Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
541 Electrical Power Distribution Equipment Testing, Inspection, and Maintenance - VAMC Cleveland
Department of Veterans Affairs · Sol. 36C25027Q0014
Due in 13 daysSmall business
Track this notice by email. We'll email you if it's amended or awarded, and a week and two days before responses are due.
AI summary Beta
The VA Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio wants a contractor to test, inspect and maintain its electrical power distribution equipment (substations, transformers, circuit breakers, relays, batteries). It is a 100% small business set-aside for one base year starting November 1, 2026, plus four option years. Quotes are due by email on October 23, 2026.
Watch out for
- Conflicting due dates. One attachment gives a response date of October 19, 2026 while the notice, the solicitation text and the submission instructions say October 23, 2026, so confirm the real deadline with the contracting officer.
10-19-2026 15:00 EASTERN TIME, NEW YORK, USA
- Site visit expected before bidding. Bidders are told to visit the hospital and inspect the equipment themselves, and the equipment is taken as-is with no claims for pre-existing problems; no visit date is given.
Prior to bidding, it shall be the responsibility of the bidder to visit Cleveland VAMC and inspect the equipment listed within this SOW
- Specialized, high-voltage work. The job covers medium-voltage switchgear, oil-filled transformers and about 24 substations, which needs NETA-certified technicians and expensive test gear that many small electrical firms do not have.
Test Ground resistance for the main MV room and all 24 substations throughout the facility.
- Contractor pays for utility services during outage test. The 4-hour hospital-wide power outage test (listed for 2029) requires you to price the local utility company's services, which is a cost that is hard to estimate now.
include in their bid proposal all costs associated with the services of the local utility company
- Repairs need separate approval. Any repair beyond basic fixes needs a cost estimate and a contract modification first, and repair parts must be quoted at a discounted GSA rate, so extra repair work is not guaranteed or priced up front.
No repairs or work outside the scope of this contract shall be performed prior to CO approval and fund allocation.
- Inconsistent schedule and report deadlines. The SOW says reports are due within 7 days of completion, the deliverables table says 14 days or more than 30 days, and some text mentions monthly inspections while the task list is annual or tri-annual, so ask for clarification before pricing.
Submit four (4) hard copies of the complete written report and emailed report to VA Contracting Officer Representative (COR) within seven (7) calendar days of visit.
- No on-site parking and limited work hours. Staff must find street parking, and work needing a power interruption is limited to set hours (weekday evenings or weekends), which adds cost and scheduling effort.
Onsite parking is not available, and all contractor personnel will be required to obtain street side parking.
Read from the notice and 2 attachments.
- 36C25027Q0014.docx
- Description 10082026.docx
Full brief
What they want
- Tri-annual (every 3 years per the schedule) testing, cleaning and maintenance of substations, transformers, switchgear and circuit breakers (400 amps and up) on the equipment lists in the SOW
- Annual ground resistance testing of the main medium-voltage room and all 24 substations (July)
- Annual infrared (thermal) scan of electrical equipment with a report and repair of hot spots (July)
- Medium-voltage relay testing and annual testing of substation control power batteries (January to May)
- Annual transformer oil sampling and lab tests (April to June)
- Be present as the expert for a 4-hour power outage test of the Essential Electrical System (listed for 2029; 8 to 12 hours of involvement, on a weekend)
- Deliver written test reports, a site-specific safety plan and a contract manager, with quarterly meetings with the VA
- Contract type
- Commercial services quote (RFQ) with one job-priced line for the base year and each option year; the notice does not name a contract type beyond that
- Period of performance
- 1 base year (11-01-2026 to 10-31-2027) + 4 option years (through 10-31-2031)
- Place of performance
- Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, 10701 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio
- How they'll choose
- Comparative evaluation of quotes; the government can pick a higher-priced quote if the extra technical merit and/or past performance is worth it
- Offers due
- October 23, 2026 at 3pm (ET) / 1500 (note: one attachment says 10-19-2026 15:00 Eastern; see red flags)
- How to submit
- Email to the Contract Specialist, Christopher A. Callihan, christopher.callihan@va.gov
What they'll judge offers on
- Technical Capabilities (with past performance, together more important than price)
- Price (options are evaluated at time of award)
What to include when you submit
- Give a price for each line item and a grand total
- Include references for the 5 years of experience: names, addresses and phone numbers of companies and key personnel to contact
- Include a statement that the solicitation terms are acceptable without change, or list any exceptions with reasons
- Complete your annual representations and certifications in SAM.gov
- Send questions in writing by email by October 16, 2026 at 3pm (ET)
- Hold your prices firm for 60 calendar days after the due date
- Follow the solicitation format; the notice says not following it makes the quote non-responsive
You must have
- 100% small business set-aside (NAICS 238210, size standard $19 million)
This solicitation is set-aside for: 100% Small Business
- Technicians certified by NETA (or an equivalent certifying body) and with OSHA 10-hour construction safety training
Contractors shall be certified by the International Electrical Testing Association (NETA) or equivalent certifying organization as Certified Technicians
- At least 5 years of recent experience maintaining similar power distribution equipment, with references
Contractor shall have a minimum of five (5) years within the last seven (7) years of successful experience
- Properly trained and licensed permanent electrical staff; electrical contracting must be the company's main specialty
Contractors shall be experienced Electrical Contractors, having properly trained and licensed permanent staff required to perform the proposed work.
- Electrical safety training (OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S and NFPA 70E qualified person), with certificates given to the VA before work starts
- Own test equipment and protective gear with current calibration, and access to the NETA, NFPA 70B and VHA reference standards
- Active SAM.gov registration with current representations and certifications
Offerors must complete annual representations and certifications electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) website located at https://sam.gov/
- Contractor staff may need a basic background investigation, and a site-specific safety plan approved by the VA safety department
Contractor employees providing services at VA facilities may undergo a security clearance in the form of a basic background investigation.
Not in the notice text
- Whether the government has an estimated value or budget for the work
- Whether a site visit is scheduled or only self-arranged, and with whom
- Which due date is correct (October 19 or October 23, 2026)
- What the quote must contain for the technical evaluation (no page limit or format is given)
- Whether a Service Contract Labor Standards wage determination applies (the clause is listed but no wage rates appear in the text)
- Who the current contractor is and what they charge
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Key facts
- Response due
- Oct 23, 2026, 7:00 PM UTC
- Posted
- Oct 9, 2026
- Notice type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- Solicitation
- 36C25027Q0014
- Agency
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Office
- 250-Network Contract Office 10 (36C250)
- Set-aside
- Small Business Set Aside - Total
- NAICS
- 238210
- Product/service code
- J061
- Business type
- Construction & renovation
- Place of performance
- OH, 44106
- Contracting contact
- Christopher A. Callihanchristopher.callihan@va.gov216-707-7736
- Versions
- 2 (amended since first posted)
What similar contracts paid
48 contracts at this agency under the same NAICS code, in the same state, had activity in the last 5 years, according to USAspending.gov. Small businesses won 91% of the dollars in this market over the last 3 fiscal years.
Typical contract$75.8KMiddle half: $19.2K to $253K
Typical per year$75.6KValue divided by years of performance
Before you respond
Full notice text from SAM.gov
Page 1 of Page 1 of Page 1 of Page 1 of Description
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