Presolicitation
Solid Waste Disposal Services Salem VAMC
Department of Veterans Affairs
AI summaryThe VA's Salem Medical Center in Virginia wants a contractor to lease dumpsters and compactors and haul away its solid waste and recyclables on a recurring schedule. The base year starts 12-10-2026, with four one-year options (up to five years total). Despite SAM.gov listing no set-aside, the instructions require quoters to be verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses. More in the summary
Advance notice of a coming solicitation, not a bid yet. If it asks for capability statements, sending one is free and puts you on Department of Veterans Affairs's list before the solicitation is posted. See the contact
A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 27, 2026. It moves the due date from Oct 22, 2026 to Nov 2, 2026, which is the date shown on this page. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 7, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 27, 2026. The due date moved from Oct 22, 2026 to Nov 2, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov.
The VA's Salem Medical Center in Virginia wants a contractor to lease dumpsters and compactors and haul away its solid waste and recyclables on a recurring schedule. The base year starts 12-10-2026, with four one-year options (up to five years total). Despite SAM.gov listing no set-aside, the instructions require quoters to be verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses.
Who can bid (8)
- Must be a verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) listed in the SBA certification database at the time of quote
- Submit a signed VAAR 852.219-75 certificate; services contract means no more than 50% of the amount paid by the Government may go to firms that are not certified SDVOSBs or VOSBs
- Active, current SAM registration
Show all 8Show fewer
- Insurance: general liability $500,000 per occurrence; auto liability $200,000 per person, $500,000 per occurrence and $20,000 property damage; workers' compensation as required
- Before award, show evidence of general liability insurance with no asbestos exclusion
- Contractor staff must pass a background check at the Special Agency Check level and obtain a VA badge
- Required permits and licenses for vehicles, operators and waste hauling, shown to VA on request, and certified compliant disposal facilities
- Register for VA's Tungsten e-invoicing system by award
How to submit: Email to Kristine Woodbury at kristine.woodbury@va.gov, due 10:00 AM Eastern, October 22, 2026. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (8)
- Serious: SDVOSB-only despite no set-aside on SAM.gov. SAM.gov lists no set-aside, but the instructions say only verified SDVOSBs may quote, so a non-SDVOSB small business would likely be ineligible; confirm with the contracting officer.
- Serious: Limit on subcontracting. No more than 50% of the amount paid by the Government may go to firms that are not certified SDVOSBs or VOSBs, which limits how much you can hand to a non-veteran partner.
- Worth checking: The site visit was Oct 13, 2026. Check the notice and its amendments for whether attendance was required, and whether another visit is offered.
Show all 8Show fewer
- Worth checking: On-site representative cannot be subcontracted. Your own employee must oversee the work and do the waste assessments, which adds staffing cost.
- Worth checking: 8-hour emergency response and deductions for missed pick-ups. You need a 24-hour contact and backup trucks; the VA can deduct its costs from your pay if you miss a pick-up.
- Worth checking: Unclear pricing of disposal fees and extra pick-ups. The monthly report lists landfill disposal charges and weights, but the price schedule has only flat yearly lease and monthly service lines, and unscheduled pick-ups above 10% of price lead to a contract change, so build in risk for disposal costs.
- Minor: Background checks and badging. Every worker needs photo ID and a VA badge, and is subject to a Special Agency Check, which can delay start of service.
- Minor: Document inconsistencies. The solicitation names the contracting officer as Natasha Leahy but the QASP lists Kristine Woodbury as CO, the quality plan item numbers in Attachment A do not match the price schedule, and the point of contact is TBD, so ask for clarification before pricing.
Read from the notice and 3 attachments. Show which files.
- 36C24627Q0046_1.docx (read)
- QASP.docx (read)
- P07 Wage Determination Salem VA 8.22.26.txt (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Lease and deliver containers: 30-yard bins (Bldg 77, 30, and two at 143), a 20-yard bin (Bldg 75) and a 20-yard bin with doghouse (Bldg 75)
- Empty VA-owned containers on a schedule: about 120 pick-ups a month of 19 eight-yard bins, plus 30-, 40-, 20- and 2-yard bins and compactors
- Provide an on-site representative who does an initial waste assessment and quarterly assessments (this cannot be given to a subcontractor)
- Keep containers clean, fire-retardant, labeled and in good repair; steam-clean contractor-owned compactor containers monthly
- Give a weight ticket for each pick-up, a monthly spreadsheet report and a quarterly waste-generation report to the COR (VA's on-site contract representative)
- Pick up Monday to Friday mornings and respond to emergency calls within 8 hours
- Handle standard trash, construction debris, mixed recyclables, mattresses and landscaping debris; no regulated medical, radioactive, hazardous or sewage waste
- Hold the permits and use disposal facilities that comply with federal, state and local law
- Contract type
- Commercial services RFQ; priced per unit (yearly container leases and monthly pick-up services); exact contract type such as firm-fixed-price is not stated
- Period of performance
- Base year 12-10-2026 to 12-09-2027, plus four one-year options (through 12-09-2031); total duration including any extension cannot exceed five years
- Place of performance
- Salem VA Medical Center, 1970 Roanoke Blvd, Salem, VA 24153
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Best value; the total price of all options is added to the base price. Three factors: Technical/Management Approach, Past Performance and Price. Relative importance of the factors is not stated.
- Offers due
- 10:00 AM Eastern, October 22, 2026 (from the version posted Oct 7, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Email to Kristine Woodbury at kristine.woodbury@va.gov
- Page limits
- Technical volume limited to 25 pages (12-point font minimum, half-inch margins); only the first 25 pages are considered
What they'll judge offers on
- Technical/Management Approach (technical and management plan, capability to perform, staffing plan with named on-site personnel)
- Past Performance (recent and relevant work in the last 3 years)
- Price (total price including options, checked for reasonableness)
What to include when you submit
- Organize the quote in sections: A (signed SF 1449 with NAICS code and size standard in Block 10, and your UEI), B (pricing per the schedule), C (representations and certifications), D (technical/management approach), E (past performance)
- Submit a completed and signed copy of VAAR 852.219-75 (limitations on subcontracting certificate)
- Be registered and current in SAM at the time of the quote
- Technical section must address the full PWS, identify any subcontractors, and include a staffing plan with names and contact info and the start-up time needed after award
- Give three past performance references of similar scope from the last three years, with company, services, contact name, phone, email, dates, contract type and value
- Site visit: Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 10:00 AM ET at Salem VAMC Building 77, ground floor room 8; RSVP by October 12, 2026, 4:00 PM ET to Kristine.woodbury@va.gov with visitor and company name
- Technical questions in writing by email to the contract specialist by 10:00 AM EST on Thursday, October 15, 2026, with subject line Solid Waste Removal 36C24627Q0046; phone questions will not be answered
- Acknowledge any amendments on the solicitation form
Not in the notice text
- Who the current waste hauler is, if any (no incumbent is named)
- Estimated contract value (the $47 Million on the form is the NAICS size standard, not a contract value)
- Relative importance of the three evaluation factors
- Whether landfill or disposal fees are meant to be included in the unit prices
- Who the technical point of contact (POC) is; listed as TBD
- Exact time zone treatment: instructions say EST while the form says EDT for the 10:00 AM deadline
Eligibility and how to respond
- Only service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) certified through SBA's VetCert can bid as the prime contractor. Not certified through VetCert yet? Apply on VetCert (SBA), or start with the SDVOSB guide. More open service-disabled veteran-owned set-asides under NAICS 562111
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email to Kristine Woodbury at kristine.woodbury@va.gov. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- SAM.gov has no description for this notice beyond its title. The work is described in its attachments, listed under Notice details.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 7, 2026
- Notice type
- Presolicitation
- Office
- 246-Network Contracting Office 6 (36C246), Hampton, VA
- Product/service code
- S205 · Housekeeping – Trash/Garbage Collection
- Business type
- Environmental & natural resources (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 562111)
- Versions
5 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 27, 2026 · Amendment 0002Due Nov 2, 2026 (changed)
- Oct 21, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Oct 29, 2026 (changed)
- Oct 7, 2026 · SolicitationDue Oct 22, 2026
- Oct 7, 2026 · Amendment 0001Date Oct 22, 2026
- Oct 7, 2026 · Presolicitation (this version)Date Oct 22, 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 read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
- Open SDVOSB set-aside contracts
- SDVOSB and veteran-owned contracts
Terms on this notice: Solicitation, SDVOSB (service-disabled veteran-owned small business), Set-aside
Full notice text from SAM.gov
Solid Waste Disposal Services
Similar open opportunities
- Solid Waste Removal ServicesThe Indian Health Service wants a contractor to collect and dispose of solid waste and recycling at the Yakama Indian Health Center and its Annex in Toppenish, Washington.
- Waste Management and Recycling ServicesOnly certified service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB) listed in the Small Business Administration (SBA) certification database can bid.
- General Waste & Recycling Removal Services - Detroit PoP 04/01/2027-03/31/2032The VA's Network Contracting Office 10 wants one contractor to haul away and dispose of general trash, cardboard, bulk/construction debris and scrap metal at the John D. Dingell…
- Waste Management Services
- Hazardous & Universal Waste Disposal ServiceOnly Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) verified in the SBA's certification system can bid.