618-24-501 AE Update Life Safety Drawings

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. THIS IS A PRESOLICITATION. NOTICE FOR ARCHITECT/ENGINEERING (A/E) DESIGN SERVICES; NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE WILL BE ISSUED UNTIL AFTER AN EVALUATION HAS BEEN MADE ON THE PROVIDED SF-330. ONLY THE A/E FIRMS RESPONDING TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BY SUBMITTING AN SF-330 PACKAGE ON TIME WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR INITIAL EVALUATION.

NAICS: The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code/Size Standard for this procurement is 541330, Engineering Services. The Small Business Size Standard is $25.5 million in annual receipts. The FSC/PSC is 4240, Safety and Rescue Equipment.

SET-ASIDE: Notice of 100% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-aside. This is a 100% set-aside for SDVOSB firms only. The firms registered and visible in the SBA Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) database at https://veterans.certify.sba.gov   when SF330’s are submitted. Failure of a prospective SDVOSB to be verified by the SBA VetCert at the time the SF 330 is submitted shall result in elimination from consideration. All Joint Ventures must be verified at the time of submission and submit agreements that comply with 13 CFR 125.15 prior to contract award.

Prospective Contractors are cautioned that the proposal submitted in response to this solicitation must meet the criteria identified by 38CFR, Part 74. The SDVOSB concern agrees that in the performance of the contract, the concern will comply with the limitation on subcontracting requirements in accordance with VAAR Clause 852-219-75, VA Notice of Total Set Aside for Verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION:

The deadline for all Request for Information (RFI) is 10:00 AM CT on June 27, 2025. All RFIs must be submitted in writing via email to Dwayne Brauch, Contracting Officer, at contact@example.gov. An amendment to the RFQ will be issued to all prospective firms via SAM.gov and will include the RFI and the corresponding Government response. Unless formally amended in writing, all terms, and conditions of the RFQ will remain unchanged.

Interested firms should submit their current SF 330 electronically to both the contracting officer and contracting Specialist. Contracting Officer: Dwayne Brauch / Email Address: contact@example.gov.  The SF330s are due on Friday, July 11, 2025, at 10:00 AM (CT). 

NO FAX OR PAPER/CD RESPONSES WILL BE ACCEPTED:  Personal visits for the purpose of discussing this announcement will not be entertained or scheduled.  Selection shall be in order of preference from the firms considered Most Highly Qualified.  Questions may be directed only by e-mail to contact@example.gov.

In accordance with FAR 36.209 – Construction Contracts with A-E Firms and 36.606 (c), all interested contractors are hereby put on notice that no construction contract may be awarded to the firm that ultimately designs this requirement.

Security Issues, Late Bids, Unreadable Offers

(a) Late submission of offers is outlined at FAR Part 52.215-1(c).  Particular attention is warranted to the portion of the provision that relates to the timing of submission.

(b) Please see FAR 15.207(c) for a description of the steps the Government shall take with regard to unreadable offers.

(c) To avoid rejection of an offer, vendors must make every effort to ensure their electronic submission is virus-free.  Submissions or portions thereof submitted and which the automatic system detects the presence of a virus, or which are otherwise unreadable will be treated as “unreadable” pursuant to FAR Part and FAR 15.207(c).

(d) Password protecting your SF 330 is not permitted.  The Contracting Officer will file the offer electronically which will allow access only by designated Government individuals.

SF 330 DATE OF RECEIPT/DUE DATE: Interested firms having the capabilities to perform this work must submit one (1) electronic SF 330 and attachments (if any) no later than (NLT) 10:00 AM (CT) July 11, 2025.

FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES:

All offerors are required to have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM / www.sam.gov) at the time of offer submission.

Firms will be evaluated by the A/E Evaluation Board. The most qualified firms will be invited to interview with the selection board. The number of firms selected to interview will be dependent on the number of firms that submit SF-330s. The three most qualified firms will interview with the selection board.  If multiple firms are equally rated as third place, all firms rated equally as third place and higher will be invited to an interview.

Responses should be submitted on an SF330. The SF-330 can be downloaded through the GSA Forms Library at: https://www.gsa.gov/forms-library/architect-engineer-qualifications

Prospective firms shall address all selection criteria factors within their submitted SF330 packages. Submission of information incorporated by reference is not allowed.

Interested firms shall submit SF 330 via electronic transmission via email to Dwayne Brauch, Contracting Officer, at contact@example.gov by the designated date/time specified. Please provide the Pre-Solicitation Number, 618-24-501 Update Life Safety Drawings, and Firm Name in the Subject Line of the email. When submitting SF330s, if more than one email is sent, please number emails in subject as “1 of n” (where “n” represents the total number of emails to complete the submission). Submittals received after the date and time identified on page one (1) will not be considered. Ensure the file size is under 7 MB. No SF 330 hard copies will be accepted. Failure to comply with this requirement may jeopardize the possibility of receiving an award for the contract due to noncompliance with the terms of the solicitation.

Submitted SF330s will include the following elements:

1. Standard Form 330 (Rev. 07/2021) – Architect-Engineer Qualifications

2. SF330, Section H: Additional Information

Firms that submitted SF330s will be evaluated by an A/E evaluation board. The following evaluation criteria will be used to evaluate SF 330 technical proposals:

GENERAL SOLICITATION AND CONTRACT INFORMATION:

Network Contracting Office (NCO) 23 has a need for design services at the Minneapolis VAHCS to provide an AE Update Life Safety Drawings.

This procurement will be procured pursuant to the Selection of Architects and Engineers (formerly known as The Brooks Act), Public Law 92-582, and as implemented in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 36.6 and VA Acquisition Regulations (VAAR) and VA Acquisition Manual (VAAM) Part 836 and M836, respectively.

All offerors are advised that in accordance with VAAR 836.606-71, the total cost of the contract for A-E services must not exceed 6 percent of the estimated cost of the construction project plus any fees for related services and activities. Additionally, FAR Clause 52.236-22 (c) - Design Within Funding Limitation, will be applicable to this procurement action.  Design limitation costs will be provided to the most highly rated A-E firm selected to complete the design.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES REQUIRED:

The scope of this design work is to study existing building plans and existing conditions, including general construction, fire detection and suppression systems, and produce complete code plans for buildings 70, 76, 79, and 49SV. A-E shall base code analysis on the latest edition of NFPA 101 Life Safety Code. The International Building Code shall be considered as a reference.

1. For facility work completed since the last SOC Drawings were completed: a. Determine construction type and identify smoke compartments, horizontal exits, etc. through review of existing plans, past life safety surveys and reports, Joint Commission reports and memorandums of understanding, VA Central Office information, Fire Safety Design Guide, and field verification of existing conditions.

2. Provide a report to include results of document review, overall narrative summary of wall and floor construction, exiting strategies, smoke compartmentalization, description of smoke evacuation system with identification of deficiencies and recommended corrective actions.

3. Update existing SOC floor plans showing required smoke and fire-rated walls and doors, smoke zones, exiting paths and occupancy loads, horizontal exits, exit signage, fire protection standpipe locations, as well as stairwell and interior fire department valve locations. Clearly identify the purpose of each smoke or fire wall rating and provide code summary plans for each building.

B. Requirements:

1. Complete a full analysis of existing construction and systems in each building.

a) Field survey to verify construction types.

b) Review of fire sprinkler systems

c) Review of fire detection systems

d) Review of smoke purge system components, logic, and activation

2. Review related documents as described above to determine overall building life safety strategies and requirements.

General:

1. Sensitivity of Information: The sensitivity of information relating to this project is emphasized. All of the information in this SOW as well as the information in the study of code plans, shall be treated as For Official Use Only. This information is not to be distributed without a confirmed need to know, as confirmed by the VA.

2. Accuracy of Planning Information: The A-E shall conduct a thorough site visit to investigate existing construction. Investigation shall include all floors and interstitial floors of building 70, 76, and 49SV. A-E shall document as-built conditions. The A-E's investigation shall include validation of all field conditions.

3. Discrepancies in Planning Information: The A-E shall promptly report to the Contracting Officer in writing any discrepancies between this contract and the planning information provided by the Government. The A-E shall make no adjustments to his work due to the discrepancy before the Contracting Officer has reviewed the matter and forwarded his determination to the A-E. The A-E's failure to report any such discovered discrepancy or to wait for the Contracting Officer's determination shall be at his risk and expense.

4. Change Orders: Any work that is not addressed by the contract and is considered a change order shall be immediately brought to the attention of the Contracting Officer. No “out-of-scope” or additional work shall be executed by the A-E prior to negotiation with the Mpls VA Medical Center and approval by the Contracting Officer.

5. Ownership of Drawings: All designs, drawings, specifications, notes, reports, and other work developed in the performance of this contract shall be and remain the sole property of the Government and may be used on any other work without additional compensation to the A-E. With respect thereto, the A-E agrees not to assert any rights and not to establish any claim under the design patent or copyright laws.

SELECTION PROCESS:

This notice is a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) of A-E firms/lead designers interested in contracting for this work. The A-E firm as used in this RFQ means an individual, firm, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity permitted by law to practice the profession of architecture or engineering that will have contractual responsibility for the project design.

This procurement consists of a one (1) stage evaluation process. Stage One (1) will consist of the evaluation of the technical submission package. All responsive submissions will be evaluated by the Technical Evaluation Board (TEB). The firms will be ranked. 

The selection of the most qualified contractor will follow the guidance provided in FAR 36.6 – Architect-Engineer Services.  Additionally, this solicitation is also issued in accordance with Public Law 109-461, the Veterans Benefits, Healthcare Information and Technology Act of 2006, Sections 502 and 503, as a set-aside for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) contractors. Pursuant to 38 USC 8127(d), competition is restricted to SDVOSB construction firms, as there is a reasonable expectation that two or more offers from SDVOSB contractors will be received under this solicitation.

Apparent successful offerors must apply for and receive verification from the U.S Small Business Administration Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) in accordance with 38 CFR Part 74 by submission of documentation of Veteran status and ownership and control sufficient to establish appropriate status. Failure to be both VERIFIED and VISIBLE on VetCert at the time SF 330s are submitted, when the proposal is received as a result of the solicitation issued to the most qualified firm, and on the date of contract award will result in the offeror’s proposal/SF 330 being deemed not acceptable. All offerors are urged to contact the VetCert and submit the aforementioned required documents to obtain VetCert verification of their SDVOSB status if they have not already done so.

The Government will not pay, nor reimburse, any costs associated with responding to this request. The Government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement.  Firms will be selected based on demonstrated competence and qualifications for the required work.   

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR STAGE ONE (1):

Submissions of completed Standard Form 330 (SF 330) received in response to this notice will be evaluated by a government evaluation board in accordance with The Selection of Architect and Engineering statute, 40 U.S.C. Ch11, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 36, to determine the most highly qualified firms. Evaluation of past performance and experience may include information provided by the offeror, customer inquiries, government databases, and publicly available sources.  Offerors are responsible for collecting and submitting past performance questionnaires with their final packages to the Veterans Affairs (VA) Network Contracting Office (NCO) 23 Contracting Officer before the closing date of this synopsis.

Responding firms, either multi-disciplined or collaborating with consultants, must demonstrate capability in healthcare architecture, surveying, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, communications, environmental, fire protection, cost estimating, Building Commissioning, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, specification writing, and construction surveillance skills as described herein.  Responses to this notice should include recent (within the past 4 years) experience in designing projects of this nature.

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. This is a request for SF 330 A-E Qualification packages only. Any requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. No material will be issued, and no solicitation package or bidder/plan holder list will be issued.

The three most highly rated firms based on the technical review of all the SF 330’s received will be notified.  A solicitation will only be issued to the most highly qualified firm at conclusion of the technical review. The second and third place rated firms will be notified that they were not selected most qualified but that they may still be contacted for solicitation if award does not proceed with the most highly qualified firm.

Submission Requirements: Firms must provide a customer reference list with addresses and telephone numbers, and bidding records (AE Estimate Cost of Construction vs. Construction Awarded Amount), if applicable for all projects listed as related experience, and a project workload schedule showing proposed team members for the project period. All responding firms, including consultants to the primary firm are required to submit their SF 330 Part 1 and Part 2 electronically to both the contracting officer and contracting Specialist. Contracting Officer: Dwayne Brauch / Email Address: contact@example.gov . The SF 330, Part I, must clearly indicate the office location where the work will be performed, the qualifications of the individuals and subcontractors proposed to work on the contract, and their geographical location.

You must submit your electronic copy and any supplemental information (such as spreadsheets, backup data, and technical information), using any of the electronic formats and media described below. However, contractors will be notified of the award via an electronic Notice of Award e-mail.  The award document will be attached to the Notice of Award e-mail. Acceptable Electronic Formats (Software) for Submission of SF 330 packages:

1. Files readable using the current Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). When submitting construction drawings, contractors are required to submit one set in AutoCAD and one set in Adobe PDF. (Purpose: contracting can open the PDF version, and engineering can open AutoCAD files).

1. Files in Adobe* PDF Files:  When scanning documents scanner resolution should be set to 200 dots per inch, or greater.

1. Other electronic format.   If you wish to submit an offer using another format other than described in these instructions, e-mail the Contracting Officer who issued the solicitation.   Please submit your request at least ten (10) calendar days before the scheduled closing date of the solicitation.   Request a decision as to the format acceptability and make sure you receive approval of the alternate format before using it to send your offer.

1. SF 330s shall be provided on standard letter size 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper, limited to a maximum of seventy-five (75), single-sided, single-spaced, and numbered pages. If more than seventy-five (75) single-sided pages are submitted, all pages after seventy-five (75) pages will not be evaluated. The font for text shall be Times New Roman 12-point or larger.

1. Please note that we can no longer accept .zip files due to increasing security concerns.

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

Each firm must demonstrate their qualifications with respect to the selection criteria listed below. Evaluation criteria (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E) are of equal importance; criterion (F) is of lesser importance than criteria (A), (B), (C), (D) and (E); and criterion (G) is of least importance and will be used as a tiebreaker among technically equal firms. SF-330s will be evaluated to determine the most highly qualified firm/team based on submitted SF-330 responses. Failure to provide requested data or comply with the instructions in this synopsis and SF-330 instructions could result in a firm considered being less qualified or eliminated from consideration. Specific evaluation criteria include:

A. Professional qualifications:

SF-330, Part I, Block E. NCO 23 will consider any information, which may be pertinent to this criterion, including the following: proposed key personnel (reference primary discipline list below), professional registration, and competence, related experiences to accomplish this work, education, and years with the company. Key personnel shall be permanent employees of the prime firm/team rather than temporary “contract hire” employee arrangements. Failure to provide a balanced workforce in the disciplines listed could result in the firm being considered not qualified. The combination of criteria below will be used to determine the ability of the staff to contribute to the successful completion of project task orders. Firms with greater breadth of in-house expertise will be rated higher than those needing to hire sub-consultants. The offeror’s team shall include staff members licensed in the States covering Veteran Integrated Service Networks (VISN) 23 found in the statement of work (SOW) in the following disciplines:

• Architectural Design

• Structural Engineer*

• Mechanical Engineer

• Electrical Engineer

• Cost Estimator

• Commissioning Agent

In addition, the offeror’s team shall include staff members in the following disciplines and shall demonstrate their qualification:

• Project/Program Manager

• Construction Management

• Quality Control Manager

B. Specialized experience and technical competence:

SF-330, Part I, Section F. Region 3 NCO 23 will consider any information which may be pertinent to this criterion, including the following: specialized experience and technical competence in the performance of services similar to those anticipated under this contract in terms of recent and relevant experience with regard to the project examples described below, as well as demonstrated experience with VA facility design.

• Example Projects: Submit example design projects in narrative format that highlight the experience factors listed above. Design project examples should not exceed two pages each. All experience factors do not have to be included in a single project. The offeror may submit multiple projects to demonstrate experience in all relevant types of work, however, do not submit more than five projects total

a) The narratives of example projects should show contract number, issuing agency, project name, a current point of contact including telephone and email information, project scope, size, location, design fees, the total number of modifications / change orders issued during performance of project, date of project completion, estimate of construction cost, principal design elements and features, complexity of the job, challenges faced to include disagreements regarding design requirements and construction estimates disputes, and the resolution and results of any challenges faced. In addition, and if known, list the construction contract award price, and the total number of construction contract modifications/change orders and their total value.

b) Example projects may be from the private or public sector; however, VA projects may be rated higher. Projects completed more recently will be evaluated more advantageously. The design of all example projects must have been completed within the past four (4) years (prior to the SF-330 due date for this solicitation). The evaluation will consider the relevancy (design and construction scope, size and location) of projects identified. For the purposes of this evaluation the A-E may submit no more than two example projects which were investigations or studies only. The investigation(s) or study(ies) must have been completed within the past four (4) years (prior to the SF-330 due date for this solicitation) as well.

c) Examples of work submitted that do not meet the requirements specified here will not be evaluated. Failure to provide requested data, accessible points of contact or valid phone numbers could result in a firm being considered less qualified and eliminated from further consideration. Identify any key personnel in SF-330, Part I, Section G that worked on the projects and their role. Specialized experience and technical competency will be evaluated for ability to support the range of work required for this contract, as demonstrated by firm’s submitted projects.

C. Capacity:

SF-330, Part I, Block H. Demonstrate how the firm(s) will manage, coordinate, and administer the work within the prime and among any teaming partners. Teaming partners to be included by the prime firm in their response should be clearly identified as such for evaluation purposes and will later be agreed to during negotiations of any resultant contract. SF-330, Part II, Block 11 will also be evaluated to assist in determining this factor. SF-330 Part I Blocks C, D, F and SF-330, Part II will also be evaluated to support this criterion. NCO 23 will consider any information which may be pertinent to this criterion, including the following:

• Capacity to perform work in-house and with teaming members.

• Demonstrate active on-going Federal and Non-Federal work (Address current dollar value of work, number of current projects, management approach to your on-going work, and how the team will support the work requirements outlined in this synopsis in addition to current work). Quantify the A-E teams reserve capacity (percent of available capacity or man hours available or number of man hours available).

• Greater weight will be given to offerors who provide quantitative data to support an assertion of sufficient work-load capacity.

E. Past performance:

SF-330, Block H. For the example projects provided under Specialized Experience and Technical Competence, in a single page narrative form provide past performance in terms of cost control, quality of work, and compliance with performance schedules for each example project submitted under Specialized Experience and Technical Competence. In addition to past performance information provided, the evaluation will include information available within the VA, Federal, state, private industry, or other sources. In addition to the narrative described above, forward the Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) of this synopsis, to each project point of contact. Completed PPQ forms shall be submitted as part of the firms’ proposal package. Firms may include any ratings, letters of appreciation or performance, awards etc., for relevant experience; however, Federal database content and PPQs will be evaluated more advantageously. Reponses will be evaluated to determine firms’ ability to maintain cost, schedule, quality, and customer satisfaction.

If the offeror is unable to obtain a completed PPQ from a client for a project(s) before the response date set forth in this notice, offerors should complete and submit with their responses the first page of the PPQ (Attachment), which will provide contract and client information for the respective project(s). Offerors may submit a PPQ previously submitted under a different Notice/RFP (legible copies are acceptable) as long as it is on the same form as posted with this Synopsis. Offerors should follow up with clients/references to ensure timely submittal of questionnaires. If requested by the client, questionnaires may be submitted directly to the Government's point of contact, Network Contracting Office 23, Attn: Dwayne Brauch via email at contact@example.gov  prior to the response date.

F. Geographic Proximity:

Geographic proximity to the general area of the requiring activity as well as knowledge of Minneapolis VA Health Care Campus and surrounding Federal Properties. SF-330, Part I, Block H. In single page narrative form demonstrate firm’s familiarity with local conditions to include knowledge of, and experience dealing with, the regulatory agencies, geological features, logistics, costs, climatic conditions and local design and construction methods. Narrative shall include team location, including main offices, branch offices, and any subconsultant offices.

G. Subcontracting Efforts:

Commitment to VHA shall be detailed in SF-330, Part I, Block H. Offerors shall identify and commit to the use of service-disabled Veteran-owned small businesses, Veteran-owned small businesses, and other types of small businesses as subcontractors.

JOINT VENTURES:

1. All qualifications packages submitted by joint ventures must include a copy of an executed joint venture agreement (with original signatures) which fully discloses the legal identity of each member of the joint venture, the relationship between the members, the form of ownership of each member, and any limitations on liability or authority for each member.
2. An authorized representative of each member of the joint venture must sign the contract accompanying an offer regardless of any agency relationship established between the members.
3. In the case of corporations that are joint venture members, the corporation secretary must certify that the corporation is authorized to participate in the joint venture, either by certifying in the joint venture agreement, or by submitting a separate certification to the Government. The joint venture must also provide a certificate that identifies a principal representative of the joint venture with full authority to bind the joint venture.
4. Representations, certifications, and financial information must be submitted for each member of the joint venture.

VA Primary Point of Contact: Dwayne Brauch / Email Address: contact@example.gov / Phone Number: +1 (555) 000-0000.