SOURCES SOUGHT Clinical Lab Bypass Loop System Install

The Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 6 is seeking capability statements from qualified contractors for a chilled-water bypass loop installation, with responses due November 2, 2026, at 4:00 PM Eastern Time. This is a sources sought market research notice, not a solicitation or promise to award. The notice invites both small and other-than-small businesses to respond, and it identifies no set-aside or preference program.

Network Contracting Office 6, located in Fayetteville, North Carolina (ZIP 28301), is procuring on behalf of the Central VA Healthcare System in Richmond, Virginia (ZIP 23249), which is the place of performance. The listed jurisdictions are Richmond City and Roanoke City, Virginia. The requirement is coded under NAICS 238220 (Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors) and Product Service Code J048.

The scope is installing a chilled-water bypass loop system that serves the third-floor laboratory. The work must integrate the bypass loop with the existing chiller, the air-handling equipment, and the Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI) building automation and control system. The original chiller installation omitted the bypass loop, which causes the chiller to shut down during operation and leaves the laboratory with inadequate cooling and elevated temperatures.

Capability statements must address company information, business size and socioeconomic status, experience with chilled-water bypass loops and HVAC control systems, references from at least two similar projects completed within the past five years, proposed subcontractors, and applicable licenses and certifications. Respondents may also raise concerns or recommendations about the scope. The government will not reimburse response costs and will not notify respondents individually of market research results. Submissions may shape the acquisition strategy and eventual solicitation requirements.