Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
USFWS KS Great Plains NC TITLE III ServicesI
Department of the Interior · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
AI summarySolicitation 140FF027R0002 is a two-step buy: send a Standard Form 330 (SF 330, the architect-engineer qualifications form) by November 23, 2026, 12:00 PM EST; only the top-ranked firm is then asked for a price. The Department of the Interior (FWS Contracting Activity) wants an architect-engineer (A-E) firm for construction administration ("Title III") services on the Great Plains Nature Center renovation in Wichita, Kansas. The solicitation text calls it a total small business set-aside for one firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price) contract lasting 300 days. More in the summary
AI summary Beta
Solicitation 140FF027R0002 is a two-step buy: send a Standard Form 330 (SF 330, the architect-engineer qualifications form) by November 23, 2026, 12:00 PM EST; only the top-ranked firm is then asked for a price. The Department of the Interior (FWS Contracting Activity) wants an architect-engineer (A-E) firm for construction administration ("Title III") services on the Great Plains Nature Center renovation in Wichita, Kansas. The solicitation text calls it a total small business set-aside for one firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price) contract lasting 300 days.
Who can bid (5)
- Small business under NAICS 541330 (size standard $25.5 million). The solicitation text says this is a total small business set-aside; offers from other firms are rejected.
- Active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) when you submit the offer and at the time of award
- Key personnel in four disciplines, in-house or through sub-consultants: Cost Engineer/Estimator (Function Code 18), Foundation/Geotechnical Engineer (27), Project Manager (48), Structural Engineer (57). Each needs 10+ years of experience plus the state or professional certification common for the discipline, if applicable.
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- Work supervised by a professional architect or engineer licensed in Kansas, with design work stamped; architects or engineers registered in the relevant field must prepare or review the design
- Specialized experience: two to five projects with the final deliverable 100% complete within 10 years of the synopsis date, matching the five tasks
How to submit: Email to the Contracting Officer at Thomas_ikner@ios.doi.gov. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (13)
From the version posted Oct 23, 2026.
- Serious: Total small business set-aside. Only small businesses can bid, and offers from larger firms are rejected. SAM.gov's set-aside field says not stated, while the solicitation says total small business, so confirm with the Contracting Officer.
- Serious: Two-step selection: price only from the top firm. This notice is for the qualifications step (SF 330 only, no price). Only the most highly qualified firm is asked for labor categories and a full price proposal, so other firms are not asked to price.
- Serious: Four required key personnel with 10+ years each. The firm needs a cost engineer/estimator, foundation/geotechnical engineer, project manager and structural engineer, in-house or through sub-consultants. Missing any of them can make the offer non-compliant.
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- Serious: Kansas-licensed architect or engineer must supervise the work. All work must be under the direct supervision of a professional architect or engineer licensed in Kansas. A firm with no Kansas-licensed professional would need to team with one.
- Worth checking: Question deadline is the same as the response due date. The text gives November 23, 2026, 12:00 PM EST for both questions and the proposal, which leaves no time to use any answers. Ask the Contracting Officer early or confirm the question date.
- Worth checking: Different work periods in different documents. The solicitation estimates work from December 2026 to October 2027, while the Statement of Work says approximately October 2026 to August 2027. Both say 300 days from contract issuance.
- Worth checking: Solicitation number does not match the package list. The notice lists RFP #140FGA26R0032 with 21 pages, but the solicitation form is 140FF027R0002. Check SAM.gov for any separate RFP document before bidding.
- Worth checking: Weekly on-site inspections in Wichita. Field inspections happen about once a week during active construction, plus extra commissioning visits. Travel cost and staff time belong in a fixed price.
- Worth checking: Price proposal due 14 calendar days after the request. The top-ranked firm has fourteen calendar days to send its labor categories and full price. Late responses are handled under FAR 52.215-1.
- Minor: Site visits only on request. Visits to the Great Plains Nature Center are available upon request. No date is set and attendance is not stated as required.
- Minor: Short review turnaround times. Submittal reviews are due in 7 business days, and RFI responses, field reports and meeting minutes in 5 business days. Clocks start when the Government sends the item or the event happens.
- Minor: Some RFI answers at no extra cost. Answers to questions caused by unclear construction documents are not paid extra. Counts are estimates: 25 RFIs and 200 submittals.
- Minor: Insurance amounts not clear. The insurance clause shows two sets of dollar amounts and says the Contracting Officer sets them. Ask which amounts apply before pricing the cost.
Read from the notice and 3 attachments. Show which files.
- Sol_140FF027R0002.pdf (read)
- A04_SOW_Title_III_GPNC_Visitor_Center_10_20.pdf (read)
- A04_Great_Plains_Nature_Center_Drawings.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Task 1: join a teleconference kick-off meeting (the Lead Engineer at minimum) and provide detailed meeting notes
- Task 2: review and answer construction questions (requests for information), estimated at 25, and review submittals, estimated at 200
- Task 2: join construction teleconferences; plan for 44 calls of about 60 minutes each
- Task 3: on-site inspections about once a week during active construction; plan for 14 engineering inspections and 25 construction field inspections, with written reports, photographs and punch lists
- Task 4: fundamental commissioning (testing that building systems work as designed) following ASHRAE Standard 202-2013 and Guideline 0-2013
- Task 5: collect the builder's mark-ups and deliver updated as-built drawings in .dwg and .pdf formats
- Deliver submittal reviews in 7 business days, RFI responses and field trip reports in 5 business days, and updated drawings in 10 business days
- Run a quality assurance / quality control plan (QA/QCP) adapted to this contract, and bill monthly through the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP)
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price (FFP): one set price, whatever the work ends up costing. The Government intends to award one contract.
- Period of performance
- From contract issuance until 300 days, unless modified by the Contracting Officer. The solicitation estimates work from December 2026 to October 2027; the Statement of Work says approximately October 2026 to August 2027.
- Place of performance
- Great Plains Nature Center, 6232 East 29th Street North, Wichita, KS 67220
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Qualifications-based, in two parts. Non-price factors get adjectival ratings (High Confidence, Confidence, Low Confidence). Firms are then ranked Most Highly Qualified, Highly Qualified or Not Qualified. Labor rates and price are negotiated only with the highest qualified firm.
- Offers due
- November 23, 2026, 12:00 PM EST
- How to submit
- Email to the Contracting Officer at Thomas_ikner@ios.doi.gov
- Page limits
- Resumes: 2 pages each, no more than 15 resumes
What they'll judge offers on
- Factor 1, Key Personnel Professional Qualifications (SF 330, Part I, Sections E and G): cost engineer/estimator (Function Code 18), foundation/geotechnical engineer (27), project manager (48), structural engineer (57), plus example projects
- Factor 2, Specialized Experience and Technical Competence, Projects (SF 330, Part I, Section F): 2 to 5 projects covering the five tasks, plus a Section H narrative on the team's ability
What to include when you submit
- Return the SF 330 with all portions listed for the evaluation factors, and an SF 1447 (Standard Form 1447, the solicitation form) acknowledging any amendments
- SF 330 Part I, Section E: one resume for each required position (Function Codes 18, 27, 48 and 57); no more than fifteen resumes
- In Block 13, Role in this Contract, use the same position titles as the solicitation; if one person fills more than one position, say so in Block 13
- In Block 17, give the state and discipline of each person's professional registration
- In Block 19, Relevant Projects, include only projects whose final deliverable was 100% complete within the past ten years of the posting date
- SF 330 Part I, Section F: submit a minimum of two and no more than five projects that address the Description of Work and the five tasks
- SF 330 Part I, Section H: add a narrative, charts or graphs showing how the firm and its team can do the work
- If you cannot meet the due date for reasons outside your control, tell the Contracting Officer as soon as practicable
After award, you must have
- Liability insurance naming the Contractor and the United States as insured; amounts are set by the Contracting Officer, and the insurance certificate must be given to the Contracting Officer before work begins From Sol_140FF027R0002.pdf:
…liability insurance in form satisfactory to the Contracting Officer by an insurance company which is…
Not in the notice text
- The dollar value of this A-E contract is not stated. The only figure given is an estimated construction contract price of $1M - $5M for the renovation project.
- Weights of the two evaluation factors beyond their order of importance are not stated.
- The notice lists a 21-page RFP numbered 140FGA26R0032; no such document was read. The solicitation form is numbered 140FF027R0002, so check SAM.gov for any separate RFP.
- The 31-page drawings file is attached but only partly read (the middle was left out). It holds construction drawings, not bidding rules.
- No site visit date is set; visits are available upon request.
- SAM.gov lists no place of performance and no set-aside; the solicitation text gives Wichita, Kansas and a total small business set-aside.
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside: any business, large or small, can bid unless the notice says otherwise.
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email to the Contracting Officer at Thomas_ikner@ios.doi.gov. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- Architect-engineer services tied to buildings or construction are usually bought under the Brooks Act: the agency ranks firms on qualifications from an SF 330 first, then negotiates a price with the top firm. How A/E contracts work.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 23, 2026
- Notice type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- Office
- FWS Contracting Activity, Falls Church, VA
- Product/service code
- C214 · Architect and Engineering – General: Management Engineering
- Business type
- Engineering, architecture & research (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 541330)
- 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
Terms on this notice: Solicitation
Full notice text from SAM.gov
USFWS_KS_Great Plains Nature Center Rehabilitation_A_A-E Title III Services