Presolicitation
RFQ Shuttle Services for VA Central California Health Care System
Department of Veterans Affairs
AI summaryOnly service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) can bid. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) wants a shuttle bus service for employees at the VA Central California Health Care System in Fresno, California, ordered under an indefinite-quantity contract (the VA orders only what it needs) from February 1, 2027 to January 31, 2031. The response due date is November 16, 2026, 3:00 PM Pacific. 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A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 21, 2026. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of another version of this notice: check what changed on SAM.gov.
Only service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) can bid. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) wants a shuttle bus service for employees at the VA Central California Health Care System in Fresno, California, ordered under an indefinite-quantity contract (the VA orders only what it needs) from February 1, 2027 to January 31, 2031. The response due date is November 16, 2026, 3:00 PM Pacific.
Who can bid (6)
- Certified service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB), verified on the SBA certification site when the quote is sent and again, for the apparent winner, before award.
- Small business under the NAICS 485410 size standard of $30 Million.
- Registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) with a Unique Entity ID from the time of submission through award and the whole contract period.
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- Fully completed and signed VAAR clause 852.219-75 (certificate that you will follow the limits on subcontracting) sent with the quote.
- Evidence of general liability insurance with no asbestos exclusion, shown to the contracting officer before award. Minimums: general liability $500,000 per occurrence; auto liability $200,000 per person, $500,000 per occurrence and $20,000 property damage; employer's liability at least $100,000 plus workers' compensation.
- Shuttle buses with at least 20 seats; every bus used on Route C must be ADA compliant.
How to submit: Email to Timothy.smith9de3@va.gov (5 MB limit per email; multiple emails allowed; no fax or mail). What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (11)
From the version posted Oct 21, 2026.
- Serious: Only certified SDVOSBs can bid. The quote document sets the buy aside 100% for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses certified by SBA, although the SAM.gov set-aside field is blank; a business without that certification cannot win.
- Serious: Signed subcontracting certificate required with the quote. A quote without the fully completed and signed VAAR 852.219-75 (limits on how much work you can pass to subcontractors) is treated as non-responsive and not considered.
- Serious: Proof of buses needed with the quote. You must show you own or lease the buses, or have a bank commitment letter or line of credit to buy them; quotes without this are rated less favorably, and a fleet of 8 buses is a large upfront cost.
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- Worth checking: Site visit November 2, 2026 is strongly encouraged. The site visit is at 9:00 AM Pacific; to attend you must email two VA contacts and copy the contracting officer by 1:00 PM Pacific on October 29, 2026. The text does not make attendance mandatory.
- Worth checking: Questions due November 5, 2026. All questions go by email to the contracting officer by 3:00 PM Pacific on November 5, 2026; phone questions are not accepted.
- Worth checking: Strict wait-time standard and early-morning staffing. Wait times must stay under 15 minutes at a 95% compliance rate, with about 1,200 or more riders a day, and a supervisor must be on site from 4:15 am.
- Worth checking: Only a $2,500 minimum is guaranteed. The VA may reduce buses, routes and times and pays only for services provided, so income can be much lower than the $8,990,000 maximum.
- Worth checking: Must be fully operating on the start date. Work begins February 1, 2027, and the mobilization plan must show hiring and bus acquisition in a detailed timeline.
- Worth checking: Insurance proof before award. The winner must show general liability coverage with no asbestos exclusion before award, which can mean a policy change.
- Minor: Contractor must find its own bus parking. Buses must be parked at authorized locations when routes end, and the VA provides no parking, storage or staging.
- Minor: Two clause numbers for continuity of services. The work statement cites FAR 52.237-5 while the clause list shows 52.237-3 for Continuity of Services; ask the contracting officer which governs.
Read from the notice and 3 attachments. Show which files.
- 36C26127Q0051.docx (read)
- Attachment 1 QASP.pdf (read)
- Attachment 2 WD 2015-5609.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Run weekday employee shuttles between off-site parking lots and the main VA hospital at 2615 E. Clinton Ave., Fresno, CA 93703, with buses, drivers, fuel and insurance all supplied by the contractor.
- Morning and afternoon service: Routes A and B run 5:00 am to 9:00 am and 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, with 7 shuttle buses in the schedule's line items (the Government estimates 8 buses in all).
- Route C: 1 dedicated shuttle that is accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA compliant), running 5:00 am to 5:30 pm, plus extra ADA-compliant buses at peak hours.
- Keep wait times under 15 minutes (95% compliance rate), with buses of at least 20 seats and trips of about 10 minutes.
- Provide an onsite supervisor every day from 4:15 am to 9:15 am and 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
- Use drivers with at least a Class B license with a passenger (P) endorsement, and keep a quality control plan (QCP) covering the PWS Section 13 items.
- Send the VA monthly trip records, equipment and maintenance logs, safety checks and invoices, and report incidents within 24 hours.
- Add, remove or change routes, times and bus counts when the VA asks, by contract modification.
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price, whatever the work ends up costing), indefinite-quantity contract (IDIQ: the Government orders as needed, with a stated minimum and maximum)
- Period of performance
- Four ordering periods, each a year, from February 1, 2027 to January 31, 2031, plus an option to extend services for up to 6 months in total
- Place of performance
- Fresno, California: off-site lots (Target lot on E. Shields Ave., Masonic Temple on E. Shields Ave., Clinton Masonic Center on E. Clinton Ave.) to VACCHCS Bldg. 1, 2615 E. Clinton Ave., Fresno, CA 93703
- Estimated value
- Maximum total of all orders: $8,990,000.00 (guaranteed minimum $2,500.00)
- How they'll choose
- Comparative evaluation (the VA compares quotes against each other) of technical submission, past performance and price; the VA may pick a quote that is not the lowest priced
- Offers due
- November 16, 2026, 3:00 PM Pacific
- How to submit
- Email to Timothy.smith9de3@va.gov (5 MB limit per email; multiple emails allowed; no fax or mail)
What they'll judge offers on
- Factor 1, Technical Submission (Volume 1): (a) shuttle bus fleet and proof of ownership, lease or ability to buy, (b) process to replace buses and daily climate-control checks, (c) detailed mobilization plan, (d) quality control plan
- Factor 2, Past Performance (Volume 2): relevant (similar size, shuttle bus services), successful and recent (within 3 years) work, from references, the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) and other sources
- Factor 3, Price (Volume 3): total of all line items, including options, with the Price/Cost Schedule filled in and no line items added or changed
What to include when you submit
- Send three separate PDF files: Volume One (Technical Submission), Volume Two (Past Performance) and Volume Three (Price). Number all pages.
- Use the email subject title "VACCHCS Employee Shuttle" followed by your company name.
- Volume 1: list the year, make, model, passenger capacity, number of ADA-compliant shuttles and number of shuttles you will use.
- Volume 1: say whether you own or lease the shuttles and attach proof (bill of sale, title or current lease), or a signed bank commitment letter or line of credit if you will buy or lease after award.
- Volume 1: describe how you will replace buses that break down and how you will check each day that the climate control works.
- Volume 1: give a detailed mobilization plan (no general statements) with a timeline for hiring staff and getting buses, and how each driver is hired, qualified and kept licensed.
- Volume 1: include your quality control plan covering all items in PWS Section 13 (the PWS asks for an original and one copy with the quote).
- Volume 2: past performance is optional but encouraged: up to three contracts with period of performance, dollar amount, description of services, customer name, and a point of contact with email and phone.
- Volume 3: a fully completed and signed Standard Form 1449 (SF 1449, the form you sign and return as your offer), including blocks 17a, 17b, 30a, 30b and 30c, and the Section B.2 Price/Cost Schedule filled in without errors.
- Volume 3: submit Standard Form 30 (SF 30, the form used to amend a solicitation) if applicable, and acknowledge all amendments.
- Include the fully completed and signed VAAR clause 852.219-75 (limitations on subcontracting certificate).
- Do not change or add line items in the price schedule; the VA may treat the quote as unresponsive if you do.
After award, you must have
- Drivers with at least a Class B license with passenger (P) endorsement; evidence of licenses and training goes to the contracting officer's representative (COR) within 7 days after award notification. From 36C26127Q0051.docx:
Within seven (7) days after receipt of award notification, the contractor shall provide evidence of required training…
Not in the notice text
- The wage determination (Attachment 2, WD 2015-5609) was attached but its text could not be read here; check the hourly wage and benefit rates for drivers on SAM.gov.
- The middle of the main solicitation file (security prohibition clause text and VAAR 852.219-75 certificate) was left out here; check it on SAM.gov.
- SAM.gov shows no set-aside, while the quote document says SDVOSB; no incumbent is named.
- The order of importance of the three evaluation factors is not stated.
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 485410
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email to Timothy.smith9de3@va.gov (5 MB limit per email; multiple emails allowed; no fax or mail). 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.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 21, 2026
- Notice type
- Presolicitation
- Office
- 261-Network Contract Office 21 (36C261), Mather, CA
- Product/service code
- V222 · Transportation/Travel/Relocation – Travel/Lodging/Recruitment: Passenger Motor Charter
- Business type
- Transportation, logistics & vehicles (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 485410)
- Versions
2 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 21, 2026 · SolicitationDue Nov 16, 2026
- Oct 21, 2026 · Presolicitation (this version)Date Nov 16, 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
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NETWORK CONTRACTING OFFICE 21 (NCO 21) Description: THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE FOR A REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ). VA Central California Health Care System has an immediate need for Shuttle Bus Services. Solicitation Number 36C26127Q0051 for this effort will be posted to SAM.GOV (https://sam.gov) on or about October 21, 2026. This solicitation will contain all necessary specifications and information necessary to quote the project. See solicitation for when questions must be submitted. Quotes are tentatively scheduled to be due on Friday, November 16, 2026 (see solicitation when available for specific time/date). Point of Contact: Tim Smith, Contract Specialist, Timothy.smith9de3@va.gov. Questions regarding this notice may be submitted via e-mail to Timothy.smith9de3@va.gov.
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