Y--Potential use of Project Labor Agreements (PLA) for a New Hospital Bed Tower at James A. Haley Veterans Hospital for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Tampa, FL.

PPROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS (PLA) SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE FOR PHASE FOUR NEW BED TOWER The Office of Construction and Facilities Management (CFM) located in Washington, DC is soliciting comments from the construction community addressing the potential use of Project Labor Agreements (PLA) for a large scale construction project (exceeding $25 million) within the Tampa, FL area. This procurement is for construction of a new hospital bed tower at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Department of Veterans Affairs, Tampa, FL. Description/Scope of Work: The new bed tower will be six stories containing approximately 220,000 gross square feet. The structure will be located east of the existing Building 1, the Main Hospital and south of Building 30, Community Living Center & Inpatient Mental Health. The new structure will connect to Building 1 on several levels. Currently the building site is a surface parking lot and temporary building, T-74, housing the Geriatric Clinic that will be demolished. The existing pedestrian bridge, crossing Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, will be partially demolished and a new connection made to the new bed tower. The Core program elements of the South Bed Tower will consist of 100 Medical Surgical & Neurological (MS&N) inpatient beds and 40 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds. A PLA is defined as a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement with one or more labor organizations that establishes the terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project and is an agreement described in 29 U.S.C 158(f). Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Policy: (a) Project Labor Agreement (PLA) is a tool that agencies may use to promote economy and efficiency in Federal procurement. Pursuant to Executive Order 13502, agencies are encouraged to consider requiring the use of project labor agreements in connection with large-scale construction projects. (b) An agency may, if appropriate, require that every contractor and subcontractor engaged in construction on the project agree, for that project, to negotiate or become a party to a project labor agreement with one or more labor organizations if the agency decides that the use of project labor agreements will (1) Advance the Federal Government's interest in achieving economy and efficiency in Federal procurement, producing labor-management stability, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations governing safety and health, equal employment opportunity, labor and employment standards, and other matters; and (2) Be consistent with law. Reference: Provision: 52.222-33 Notice of Requirement for Project Labor Agreement Clause 52.222-34 Project Labor Agreement. Responses shall be submitted via email to Teresa Harris at contact@example.gov no later than 2:00 PM EDT on March 25, 2014. This is NOT a Request for Proposal and does not constitute any commitment by the Government. Responses to this labor market survey will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. All interested sources must respond to future solicitation announcements separately from responses to this survey. Please provide the below requested information on projects completed in the last 2-5 years: Project Name / Location Detailed Project Description Initial Cost Est. / Actual final cost Was the project completed on-time? Number of craft trades present on the project PLA (Y/N) Were there any challenges experienced during project? (delays, investigations, health and safety issues, labor shortages, management/organizational issues, etc.) 1) 2) 3) Requested are responses to the following: (1) Category of Construction (residential, commercial, highway, heavy industrial) (2) Estimated cost, duration, deadline and complexity (3) Which trades are expected to be employed on the projects? a. Are you likely to need some union skilled trades for at least part of this project? (4) What market share does union labor have in the geographic area for this project or type of construction? (5) Does the local market contain the sufficient number of available skilled workers for this project? a. Are the other projects in the vicinity going to limit the pool of skill labor available for your project? (6) Has a project like this been done before in the local market? (7) What investments have been made to support registered apprenticeship programs? (8) Will the completion of the project require an extended period of time or have sensitive deadlines? (9) Have PLAs been used on comparable projects undertaken by the public or private sector in this geographic region? Have PLAs been used on this type of project in other regions? (10) Which CBAs are likely to expire during the course of the project under consideration that might cause delays? (local building trades and contractors can provide information) (11) How do prevailing wage rates in the local market compare to Davis Bacon rates? a. What impact does unionization in the local market have on wages? (12) Could a PLA contribute to cost savings in any of the following ways? a. Harmonization of shifts and holidays between the trades to cut labor costs? b. Minimizing disruptions that may arise due expiration of CBA? c. Availability of trained, registered apprentices, efficient for highly skilled workforce? d. Allowing for changes in apprentice to journeyman ratio. e. Serving as a management tool that ensures highly skilled workers from multiple trades are coordinated in the most efficient way? f. Other? (13) Could a PLA minimize risk and contribute to greater efficiency in any of the following ways? a. Mechanisms to avoid delays b. Complying with labor standards, safety rules and EEO laws. c. Ensuring a steady supply of skilled labor in markets with low supply or high competition for workers. (14) Are there ways in which a PLA might increase costs on this particular project?