Solicitation
Boiler Water Treatment Program
Department of Veterans Affairs · Sol. 36C25227Q0019
Due in 12 days
AI summary Beta
The VA's Great Lakes Acquisition Center wants a contractor to run a boiler water treatment program for 16 low-pressure steam boilers and to monitor and treat one cooling tower at the VA Illiana Health Care System in Danville, Illinois. It is a 100% small business set-aside for one base year plus four option years (Nov 1, 2026 to Oct 31, 2031). Quotes are due October 21, 2026 by email.
Watch out for
- Set-aside shown differently in the notice and the solicitation. The SAM notice header shows no set-aside, but the solicitation says the requirement is 100% set aside for small business, so treat it as small-business only.
This requirement is 100% set-aside for Small Business.
- Incomplete price schedule can knock you out. Every line for the base year and all four options must be priced firm, and added or variable fees can make the whole quote unacceptable.
If the Price Schedule is not completed entirely, or the offeror indicates
- Experience and chemical-supply proof required. You must show 3 years of boiler water treatment work, 3 similar contracts and chemical availability; leaving any out may remove the quote from consideration.
FAILURE TO SUBMIT ANY OF THE REQUIRED INFORMATION IDENTIFIED
- Site visit already held. The site visit was set for October 2, 2026 and the VA says it expects offerors to inspect the campus; nothing in the text says another visit is planned, so ask the Contracting Officer.
It is strongly suggested and expected that the offeror inspect the campus to be
- Cooling tower scope is unclear. The SOW calls for monthly cooling tower service, but the price schedule lines are 2 jobs per year described as cleaning, and the tower is for an emergency generator and drained after every use; ask how to price it.
Monitoring and treatment program for cleaning One (1) cooling
- Due date differs between documents. SF 1449 block 8 shows October 8, 2026, but Amendment 0001 moves the deadline to October 21, 2026, which matches the notice.
HOUR & DATE for Receipt of Offers is EXTENDED to: 10-21-2026 10:00AM CDT
- Service Contract Act wages apply. The SCA clause and a Vermilion County wage determination are included, so labor must be priced at no less than the listed rates plus fringe benefits.
52.222-41 SERVICE CONTRACT LABOR STANDARDS (DEVIATION) NOV 2025
- Veteran-owned firms get a tie-breaker. A non-veteran small business is at a disadvantage if other factors are equal, though subcontracting to a verified SDVOSB or VOSB earns some credit.
The Government will give preference to offers received from VOSBs and additional preference
Read from the notice and 3 attachments.
- Solicitation 36C25227Q0019.pdf
- 36C25227Q0019 0001.pdf
- WD Vermilion County 2015-5021 rev 30 dated 8.22.2026.pdf
Full brief
What they want
- Build and run a testing and chemical treatment program for 16 low-pressure boilers in 6 locations, within set water-chemistry ranges
- Provide the chemicals: scale-inhibiting polymer, sodium bisulfite for oxygen removal, and neutralizing amines
- Monthly service visits, written reports, recommendations, and lab analysis to check field tests
- Train VA operators: test equipment, reagents, feed-rate adjustment, and monthly validation that standards are met
- Monitor and treat one 50-ton cooling tower (Marley Aqua Tower, Building 104 roof) with monthly visits and electronic reports
- Provide all labor, supplies, equipment, reagents, management and supervision
- Work Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM local time, excluding federal holidays
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price, commercial services under Part 12 (RFO), nonpersonal services
- Period of performance
- 1 base year (Nov 1, 2026 to Oct 31, 2027) + 4 one-year options, through Oct 31, 2031
- Place of performance
- VA Illiana Health Care System (Danville VAMC), 1900 East Main Street, Danville, IL 61832-5100
- How they'll choose
- Comparative evaluation, best value: price and other factors considered, and the VA may pick a quote other than the lowest price
- Offers due
- October 21, 2026, 10:00 AM CDT (extended by Amendment 0001 from October 8, 2026)
- How to submit
- Email to Contracting Officer Robert Ruska at Robert.Ruska@va.gov
What they'll judge offers on
- Price (sum of all line items including all options)
- Technical capability
- Past performance
- Veterans involvement (credit for SDVOSB or VOSB primes; some consideration for veteran-owned subcontractors)
What to include when you submit
- Keep pricing out of the technical submission
- Return the whole RFQ signed, with the Price Schedule (pages 11 to 13) fully completed for the base year and all four option years
- Fill in SF 1449 blocks 17a, 30a, 30b and 30c, and item 1(a) on page 2
- Complete the FAR 52.219-1 small business representations (pages 38 to 40)
- Technical quote: a narrative on how you will meet the SOW, including a schedule of when work is done
- Show at least 3 consecutive years of boiler water treatment experience and 3 example contracts of similar size and scope
- Document that you can get the chemicals needed to hold the required water quality
- Name any SDVOSB or VOSB subcontractors with a brief description and approximate dollar value
- Hold prices firm for 60 calendar days; acknowledge Amendment 0001
- VA email limit is 7 MB including attachments; split larger quotes into several emails
- Questions to the Contracting Officer by email; Amendment 0001 extended the question deadline to October 15, 2026, 10:00 AM local
You must have
- Small business set-aside; must meet the size standard for NAICS 325998 (650 employees)
The small business size standard is 650 Employees.
- At least 3 consecutive years of experience providing boiler water treatment services
Offeror must demonstrate, at a minimum, three (3) consecutive years
- Three examples of earlier contracts that together look similar in size and scope
Offeror shall provide at minimum three (3) examples of previous contracts that
- Documentation showing the required chemicals are available to hold the boilers to spec
Offeror must provide documentation demonstrating the availability of required
- VA Financial Services Center payment account and Tungsten Network registration before invoicing
must establish a payment account with the Department of Veteran Affairs Financial Services
- Badging, background checks and fingerprinting coordinated with the COR (work is designated Tier 1 / low risk)
Contractors shall coordinate all badging, background
- Provide face masks and flu vaccines for all employees working at the VA facility (VHA Directive 1192)
including providing face masks and influenza vaccines for all
- Active SAM registration and a UEI (required in every offer)
Not in the notice text
- Estimated contract value or budget
- Who the current boiler water treatment contractor is, if any
- Relative importance of the four evaluation factors (the text lists them but does not rank them)
- Whether another site visit will be held now that the October 2 date has passed
- How the cooling tower line items (2 jobs per year for 'cleaning') fit with the SOW's monthly service
- Chemical quantities and past usage data for the boilers
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Key facts
- Response due
- Oct 21, 2026, 3:00 PM UTC
- Posted
- Oct 7, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Solicitation
- 36C25227Q0019
- Agency
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Office
- 252-Network Contract Office 12 (36C252)
- NAICS
- 325998
- Product/service code
- F103
- Business type
- Manufactured parts & equipment
- Contracting contact
- Robert E RuskaRobert.Ruska@va.gov
- Versions
- 4 (amended since first posted)
Full notice text from SAM.gov
Boiler Treatment Program located at the VA Illiana Health Care System in Danville, IL.
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