Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
Upgrade Fire Detection System at FDC Honolulu, Hawaii
Department of Justice · Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons
More open Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons contracts
AI summaryStep Two of a two-step sealed bid is by invitation: only American Alarm Co., Inc. and Elite Pacific Construction, Inc. may send bids. Step One asked for technical proposals due August 26, 2026 (passed), 1:00 PM CT; the response due date for Step Two bids is October 28, 2026, 2:00 PM Central (an amendment moved it to Nov 4, 2026, 2:00 PM CST · 3:00 PM Eastern). The Federal Bureau of Prisons wants the fire detection system at the Federal Detention Center (FDC) in Honolulu, Hawaii upgraded. It is one firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price, whatever the work costs) contract. More in the summary
A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 21, 2026. It moves the due date from Oct 28, 2026 to Nov 4, 2026, which is the date shown on this page. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 15, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 21, 2026. The due date moved from Oct 28, 2026 to Nov 4, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov. This summary may miss requirements: 2 of 13 attachments weren't read (3 - Specifications Upgrade Fire Detection System.pdf, 4 - Drawings Upgrade Fire Detection System.pdf). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
Step Two of a two-step sealed bid is by invitation: only American Alarm Co., Inc. and Elite Pacific Construction, Inc. may send bids. Step One asked for technical proposals due August 26, 2026 (passed), 1:00 PM CT; the response due date for Step Two bids is October 28, 2026, 2:00 PM Central. The Federal Bureau of Prisons wants the fire detection system at the Federal Detention Center (FDC) in Honolulu, Hawaii upgraded. It is one firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price, whatever the work costs) contract.
Who can bid (9)
- Small business under the $19 million size standard for NAICS 238210; the Government checks the size information in your SAM registration. This is a 100% small business set-aside.
- Be one of the two firms invited to Step Two (American Alarm Co., Inc. or Elite Pacific Construction, Inc.), which requires an Acceptable Step One technical proposal.
- Active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) at SAM.gov with NAICS 238210.
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- Bid as the prime contractor for the whole project; the Bureau of Prisons does not award subcontracts.
- Bid bond (Standard Form 24) with the Step Two bid: 20% of the bid price, not more than $3,000,000.
- Performance and payment bonds, each 100% of the contract price, from a surety on the Department of Treasury Circular 570 list. Step One required a Letter of Bondability.
- Insurance during the work: workers compensation and employer's liability $100,000; general liability $500,000 per occurrence; auto liability $200,000 per person, $500,000 per occurrence for bodily injury and $20,000 for property damage.
- Certified people, shown in Step One: a fire-alarm installer certified as NICET (National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies) Level III. The installer also needs NFPA 72 (fire alarm code) certification from a UL-listed alarm company. BICSI-certified (cabling industry certification) cabling installers, a BICSI RCDD (Registered Communications Distribution Designer) testing supervisor, and a NICET Level III or licensed Professional Engineer design professional to seal shop drawings.
- Experience: 2 to 5 example fire detection projects in occupied or secure facilities within the last five years, shown in Step One.
How to submit: Further bid instructions will be emailed to the two invited firms (Amendment 0004). Step One proposals went by upload to a JEFS App Box folder., due October 28, 2026, 2:00 PM Central. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (10)
- Serious: Only two named firms may bid in Step Two. Other firms cannot send a bid on this notice; the Government invited only firms whose Step One technical proposals were acceptable.
- Serious: Two-step bid with an invitation-only second step. Step One was open to small businesses, with technical proposals due August 26, 2026, 1:00 PM CT (Amendment 0003); Step Two is by invitation, with bids due October 28, 2026, 2:00 PM Central (Amendment 0004), so a firm that skipped Step One is shut out.
- Serious: Large bonds on a $5,000,000 to $10,000,000 project. The bid bond (20% of the bid price, up to $3,000,000) goes with the Step Two bid, and full performance and payment bonds are due at award; Step One needed a Letter of Bondability from a surety.
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- Worth checking: Work inside an occupied secure detention facility. Workers need escorts, daily screening and clearance, and work inside the secure perimeter is limited to set hours, which can slow the schedule.
- Worth checking: Stamped engineering drawings and certified staff. The Government says the project needs drawings stamped by a licensed Professional Engineer. Named roles also need NICET, NFPA 72, BICSI and RCDD credentials, which a small firm may have to hire.
- Worth checking: Security clearances for every worker. Only the prime may send clearance packages, subcontractors cannot, and the Bureau of Prisons will not say why a worker is not cleared.
- Worth checking: Liquidated damages of $1,066.13 per calendar day. Liquidated damages are a daily charge for finishing after the scheduled completion; the minutes set the amount at $1,066.13 per calendar day.
- Worth checking: Specifications and drawings are access-controlled. The specifications and drawings need an active SAM.gov registration and a Marketing Partner Identification Number (MPIN) to open, and they were attached but not read for this brief. Check a SAM.gov registration.
- Minor: The site visit was Jul 21, 2026. Check the notice and its amendments for whether attendance was required, and whether another visit is offered.
- Minor: Davis-Bacon wage rates apply. Davis-Bacon Act wage decision HI20260001 sets the minimum pay for construction trades, and all applicable workers must be paid under it.
Read from the notice and 11 attachments. 2 of 13 not read. Show which files.
- 1 - Instructions for Two-Step Sealed Bidding.pdf (read)
- 2 - Solicitation 15BBNF26B60300001.pdf (read)
- 6 - Step-One Technical Proposal Evaluation.pdf (read)
- Amendment 0004.pdf (read)
- Amendment 0003.pdf (read)
- Amendment 0002.pdf (read)
- Amendment 0001.pdf (read)
- 5 - Step-One Technical Proposal Factors.pdf (read)
- 8 - SF24 Bid Bond Form.pdf (read)
- 9 - Criminal History Check Form.pdf (read)
- 7 - Construction Wage Determination HI20260001 5-27-2026.pdf (read)
- 3 - Specifications Upgrade Fire Detection System.pdf: not read (access is restricted): request it on SAM.gov
- 4 - Drawings Upgrade Fire Detection System.pdf: not read (access is restricted): request it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- Upgrade the fire detection system at FDC Honolulu: furnish all equipment, materials and labor for the complete construction.
- Install the fire alarm devices and panels shown on the fire alarm drawings. The Government points to the drawings for counts of detectors, horn strobes, control panels and annunciators (panels that show where an alarm is).
- Provide engineering drawings stamped by a licensed Professional Engineer (PE). The Engineer of Record and the Bureau of Prisons' authority having jurisdiction (the official who approves fire code compliance) review the design submittal.
- Do the HVAC damper work shown in the Damper-Actuator Schedule on drawings M0.2 and M0.3. Facility operation must be kept going; the FA7 series drawings show HVAC operations.
- Work inside an occupied, secure facility: staff escorts at all times, daily screening, and a tool inventory at the start and end of each shift.
- Finish within 510 calendar days from notice to proceed (the Government's go-ahead). Liquidated damages (a daily charge for late finish) are $1,066.13 per calendar day.
- After award: attend the pre-construction conference and send material submittals within 10 calendar days after work starts. File a Schedule of Values (a breakdown of the contract price) before the first payment request.
- At the end: give the Contracting Officer's Representative 10 working days of written notice before final inspection, and complete contract closeout within six months of physical completion.
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price (FFP) construction contract; one award by two-step sealed bidding (an invitation for bid)
- Period of performance
- 510 calendar days from notice to proceed (Amendment 0001; the original solicitation form said 161 calendar days)
- Place of performance
- Federal Detention Center (FDC) Honolulu, 351 Elliott Street, Honolulu, HI 96819
- Estimated value
- Between $5,000,000 and $10,000,000 (the Government's stated magnitude of the project)
- How they'll choose
- Two-step sealed bidding. Step One: technical proposals are rated Acceptable or Unacceptable on five factors with no relative weights, and all five must be Acceptable. Step Two: award goes to the responsive, responsible bidder with an acceptable Step One proposal and the lowest overall price.
- Offers due
- October 28, 2026, 2:00 PM Central (from the version posted Oct 15, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Further bid instructions will be emailed to the two invited firms (Amendment 0004). Step One proposals went by upload to a JEFS App Box folder.
- Page limits
- Step One, Factor 2: no more than 2 pages per project. No Step Two page limits are given.
What they'll judge offers on
- Factor 1, Technical Approach: (a) Management and Qualification, (b) Technical Solution
- Factor 2, Experience in Relevant Projects
- Factor 3, Material
- Factor 4, Schedule
- Factor 5, Bonding and Insurance Capability: (a) Bonding Capability, (b) Insurance Capability
- Step Two: total price (lowest overall price wins)
What to include when you submit
- Base the Step Two bid on your own Step One technical proposal that was rated Acceptable, and follow the 100% completed specifications and drawings.
- Complete Standard Form 1442 (SF 1442: the solicitation, offer and award form) pages 1, 2, 4 and 46-48, including the UEI, tax ID number and email address, and blocks 14-20c.
- Write the total price on line 17 of the SF 1442. The same amount goes in the unit price (JB, job) and amount blocks of the schedule page.
- Send a bid bond (Standard Form 24: a surety company's guarantee) of at least 20% of the bid price, not more than $3,000,000, with the bid. No bid bond is needed for bids of $150,000 or less.
- Acknowledge every amendment using one of the methods on the Standard Form 30 (SF 30: the amendment form), and certify that your SAM representations and certifications are current.
- Past performance (FAO-0022): give at least 5 references and one bank reference. Their questionnaires go directly to jbergami@bop.gov before the bid closing, and the work must be current or completed in the last 24 months.
- A bid in the name of a joint venture must include the fully executed joint venture agreement. If SBA approval is needed, include evidence that the SBA servicing agency was notified.
- Step One asked for 2 to 5 example projects from the last five years on fire detection in occupied or secure facilities. At least one should show a smoke evacuation system in a high-rise. The Government accepted HVAC control and door-control integration for egress or smoke control in place of smoke evacuation.
After award, you must have
- The winning contractor must obtain all required licensing and permits. From Amendment 0001.pdf:
All required licensing and permits are required to be obtained by…
- Security clearance packages (criminal history check, CJIS name check, pre-employment questionnaire) for every prime and subcontract worker, sent by the prime within 10 calendar days of notice to proceed. From 2 - Solicitation 15BBNF26B60300001.pdf:
…packages will NOT be accepted from sub-contractors.
Current contractor
No incumbent is named. Amendment 0004 limits Step Two to American Alarm Co., Inc. and Elite Pacific Construction, Inc.
Not in the notice text
- The specifications (295 pages) and drawings (126 pages) are attached but not read; they are access-controlled on SAM.gov. The detailed scope, device counts and design rules are in them.
- Step Two bid instructions, plus any updated specifications, drawings and final bid schedule, go by email and amendment to the invited firms and are not in the posted documents.
- The solicitation's contract clauses (Section 4) and part of the wage determination were attached but only partly read.
- The Past Performance Questionnaire and Banking Reference Questionnaire named in FAO-0022 were not among the documents read.
Eligibility and how to respond
- Set aside for small businesses: only a business that counts as small under this notice's NAICS code can bid as the prime contractor. More open small business set-asides under NAICS 238210
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Further bid instructions will be emailed to the two invited firms (Amendment 0004). Step One proposals went by upload to a JEFS App Box folder. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- Construction contracts over $2,000 pay at least the local Davis-Bacon wage rates, from the wage determination in the solicitation. Price your labor from it: How to price a government contract, and how Davis-Bacon differs from the Service Contract Act.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 15, 2026
- Notice type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- Office
- Fao, Grand Prairie, TX
- Product/service code
- Z2FF · Repair or Alteration of Penal Facilities
- Business type
- Construction & renovation (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 238210)
- Versions
7 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 21, 2026 · AmendmentDue Nov 4, 2026 (changed)
- Oct 15, 2026 · Amendment 0004 (this version)Due Oct 28, 2026 (changed)
- Oct 15, 2026 · AmendmentDue Aug 28, 2026 (changed)
- Aug 17, 2026 · AmendmentDue Aug 26, 2026 (changed)
- Aug 5, 2026 · AmendmentDue Aug 19, 2026
- Aug 3, 2026 · AmendmentDue Aug 19, 2026
- Jul 1, 2026 · Combined Synopsis/SolicitationDue Aug 19, 2026
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
- Set-aside contracts explained
Terms on this notice: Solicitation, Set-aside
Full notice text from SAM.gov
10/15/2026 - Amendment 0004 - Invite bidders who submitted acceptable technical proposals in Step-One to submit a bid in Step-Two. Step-Two Bid due date is October 28, 2026, no later than 2:00 pm CST. Only American Alarm Co., Inc. and Elite Pacific Construction, Inc. are allowed to submit bids. Further bid instructions will be e-mailed to these contractors. -- 8/17/2026 - Amendment 0003 - Extend Step-One technical proposals due date to August 26, 2026, no later than 1:00 pm CST. -- 8/5/2026 - Amendment 0002 - Incorporate bidder's question with response. -- 8/3/2026 - Amendment 0001 - Incorporate pre-bid site visit meeting minutes, sign-in sheet, photo, responses to bibbers' questions, increase period of performance. Correct soliciation number on Instructions for Two-Step Sealed Bidding document. -- THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS-SOLICITATION OF PROPOSED CONTRACT ACTION. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) is issuing a Two-Step Invitation for Bid (IFB). The solicitation will result in one (1) firm-fixed-price contract for a project titled Upgrade Fire Detection System at the Federal Detention Center (FDC) located in Honolulu, Hawaii. FDC Honolulu is a federal correctional institution located at 351 Elliott Street, Honolulu, HI 96819. The project consists of furnishing all equipment, materials, and labor for the complete construction to upgrade the fire detection system at the FDC Honolulu. The specification and construction drawings included in the attachments of this solicitation provides the requirements for the project. Site Visit: A site visit is planned for Tuesday, July 21, 2026. The details are in solicitation attachment Instructions for Two-Step Sealed Bidding, pages 3-4. Invitation For Bid (IFB) Evaluation Criteria: This solicitation and resulting contract is using the Two-Step Sealed Bidding procurement method as described in FAR Deviation 14.211. The two-step procedure is a combination of competitive procedures designed to obtain the benefits of sealed bidding while ensuring only technically acceptable firms participate in the priced sealed bid. The process allows for the Step-One technical proposal submission and evaluation to be performed to identify firms eligible for Step-Two. Contractors participating in the solicitation will submit a technical proposal in accordance with the solicitation attachments Instructions for Two-Step Sealed Bidding and Step-One Technical Proposal Factors. Submissions will be evaluated for acceptability in accordance with solicitation attachment Step-One Technical Proposal Evaluation. Under this bidding process, Step-One consists of the request for technical proposal, evaluation, and (if necessary) discussion of a technical proposal. The submission requirements of Step One, Request for Technical Proposal, shall not include any prices or pricing information. Only one (1) technical proposal may be submitted by each offeror. The technical proposals will be evaluated for technical acceptability. A notice of “acceptable” or “unacceptable” will be forwarded to each Step-One offeror upon completion of the technical proposal evaluation and final determination. The names of the offerors that submitted acceptable technical proposals will be listed on the Government’s SAM.gov solicitation posting for the benefit of prospective subcontractors. In Step-Two, an amendment to the solicitation will be issued along with any updates to the technical specifications and construction drawings to only those bidders whose technical proposals are determined to be acceptable in Step-One. The normal sealed bidding process in FAR Part 14 will be followed in Step-Two. Only bids based upon technical proposals determined to be acceptable, either initially or as a result of discussions for Step- One, will be considered for award. Bidders must comply with the 100% completed specifications and construction drawings and the bidder’s acceptable technical proposal. Bid bonds are not required to be submitted with the Step-One technical proposal. Bid bonds will be required to be submitted with the Step-Two bid submission. Payment and Performance Bonds will be required for the full amount (100%) at the time of contract award before the Notice to Proceed (NTP) can be issued. Any secured/locked documents (Specifications and Drawings) with the solicitation will require an active vendor registration at https://SAM.gov as well as your Marketing Partner Identification Number (MPIN) associated with your System for Award Management (SAM) registration. The controlled documents will not be emailed. If you encounter problems accessing these documents, please contact the Federal Service Desk at 866-606-8220. Pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Companion 36.101-3, the estimated magnitude of the project lies between $5,000,000 and $10,000,000. (NOTE: This range is not meant to imply that the project has necessarily been estimated/budgeted to the maximum of the selected range. It merely conveys that the estimate/budget lies somewhere within that range). The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code applicable to this requirement is 238210 with a corresponding small business size standard of $19 million. The solicitation will be distributed solely through the SAM database at https://SAM.gov. Hard copies of the solicitation will not be made available. The website provides download instructions. All future information about this solicitation, including any amendments, will also be distributed solely through this website. Interested parties are responsible for continuously monitoring this website to ensure that they have the most recent information about this proposed contract action. This is a 100 percent small business set-aside. In order to qualify for award, your business size metrics information entered in your SAM registration must be less than or equal to the size standard specified above (see provision 52.219-1 in the Representations & Certifications section of your registration and view the table therein listing NAICS codes and your indicated business size relative to the assigned NAICS code above). Each bidder's SAM registration will be reviewed by the Government to confirm that your business size meets the small business size standard requirement. All bidders are urged to double check their SAM registration and update as necessary, including the size metrics information. This solicitation is intended only for those who would be entering into a Prime contract with the FBOP for the entirety of this project. The FBOP does not award subcontracts. Subcontracts (if applicable/necessary) are the responsibility of the Prime contractor. The FBOP has no privity of the contract with subcontractors. IMPORTANT: Any contractor interested in obtaining a contract award with the FBOP must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://SAM.gov. If you have questions about SAM.gov, Government procurements in general, or need assistance in the preparation of your bid/proposal/offer, a local Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) may be able to help. The Procurement Technical Assistance Program was authorized by Congress in 1985 in an effort to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in the Government marketplace. To locate a PTAC near you, go to http://www.aptac-us.org.
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