Renovation of a mixed-use development in Hartford, Vermont. Conceptual plans call for the renovation of a medical facility.

SPECIAL NOTICE FOR QUALIFICATIONS (SF-330) - 405-21-001 - B28 HVAC Design NAICS Code: 541310 Architectural Services (Small Business size standard $12.5 million dollars) A. INTRODUCTION: The VA Medical Center (VAMC) White River Junction located in White River Junction, VT has a requirement to renovate the HVAC system for Building 28 on the VA White River Junction Campus to improve patient comfort and meet future campus needs. The scope of this requirement is to provide all professional Architectural and Engineering (A/E) services associated with HVAC Design for Building 28 at the VAMC White River Junction Campus, 163 Veterans Drive, White River Junction, VT 05009. Renovation will include the addition of a heating, ventilating, and cooling system to the first and second floors. Building 28 is the hospital s main administration building and has no central cooling or air handling systems for the first and second floors. An evaluation of the existing air handling unit serving the ground floor will be required. Conduct preliminary project scope meetings and site survey investigations to develop the necessary elements for conceptual layout schemes with proposed alternatives consistent with the VA s project team goals as prioritized during preliminary project meetings, field surveys and studies. All work shall be designed to include phased construction as appropriate to maintain uninterrupted VAMC operation throughout the project. Develop complete drawings, specifications, cost estimates, site visits, system commissioning and construction period administration associated with designing a modernized system, utilizing the existing air handling unit, to improve climate control throughout the building, humidification corrections, upgrade controls compatible with the facility s existing BAS, install a duct system with adequate fire dampers, replace original steam heating convectors with a modern hydronic heating system, replace older windows and provide building envelope improvements, and associated support systems where required to meet heating, cooling, and ventilation needs to meet indoor air quality requirements for Building 28. Ensure compliance with the VA Design Manual as well as all other VA Design Requirements. All work shall be designed to include phased construction as appropriate to maintain uninterrupted VA Medical Center operation throughout the project. See attached Statement of Work for complete details. B. CONTRACT INFORMATION: The VA Medical Center (VAMC) White River Junction located in White River Junction, VT has a requirement for a Firm Fixed Price contract to provide all professional architectural and engineering (A/E) services necessary to develop complete drawings, specifications, cost estimates, construction schedules, project phasing, investigations, site visits and construction period services associated with project 405-21-001 A/E B28 HVAC Design. This project will update and replace the HVAC system at Building 28 located in the vicinity of VAMC White River Junction, 163 Veterans Drive, White River Junction, VT 05009. The Magnitude of Construction is between $5,000,000 and $10,000,000. This acquisition is a Total Set-Aside for Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) in accordance with VAAR 852.219-10 with NAICS Code 541310. Any subsequent award will require the firm to be registered in System for Award Management (SAM www.sam.gov) and the SBA Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) (https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/). VetCert will be used to determine SDVOSB/VOSB Status, therefore, firms need to be registered with the applicable NAICS Code of 541310 at the time SF330 s are submitted. Prospective firms are reminded they must certify that in accordance with VAAR 852.219-77, VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting-Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction, in the case of a contract for services (except construction), the contractor will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not VetCert-listed SDVOSBs as set forth in 852.219-10. Any work that a similarly situated VetCert-listed subcontractor further subcontracts will count towards the 50% subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. Other direct costs may be excluded to the extent they are not the principal purpose of the acquisition and small business concerns do not provide the service as set forth in 13 CFR 125.6. SF330 packages shall address how each firm anticipates meeting these criteria. This requirement is in accordance with the Selection of Architects and Engineers as implemented in Subpart 36.6 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation and Subpart M836.602-1 of the VA Acquisition Manual. All submissions will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria. A "short list" of the three most highly rated after initial source selection will be chosen for negotiations of a contract award. The Government will not pay, nor reimburse, any costs associated with responding to this request. The Government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement. Respondents are put on notice that firm(s) selected by the Selection Authority will be required to submit a Fixed Price Rate Proposal on the VA Form 6298 to include labor, overhead, profit, and other costs for this project for negotiation by the Contracting Officer prior to contract award. The negotiated agreement will be incorporated into the resulting contract. C. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: This is a request for SF 330's Architect/Engineer Qualifications packages only. Any requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. No material will be issued and no solicitation package or bidder/plan holder list will be issued. D. PROJECT INFORMATION: Provide Architect/Engineer services to develop complete drawings, specifications, cost estimates and construction period administration associated with project 405-21-001 A/E B28 HVAC Design. E. EVALUATION SELECTION CRITERIA: Each respondent s SF 330 submittal package will be evaluated in accordance with FAR 36.6 procedures. The selection criteria, in descending order of importance will be as follows: 1. Specialized Experience and Technical Competence 2. Professional Qualifications 3. Past Performance 4. Capacity 5. Geographic Location 6. Experience in Construction Period Services 7. Commitment to the use of SDVOSB, VOSB and SB as Subcontractors F. SELECTION CRITERIA DESCRIPTIONS: The selection criteria descriptions (1 through 7) are provided below. Specialized Experience and Technical Competence: The A/E firm shall demonstrate recent specialized experience and technical competence in projects for health care facilities (to include joint ventures), including, where appropriate, recent experience in design, retrofit and replacement of existing HVAC systems. This factor evaluates the amount of experience the AE firm has in designing similar types of renovation and repair projects related to similar highly occupied facilities (requiring 24-hr uninterrupted operations) and evaluating their technical competence in this type of project. Submitting firms shall provide a detailed narrative of up to five (5) (maximum) and no less than three (3) (minimum) relevant projects completed within the last five (5) years, which best illustrate overall team experience relevant to this contract scope. List projects that demonstrate the team s experience with projects of similar size and scope to those to be performed under this contract. Only the first five (5) projects submitted will be evaluated. Firms will be evaluated according to specialized experienced the firm has with design and replacement of HVAC systems. Higher ratings will be provided to firms who demonstrate experience at the VA or in a hospital environment. Professional Qualifications Necessary for Satisfactory Performance of Required Services: The A/E firm will be evaluated according to their ability to demonstrate the education, training, registration, overall and relevant experience, and longevity with the firm of key management and technical personnel. Firms are expected to demonstrate experience to perform a project such as this within a VA Medical Center or hospital environment. Firms shall provide brief resumes of proposed team members who will specifically serve as the project managers and designers of record, as well as of other relevant team members or subcontractor team members who will perform technical tasks under this contract. Subcontractor team member resumes shall indicate their record of working together with the prime contractor. The Designers of Record shall perform and direct the design within their respective discipline and shall sign and seal the drawings. All Designers of Record must be professionally registered in their discipline and this must be shown on their resume. Each resume shall include a minimum of three (3) specific completed projects that best illustrate the individual team members experience in their technical field relevant to this contract scope. Past Performance: The A/E firm shall submit a minimum of three and maximum of five (5) past performance evaluations on recent projects relevant to the one being procured under this notice. Firms will be evaluated for past performance on recent and relevant contracts with Government agencies (emphasis on VA work) and private industry in terms of cost control, professional performance, general management, cooperativeness, quality of work, compliance with performance schedule and a record of significant claims against the firm due to improper or incomplete engineering services (references required). Recency is defined as performance occurring within five (5) years of the date of this Notice, except that ongoing projects must have begun no less than one (1) year prior to the issuance of this Notice. Relevancy is defined as performance of work on projects that are similar in scope to the type of project anticipated under the resultant contract. Respondents with no previous past performance shall so state when addressing the selection criteria. Documentation supplied should detail firms ability to work with government entities and design standards or similar relevant experience with other entities. Provide a copy of all performance evaluations (A/E) issued for government contracts (as applicable). For Non-Federal contracts, provide facility owner documentation of the firms performance issued on that contract. If known documentation exists, so state. Provide accessible owner points of contact: name, title, address, telephone number, e-mail, and fax number and provide copies of awards and letters of appreciation/recommendation as desired. Capacity: The A/E firm shall show current and projected workload for the proposed team and percentage of their available capacity. Documentation supplied shall support that the firm has the capacity to accomplish the work in the required time. A signed statement shall be provided stating that the firm acknowledges that prior to award of the contract, they are required to notify the Government of any changes in their capacity that could limit their ability to perform the work within the required time. Geographic Location: The A/E Firm must demonstrate that it has general knowledge of the locality of the project, location in the general geographical area of the project and knowledge of the locality to include specific knowledge of certain local conditions or project site features such as: geological features climate conditions local construction methods construction firms and trades labor availability permit requirements local laws and regulations Location of the firm is measured by the driving distance between the Offeror s principle business location and the VAMC White River Junction located at 163 Veterans Drive, White River Junction, VT 05009. Determination of the mileage will be based on Google Maps (https//www.google.com/maps/dir/) Experience in Construction Period Services: Respondents must provide one (1) recent project and provide a narrative on how the A/E incorporated the following into their project: Professional field inspections during the construction period Review of construction submittals Support in answering requests for information during the construction period Support of construction contract changes to include drafting statements of work and cost estimates Any project provided in addition to the one (1) will not be evaluated as part of this criteria. Commitment to the use of SDVOSB, VOSB, and other Small Businesses as Subcontractors: Respondents must provide a narrative on how they will commit to the use of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small businesses, Veteran-owned small businesses, and other types of small businesses as subcontractors. Prospective firms are reminded they must certify in accordance with VAAR 852.219-77, VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting-Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction. G. QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS: a. Questions and comments regarding this notice must be submitted by email only to the Contract Specialist, Michael Crafts at Michael.Crafts@va.gov. b. Oral questions will not be answered. c. The deadline for questions is January 10, 2024 at 1:00PM EST. H. SF 330 SUBMITTAL PACKAGE PAGE INSTRUCTIONS: a. SF 330 submittal packages shall be submitted no later than 1:00PM EST on January 26, 2024. Respondents are responsible for ensuring SF 330 submittal packages, any revisions, and modifications are submitted by this time. b. Qualified A/E firms are required to submit ONE (1) electronic copy via email to Michael.Crafts@va.gov. If file size exceeds 7MB then firms are required to send multiple emails with a sequence stating Email 1 of __ . SF 330 forms are available on-line at: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/SF c. Submission of information incorporated by reference is not allowed. d. Prospective firms shall address all selection criteria factors within their submitted SF 330 package. e. Submissions are limited to 65 pages. i. Absolutely no photographs shall be submitted. ii. Title pages and tables of contents, if applicable, are excluded from the page count limitation. iii. Pages submitted in excess of the limitations specified in this Notice will not be evaluated by NCO 1. f. Telephone or Fax inquiries will not be accepted. I. SF 330 PACKAGE CONTENTS: a. The SF 330 submittal packages shall consist of a completed SF 330, specific information addressing each of the five selection criteria described in this Notice. b. Respondents are required to meet all requirements in addition to those identified as selection criteria. c. SF 330 submittal packages not consistent with the requirements and selection criteria of this Notice may be determined unacceptable and removed from consideration. d. Any SF 330 submittal package, modification, or revision, that is received after the exact time specified for receipt is late and will not be considered unless it is received before award is made, the contracting officer determines that accepting the late submittal would not unduly delay the acquisition; and there is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received at NCO 1 installation designated for receipt of submittal packages and was under NCO 1 s control prior to the time set for receipt of submittal packages; or it was the only submittal package received. J. SF 330 PACKAGE PREPARATION: a. Qualified A/E firms are required to submit ONE (1) electronic copy via email to Michael.Crafts@va.gov. SF 330 forms are available on-line at: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/SF. b. Electronic copy shall be in searchable PDF format of the SF 330.. c. A cover sheet should be included, clearly marked with the Respondent's name, complete address with 9 digit zip code, phone number, e-mail address, Unique Entity Identifier, date of response, title and Notice identification. d. Information not provided elsewhere in the SF 330 submittal package shall not be incorporated by reference. e. A table of contents shall be provided for ready reference to sections and figures. f. SF 330 submittal packages shall be consistent with the following structure and formatted accordingly: SF 330 PART I CONTRACT SPECIFIC QUALIFICATIONS 1. Sections A through D 2. Section E 3. Section F 4. Section G 5. Section H 6. Section I 7. Other additional information and attachments SF 330 PART II GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS (Note: Respondents shall clearly label additional information and attachments). K. FAR and VAAR: The FAR and VAAR citations referenced in this Special Notice can be accessed via the following internet links: FAR https://www.acquisition.gov/ VAAR https://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/index.asp VAAM https://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaam/ END OF SPECIAL NOTICE. The Method of Contractor Selection has not been determined at this Time. *The value for this project is based on a financial range. The value is listed as the highest possible cost from the range provided by a stakeholder or official project document.