This Combined Synopsis/Solicitation opportunity from Department Of Veterans Affairs was posted on August 14, 2026. The submission period has ended. Browse the details below for market research, or find similar active opportunities.
S201--Building Drone Cleaning
Contract Overview
Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.
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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, through the VA Loma Linda Health Care System, is conducting a sources sought announcement to identify qualified small businesses capable of providing drone-based exterior building cleaning services at the Loma Linda Medical Center in California. This announcement is purely for market research and does not constitute a solicitation, request for proposals, or any obligation to award a contract. The government is seeking information from Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses, Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, 8(a), HubZone, Women-Owned, and other small businesses with demonstrated expertise in utilizing tethered drone systems for soft wash cleaning of building facades, windows, masonry, and hard surfaces up to 175 feet in height. Respondents must provide detailed documentation including company information, Unique Entity ID, CAGE code, tax ID, small business certification status, and a capability statement not exceeding five pages that directly addresses technical qualifications, regulatory compliance, and operational capability. To be considered capable, firms must hold an active FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification and, if operating drones exceeding 55 pounds, must possess an FAA Section 44807 Heavy Drone Exemption. All equipment must be NDAA-compliant with verified manufacturer and origin details, and vendors must carry UAS aviation liability insurance of at least $2 million. Vendors must also hold an OSHA 30-hour certificate and a D38 Sand and Water Blasting license, and must be registered in SAM.gov. Responses must include past performance examples with contract value, building height, and points of contact from similar projects completed within the last three years. Strict limitations on subcontracting apply: the prime contractor must perform at least 50% of the contract cost with its own personnel or similarly situated certified SDVOSB/VOSB entities, and no pass-through arrangements are permitted. Failure to submit a signed VAAR 852.219-75 Certificate of Compliance will render a response ineligible. The government will not reimburse any costs incurred in responding, and submissions must be received by July 20, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. EST, addressed to Stephanie Naron, Contract Specialist. All responses will inform future acquisition planning under the Veterans First Contracting Program, which prioritizes awards to verified SDVOSBs when the Rule of Two is met.
General Info
Contract Value
$207,350Place of Performance
Department of Veterans Affairs, Tucson, AZ, 85723, USASet-Aside
Awardee
GLOBALNET & ASSOCIATES, LLCAward Issued Date
Timeline
Submission Closed
Organization & Contact Information
Full Description
The purpose of this amendment 0002 is to extend the response due date, add previously excluded buildings, and provide the Questions and Answers.
PLEASE NOTE THAT BUILDINGS ERRONEOUSLY EXCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL SOLICITATION ARE NOW INCLUDED - Buildings 2, 20, 29, 30, 31, 32 and S45 parking garage
Submission of your final response shall be received electronically not later than 2:30 PST on 08/21/2026 at contact@example.gov. Subject line should include “RESPONSE TO RFQ 36C26226Q1150.”
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
- Several areas of the buildings have permanent exterior balconies or protected walking surfaces with guardrails. Although certain windows may be more than 20 feet above ground level, they are readily accessible from these permanent walking surfaces, with the glass approximately 9 feet above the technician’s standing surface. Can the VA please confirm whether the 20-foot threshold is measured from the technician’s accessible working surface or strictly from ground level?
Both
- Where windows are safely accessible from permanent protected balconies or walkways, may those windows be cleaned by hand using traditional window-cleaning methods rather than by drone?
The drone shall be used on the Stucco. The windows shall be cleaned by hand; the main building has a catwalk available for use for window cleaning.
- Based on our site visit, we believe traditional hand cleaning from these protected walking surfaces would provide the best finished result for those particular windows while maintaining safe access and minimizing disruption. Can the VA confirm that this approach is acceptable where the windows are safely reachable from those protected surfaces?
Yes.
- The Licensing Requirements section of the SOW lists "General Building license (Class B)" as a required offeror qualification. Under California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) classifications:
- Class B (General Building Contractor) is designated for structural construction requiring at least two unrelated building trades. It is not the applicable license for exterior building cleaning services.
- C-61 / D-38 (Sand and Water Blasting) is the CSLB specialty classification actually applicable to commercial pressure washing services in California, and only applies to contracts valued at $500 or more.
The Statement of Work describes exterior building cleaning (drone-based soft-wash, hard-surface pressure washing, interior/exterior glass cleaning) with no structural construction or modification component. Would you please clarify:
(a) Is the reference to "General Building license (Class B)" a drafting error, and did the VA intend to specify the C-61/D-38 Sand and Water Blasting specialty classification, or another CSLB classification?
The reference to General Building license (Class B) is an error. The VA intended to specify C-61/D-38 Sand and Water Blasting specialty classification.
(b) Does the VA consider this requirement satisfied through subcontracting arrangements with a CSLB-licensed teaming partner (consistent with the 50% prime performance requirement under VAAR 852.219-75), or must the prime contractor hold the license directly?
The prime contractor must hold the C‑61/D‑38 license directly if the contract includes pressure washing and exceeds $500. A subcontracting arrangement with a licensed firm does not satisfy this requirement—holding the license remains with the entity contracting directly with the VA.
Under California Business and Professions Code §§ 7026, 7028, and 7048, any person or entity that offers to contract for, bids on, or performs construction‑related services—including exterior cleaning and pressure washing—must hold the appropriate CSLB license when the total value of labor and materials meets or exceeds $500. The statutory definition of “contractor” (§ 7026) applies to entities performing work “by or through others,” meaning licensing responsibility cannot be delegated to a subcontractor. Contracting without the required license is a misdemeanor under § 7028, and the $500 threshold is established in § 7048.
(c) Will the VA accept an out-of-state incorporated small business meeting all federal certifications (Part 107 UAS, OSHA 30-hour, active SAM registration, Section 889 / ADSA compliance, dedicated $2M UAS aviation liability insurance) with a compliance plan to satisfy any California-specific licensing requirement within the pre-performance period?
All licensing requirements must be fulfilled before starting performance.
- The solicitation is identified as a total small-business set-aside but includes Veterans First requirements under VAAR 819.7004 and VAAR 852.219-75. We request that the procurement remain a total small-business set-aside and that the Veterans First provisions be removed. The applicable subcontracting requirements should instead be governed by FAR 52.219-14 and 13 CFR 125.6.
The procurement will remain a standard total small‑business set‑aside and the Veterans First provisions (VAAR 819.7004, VAAR 852.219‑75) will be removed, allowing the subcontracting requirements to be governed by the applicable government‑wide SBA rules (FAR 52.219‑14 and 13 CFR 125.6) rather than VA‑specific veteran‑preference regulations.
- The solicitation requires a California Class B General Building license. The scope is limited to exterior building and window cleaning using drones and conventional cleaning equipment and does not appear to involve construction, alteration, or multiple building trades. We therefore request removal of the Class B license requirement, or clarification of the specific work requiring that license.
The reference to General Building license (Class B) is an error. The VA intended to specify C-61/D-38 Sand and Water Blasting specialty classification.
- The SOW requires the offeror to possess a California General Building Contractor Class B license. Must the license be held in the prime contractor’s legal name, or may the requirement be satisfied by a licensed direct W-2 employee responsible for onsite performance?
The reference to General Building license (Class B) is an error. The VA intended to specify C-61/D-38 Sand and Water Blasting specialty classification.
- Would the VA accept an applicable California specialty license, such as a D-38 Sand and Water Blasting classification, in place of the Class B license for this window, façade, and pressure-cleaning requirement?
The reference to General Building license (Class B) is an error. The VA intended to specify C-61/D-38 Sand and Water Blasting specialty classification.
- Please confirm that the required annual service consists of one complete cleaning cycle during each contract year.
Yes, one complete cleaning cycle each contract year.
- Please confirm the complete list of buildings included in the requirement. The SOW identifies Buildings 2, 29, 30, 31, and 32, while earlier procurement information referenced additional building numbers.
Buildings 2, 20, 29, 30, 31, 32 and S45 parking garage
- Can the VA provide approximate exterior façade square footage, window counts, elevations, drawings, or other available measurements for each included building?
Additional information will be provided at a later date once available.
- Please provide the approximate quantity of interior and exterior glass below 20 feet that must be cleaned using traditional methods.
Approximately 400 EXTERIOR windows. Interior glass cleaning WILL NOT be included in this requirement.
- The SOW requires the drone to reach heights up to 175 feet. Please identify which building surfaces require cleaning at or near that elevation and provide the approximate maximum cleaning height for each building.
Buildings 2, 20, 29, 30, 31, 32 and S45 parking garage
- Will the VA provide access to onsite water and electrical utilities for the contractor’s heated-water, filtration, and pressure-washing equipment? If so, please identify the available connection types and approximate staging locations.
Contractors shall provide their own water source except in the courtyard. The courtyard has spigots available for use.
- Are there designated drone launch, equipment-staging, hose-routing, and vehicle-parking areas, or will these locations be established with the VA during performance planning?
Locations will be established with the VA during performance planning.
- Page 6 states that the VA is seeking a one-time fuel transfer between underground storage tanks. Please confirm that this sentence was included in error and is not part of the Building Drone Cleaning requirement.
This sentence was included as an error and is not part of the requirement.
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