Dell Medical Center at Austin, Texas Enabling Central Utility Plant and Infrastructure

The University of Texas at Austin is soliciting proposals for a Construction Manager-at-Risk (CMAR) firm to deliver the Dell Medical Center at Austin Enabling Central Utility Plant and Infrastructure project under RFP-CMR1611-260005, with proposals due June 26, 2026 at 11:59 PM local time. A mandatory pre-submittal conference is scheduled for June 4, 2026.

The scope encompasses a 255,000 gross square foot central utility plant and utility distribution infrastructure on approximately 5–8 acres west of Stonelake Boulevard at the Dell Campus for Advanced Research. The facility design includes electrical power infrastructure with microgrid capabilities, thermal energy systems (supporting 19,000 tons of cooling capacity and 82,500 MBH heating capacity), 40 MW power generation with N+2 redundancy, emergency and standby power systems, domestic and sanitary utility piping, approximately 4,700 feet of underground tunnels, 6,200 feet of duct banks, and 6,200 feet of telecom loops. Long-lead equipment procurement includes cooling towers, chillers, reciprocating internal combustion engines, combustion turbines, steam turbines, transformers, switchgear, thermal storage, HVAC systems, telecom servers, and batteries.

The Owner has established a $400 million Construction Cost Limitation covering pre-construction phase fees, general conditions costs, cost of work, CMAR construction phase fees, construction contingencies, and owner contingencies. Respondents must submit a not-to-exceed pre-construction phase fee and a construction phase fee percentage.

The project timeline calls for design start in April 2026, CMAR onboarding in July 2026, long-lead equipment procurement in September 2026, construction commencement in September 2026, and substantial completion targeted for May 2028 through May 1, 2029. Texas Prevailing Wage Law applies. A Subcontracting Plan is required with good faith efforts promoted for Veteran Heroes United in Business (VetHUB) participation; no specific VetHUB contracting goal is established.

Proposal evaluation is weighted across nine criteria: construction safety risk management (5 points), CMAR team qualifications (10 points), past performance on representative CMAR projects (15 points), budget establishment and cost control (15 points), schedule management (15 points), quality management and innovation (15 points), problem identification and resolution (10 points), warranty and service support (5 points), and pricing (10 points). Questions are due June 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM local time. Addenda #2 (issued August 25, 2026) shifted the public opening from June 29 at 1:00 PM to June 30 at 10:00 AM and changed both the pre-submittal conference and public opening to virtual meetings. An Intent to Bid must be submitted by June 27, 2026 at 12:00 AM CDT to access the Bonfire submission portal.