Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
GAOA High Sierra Ranger Station Upgrades, Sierra National Forest
Department of Agriculture · Forest Service · Sol. 1240LT26Q0103
Due in 8 daysSmall business
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Some details weren't available to this summary, so it may miss requirements. Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The U.S. Forest Service (Sierra National Forest, High Sierra Ranger District, California) wants a small business to supply and set up prefab buildings: two 590 sq ft barracks (tiny houses), a kitchen/laundry/restroom building and a vault toilet at the High Sierra Ranger Station, a generator shed at the Wishon Work Center, and a pole barn at the Auberry Work Center. It is a total small business set-aside RFQ with a stated price range of $500,000 to $1,000,000. Work runs 6/1/2027 to 11/30/2027, and quotes are due 10/14/2026 at 5:00 p.m. PDT by email.
Watch out for
- Bid bond of 20% required. You must submit a signed SF 24 bid bond for 20% of your price with the quote, which can be hard for a small firm to arrange quickly.
Bid Guarantee (FAR 52.228-1): 20% required if quote is in excess of $150,000.
- Evaluation details not visible. The evaluation and basis-for-award section (page 27 onward) and the site visit/dates page were left out of the text, so weighting and award method could not be confirmed.
- Proposal Evaluation and Basis for Contract Award: Starts on Page 27
- Remote, high-elevation mountain sites. The High Sierra site is about 7,400 ft up with limited road access, wide-load transport permits, no water, sewer or power for crews, and very heavy snow design loads, so logistics and cost risk are high.
Yes. There are camp sites available. No water, sewer or power is available at the sites.
- Design responsibility and thin technical data. Layouts are only suggested, no soil report exists, and you must work from manufacturer recommendations and Government design assumptions to price foundations and structures.
A15: No soil report is available. Design assumption using the following parameters:
- Prefab or kit buildings mandatory. The Government rejected conventional on-site construction, and suppliers of compliant 590 sq ft tiny houses may be hard to find.
Prefabricated structure or kits to be assembled on sight per manufactures recommendations
- Conflicting contract documents. The specifications say multiple prime contracts, but the Q&A says one prime award; also the notice says pit toilet while drawings show a double vault toilet and the answer for toilet requirements (Q24) is blank, and the specs list steel metal-building and sewer/lightning items that the Q&A narrows or removes.
One award will be made for Items 0001-0007. There will not be multiple prime contractors.
- Two different quote email addresses. The SF 1442 says PPS.proposal@usda.gov while the questions section says PPS.proposals@usda.gov, so confirm with the Contract Specialist before sending.
Email quotes to PPS.proposal@usda.gov
- Due date moved three times. Original due date was 9/22/2026, then 9/30/2026, now 10/14/2026; the latest amendment controls, and all three amendments should be acknowledged.
change due date and time from September 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. to October 14, 2026 at 5:00
- Seismic and snow requirements. The site is Seismic Design Category D with a very high ground snow load, which drives foundation and structure cost.
Seismic Design Category: D
Read from the notice and 8 attachments. 4 not read in full.
- C05 Amendment 03 High Sierra.pdf
- C05 Amendment 02 High Sierra Upgrades.pdf
- C05 Amend 02 Attachment 7 - ASCE Design Criteria.pdf
- Amendment 01 High Sierra Upgrades.pdf
- C04 Attachment 3-Specifications HS Upgrades.pdf
- C04 Attachment 1-Solicitation HS Upgrades.pdf
- C04 Attachment 5-Fire Plan HS Upgrades.pdf
- C04 Attachment 4-Drawings HS Upgrades.pdf
- C05 Amend 02 Attachment 2-SOI High Sierra.xlsx: spreadsheet: not read yet
- C04 Attachment 2-SOI High Sierra Upgrades.xlsx: spreadsheet: not read yet
- C05 Amend 02 Attach 6 - DBA WD CA20260018.pdf: too large
- C04 Attachment 6-DBA WD CA20260018 071426.pdf: too large
Full brief
What they want
- Two new prefab/kit barracks (about 590 sq ft each, two bedrooms plus loft, propane wall heater, interior outlets and lights, smoke and CO detectors) at High Sierra Ranger Station
- One prefab kitchen/laundry/restroom building (two toilets, two showers, one sink, two washers, two dryers, stoves, refrigerators, propane tankless water heater, exhaust hoods)
- One double vault (pit) toilet at the High Sierra station
- One 6' x 8' generator shed on the existing concrete pad at Wishon Work Center, with a new 100-amp solar-ready panel
- One 30' x 40' x 14' post-frame pole barn at Auberry Work Center with a 10' x 30' enclosed storage area and two exterior security lights
- Foundations: concrete pads and seismic pier systems for the prefab buildings, site clearing, and lightning protection per NFPA 780
- Submit a preliminary design/layout and product literature for the buildings with the quote
- Utility hookups, septic, solar and existing toilet removal are NOT part of this contract
- Contract type
- Commercial construction RFQ (FAR Part 12 combined synopsis/solicitation); one award covering Schedule of Items 0001-0007; contract type (fixed price vs. unit price) not stated in the readable text
- Period of performance
- 6/1/2027 to 11/30/2027; start work within 10 calendar days of notice to proceed and finish by November 30, 2027
- Place of performance
- High Sierra Ranger Station (Kaiser Pass Rd area, about 7,400 ft elevation), Wishon Work Center, and Auberry Work Center, Sierra National Forest, Fresno County, CA (notice lists Prather, CA)
- Estimated value
- Price range between $500,000 and $1,000,000, as stated in the solicitation
- Offers due
- October 14, 2026, 5:00 p.m. PDT (extended by Amendment 03 from September 30, 2026)
- How to submit
- Email quotes to Contract Specialist Judith Martin at PPS.proposal@usda.gov
- Page limits
- Resumes: no more than 2 pages each; each experience project narrative: no more than 2 pages; overall page limit not visible
What they'll judge offers on
- Factor 1: Technical and Project Management (technical approach; project management and oversight; proposed design/layout)
- Factor 2: Experience (3 to 5 similar projects within the past 5 years)
- Factor 3: Past Performance
- Price (importance and weighting not visible; the evaluation section was left out of the text provided)
What to include when you submit
- Price quote: signed SF 1442 with blocks 14-20c completed
- Complete and submit Attachment 2 Schedule of Items (Excel or PDF) with a price for every line item; missing items may make the quote nonresponsive
- Acknowledge Amendments 01, 02 and 03 (SF 1442 block 19 or signed SF 30s)
- Scanned, fully executed bid guarantee (SF 24 and Power of Attorney)
- Technical: approach (equipment, logistics, crew accommodations, major subcontractors, progress schedule, biobased products)
- Technical: organization chart plus resumes for Project Manager, Site Superintendent, Quality Control Manager and Safety Officer
- Technical: preliminary design/layout of the tiny houses and the kitchen/laundry/showers building with product literature
- Experience: 3 to 5 similar projects with name, location, dates, scope, role, value, customer and reference contact
- Past performance list for the past 5 years with contacts (letters or CPARS optional)
- Number your responses to match the criteria; must be registered in SAM.gov at time of quote
You must have
- Total small business set-aside; NAICS 236220 with a $45 million size standard
This acquisition is a total Small Business set-aside.
- Active SAM.gov registration at the time of quote
All Contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (www.SAM.gov)
- Bid guarantee of 20% (SF 24 bid bond) if the quote is over $150,000; performance and payment bonds clauses also apply
Bid Guarantee (FAR 52.228-1): 20% required if quote is in excess of $150,000.
- Small business limitations on subcontracting apply (you must self-perform the required share of the work)
FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting (NOV 2025)
- Davis-Bacon (construction) wage rates apply; Wage Determination CA20260018 dated 9/03/26 replaces the earlier one
FAR 52.222-6 Construction Wage Rate Requirements (NOV 2025)
- No California contractor license is required to submit a quote
A specific state license is not required to submit a quote.
- Experience: 3 to 5 similar projects in scope, size and geographic area, within the past 5 years
Provide a narrative of at least three (3) but not more than five (5)
Not in the notice text
- Evaluation method, factor order and weights (solicitation pages 27-30 were left out)
- Site visit and quote-due details on solicitation page 29 (a site visit was held 9/10/2026 per Amendment 02)
- Schedule of Items price schedule (Attachment 2 spreadsheet was not read), including item quantities
- Davis-Bacon wage determination CA20260018 (too large to read), so wage rates are unknown
- Middle of the project specifications (about 198,000 characters) and the Buy American and other full-text clauses were left out
- Requirements for the vault toilet (Q24 answer in Amendment 02 is blank)
- Whether a total page limit applies to the quote
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Key facts
- Response due
- Oct 15, 2026, 12:00 AM UTC
- Posted
- Sep 28, 2026
- Notice type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- Solicitation
- 1240LT26Q0103
- Agency
- Department of Agriculture · Forest Service
- Office
- USDA-FS, Csa Intermountain 8
- Set-aside
- Small Business Set Aside - Total
- NAICS
- 236220
- Product/service code
- Y1FZ
- Business type
- Construction & renovation
- Place of performance
- Prather, CA
- Contracting contact
- Judith Martinjudith.martin@usda.gov
- Versions
- 4 (amended since first posted)
Full notice text from SAM.gov
This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial construction prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Part 12. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested, and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation number 1240LT26Q0103 is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for the High Sierra Ranger Station Upgrades on the Sierra National Forest. This project is to provide the following prefab structures: Two new Forest Service Barracks, one kitchen/ laundry room, and one pit toilet at the High Sierra Ranger Station, reconstruction of one generator shed at the Wishon Work Center, and one pole barn at the Auberry Work Center on the High Sierra Ranger District. There is an existing footprint for the generator shed that is to be utilized in its construction. This acquisition is set-aside for small business concerns. The applicable North American Industry Classification System Code is 236220. The small business size standard is $45 Million. This acquisition is a total Small Business set-aside. All responsible sources may submit a quotation which will be considered by the agency. 9/21/26: Amendment 01 posted. Summary - Quote due date has been extended. 9/23/26: Amendment 02 posted. Summary - Contains site visit information, questions and answers, changes to the wage determination, Schedule of Items, and additional Attachments. 9/28/26: Amendment 03 posted. Summary - extends the due date for quotes.
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