Solicitation
Construct North Unit Visitor Center at BADL
Department of the Interior · National Park Service
AI summaryThe National Park Service wants one firm to build a new North Unit Visitor Center at Badlands National Park, South Dakota, under a sealed-bid invitation for bid (IFB): one firm-fixed-price contract, lowest price wins. The response due date is November 3, 2026, 12:00 PM Central Time (an amendment moved it to Nov 3, 2026, 11:00 AM CST · 12:00 PM Eastern), by email. The solicitation says it is a 100% small business set-aside, but SAM.gov shows no set-aside. More in the summary
A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 27, 2026. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 19, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 27, 2026. The due date moved from Nov 3, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov. This summary may miss requirements: 5 of 15 attachments weren't read (Q_A_Final_Responses_10_19_2026_0003.xlsx, Q_A_CO_Responses_(does_not_include_A_E_Technical_Answers)_0002.xlsx and 3 more). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The National Park Service wants one firm to build a new North Unit Visitor Center at Badlands National Park, South Dakota, under a sealed-bid invitation for bid (IFB): one firm-fixed-price contract, lowest price wins. The response due date is November 3, 2026, 12:00 PM Central Time, by email. The solicitation says it is a 100% small business set-aside, but SAM.gov shows no set-aside.
Who can bid (6)
- Small business set-aside: the solicitation says it is set aside for 100% small business under NAICS 236220, whose size standard is $45M. SAM.gov shows no set-aside.
- Active SAM.gov registration, with your UEI entered in block 14 of the SF 1442
- Bid guarantee on SF 24 of at least 20 percent of the bid price, not more than $3M, submitted with the bid
Show all 6Show fewer
- Ability to furnish required performance and payment bonds (bonds that guarantee the work will be finished and subcontractors paid); the clause list includes Performance and Payment Bonds for construction
- Comply with the limitations on subcontracting clause: no more than 85 percent of the amount paid by the Government, excluding materials, may go to firms that are not similarly situated, so the prime firm or similarly situated firms do at least 15 percent. A worksheet goes with the bid.
- Not a firm that helped develop the design or specifications for this project, as prime or subconsultant
How to submit: Email only, to the contracting officer Cole_Johnson@ios.doi.gov and the bid recorder Stephen_Loftus@ios.doi.gov. Mail and fax are not accepted. The bid opening is held virtually.. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (13)
- Serious: Small business set-aside in the solicitation; SAM.gov shows none. Only small businesses can bid per the solicitation, while SAM.gov lists the set-aside as not stated; ask the contracting officer to confirm, and check you meet the $45M size standard for NAICS 236220.
- Serious: Bid guarantee of 20 percent, up to $3M, due with the bid. A bid without a proper guarantee can be rejected, and a scanned bid bond without an identifiable seal and Power of Attorney seal will be found non-responsive.
- Serious: Performance and payment bonds. The bid form says the bidder agrees to furnish any required bonds, and the clause list includes performance and payment bonds for construction; the form's checkboxes for bond requirements couldn't be read, so check the form on SAM.gov.
Show all 13Show fewer
- Worth checking: Different performance times: 730 days, 640 days, 720 days. The solicitation form says 730 days after notice to proceed, the specifications say 640 calendar days, and Addendum No. 01 revises 640 to 720; ask the contracting officer which governs.
- Worth checking: Limitations on subcontracting worksheet required with the bid. You must show in the bid that the prime firm or similarly situated firms will do at least 15 percent of the work excluding materials.
- Worth checking: Email submission must be confirmed. Bids go by email only, and a bid sent without confirmed receipt may be rejected unless the Government can prove it arrived before the opening time.
- Worth checking: Date passed (May 18, 2026): Davis-Bacon wage rule applies. Davis-Bacon (minimum pay rates set by the Department of Labor for construction workers) applies; the posted wage determination is SD20260022 for Jackson County, South Dakota, dated May 18, 2026.
- Worth checking: Unbalanced pricing can get a bid rejected. Prices far below cost on some line items and overstated on others can make a bid non-responsive; alternate prices are not accepted.
- Minor: No alternative designs or terms. You must price the architect-engineer's drawings and specifications as issued; any change to the drawings comes only by amendment.
- Minor: Three option items may or may not be awarded. The Government may award some, none or all options at award, and may exercise the rest later; option prices still count in the price comparison.
- Minor: The site visit was Sep 10, 2026. Check the notice and its amendments for whether attendance was required, and whether another visit is offered.
- Minor: Anticipated award date of November 2, 2026 comes before the response due date. The schedule still lists November 2, 2026 as the anticipated award date and option exercise date, which are earlier than the amended response due date of November 3, 2026; ask the contracting officer for the current schedule.
- Minor: Two email domains for the contracting officer. One line gives the address as ending in ios.gov while the other places use ios.doi.gov; confirm the right address before sending the bid.
Read from the notice and 10 attachments. 5 of 15 not read. Show which files.
- Sol_140PS126B0010_Amd_0003.pdf (read)
- Sol_140PS126B0010_Amd_0002.pdf (read)
- Sol_140PS126B0010_Amd_0001.pdf (read)
- Sol_140PS126B0010.pdf (read)
- Attachment_1_-_Specifications_-_1262.pdf (read)
- BADL_VC_Addendum_No_01_0003.pdf (read)
- Attachment_4_-_Subcontracting_Worksheet.docx (read)
- Attachment_7_-_Geotechnical_Report_-_Cedar_Pass_Visitor_Center_0001.pdf (read)
- Attachment_8_-_Photo_Slides_0001.pdf (read)
- Attachment_3_-_DBA_WD_SD20260022_5_18_2026.pdf (read)
- Q_A_Final_Responses_10_19_2026_0003.xlsx: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
- Q_A_CO_Responses_(does_not_include_A_E_Technical_Answers)_0002.xlsx: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
- Attachment_6_-_Virtual_Site_Visit_Sign-In_Sheet_0001.xlsx: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
- Attachment_5_-_Q_A_Document.xlsx: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
- Attachment_2_-_Drawings_-_134.pdf: not read (it couldn't be opened): open it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- Construct a one-story visitor center with utilities and site improvements including parking and circulation: 16,700 square feet in the specifications, and Addendum No. 01 revises it to 17176 square feet
- Building includes a tall entry atrium, exhibit spaces, gift shop, administrative offices, educational spaces and public restrooms
- Base item 00010: North Unit Visitor Center and associated site work
- Option line items the Government may or may not award: Option 1 East Shade Structure, Option 2 West Shade Structure, Option 3 Concrete Monument Sign at East Entry Drive
- Finish within 730 days after notice to proceed (the form to start work); the specifications say 640 calendar days and Addendum No. 01 changes that to 720
- Build exactly to the architect-engineer's construction documents: alternative materials and designs are not considered
- Provide a bid guarantee, and a limitations on subcontracting worksheet showing the prime firm or similarly situated firms will do at least 15 percent of the work, not counting materials
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price, sealed bid (invitation for bid). One contract to one contractor.
- Period of performance
- 730 days after notice to proceed in the solicitation form (listed as November 2, 2026 to November 1, 2028); specifications say 640 calendar days, and Addendum No. 01 revises that to 720 calendar days
- Place of performance
- Badlands National Park, Jackson County, South Dakota (project location 25216 SD-240, Interior, SD 57750). SAM.gov leaves place of performance blank.
- Estimated value
- $10M to $20M (the Government's estimated project magnitude of construction)
- How they'll choose
- Lowest price among bids that conform to the solicitation, from a firm found responsible (able to do the work). Option prices are added to the base price for evaluation.
- Offers due
- November 3, 2026, 12:00 PM Central Time (from the version posted Oct 19, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Email only, to the contracting officer Cole_Johnson@ios.doi.gov and the bid recorder Stephen_Loftus@ios.doi.gov. Mail and fax are not accepted. The bid opening is held virtually.
- Page limits
- Each email with all its attachments must stay under 25MB; bids are 8 1/2 x 11 inch pages, with fold-outs for charts, tables or diagrams no larger than 11 x 17 inches
What they'll judge offers on
- Price (the lump sum total on the SF 1442 form, with the Section B bid schedule breakdown)
- Conformance to the solicitation (bids with alternative terms or alternate prices are not accepted)
- Responsibility of the lowest bidder
What to include when you submit
- Send one electronic PDF titled BID PACKAGE; no hard copies
- Email subject line: Bid Submission for 140PS126B0010 – Construct North Unit Visitor Center – email 1 of X
- Complete Standard Form 1442 (SF 1442, the construction solicitation and offer form), blocks 14 through 20, with your SAM-registered UEI (unique entity ID) in block 14
- Put the lump sum total price in block 17 of the SF 1442 and the price breakdown in the Section B bid schedule; the two totals must match; round prices to the nearest dollar
- Acknowledge every amendment in block 19 of the SF 1442, with a statement, or by signing each amendment
- Include a bid guarantee on Standard Form 24 (SF 24), at least 20 percent of the bid price and no more than $3M, with an identifiable seal and Power of Attorney seal on any scanned bid bond
- Include the completed Limitations on Subcontracting worksheet (your own template or the one provided)
- Include original signatures of people authorized to sign for the company; electronic copies of the originals are acceptable
- Confirm by email that the Government received your bid; a bid sent without confirmed receipt may be rejected
- Password protecting the bid is recommended; send the password to the contracting officer and the bid recorder
Not in the notice text
- Part of the documents were not fully read: the drawings (too large), the question-and-answer spreadsheets (Q_A_Final_Responses_10_19_2026_0003.xlsx, Q_A_CO_Responses_(does_not_include_A_E_Technical_Answers)_0002.xlsx, Attachment_5_-_Q_A_Document.xlsx) and the site visit sign-in sheet are attached but not read, and the middle of the solicitation, specifications, addendum and geotechnical report was cut off. Check them on SAM.gov.
- The final question-and-answer responses may change requirements; they are attached but not read.
- The Section B bid schedule with its line items and any quantities is not shown in the text read.
- Whether the bid opening call-in details changed with the new response due date is not stated; the call-in details given are for October 15, 2026.
- The bond amounts and whether performance and payment bonds are required for sure: the form's yes/no boxes couldn't be read; check the SF 1442 on SAM.gov.
- The addendum's own wording could not be fully checked; confirm the 720-day and 17176-square-foot changes on SAM.gov.
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 only, to the contracting officer Cole_Johnson@ios.doi.gov and the bid recorder Stephen_Loftus@ios.doi.gov. Mail and fax are not accepted. The bid opening is held virtually. 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.
- Construction contracts over $2,000 pay at least the local Davis-Bacon wage rates, from the wage determination in the solicitation. Price your labor from it: How to price a government contract, and how Davis-Bacon differs from the Service Contract Act.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 19, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- DOI, NPS Conops Strategic, Washington, DC
- Product/service code
- Y1AZ · Construction of Other Administrative Facilities and Service Buildings
- Business type
- Construction & renovation (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 236220)
- Versions
5 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 27, 2026 · Amendment 0004Due Nov 3, 2026
- Oct 19, 2026 · Amendment 0003 (this version)Due Nov 3, 2026 (changed)
- Oct 7, 2026 · Amendment 0002Due Oct 29, 2026 (changed)
- Sep 10, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Oct 15, 2026
- Sep 2, 2026 · SolicitationDue Oct 15, 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 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
Construct North Unit Visitor Center at BADL
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