Two step invitation for bids request for statements of qualifications

The University of Virginia is soliciting Statements of Qualifications for full construction services on the Fontaine Data Center at Fontaine Research Park in Charlottesville, Virginia, under Two-Step IFB BA090426, with SOQs due October 6, 2026. Only pre-qualified firms will receive the full Invitation for Bids with 100% Construction Documents and compete under Competitive Sealed Bidding for final award.

The scope is a three-story, approximately 50,000-square-foot data center supporting academic research high-performance computing and UVA Health Information Technology. Day-one capacity is 4MW for Research Computing and 500kW for HIT, with scalability to 17MW. The facility is adjacent to a new zero-combustion Fontaine Central Energy Plant and is part of the 2018 Fontaine Master Plan. Construction is expected to take approximately 21 months, with the project targeting LEED Silver certification.

Qualification requirements center on demonstrated experience with mission-critical or data center projects of comparable technical complexity and size; expertise in critical power systems, UPS, generators, and cooling infrastructure; and phased construction cutover operations. Contractors must have experience coordinating with IT stakeholders and commissioning agents, managing construction logistics adjacent to active healthcare and research facilities with minimal laydown areas, and maintaining uninterrupted operations during construction in clinical environments. All contractors must be licensed to do business in Virginia and able to provide bonding capacity for 100% of anticipated construction value. Contractors and their officers, directors, and owners must have no judgments or convictions within the past ten years related to construction contracts and must not be currently debarred.

SOQ submission requires Form HECO-16 with comprehensive documentation including bonding capacity letters, project experience from the past five to ten years with references, proposed staffing and key personnel resumes, small business participation data, and detailed disclosures of debarment status, contract terminations for cause, OSHA violations, and schedule delays. Firms awarded UVA contracts valued at $5 million or more must disclose contributions to UVA or its Foundations totaling $25,000 or more made in the preceding five years. The University will consider SWaM firm status, with quarterly SWaM expenditure reporting required for the selected contractor. Submit SOQs to Berhan Aljiji, Contract Administrator for Construction, Facilities Management Department, University of Virginia, 1571 Pratt Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22904.