planning purposes only. Market research is being conducted to determine if there are Small, Service Disabled Veteran Owned, 8(a), HUBZone, or Woman Owned Small Businesses as well as Tribally owned concerns with the capabilities and experience to perform the required work.

All interested parties should submit a capabilities package to include business classification (i.e., SDVOSB, HUBZone, Tribal, etc.), as well as examples of three projects completed within the last ten years that included the scope of work specified above that will be required under this project including new construction that had a total project cost in the same range estimated for this project. Please provide a customer point of contact for each project listed.

Responses must be received by 12 p.m. CST on July 10, 2023. Responses should be sent to Jennifer Styzek at jennifer.styzek@gsa.gov.