Construction of the new Surgical and Clinical Space Tower Addition (approximately 162,000 GSF) at the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) campus in West Haven, CT.

Title: Construction of the new Surgical and Clinical Space Tower Addition (approximately 162,000 GSF) at the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) campus in West Haven, CT. Description: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District (CENAE) is conducting Market Research regarding the construction of the new Surgical and Clinical Space Tower Addition at the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) campus in West Haven, CT. NOTE: This market research is separate from the current Synopsis available for the Architect-Engineer (A-E) requirement for this project. The purpose of this announcement is to get feedback from the industry as to method of procurement for the construction phase between design-bid-build (DBB), design-build (D-B) and/or Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) methodologies. Additional market research may be necessary at a later date. This is a DVA - Major Construction project currently programmed for construction award in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. The value of the construction project is still under development, but it is expected to be in the $250M - $500M range. The solicitation is not available at this time. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government. Project Information: The new Surgical and Clinical Space Tower to be constructed at the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) campus in West Haven, CT is intended to upgrade and consolidate existing clinical and direct patient care spaces to current standards of patient care. General utilities serving the space are also outdated and require updating and upgrading including heating (steam), electrical, and medical gas systems. The following project scope is based upon the recommendations contained in the DVA's draft Project Book - a document intended to provide a thorough technical evaluation to establish the requirements for the project, covering site and any existing building conditions, utilities, the final Space and Equipment Planning System (SEPS) Program for Design (PFD) baseline, and Preliminary Room Contents (PRC), then used to establish the construction budget. The scope of the project includes the addition of an approximately 162,000 GSF multi (at least three) story tower, the demolition of approximately 40,000 GSF (Buildings 6, 7, 8, 8.5, 9, and 10), and the renovation of approximately 40,000 GSF of space to be vacated in existing buildings. The tower is planned to be constructed north of the main hospital building (Building 1) and be connected to it via direct addition, and multiple corridors and/or catwalks to Buildings 1 & 5 in an area presently occupied by a parking lot and the buildings to be demolished. Major impacts to existing infrastructure include relocation and expansion of multiple utility distribution systems impacted by the new construction, new utility tunnels, additional steam plant and on-site water storage capacity, new electrical substations, parking and road network reconfigurations, and re-grading of site/construction of retaining walls. Use of swing space and phasing is expected to be needed to minimize impacts to current campus operations. Current proposed phasing approach is to 1) demolish buildings and relocate utilities to be impacted by the new construction, 2) construct surgical tower and upgrade campus infrastructure plant & utilities, and 3) renovate vacated spaces. Proposed space allocation for the tower includes the following (all GSF numbers are approximate and subject to further refinement): Surgical Services (60,000 GSF) to include a variety of Operating Room (OR) spaces such as surgical suites, and general, hybrid, and other specialized ORs; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Services (34,400 GSF); Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Services (15,500 GSF); IT Services (2,900 GSF); Pharmacy Services (1,700 GSF); and a variety of support and circulation spaces to include Logistics Services, Environmental Management Services (EMS), Engineering Services, secondary Sterile Processing Services, and a lobby. In addition to the new tower, the project will include renovation of portions of existing Building 1, 2 and 5 and other buildings as necessary to connect and integrate the new tower with the existing buildings and to relocate staff displaced from demolished buildings. Services to be relocated into the renovated spaces may include Endoscopy, Laboratories, Mental Health Services, administrative offices, and support space. Renovations will include extensive architectural modifications and upgrades to all impacted building systems to include localized seismic upgrades. Specialized construction requirements include operating rooms, intensive care units, pathology, endoscopy, laboratories, mental health spaces and supporting spaces that meet all DVA infection control standards; associated complex and specialized HVAC and electrical requirements; medical gas distribution systems, nurse call systems, pneumatic tube distribution systems, medical security, and alarming systems that will all need to be integrated with existing systems; and management of biological hazardous waste. The new tower will need to integrate seamlessly with the other buildings on campus. New construction and demolition will need to be coordinated with the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). Site improvements will include access roads, replacement parking, utilities, landscaping, and all other work necessary to provide a complete and usable project. It is expected that the project will be constructed to comply with the 2016 Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings (Guiding Principles) and can be certified to meet LEED Silver. The Designer of Record will provide design services for architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, mechanical engineering (HVAC, controls, and plumbing), fire protection engineering, electrical engineering, civil/site engineering, geotechnical engineering, and structural engineering to include compliance with DVA's ATFP and physical security and resiliency standards; and the design for medical equipment planning, data/communications, building commissioning, medical gas/process piping and controls, management of hazardous, toxic, and corrosive process liquid and gas, redundant power and information systems, and access control and building security systems. Procurement of a project-specific Architect-Engineer (A-E) who will be tasked with developing the construction procurement documents is currently ongoing. Responses: Responses are requested from both large and small businesses. Interested firms should submit an information package to include the following: 1. Business Classification (i.e. HUBZone, small business, large, etc.). 2. Contractor's Experience. Provide a short (up to 3 pages) narrative describing your firm's general capabilities and experience as a prime contractor using each of the procurement methods listed above. Also provide a list of comparable construction projects completed in the last 10 years. Include in the list the project name; location; client; method of procurement; total contract value; and physical size of the designed facility. Comparable projects should be medical facilities of comparable size (> 100,000 GSF) that ideally also include a renovation and/or facility infrastructure upgrade component. 3. Preferred Procurement Approach. Given the project description provided above, please provide the following information: Interest in performing this work and under what conditions (if any). Feedback on each of the procurement approaches being considered (design-bid-build (DBB), design-build (D-B) and Early Contractor Involvement (ECI)) in order of preference to all parties (Government contracting agent; end user; contractor) with supporting rationale considering pros and cons of each. Whichever method is selected, the Government will likely use a Best Value tradeoff selection procedure. The procurement strategy trade-offs should consider: Project sequencing (phasing). Phase 1: Building demolition, and utility relocation Phase 2: Utility plant upgrades, construction of the new tower, and Connection to Building 1 Phase 3: Renovation of Building 1 and 5 backfill space The interested firms should consider whether the phases should be procured together or separate and to what extent each procurement approach is better suited for either a) a single contract for all phases using the same procurement approach for each; b) a single contract for all phases using different procurement approaches for each, or c) separate contracts for each phase with a specific procurement approach for each. 2. Impact to active hospital operations. The VA Campus must remain operational at all times. Project challenges consist of isolating, demolishing, and renovating existing utilities and building systems while keeping the facility running with minimal interruptions, as well as connecting the existing Building 1 to the new surgical tower and planning the renovation/ backfill sequence. The interested firms should consider which procurement strategy facilitates the most coordinated demolition, renovation, and backfill plan as well as provide the most flexibly to adapt to active hospital operations and unforeseen conditions. 3.Scope Changes. The interested firms should consider which procurement strategy provides the most flexibly to incorporate late-stage user-requested scope changes with the least impact to project cost and schedule. These changes are likely to result from new VA guidance that relate to improved Patient Safety or from advances in new medical equipment. In contrast to typical code criteria, there is no code lock in date when it comes to Patient Safety. The project will need to incorporate these measures regardless of the stage in design or construction. Changes may also result from advances in medical equipment and technology. By the time of final design, there is a concern that medical equipment required will have different specifications/utility supply requirements. This can impact room layouts and needed utilities, especially in Operating Rooms. 4. Cost Control. The interested firms should consider which procurement approach will be most effective in controlling cost growth/changes during construction. 5. Quality. The interested firms should consider which procurement strategy will provide the highest quality project (design and construction). The interested firms should consider which procurement approach would facilitate the highest level of coordination between end users, designers, and construction firms during the pre-design, design, and construction phases; minimize changes during construction; and result in the fewest long-term maintenance and performance issues post-construction. 6. Funding Flexibility. There is a risk that funding may come incrementally. The interested firms should consider which procurement strategy best delivers quality projects with incremental funds. 7. Expedites Schedule. The interested firms should consider which procurement strategy will ultimately deliver the facility to the user the fastest.