Solicitation
Enhanced Use Leasing Project Edwards Air Force Base
Department of Defense · Department of the Air Force
AI summaryPhase I proposals (request for lease proposal, RFLP, AFCEC-27-R-0001) are due January 4, 2027, 5:00 PM Central; only firms selected as Potential Lessees enter Phase II lease negotiations. The Air Force wants developers to lease about 215 acres at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and build market-facing mixed-use projects such as housing, medical facilities and retail. This is an enhanced use lease (EUL): you pay the Air Force rent and carry the financing and risk. Bidders must email their intent to propose by November 30, 2026. More in the summary
A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 26, 2026. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 22, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 26, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov.
Phase I proposals (request for lease proposal, RFLP, AFCEC-27-R-0001) are due January 4, 2027, 5:00 PM Central; only firms selected as Potential Lessees enter Phase II lease negotiations. The Air Force wants developers to lease about 215 acres at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and build market-facing mixed-use projects such as housing, medical facilities and retail. This is an enhanced use lease (EUL): you pay the Air Force rent and carry the financing and risk. Bidders must email their intent to propose by November 30, 2026.
Who can bid (5)
- No set-aside: open to any entity able to sign a long-term lease, finance the project and meet the RFLP terms. Small businesses are encouraged but get no evaluation credit
- Team must not include the Government's real estate support contractors EMAX, MC Fuhrman and Associates, Alvarez and Marsal, Jones Lang LaSalle, MWH Americas or FPS Advisory Group, or their team members and subcontractors
- Letter of interest from a bonding institution for payment and performance bonds covering the full project, or an alternative that protects the Government better
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- Evidence of enough funds or financing, with no Air Force help, matching the pro forma's sources and uses
- Not disqualified for security reasons; an offeror with a significant interest held by the government of a terrorist country is disqualified unless the Secretary of Defense approves
How to submit: Email your intent to afcec.EUL@us.af.mil by November 30, 2026; the Government then sends instructions to upload the proposal to a secure site. Word or PDF; no hard copies.. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (15)
- Serious: Two-phase selection: Phase I proposals, Phase II negotiation. Phase I proposals are due January 4, 2027, 5:00 PM Central. Phase II lease negotiations are only with the Potential Lessee or Lessees selected, and a selection does not guarantee a lease.
- Serious: Intent email due November 30, 2026. Bidders send an email by this date to afcec.EUL@us.af.mil, and the Government then sends the secure upload instructions; a business that skips it may not get them.
- Serious: Bidder carries all financing and risk. This is a real estate development lease: you fund and build everything, and the Air Force gives no loans, guarantees, utilities or promised occupancy or rent income.
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- Serious: Environmental studies at bidder's cost before lease signing. No environmental baseline survey has been completed per Appendix A, and the bidder must finish NEPA review (an environmental assessment or impact statement), tribal consultation and a cultural resources survey before a lease.
- Serious: Government support contractors barred from teams. Any team that includes the named real estate support firms, or their team members, has its proposal rejected, and the cover page certifies no tie to them for ten years after selection.
- Worth checking: Extra costs: $200,000 payment, bonds, demolition reserve, taxes. On top of rent, the lessee pays $200,000 at lease signing, posts bonds before each construction phase, funds a demolition reserve and pays property taxes and all utilities.
- Worth checking: Lease-signing payment given as $200,000 and as $250,000. The RFLP says $200,000, while the term sheet says a cost estimated not to exceed "Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00)"; ask the Government which amount applies.
- Worth checking: Term sheet does not match this project. Appendix G permits use only for an AI data center, mentions a golf club house, a Florida license and a lease term of "longer than 5 years", and places the project inside the fence line; the RFLP says mixed use, up to 50 years and outside the security gate.
- Worth checking: Environmental survey status stated two ways. The RFLP says an environmental baseline survey (EBS) is available on request, the term sheet says a Government-certified supplement was provided, and Appendix A says none has been completed.
- Worth checking: Known contamination site on the northern parcel. Cleanup site 280 sits in the northwest corner of one parcel; the Air Force prefers to avoid it, and any development there means the developer takes on the cleanup.
- Worth checking: Housing cannot compete with military housing privatization. Residential use that competes with the base's Military Housing Privatization Initiative is prohibited, and the Air Force will not lease housing units back or support housing in any way.
- Worth checking: 40-page limit enforced. Pages beyond the limit are not read, so the narrative must fit; the pro forma goes in a separate Excel file and is required.
- Worth checking: Government can cancel the RFLP or revoke the lease. The Air Force may cancel and reject all proposals, a Congressional notification must clear before signing, and the lease may be revoked at any time unless the Government decides otherwise.
- Worth checking: Industry forum dates are written as 2027. The summary gives an industry forum on 19 November 2027 and registration by 12 November 2027, later than the January 4, 2027 response due date; confirm the year with the Government.
- Minor: Two email addresses for the EUL mailbox. Section 4.3 uses afcec.EUL@us.af.mil, while section 7.2 gives afcec.EUL@af.mil; use both or ask which is correct.
Read from the notice and 10 attachments. Show which files.
- Tab 1 - AFCEC Edwards Mixed-Use EUL RFLP (AFCEC-27-R-0001).pdf (read)
- Edwards EUL sam gov Summary 10 22 26.pdf (read)
- Tab 9 - Edwards RFLP Appendix H Offerors Authority and Housing Policy Acknowledgement GCN.pdf (read)
- Tab 8 - Edwards RFLP Appendix G_ RFLP No. AFCEC-27-R-0001.pdf (read)
- Tab 7 - Edwards RFLP Appendix F_ RFLP No. AFCEC-27-R-0001.pdf (read)
- Tab 6 - Edwards RFLP Appendix E_ RFLP No. AFCEC-27-R-0001.pdf (read)
- Tab 5 - Edwards RFLP Appendix D_ RFLP No. AFCEC-27-R-0001.pdf (read)
- Tab 4 - Edwards RFLP Appendix C_ RFLP No. AFCEC-27-R-0001.pdf (read)
- Tab 3 - Edwards RFLP Appendix B_ RFLP No. AFCEC-27-R-0001.pdf (read)
- Tab 2 - Edwards RFLP Appendix A_ Depiction of the Property and Map.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Propose a market-facing mixed-use project on two parcels totaling about 215 acres at Edwards AFB: housing for military families, single members, civilians and defense contractors, medical facilities, and commercial or retail space
- Finance, permit, build, own, maintain and run the project with no Air Force money, utilities, loans, guarantees or promised occupancy
- Pay cash rent (ground rent, participation rent as a share of top-line revenue, or both); offers are compared on net present value
- Pay a one-time $200,000 cash amount at lease signing to cover the Government's costs of the lease deal, separate from the rent
- Complete the environmental baseline survey and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review at your own cost before the lease is signed
- Give payment and performance bonds before each construction phase and keep a demolition reserve account to remove improvements and restore the land at lease end
- Arrange your own utilities, fire and police services, insurance and property taxes
- Submit an integrated project schedule (Gantt chart), a full Excel financial pro forma, and proof of financing and bonding capacity
- Contract type
- Long-term ground lease of Government land under 10 U.S.C. 2667 (a non-FAR real estate transaction, not a contract for services)
- Period of performance
- Lease term is proposed by the bidder; the RFLP says no more than 50 years unless a longer term is justified and the Government agrees
- Place of performance
- Edwards Air Force Base, Kern County, California: Site 1 (about 140 acres) and Site 2 (about 75 acres), outside the security access gate near West Rosamond Blvd and Division St
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Two-phase best value. Phase I ranks all proposals on four factors, scored by color ratings; Phase II is lease negotiation with the selected Potential Lessee
- Offers due
- January 4, 2027, 5:00 PM Central (from the version posted Oct 22, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Email your intent to afcec.EUL@us.af.mil by November 30, 2026; the Government then sends instructions to upload the proposal to a secure site. Word or PDF; no hard copies.
- Page limits
- 40 total pages (single side, 8.5 x 11 inch, standard font) in Word, or a PDF not over 10 megabytes. Drawings, cost estimates, mandatory clauses, legal documents, resumes, financial statements, pro formas, engineering calculations, catalog cuts and specifications do not count. The financial pro forma is a stand-alone Excel file.
What they'll judge offers on
- Factor 1 Project Description: (1.1) project concept, market analysis and feasibility, (1.2) project development, construction and operations
- Factor 2 Return to the Government: (2.1) proposed rent and other consideration, (2.2) financial pro forma
- Factor 3 Organization, Experience and Capability: (3.1) organization and experience, (3.2) financial capability
- Factor 4 Integrated Project Plan and Schedule
- Factors 1 and 2 are equally important and more important than Factors 3 and 4, which are equal; subfactors are equal
What to include when you submit
- Organize the proposal as Section A Factor 1, Section B Factor 2, Section C Factor 3 and Section D Factor 4, following Table 1 of the RFLP
- Sign and include the Offeror's Cover Page (Appendix D), including the conflict of interest certification; an officer must sign for a corporation, with a corporate certificate or resolution showing authority
- If an attorney or agent signs, include two authenticated copies of the power of attorney or other proof of authority
- Sign and include the Offeror's Authority and Housing Policy Acknowledgment (Appendix H) and a statement acknowledging the Mandatory Clauses (Appendix B)
- Market study with sourced data showing demand, competing services, target consumption and a marketing strategy, with all data sources attached as appendices
- Development plan with conceptual site, utility and environmental plans, milestone schedule, quality control, community impact, maintenance, emergency services and security plans
- Excel financial pro forma with an assumptions worksheet, monthly construction budget, sources and uses, annual cash flow for every lease year, and a consideration worksheet, all linked by formulas
- Justify the lease term in the pro forma, and give the Government copies of the underlying contracts if you propose more than 50 years
- Describe your organization, team members' roles and contracts, key people and legal counsel, and up to five recent, similar projects with financing, design, construction, cost, schedule and results
- Give the required disclosures: foreign ownership, restructurings, lender actions, lease faults with the Government, fraud judgments in the past ten years, ongoing disputes and criminal matters
- Include a letter of interest for payment and performance bonding for the full project amount, and a lender letter or proof of equity or other funds that matches the sources and uses tab
- Provide up to three examples of past financing for similar projects, and financial statements for the most recent two years with notes, audited or CPA-reviewed, or an individual's IRS filings if none exist
- Provide a notional integrated project schedule as a Gantt chart with milestones, dependencies and the critical path
- Mark any restricted data with the title page and page legends in section 4.2; marking nearly every page may lead to rejection
- Send questions on the Pre-Offer Inquiry (POI) form (Appendix F) to David Mairs, with a copy to the official EUL mailbox
After award, you must have
- All financing in place on or before the date the lease is signed From Tab 1 - AFCEC Edwards Mixed-Use EUL RFLP (AFCEC-27-R-0001).pdf:
…requires that all financing be in place on or before the date of Lease execution.
- Payment and performance bonds delivered before each phase of construction From Tab 1 - AFCEC Edwards Mixed-Use EUL RFLP (AFCEC-27-R-0001).pdf:
Prior to the commencement of any phase of construction, the Potential Lessee shall deliver to the…
- Insurance kept in force for the lease term per Appendix C: property, general liability, auto, workers' compensation, environmental and builder's risk, from an insurer rated A- / VIII or better From Tab 4 - Edwards RFLP Appendix C_ RFLP No. AFCEC-27-R-0001.pdf:
Rating of A- / VIII or better.
Not in the notice text
- The Appendix B file (mandatory clauses) is marked 13 pages; check the file on SAM.gov for pages 11 to 13
- Minimum rent or the Government's fair market lease value is not stated
- No site visit is described; only an industry forum, whose date is written as 2027
- A Davis-Bacon wage determination is not attached; Appendix B has Davis-Bacon clauses for construction
- Insurance limits are marked deal specific and are to be set for the transaction
- The environmental baseline survey is said to be available on request; ask the Government for it
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 your intent to afcec.EUL@us.af.mil by November 30, 2026; the Government then sends instructions to upload the proposal to a secure site. Word or PDF; no hard copies. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- 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 22, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- FA8903 772 Ess PK, JBSA Lackland, TX
- Product/service code
- Z1QA · Maintenance of Restoration of Real Property (Public or Private)
- Business type
- Construction & renovation (FedReady's grouping, from product/service code Z1QA)
- Versions
2 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 26, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Jan 4, 2027
- Oct 22, 2026 · Solicitation (this version)Due Jan 4, 2027
- 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
The Department of the Air Force (“DAF”) is accepting proposals for the development of market facing mixed-use projects to include, but not limited to, housing accessible to military families and/or single members, civilians and defense contractors, medical facilities, and commercial/retail space (“Projects”). As consideration for leasing its parcels to developers selected under this RFLP, DAF is seeking cash rent and/or in-kind consideration (IKC) including future, undetermined construction projects. Pursuant to the foregoing Executive Order and the Enabling Statute, the Department of the Air Force (the “Government”) is issuing this Request for Lease Proposal (the “RFLP”) to solicit proposals from entities (“Offeror(s)”) interested in entering into a long-term ground lease (the “Lease”) to lease all or a portion of that certain real property located at Edwards AFB (the “Installation”), which is an active military installation located in Kern County, California comprised of two parcels totaling approximately 215-acres of land (the “Property”) from the Government for the purposes of financing, permitting, developing, constructing, installing, owning, maintaining and operating improvements upon the Property for the Lessee’s private commercial (non-Federal government) use (collectively, the “Project”). In accordance with and subject to the terms, requirements, and conditions of this RFLP, the Government will evaluate all proposals received to select one or more Offerors as a “Potential Lessee(s)” with whom to enter lease negotiations. A Potential Lessee with whom the Government makes and enters into a written and legally binding lease agreement is hereinafter referred to as a “Lessee.” If no agreement is made, a Potential Lessee may not actually become a Lessee.
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