C--Houston National Cemetery Gravesite Development and Cemetery Improvement Houston, TX

Houston National Cemetery - Gravesite Development and Cemetery Improvements in Houston, Texas The Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Construction and Facilities Management has a need for a Landscape Architecture (NAICS 541320) or Civil Engineering (NAICS 541330) firm capable of preparing all design documentation including, but not limited to, master plans, schematic documents, design development documents, construction documents, and providing construction period services. Prime contractor should have licensed/registered landscape architects as members of the firm, or team, with experience in the planning and design of cemeteries, large institutional campuses, parks and recreational facilities, or similar land development projects. The following licensed/registered specialty disciplines should be members of the firm, or team with demonstrable expertise in their respective fields: Civil Engineer, Natural Resources Specialist, Water Management/Irrigation specialist, Cost Estimator, and Architect. Probable Scope: In accordance with the master plan that was prepared for the entire cemetery property, this Phase 4 Gravesite Development and Cemetery Improvement project will consume approximately 20 acres of the 206 undeveloped acres remaining at Houston National Cemetery; and, if additional acreage becomes available, VA may request revision of its existing overall cemetery master plan. This 20-acre Phase 4 Development will be accomplished utilizing the VA Program Guide (PG-18-15, Volume D), A/E Submission Instructions for National Cemetery Projects, as well as the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) Facilities Design Guide. The design will culminate in the preparation of contract documents and construction specifications to be used for competitive bidding purposes. The Phase 4 Gravesite Development and Cemetery Improvements project, of roughly 20-acres of undeveloped land, will yield a total of approximately 20,500 gravesites including both full-casket and cremain sites. Since this is an existing cemetery, the project will only incorporate infrastructure improvements needed to support this phase of development. In addition, this project will include the installation of about 3,500 full-casket pre-placed crypts in existing Section R. This project will also accomplish infrastructure improvements to the existing Houston National Cemetery as identified in the Study on Improvements to Veterans Cemeteries. This project will provide for sufficient burial capacity until the year 2023 and provide for the following elements and features: New Interment Areas (Burial Sections) will contain approximately 14,500 full casket gravesites, including around 14,000 pre-placed crypts; approximately 250 in-ground, garden niche, or terraced sites, approximately 5,750 columbaria niches; and in the existing cemetery Section R burial area approximately 3,500 pre-placed crypts. Other elements to be addressed in this project include: Access Roads and Parking; one (1) Committal Service Shelter; a Public Restroom Facility with Gravesite Locator Kiosk at Cortege Staging Area; associated Landscape and Buffering (Section Q & R) to screen from adjacent highway noise; Irrigation System in New Development Area and Repairs to Existing System; Construct Directional Entrance Sign for locating the cemetery; Repairs to Existing Curb, Gutter, and Road System to include the Repair Failed Road System as Required, Expand Cortege Staging Area at Administration Building, Replace Broken Curbs Throughout Cemetery as Required, Repair/Replace Concrete Storm Sewer Inlets and Culverts as Required, Replace Site Furnishings/Receptacles as Required, Electrical Upgrades, Corrections, and Metering, Dredge Existing Irrigation Ponds, Wetland Preservation and Mitigation, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Improvements The completed project should be capable of achieving LEEDS equivalency. In addition, estimating capabilities of the applicants will be considered. An estimate of construction cost based on level of design detail will be required at each design phase. The selected firm shall design to the estimated governments cost for construction. The schematics and design development will include all appropriate architectural and engineering disciplines and a firm estimate of construction cost. The construction documents and construction period services shall be awarded at the option of the government. In addition to design capabilities, emphasis will be placed on the cost and scope management capabilities of the applicants. Applicants must have an established working office within 150 mile radius of the Houston, Texas area, be of sufficient size and experience to accomplish the work and be licensed in the State of Texas. Preference will be given to firms with working offices in the State of Texas. No firm will be considered unless an application consisting of a completed SF 330 Part I and other evidence of experience and capabilities the applicant considers relevant is received by the VA Cost Estimating and A/E Evaluation Service (00CFM1B, Attention: Robert T. Smoot, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420, five (5) copies are required within 30 days of the date of this advertisement. A current SF 330 Part II, representing and differentiating between the personnel, experience and capabilities of all involved offices, must be included with the application together with current SF 330 Part IIs for each proposed consultants office involved. Applicants will be rated based on the relevant experience - planning and design of projects of similar scale and scope - of both the firm(s) and assigned individuals, the applicants capacity to do the work, record of past performance on VA work, geographic consideration, the participation of minority-owned and women-owned consultants and demonstrate success in prescribing the use of recovered materials and achieving waste reduction and energy efficiency in facility design. Award of contract is dependent upon the availability of funds. This is not a request for a proposal. If subcontracting opportunities exist and the submitting firm is not a small business, the small, small disadvantaged and women-owned business contracting goals will be: 28.7% (SB), 5% (SDB), 5% (WOSB), 3% (HUB Zone), 10% (VOSB), and 7% (SDVOSB). Note: The covenant against contingent fee clause is applicable to this pre-solicitation. ***