Solicitation
Pip-II F-37 Building LWC Pump Room Piping System Installation
Department of Energy
AI summaryFermi Forward Discovery Group (FFDG), the company that runs Fermilab for the Department of Energy, wants a construction subcontractor to fabricate and install a Low Conductivity Water (LCW) pump room piping system in the F-37 Building at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois. It is an open competition (no set-aside) decided on lowest price among technically acceptable offers, and proposals are emailed to Fermilab by November 19, 2026. This is a subcontract under FFDG's prime DOE contract, so FFDG's own terms, bonds and Davis-Bacon wage rules apply. More in the summary
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 8, 2026. The notice was amended Nov 3, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov. This summary may miss requirements: 13 of 25 attachments weren't read (EXHIBIT_15_SARC.pdf, EXHIBIT_14_Proposal Certifications.pdf and 11 more). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
Fermi Forward Discovery Group (FFDG), the company that runs Fermilab for the Department of Energy, wants a construction subcontractor to fabricate and install a Low Conductivity Water (LCW) pump room piping system in the F-37 Building at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois. It is an open competition (no set-aside) decided on lowest price among technically acceptable offers, and proposals are emailed to Fermilab by November 19, 2026. This is a subcontract under FFDG's prime DOE contract, so FFDG's own terms, bonds and Davis-Bacon wage rules apply.
Who can bid (11)
- Open to all businesses: unrestricted, no set-aside
- At least 10 years of business experience as a contractor on projects comparable in size, scope and complexity (or key personnel with 10 years of experience)
- Bid guarantee of at least 20 percent of the bid price (capped at $3 million) with the proposal, such as a bid bond, certified check or irrevocable letter of credit
Show all 11Show fewer
- Payment bond for 100 percent of the price if the subcontract exceeds $35,000, due within 10 calendar days after the subcontract takes effect
- Performance bond for 100 percent of the price if the subcontract exceeds $150,000
- Insurance before site work: commercial general liability ($1M per occurrence, $2M aggregate), auto ($1M), excess liability, workers' compensation, and pollution liability ($1M), with FFDG, the University of Chicago, URA and the U.S. Government as additional insureds. Completed-operations coverage must be kept for at least 10 years.
- Qualified welders and welding procedures (WPS, PQR, WPQ) under ASME rules; each welder must also weld a test joint observed by a Fermilab-designated inspector
- Davis-Bacon wage rates and weekly certified payrolls entered in LCPTracker, also required of lower-tier subcontractors
- Buy American (FAR 52.225-9) rules for construction materials apply
- A project-specific QC plan, plus evidence of a corporate quality assurance program during bidding
- Small business subcontracting plan if you are not a small business and the subcontract exceeds $750,000
How to submit: Email to the Procurement Specialist, Michele Reynolds, micheler@fnal.gov, due November 19, 2026, 2:00 PM Central Time (questions due in writing by November 5, 2026, 4:00 PM Central). What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (13)
- Serious: Large bid guarantee due with the proposal. You must post a bid bond or equivalent for 20 percent of your price (up to $3 million) by the deadline, which needs a surety relationship or cash tied up and can get a small firm rejected.
- Serious: 100% payment and performance bonds. The winner must provide bonds for the full price (payment bond over $35,000, performance bond over $150,000), so you need strong bonding capacity.
- Serious: 10 years of comparable experience required. Younger firms must rely on key personnel (superintendent and project manager) with 10 years of experience, and FFDG alone decides what counts as comparable.
Show all 13Show fewer
- Worth checking: Pre-proposal site visit and secured-site access. Attendance is optional, but skipping it bars later claims for conditions that a visit would have revealed. Access requests are due at least 7 days before the October 27 visit, and the site needs a REAL ID.
- Worth checking: Conflicting citizenship wording for site access. The SAM.gov notice says attendees must be U.S. citizens, while the RFP says 'preferably'; confirm with the procurement specialist before planning who attends.
- Worth checking: Tight space and field fitting. Drawings are 2D layouts with reference dimensions, so a lot of field fitting is expected in a cramped pump room, and the drawings were not available to read.
- Worth checking: You buy all equipment and instruments up front. The contractor supplies all equipment, piping, valves and instrumentation, which ties up cash before progress payments (the sample subcontract holds back 10 percent until final acceptance).
- Worth checking: Davis-Bacon wages and weekly certified payroll. You and every lower-tier subcontractor must pay prevailing wages and file weekly certified payroll in LCPTracker, which adds paperwork and cost.
- Worth checking: Incomplete proposals can be thrown out. Missing any required document (timeline, prior work examples, references, signed price form) can make the offer non-responsive.
- Worth checking: Exceptions to terms can disqualify you. Taking exceptions to the specifications or FFDG's terms and conditions risks disqualification, so the FFDG general terms (not provided here) need a careful read.
- Worth checking: Strict welding, testing and Fermilab oversight. Work needs qualified stainless welders with argon purge, an air test and a hydrotest witnessed by Fermilab ES&H, and you must supply about 2,000 gallons of deionized water for the test.
- Minor: Electrical work is part of the scope. Scope includes motor feeds, VFDs, conduit, cable tray and fire-stopping, so you need electrical capability or a qualified electrical sub; licensing requirements are not stated in the text provided.
- Minor: Inconsistent documents in the package. The notice lists NAICS 23822 while the RFP says 238220 'All Other Specialty Trade Contractors', and the sample subcontract is for a different project (PIP-II CPB HX and Pump) with older wage rates, so confirm details before relying on them.
Read from the notice and 12 attachments. 13 of 25 not read. Show which files.
- 378854_MR.pdf (read)
- EXHIBIT_4_ED0042585_PIP-II_F37_Bldg_Low_Conductivity_Water_Specification.pdf (read)
- EXHIBIT_3_ED0042584_PIP-II_Low_Conductivity_Water_LCW_System_Instrumentation_Specification.pdf (read)
- EXHIBIT_5_F37_LCW_Electrical_Statement_of_Work_and_prints_rev_A.pdf (read)
- EXHIBIT_24_Sample Subcontract.pdf (read)
- EXHIBIT_23_Performance Bond.pdf (read)
- EXHIBIT_21_Bid_Bond.pdf (read)
- EXHIBIT_20_SF1413-23a.pdf (read)
- EXHIBIT_19_General_Decision_Number_IL20260008_05_18_2026.pdf (read)
- EXHIBIT_18_Injury_Illness_Questionaire.pdf (read)
- EXHIBIT_17_FL-55.pdf (read)
- EXHIBIT_16__2025_Construction_Insurance_Requirements.pdf (read)
- EXHIBIT_15_SARC.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- EXHIBIT_14_Proposal Certifications.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- EXHIBIT_13_CESHC.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- EXHIBIT_12_014100 Quality Requirements.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- EXHIBIT_10_013100 ESH Requirements.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- EXHIBIT_9_010010 General Requirements.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- EXHIBIT_8_FESHM 5034 Pressure Testing.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- EXHIBIT_7_ADDENDUM TO FESHM.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- EXHIBIT_6_5031_1 Piping Systems March 2025.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- EXHIBIT_2_FFDG_General_Terms_and_Conditions.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- EXHIBIT_25_Drawings.zip: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
- EXHIBIT_22_Payment Bond.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- EXHIBIT_11_013300 Submittals.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- Install the LCW pump room equipment: two 50 hp centrifugal pumps (one running, one standby), a shell-and-tube heat exchanger and a 250 gallon expansion tank
- Install process equipment: deionization skid, particulate filters and dissolved-oxygen removal skid
- Supply and weld stainless steel (304/304L) LCW piping, plus valves, flanges, fittings and hardware
- Buy and install instruments (pressure gages, flow transmitters, pressure transmitters, strainers, etc.)
- Build pipe supports and the foundation bases for the pumps
- Do the electrical installation (not control wiring): disconnects, conduit, cable tray, two VFDs, cable pulls, coring and fire-stopping
- Test the system: 12 PSIG air test, then a hydrostatic test using about 2,000 gallons of clean deionized water you must arrange, then witness pump start-up
- Provide welder qualification records, a project-specific QC plan, material test reports, redlined drawings and test reports
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price construction subcontract (lump sum price)
- Period of performance
- Not stated for this project. The attached sample subcontract (written for a different Fermilab project, PIP-II CPB HX and Pump) says work is completed within 180 calendar days of notice to proceed. The RFP asks for a project timeline with your proposal.
- Place of performance
- Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), Batavia, Illinois (DuPage County), F-37 Building mechanical room
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Lowest price technically acceptable: award goes to the lowest-priced proposal that meets the acceptability standards for the non-price factors, including past performance. FFDG alone decides what is acceptable.
- Offers due
- November 19, 2026, 2:00 PM Central Time (questions due in writing by November 5, 2026, 4:00 PM Central) (from the version posted Oct 8, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Email to the Procurement Specialist, Michele Reynolds, micheler@fnal.gov
What they'll judge offers on
- Experience: at least 10 years of business experience on comparable projects (or key personnel with 10 years if the firm is newer)
- Current/past projects of similar size, scope and complexity
- Compliance with safety codes and standards and the ability to meet the specifications and drawings
- Ability to meet the scheduling timeline (a project timeline is required)
What to include when you submit
- Submit two separate parts: Part I Technical Proposal and Part II Business/Cost/Price. Do not bind them together, and the technical part must not mention cost.
- Part I: years in business, key personnel (superintendent and project manager) with resumes and dates of experience, current/past projects, safety compliance, and a project timeline.
- Part II: signed Price Proposal Form (Exhibit 1), bid guarantee or bid bond, Subcontractor Annual Representations & Certifications (SARC), and Proposal Certifications form PUR-466. Keep these as separate documents.
- Include prior work examples and references; missing documents can make the proposal non-responsive.
- A draft small business subcontracting plan (FL-55) is required if you are not a small business and the subcontract exceeds $750,000.
- Put any exceptions to the terms or specifications on a separate sheet on company letterhead.
- Acknowledge any amendments (email, signed amendment, or in the proposal) or risk disqualification.
- Clearly mark proprietary information.
- The offer must stay open for 90 calendar days after the opening date.
- Exhibit 18 (Injury and Illness Data Questionnaire) is included in the package; the RFP does not clearly say it must be returned with the proposal.
Not in the notice text
- Estimated contract value or budget
- Period of performance and schedule for this project (only a sample subcontract for a different project says 180 calendar days from notice to proceed)
- The 25 construction drawing sheets (provided as a zip file that was not read)
- FFDG General Terms and Conditions, the General Requirements, ESH Requirements, Submittals and Quality Requirements sections, the FESHM piping and pressure testing manuals, SARC, Proposal Certifications (PUR-466) and the Payment Bond form (all not provided to this brief)
- Most of the Davis-Bacon wage determination IL20260008 (the text was unreadable), so wage rates are unknown
- Part of the F-37 piping specification (materials and supports sections) was cut out of the text provided
- Any state or local licensing requirements for the plumbing, welding or electrical work
- Relative weight of the evaluation factors and the minimum standard for acceptability
- Whether the Injury and Illness Data Questionnaire (Exhibit 18) must be returned with the proposal
- Whether SAM.gov registration is required to bid on this FFDG subcontract
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 Procurement Specialist, Michele Reynolds, micheler@fnal.gov. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
- 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
- Nov 3, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- Fermilab - DOE Contractor, Batavia, IL
- Product/service code
- K056 · Modification of Equipment – Construction and Building Materials
- Business type
- Construction & renovation (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 23822)
- Versions
3 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Nov 3, 2026 · Amendment 0002 (this version)Due Nov 19, 2026
- Nov 2, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Nov 19, 2026
- Oct 8, 2026 · SolicitationDue Nov 19, 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
This scope of work includes fabricating and installing a Low Conductivity Water (LCW) Piping System in the F-37 Pump Room. PLEASE NOTE the important information related to this RFP: Pre-Proposal Meeting and Site Visit: Ocotber 27, 10:00a CDT Last Day for Questions: November 5, 2026, 4:00p CDT PROPOSALS DUE: November 19, 2026, 2:00p CDT To attend the Pre-Proposal Meeting and Site Visit, PPE is required. As Fermilab is a federal facility, to access the Fermilab site, offerors MUST complete an Access Request form AT LEAST SEVEN (7) DAYS IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING. AS THIS IS A SECURED DOE SITE, FNAL IS UNABLE TO PROCESS ACCESS REQUESTS THAT ARE NOT RECEIVED 7 DAYS PRIOR TO THE PRE-SOLICITATION CONFERENCE. Additionally, to obtain on-site access approval, attendees must be a U.S. Citizen and have a REAL ID. Please note that when entering Fermilab: All vehicles are subject to search No weapons, firearms, or ammunition (regardless of concealed carry permit) are allowed on-site. No explosives or any other apparatus or material hazardous to the public or property are allowed on site. No possession or illegal use of controlled substances or intoxicants, or being under their influence, is allowable. No personal alcohol or marijuana No Smoking or vaping within buildings and within 15-25 feet of entrances Illinois Rules of the Road are to be followed while driving on Fermilab’s premises.
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