Entomology Lab New Office at the Carolina Plan Inspection Station Lab in Puerto Rico

The contract is for the construction of a new office space by partitioning an existing large office at the Carolina Plan Inspection Station Lab located at 25 Jose Santana USDA Building in Carolina, Puerto Rico, to accommodate a new entomology position. This is a total small business set-aside under NAICS code 236220 with a small business size standard of $45 million in average annual receipts, and only eligible small businesses may submit offers. The scope includes installing two drywall partitions, modifying electrical systems with new lighting, conduits, and outlets, and installing a LAN conduit, all while minimizing disruption to ongoing lab operations. Work must comply with federal, state, and local building codes including the International Building Code, National Electrical Code, ADA, and USDA Facilities Design Standards, and all submittals must be reviewed and approved prior to commencement. The contractor is required to obtain all permits, complete the project within 30 calendar days of the Notice to Proceed, and deliver final documentation including warranties, operation manuals, and redline drawings within 20 days of completion. The contract is firm fixed price and evaluation will be based on technical acceptability, past performance, and price in a best-value trade-off, not lowest price technically acceptable. All proposals must be submitted via email to erick.plamann@usda.gov by August 20, 2026, at 12:00 PM Central Time, and questions must be submitted by August 6, 2026, at the same time. A mandatory site visit is scheduled for July 30, 2026, at 10:00 AM at the performance location, with Enrique Diaz and Marvin Draper as points of contact. The contract incorporates numerous FAR clauses including those related to labor standards under the Davis-Bacon Act, Buy American provisions with Alternate I for construction materials, equal opportunity, paid sick leave, whistleblower protections, and prohibitions against inverted domestic corporations and discriminatory DEI practices. Offerors must certify compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws under AGAR 452.203-70, which prohibits DEI initiatives that classify individuals by race, sex, or ethnicity, and imposes severe penalties for false certifications. The wage determination for the project is specified in Attachment 4, requiring certified payroll submissions, and all contractor personnel requiring site access must undergo personal identity verification. Special contract requirements prohibit unauthorized supplier terms, indemnification clauses, data exploitation, automatic renewals,