Solicitation
Construction of Chilled Water Plant and Site Utility Upgrades at VA Medical Center in West Haven, CT
Department of Defense · Department of the Army
AI summaryThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District wants a contractor to tear down the old chilled water plant and build a new multi-story one, plus a new fuel tank farm and site utility upgrades, for the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven, CT. One firm will get a firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price) contract on a best-value tradeoff, where non-price factors count far more than price. The response due date is November 6, 2026, 1:00 PM Eastern (an amendment moved it to Nov 20, 2026, 1:00 PM EST), by upload to PIEE (the Army's online proposal system). More in the summary
A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 22, 2026. It moves the due date from Nov 6, 2026 to Nov 20, 2026, which is the date shown on this page. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 19, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 22, 2026. The due date moved from Nov 6, 2026 to Nov 20, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov. This summary may miss requirements: 17 of 29 attachments weren't read (Solicitation - W912WJ26RA008.pdf, Amendment 0003.pdf and 15 more). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District wants a contractor to tear down the old chilled water plant and build a new multi-story one, plus a new fuel tank farm and site utility upgrades, for the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven, CT. One firm will get a firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price) contract on a best-value tradeoff, where non-price factors count far more than price. The response due date is November 6, 2026, 1:00 PM Eastern, by upload to PIEE (the Army's online proposal system).
Who can bid
- Vendor registration in PIEE, with the right role, to upload a proposal
- Relevant past performance on similar projects, including two projects for each key subcontractor who will install the chilled water, fuel oil, underground utility or medium voltage systems
- Asbestos abatement qualifications: the abatement contractor needs three similar projects in the last three years, state licensing and trained, accredited supervisors. This is set in the asbestos abatement specification section
How to submit: Upload through PIEE (Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment), Solicitation module, to the open solicitation for this number. Paper, CD-ROM, email and fax are not accepted, due November 6, 2026, 1:00 PM Eastern. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (8)
- Serious: Small business participation floor. Every bidder must commit at least 10% of total price to small businesses; a plan below that is rated Unacceptable, which can sink the offer.
- Serious: Past performance counts most, including key subcontractors. Past performance is the top factor. Past projects of the prime and of key subcontractors on chilled water, fuel oil, underground utilities and medium voltage work are scored, so a small firm needs strong teaming partners.
- Worth checking: PIEE upload only and a 35-page limit. Proposals sent any other way are not evaluated, and pages over the Volume I limit are removed unread.
Show all 8Show fewer
- Worth checking: Work inside an operating hospital campus. The campus stays open, laydown and storage space is limited, and work must be coordinated with the Contracting Officer and medical center staff, which affects scheduling and cost.
- Worth checking: Asbestos removal and licensed abatement staff. Demolition includes asbestos-containing material and buried asbestos pipe, priced as separate items. The abatement specification sets contractor, competent person and industrial hygienist experience and licensing.
- Worth checking: Option items and an electric utility allowance. Many items are options the Government can choose up to the effective date of the notice to proceed, but all must be priced. A $1,400,000 allowance covers charges from the electric utility and is paid on invoice up to that amount.
- Worth checking: Several key documents were not read. The solicitation itself, Amendments 0003 and 0004, drawings and appendix binder were attached but not read here, so some terms and dates may be missing from this summary.
- Minor: The site visit was Sep 29, 2026. Check the notice and its amendments for whether attendance was required, and whether another visit is offered.
Read from the notice and 12 attachments. 17 of 29 not read. Show which files.
- Amendment 0001 - Submission Requirements and Evaluation Criteria.pdf (read)
- Amendment 0003 - Submission Requirements and Evaluation Criteria (Clean).pdf (read)
- Amendment 0002 - Submission Requirements and Evaluation Criteria (Clean).pdf (read)
- Amendment 0002 - Submission Requirements and Evaluation Criteria (Track Changes).pdf (read)
- Amendment 0003 - Submission Requirements and Evaluation Criteria (Track Changes).pdf (read)
- Specifications - Volume I.pdf (read)
- Specifications - Volume II.pdf (read)
- Amendment 0003 - Revisions to Specification Sections 270511-280500-281300-282300.pdf (read)
- Amendment 0001.pdf (read)
- Amendment 0002.pdf (read)
- Amendment 0002 - Bidding Schedule.pdf (read)
- Amendment 0002 - Specs Section 01 22 00.pdf (read)
- Solicitation - W912WJ26RA008.pdf: not read (it couldn't be opened): open it on SAM.gov
- Amendment 0003.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- Amendment 0003 - JA 03 (JCI ESS_Redacted).pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- Amendment 0003 - Plan T600.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- Amendment 0004.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- Amendment 0004 - 12018711_Spec013000_Response.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- Amendment 0004 - 12018255_01-ED101_01-EP101-Response.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- Amendment 0004 - 12018718_12018724_Spec013000_Response.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- JA (Class) - Interior Finishes_Redacted.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- JA 05 - AMAZ_Redacted.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- JA 02 - JCI Fire_Redacted.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- JA 03 - JCI ESS_Redacted.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- JA 01 - Siemens_or_JCI HVAC BAS_Redacted.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- JA 04 - Assa Abloy_Redacted.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- Contractor Appendix Binder.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- Drawings.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- Amendment 0004 - VA Hospital New Customer Load Report - 7_28_26.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- Demolish the existing chilled water plant (building 16a), ice storage system and old fuel tanks, then build a new multi-story chilled water plant with chillers, cooling towers, pumps and the mechanical and electrical equipment
- Build a new fuel oil tank farm and enclosure, with fuel lines to Building 16
- Build new electrical duct banks for a second, redundant power feed to the campus, including coordination with the local electric utility
- Replace the fire protection and domestic water mains from Campbell Avenue to Building 15, add chilled water, steam, condensate and water loops that back-feed Building 1, and build new water storage tanks (these are priced as option items)
- Remove asbestos-containing material in the demolition and underground asbestos pipe; remove rock as needed, priced by the cubic yard (CD) and linear foot (LF)
- Meet the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Physical Security Resiliency Design Requirements and expected LEED Silver certification (a green-building rating)
- Work next to and inside an active medical center that stays operating, with limited laydown and storage space
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price (FFP) construction contract with base items and option items; rock excavation and asbestos pipe removal are priced per unit
- Place of performance
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave, West Haven, CT
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Best value tradeoff: the Government may pay more than the lowest price. Non-price factors combined are significantly more important than price
- Offers due
- November 6, 2026, 1:00 PM Eastern (from the version posted Oct 19, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Upload through PIEE (Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment), Solicitation module, to the open solicitation for this number. Paper, CD-ROM, email and fax are not accepted
- Page limits
- Volume I (past performance narratives and management approach): 35 pages total, counting cover letters, dividers, tables of contents and illustrations. The Volume I appendix, Volume II and Volume III have no page limit
What they'll judge offers on
- Past Performance (most important): project narratives, with Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) reports and questionnaires in an appendix; key subcontractors' projects also count
- Management Approach
- Small Business Participation Commitment Document: division of work and small business goals, enforceable commitments to small businesses, and past compliance with small business contract clauses
- Price (least important): total of base and all option items, checked for reasonableness and unbalanced pricing
What to include when you submit
- Send three volumes: Volume I (past performance narratives and management approach, with an appendix of CPARS reports, past performance questionnaires, and any joint venture, letter of commitment, partnership or mentor-protege agreements), Volume II (Small Business Participation Commitment Document) and Volume III (price and forms)
- Volume III goes in a separate file from Volumes I and II. It holds the names and titles of people authorized to sign, a Certificate of Corporate Authority, the signed Standard Form 1442 (SF 1442, the construction offer form), acknowledgment of all amendments, and the completed bid schedule
- Name files W912WJ26RA008-FIRMNAME-VOLUME I, -VOLUME II and -VOLUME III
- Send files in their native formats (docx, xlsx and so on) and also as PDF copies. Price breakdowns go in Microsoft Excel. Self-extracting exe files are not acceptable
- Format: 1 inch margins, single spaced, 12-point minimum font, Arial or Times New Roman, tables and illustrations no smaller than 9-point, no hyperlinks or QR codes, no classified data, pages numbered and marked with company name, date and solicitation number
- Key subcontractors: if a subcontractor will install the chilled water system, fuel oil system, underground site utilities or medium voltage system, send two projects for that subcontractor. If the prime firm self-performs all four, no key subcontractor projects are required
- Price every item in the bid schedule, including the option items; the work is awarded as a whole to one firm
- Small business participation: all bidders, large and small, state their planned small business use as a percentage of the total of base plus all option prices, and give goals for five other small business categories. Small businesses also show past compliance with the small business utilization clause
- Put all small business supporting documents inside the Small Business Participation Commitment Document; anything placed in other volumes is not considered
- Keep a copy of the PIEE upload confirmation; the upload completion time is the receipt time
Not in the notice text
- The main solicitation (W912WJ26RA008), Amendment 0003 and Amendment 0004 with their attachments, the drawings, the contractor appendix binder and several job-specific attachments were attached on SAM.gov but not read. Check them for the contract period, wage rules, bonding and any change to the response due date
- The full past performance relevancy rules and the Management Approach requirements are in the Submission Requirements and Evaluation Criteria; only part of that text was read
- Whether a Davis-Bacon wage determination (federal construction wage rule) applies is not stated in the text read
- The performance period, completion time and any bonding requirement are in the contract sections that were not read
- SAM.gov shows no set-aside. The Submission Requirements say the Government evaluates small business participation from all bidders, so the competition appears open to large and small firms, but the text read does not say so directly
- The contract's value is not given in the text read; the only dollar figure is a $1,400,000 electric utility allowance
- The deadline for questions is not given in the text read
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: Upload through PIEE (Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment), Solicitation module, to the open solicitation for this number. Paper, CD-ROM, email and fax are not accepted. 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 19, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- W2SD ENDIST New England, Concord, MA
- Product/service code
- Y1NB · Construction of Heating and Cooling Plants
- Business type
- Construction & renovation (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 236220)
- Versions
10 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 22, 2026 · Amendment 0009Due Nov 20, 2026
- Oct 22, 2026 · Amendment 0008Due Nov 20, 2026 (changed)
- Oct 19, 2026 · Amendment 0007 (this version)Due Nov 6, 2026
- Oct 19, 2026 · Amendment 0006Due Nov 6, 2026
- Oct 6, 2026 · Amendment 0005Due Nov 6, 2026 (changed)
- Sep 30, 2026 · Amendment 0004Due Oct 23, 2026
- Sep 9, 2026 · Amendment 0003Due Oct 23, 2026
- Sep 9, 2026 · Amendment 0002Due Oct 23, 2026
- Aug 24, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Oct 23, 2026
- Aug 24, 2026 · SolicitationDue Oct 23, 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
The scope of the chilled water plant replacement consists of the demolition of the existing chilled water plant (building 16a) and construction of a new multi-story chilled water plant to include chillers, cooling towers, pumps, and all associated mechanical and electrical equipment. Due to the close proximity of the existing fuel tank farm adjacent to the existing chilled water plant, a new fuel tank farm will need to be constructed as part of the project, which primarily serves the central boiler plant, requiring close coordination with the medical center and ongoing related projects.The scope of the site utility upgrades consists of the replacement and upgrade of the existing fire protection water main and the domestic water main from Campbell Avenue to Building 15. Site utility upgrades also include providing utility main loops of chilled water supply and return, steam supply, condensate return, domestic water supply, and fire protection water supply which will originate from the new chilled water plant and back-feed to Building 1. The work also includes the installation of redundant electrical feeder from the utility demarcation point to Building 19 and coordination with the local electrical utility provider to provide further electrical redundancy offsite as well. In addition, new water storage tanks will be constructed. This project involves civil/site, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, geotechnical, and architectural disciplines. The project must also comply with the DVAs Physical Security Resiliency Design Requirements (PSRDM). It is expected that the chilled water plant will be constructed to meet USGBC LEED Silver certification. The work is located adjacent to and within an active Medical Center campus which will be operational at all times. Impact to on-going operations must be kept to a minimum and carefully coordinated with the Contracting Officer and VAMC staff. In addition, the work area is constrained due to the active medical center operations which will limit laydown and storage areas during construction.
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