Y1NB--Boiler Plant Replacement - Construction West Haven VA Medical Center

SYNOPSIS:
INTRODUCTION: This Sources Sought Notice is for market research and information purposes only at this time and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Program Contracting Activity Central (PCAC) is conducting a market survey and is seeking potential sources for the Boiler Plant Replacement Construction Project at the West Haven VA Medical Center located in West Haven, CT.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This project includes the construction of a new boiler building on the site of the VA West Haven campus, which is further denoted as Building #18 in the project plans. The new building will be constructed immediately west of the existing Boiler building, denoted as Building #19 on the project plans. A level of internal renovations will also occur at the existing Building #19. Architectural and mechanical process requirements dictate that the finish grade for new construction at Building #18 matches finish grade of existing Building #19 to maximize use in the building footprint. This will require extensive site work to locate the new building; most notably, this includes removing 6-8 feet of grade on the north side of the proposed building, which will interrupt existing utilities and likely require ledge removal. Related additional site work includes rerouting existing pedestrian walkways; reconstructing site vehicle access; and adding new grade-level vehicular access for Building #18. Siting Building #18 also requires demolishing the existing Building #22A and a separate generator on campus and reconstructing this function as Building #18A. Site work will also include utility construction to replace existing utility uses disrupted by construction and provide function to the new construction. The project will be constructed following the construction of a new chiller plant facility, and as such a level of critical phasing has been considered in the design of this project.
PROCUREMENT INFORMATION: The proposed project will be a competitive, firm-fixed-price contract utilizing the design-bid-build approach (Final Specifications and Drawings will be provided). The anticipated solicitation will be issued either as a Request For Proposal (RFP) in accordance with FAR Part 15, considering Technical and Price Factors or as an Invitation for Bid (IFB) in accordance with FAR Part 14, considering Price only. The results and analysis of the market research will finalize the determination of the procurement method. The type of socio-economic set-aside, if any, will depend upon the responses to this notice and any other information gathered during the market research process.
This project is planned for advertising in 4th quarter of FY 26. In accordance with VAAR 836.204, the magnitude of construction is between $50,000,000.00 and $100,000,000.00 (Note that the VAAR magnitude of construction is closer to the lower end of this range). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 236220 (size standard $45.0 million) applies to this procurement. The duration of the project is currently estimated at 720 calendar days from the issuance of a Notice to Proceed. The services for this project will include providing all construction related services such as: providing labor, materials and equipment required to complete the project as per contract documents prepared by an independent Architect-Engineer firm.
CAPABILITY STATEMENT: Respondents shall provide a general capabilities statement to include the following information: Section 1: Provide company name, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), company address, Point-of-Contact name, phone number and email. Section 2: Provide company business size based on NAICS code 236220. Also, provide business type (i.e., Large Business, Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Women-Owned Small Business, Hub Zone Small Business, etc.). Section 3: Provide a Statement of Interest in the project. Section 4: Provide the prime contractor s available bonding capacity in the form of a letter of intent from your bonding company with this submission. *Please ensure that the individual bonding capacity is in line with the VAAR Magnitude of Construction listed above. Section 5: Provide the type of work your company has performed in the past in support of the same or similar requirement. This section is IMPORTANT as it will help to determine the type of socio-economic set-aside, if any. Please provide the following in your response: No more than three (3) contracts that your company has performed within the last seven (7) years that are of comparable size, complexity, and scope to this requirement. Include the project name, project owner and contact information as this person may be contacted for further information, project scope, project size (Example: square footage), building use (Example: Medical Facility, Office Building, etc.), project dollar value, start and completion dates. Provide specific examples that relate aspects of previous projects to the proposed project. Describe specific technical skills and key personnel your company possess to perform the requirements described under description of work. Describe your Self-Performed** effort (as either a Prime or Subcontractor). Describe Self-Performed work in terms of dollar value and description. **Self-Performed means work performed by the offeror themselves, NOT work performed by another company for them for any of the project examples provided. Section 6: Project Labor Agreement (PLA) - 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). The PLA questionnaire must be filled out and returned with the Sources Sought response. The questionnaire can be found at the end of this document. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 22.5 - Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects, 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 (E.O.) 14063, Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects, requires agencies to use project labor agreements in 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. (c) Agencies may also consider the following factors in deciding whether the use of a project labor agreement is appropriate for the construction project: (1) The project will require multiple construction contractors and/or subcontractors employing workers in multiple crafts or trades. (2) There is a shortage of skilled labor in the region in which the construction project will be sited. (3) Completion of the project will require an extended period of time. (4) Project labor agreements have been used on comparable projects undertaken by Federal, State, municipal, or private entities in the geographic area of the project. (5) A project labor agreement will promote the agency s long term program interests, such as facilitating the training of a skilled workforce to meet the agency s future construction needs. (6) Any other factors that the agency decides are appropriate. See FAR Provision: 52.222-33 Notice of Requirement for Project Labor Agreement and FAR Clause 52.222-34 Project Labor Agreement for further details. It is requested that interested contractors submit a response (electronic submission) of no more than nine (9) single sided pages, single-spaced, 12-point font minimum that addresses the above information (this is inclusive of the PLA questionnaire). This response must be submitted as a single application-generated (not scanned) PDF document that is less than or equal to 4MB in size. Please note that hard copies will not be accepted. Please also include a cover page, which includes, at a minimum: the company s name, address, Unique Entity Identifier (if available), socio-economic status, point-of-contact name, phone number, and e-mail address. Responses must include the Sources Sought number and project title in the subject line of their e-mail response. Submissions (responses) shall be submitted via email to the primary point of contact listed below by July 7, 2026 at 12:00 PM EST. Phone calls will be accepted during the market research phase of procurement.
It is important to note that the capabilities statement submitted in response to this sources sought shall not be considered to be a bid or proposal. This notice is for information and planning purposes only and is neither to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. No evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents. After completing its analyses, the Government will determine whether to limit competition among the small business categories listed above or proceed with full and open competition as other than small business.
At this time no solicitation exists; therefore, please do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in Contract Opportunities at https://sam.gov/. It is the potential offeror's responsibility to monitor this site for the release of any solicitation or synopsis.
Contracting Office Address: VHA Program Contracting Activity Central (VHA-PCAC) 6100 Oak Tree Blvd. Suite 300 Independence, OH 44131
Primary Point of Contact: Doniver G. Hamilton Contract Specialist contact@example.gov

PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT (PLA) QUESTIONNAIRE (Please respond to the questions below)
1. Is your company familiar with Project Labor Agreement (PLA) and its use on construction projects?
Yes/No
Comments:
2. Would your company likely submit a proposal for the VA construction solicitation that requires the use of a PLA?
Yes/No
Comments:
3. If VA requires a PLA, would your proposed construction cost likely to increase or decrease and what is the likely percentage of cost increase or decrease?
Comments:
4. Does the VA requirement to use of a PLA on a construction project restrict competition?
Yes/No
Comments:
5. Do you expect subcontractor resistance should VA requires the use of a PLA on this construction solicitation?
Yes/No
Comments:
6. Do you have additional comments regarding the use of a PLA for this project?
Comments:
7. Has your Firm participated in projects with PLA agreements?
Yes/No   a. Were there cost increases, labor shortages, or other issues experienced on contracts that had the labor union clauses? If so, please provide more details.   b. Did pricing remain as expected? If not, did it increase or decrease as a result?
c. Was the project completed on time?   d. Was craftsmanship acceptable (or better) than a level typically seen on other non-union projects.

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