Solicitation
Modernize Damen (Bldg. 1) Elevators Construction 537-24-101
Department of Veterans Affairs
AI summaryOnly certified service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB) can bid on solicitation 36C25226B0011, a sealed-bid construction job to modernize nine elevators at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, for the Department of Veterans Affairs (Network Contract Office 12). The response due date is November 19, 2026, 10:00 AM Central, and a bid guarantee (security that backs your bid) of 20 percent of the bid price, up to $3,000,000, must come with the bid. Award goes to the lowest responsive bid from a responsible bidder, and all work must finish within 542 calendar days after the notice to proceed (NTP), the Government's order to start work. More in the summary
AI summary Beta
This summary may miss requirements: 4 of 15 attachments weren't read (S06 - Pre-bid Site Visit Sign-in Sheet.pdf, S06 - Odgen Entrance Location.pdf and 2 more). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
Only certified service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB) can bid on solicitation 36C25226B0011, a sealed-bid construction job to modernize nine elevators at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, for the Department of Veterans Affairs (Network Contract Office 12). The response due date is November 19, 2026, 10:00 AM Central, and a bid guarantee (security that backs your bid) of 20 percent of the bid price, up to $3,000,000, must come with the bid. Award goes to the lowest responsive bid from a responsible bidder, and all work must finish within 542 calendar days after the notice to proceed (NTP), the Government's order to start work.
Who can bid (5)
- Certified service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB), listed in the SBA Small Business Search database (search.certifications.sba.gov), and a small business under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 238290 (size standard $22M per the solicitation). The set-aside is 100 percent SDVOSB.
- Proof of current SAM and SBA DSBS registrations submitted with the bid
- Bid guarantee on SF 24 of at least 20 percent of the bid price, not more than $3,000,000, furnished by the time set for opening of bids
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- VAAR 852.219-75 certification included in the bid package
- Safety and environmental record information and EMR submitted with the bid
How to submit: Sealed bid returned to the issuing office in Block 8 of the Standard Form 1442 (SF 1442): Department of Veterans Affairs, 115 South 84th Street, Suite 101, Milwaukee, WI 53214-1476. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (10)
From the version posted Oct 22, 2026.
- Serious: Open only to certified SDVOSBs. Only businesses certified as service-disabled veteran-owned and listed in the SBA Small Business Search can bid; others cannot be awarded this contract.
- Serious: Bid guarantee of 20 percent (up to $3,000,000) due with the bid. A bid left out or in the wrong amount on Standard Form 24 will be rejected in nearly all cases, so line up a surety (a company that backs your bond) before bid time.
- Serious: Performance and payment bonds for the full contract value. The winner must furnish a performance bond (Standard Form 25, SF 25) and a payment bond (SF 25A), each equal to the awarded contract value on a project the Government sizes at $10 million to $20 million.
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- Serious: Missing registration proof or certifications makes the bid non-responsive. Proof of registration in the System for Award Management (SAM, the federal contractor registry) and the SBA Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS), the Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) 852.219-75 certification, and joint-venture (JV) proof must all be in the bid, or the bid is not considered. Check a SAM.gov registration.
- Worth checking: Limits on subcontracting; VA checks your records. The set-aside rules limit how much of the work can go to other firms, and VA or a support contractor will review your records to check this; the percentage is in the clause, which was not read.
- Worth checking: Safety record, OSHA/EPA violations and EMR information required. The experience modification rate (EMR) is an insurance rating of workplace injury claims. Bidders must certify no more than three serious, one repeat or one willful OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) violation or any EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) violation in three years, or explain; an EMR above 1.0 needs a carrier letter.
- Worth checking: Hospital stays open 24 hours a day during phased work. Work runs in successive phases around live elevators, with dust and infection control barriers, so any service interruption must be scheduled with the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR).
- Minor: Response due date moved several times. Amendments 0003 to 0007 changed the date; the latest is November 19, 2026, 10:00 AM Central (earlier: September 24, September 29, October 21 and October 29, 2026). The solicitation form still shows Monday, 09/21.
- Minor: The site visit was Aug 31, 2026. Check the notice and its amendments for whether attendance was required, and whether another visit is offered.
- Minor: Asbestos-containing material found in a 2016 survey. A limited survey found non-friable asbestos-containing material in vinyl flooring and mastic; check how this affects demolition and your price.
Read from the notice and 11 attachments. 4 of 15 not read. Show which files.
- S02 - Exhibit 2 - 537-24-101 - IFB Specifications.pdf (read)
- S02 - Exhibit 3 537-24-101 - SOW - SOC Floor Plan.pdf (read)
- S06 - 36C25226B0011 0007.pdf (read)
- S06 - 36C25226B0011 0006.pdf (read)
- S06 - 36C25226B0011 0005.pdf (read)
- S06 - 36C25226B0011 0004.pdf (read)
- S06 - 36C25226B0011 0003.pdf (read)
- S06 - 36C25226B0011 0002.pdf (read)
- S06 - 36C25226B0011 0001.pdf (read)
- S02 - 36C25226B0011 P.docx (read)
- S02 - Exhibit 3 537-24-101 SOW - Asbestos Survey Report.pdf (read)
- S06 - Pre-bid Site Visit Sign-in Sheet.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- S06 - Odgen Entrance Location.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- S02 - Exhibit 1 - 537-24-101 IFB Drawings.pdf: not read (it couldn't be opened): open it on SAM.gov
- S02 - Wage Determinations IL20260009 05182026.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- Modernize nine existing traction elevators in Building 1A: P1, P2, P3, P4, S5, S6, P7, P8 and the Morgue elevator M1
- Remove existing elevator equipment; supply new machinery, controllers, cabs, hoistway doors and hallway fixtures; clean hoistways
- Install new sump pumps in the elevator pits and upgrade related mechanical, electrical and communications systems
- Work in phases in an occupied hospital: Phase 1 is Morgue elevator M1, Phase 2 is S5, P3 and P4, and Phase 3 is S6, P7 and P8 (later phases were not read)
- Install temporary dust and infection control barriers, and pass an elevator inspection at the end of each phase
- Add a new power distribution panel and emergency power connections for the new elevators
- Provide all tools, materials, components, labor and supervision for one all-inclusive base bid (CLIN 0001, a contract line item number: one priced line of the order)
- Take part in commissioning tests and train VA operations staff
- Contract type
- Sealed-bid (invitation for bids) construction contract; one all-inclusive lump-sum base bid (CLIN 0001); a single award will be made
- Period of performance
- 542 calendar days after receipt of the notice to proceed, from the preconstruction phase through post-substantial completion
- Place of performance
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, 820 W. Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60612 (Building 1A)
- Estimated value
- Government's stated project magnitude: $10,000,000.00 to $20,000,000.00 (the solicitation says this is no longer a mandatory element)
- How they'll choose
- Lowest price: award to the responsible bidder with the lowest responsive bid (sealed bidding)
- Offers due
- November 19, 2026, 10:00 AM Central
- How to submit
- Sealed bid returned to the issuing office in Block 8 of the Standard Form 1442 (SF 1442): Department of Veterans Affairs, 115 South 84th Street, Suite 101, Milwaukee, WI 53214-1476
What they'll judge offers on
- Price: CLIN 0001 all-inclusive base bid, lump sum
What to include when you submit
- Complete and sign the SF 1442 offer section, including the lump-sum price for CLIN 0001, and acknowledge each amendment
- Include the bid guarantee on Standard Form 24 (SF 24) in the proper amount by the time set for opening of bids
- Include proof of current System for Award Management (SAM) and SBA Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) registrations
- Include the certification for VAAR 852.219-75 (Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulation clause on limitations on subcontracting) in the bid package
- A joint venture (JV) must include a copy of the joint-venture agreement and printed proof of its SDVOSB certification
- Submit past safety and environmental record information, including a certification of no more than three serious, one repeat or one willful OSHA or any EPA violations in the past three years, or an explanation
- Submit your current experience modification rate (EMR, an insurance rating of workplace injury claims) on the insurance carrier's letterhead; above 1.0, include the carrier's written explanation
- Complete the Pre-Award Contractor Safety and Environmental Record Evaluation Form with OSHA 300 and 300A forms for 2023, 2024 and 2025
- Fill in the contractor information sheet: company name, tax ID, SAM UEI number and a past performance point of contact
- Send questions in writing to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer; no telephone inquiries
After award, you must have
- Payment bond (SF 25A) and performance bond (SF 25) for the full contract value, furnished by the awardee From S02 - 36C25226B0011 P.docx:
The bidder to whom a contract is awarded will be required to furnish a Payment Bond, on form SF25A, and a Performance Bond, on form SF25.
- Contractor personnel must receive annual seasonal influenza vaccinations or obtain a medical or religious exemption (VHA Directive 1192.01) From S02 - 36C25226B0011 P.docx:
Compliance with this directive is a requirement of this contract.
Not in the notice text
- Attached but not read: 'S02 - Exhibit 1 - 537-24-101 IFB Drawings.pdf' (too large), 'S02 - Wage Determinations IL20260009 05182026.pdf' and the two site visit PDFs 'S06 - Pre-bid Site Visit Sign-in Sheet.pdf' and 'S06 - Odgen Entrance Location.pdf' (no text could be read); only parts of the specifications, the statement of conditions floor plan and the solicitation form were read. Check them on SAM.gov.
- Which wage rule applies: a wage determination file (IL20260009) is attached but not read, and the text read does not name the Davis-Bacon Act (the federal minimum wage rule for construction)
- Whether the August 31, 2026 site visit is required; the documents read say only that participants must sign in
- Bid opening: the solicitation form sets it for Monday, September 21 at 11:00 AM Local Time at the Great Lakes Acquisition Center in Milwaukee; the amendments change only the bids due date
- How many copies of the bid to send and whether bids may be sent electronically; the form's fields could not be read, so check the SF 1442 on SAM.gov
- Answers to bidder questions (RFIs); Amendment 0007 says responses to RFIs received to date are forthcoming
- The share of the work the prime must perform itself under VAAR 852.219-75; the clause text was not read
- Phases after Phase 3, the full elevator specification (Section 14 21 10) and the full clause list; these were in the left-out parts of the large files
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 238290
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Sealed bid returned to the issuing office in Block 8 of the Standard Form 1442 (SF 1442): Department of Veterans Affairs, 115 South 84th Street, Suite 101, Milwaukee, WI 53214-1476. 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
- 252-Network Contract Office 12 (36C252), Milwaukee, WI
- Product/service code
- Z1DA · Maintenance of Hospitals and Infirmaries
- Business type
- Construction & renovation (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 238290)
- Versions
8 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 22, 2026 · Amendment 0007 (this version)Due Nov 19, 2026 (changed)
- Oct 5, 2026 · Amendment 0006Due Oct 29, 2026 (changed)
- Sep 24, 2026 · Amendment 0005Due Oct 21, 2026 (changed)
- Sep 18, 2026 · Amendment 0004Due Sep 29, 2026 (changed)
- Sep 14, 2026 · Amendment 0003Due Sep 24, 2026 (changed)
- Aug 31, 2026 · Amendment 0002Due Sep 21, 2026
- Aug 19, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Sep 21, 2026
- Aug 18, 2026 · SolicitationDue Sep 21, 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
- Open SDVOSB set-aside contracts
Terms on this notice: Solicitation, SDVOSB (service-disabled veteran-owned small business), Set-aside
Latest amendment note (Amendment 7) from SAM.gov
Amendment 0007 - is to change the Bids due date. See S06 - 36C25226B0011 0006. Amendment 0006 - is to change the Bids due date. See S06 - 36C25226B0011 0006. Amendment 0005 - is to change the Bids due date and time. See S06 - 36C25226B0011 0005. Amendment 0004 - is to change the Bids due date. See S06 - 36C25226B0011 0004. Amendment 0003 - is to change the Bids due date. See S06 - 36C25226B0011 0003. Amendment 0002 - is to post the pre-bid site visit sign-in sheet. See S06 - 36C25226B0011 0002 and attachment S06 Pre-bid Site Visit Sign-in Sheet. Amendment 0001 - is to provide site visit location information details. See S06 - 36C25226B0011 0001 and attachment S06 - Ogden Entrance Location. The Contractor must provide all tools, materials, components, labor, and supervision necessary to complete project 537-24-101 Modernize the Damen elevators 1 through 8 as well as the Morgue elevator at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, in accordance with the construction documents, drawings, and specifications.
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