Solicitation
Design-Build Services for the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) Land Port of Entry (LPOE) Modernization Project, El Paso, Texas
General Services Administration · Public Buildings Service · Sol. 47PB5126R0003
Due in 8 days
AI summary Beta
Some details weren't available to this summary, so it may miss requirements. Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
GSA's Public Buildings Service wants a design-build contractor to modernize the Bridge of the Americas Land Port of Entry in El Paso, Texas, using two-phase design-build procedures. Phase 1 is finished and only the shortlisted firms may bid on the Phase 2 RFP, with proposals due October 15, 2026 and award expected in January 2027. It is a firm-fixed-price, best-value contract funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Watch out for
- Shortlisted firms only. Phase 1 is over, so a company that was not shortlisted cannot bid on this Phase 2 RFP.
Phase 1 is complete. The shortlisted offerors were announced via www.sam.gov.
- Very large project with a bid bond up front. The stated range is hundreds of millions of dollars and a bid bond is due with the proposal, so bonding capacity is a hard gate for a small business.
The range of this project is $400,000,000.00 - $460,000,000,000.00
- Value range looks like a typo. The upper figure ($460 billion) cannot be right, so the true budget ceiling is unclear.
- Subcontracting plan required. A weak or missing plan can make the offeror ineligible, and lower-tier subcontractor credit is not allowed.
- Land for the new site not fully acquired. GSA says the survey provided does not show the final parcels, so offerors must design around land not yet owned.
The site survey currently provided does not reflect the land
- Heavy site risk on the design-builder. The design-builder does survey, geotechnical and utility due diligence, handles asbestos and hazardous material testing, and must build in phases while a live border crossing keeps operating.
Yes, the DB Contractor is responsible for full
- Proposal format rules changed between amendments. Amendment 0003 said 8.5x11 only, but the later Amendment 0006 allows 11x17 sheets for design concept drawings only; the latest amendment controls.
pages at least 11 font size, in an 8-1/2x11 format and submitted electronically. GSA
- Standards re-issued late in the process. Amendments 0006 and 0007 replaced the Core Building Standards and the CBP Design Standard, so all proposal documents must be updated before the October 15 deadline.
shall update all proposal documentation, narratives, calculations, drawings,
- Betterments and options must fit the fixed price. Any betterment must be priced inside the firm-fixed price and within the design funding limit, and several allowances are still to be determined.
included inside the firm-fixed-price proposal.
- Documents live on a restricted shared drive. Many referenced documents are only on a GSA shared drive that requires emailing the Contracting Officer for access.
To obtain access, contractors should send their GACA
Read from the notice and 6 attachments.
- 10 BOTA Phase 2 RFQ 47PB5126R0003 Final Amd 0007.pdf
- 10 BOTA Phase 2 RFQ 47PB5126R0003 Final Amd 0006.pdf
- 10 BOTA Phase 2 RFQ 47PB5126R0003 Final Amd 0005.pdf
- 10 BOTA Phase 2 RFQ 47PB5126R0003 Final Amd 0004.pdf
- 10 BOTA Phase 2 RFQ 47PB5126R0003 Final Amd 0003.pdf
- 10 BOTA Phase 2 RFQ 47PB5126R0003 Final Amd 0002.pdf
Full brief
What they want
- Design and build the modernized port: main building, 27 non-commercial inspection lanes with head house, outbound inspection, FMCSA bus inspection, TABC building, site utilities and sitework
- Demolish existing facilities, including asbestos abatement and environmental remediation, while the port keeps operating in phases
- Design, buy, install and move in CBP furniture and equipment (FF&E)
- Priced options: kennel building, 8 additional non-commercial lanes, trusted traveler building, and a narcotics vault
- Protect, store and reinstall the Eagle and Lion statues, and coordinate with the Art in Architecture artist
- Provide rough-in infrastructure (conduit, power, pathways) for CBP-furnished systems such as license plate readers, radiation portals and Z-portals
- Submit a Phase 2 proposal with a pre-award design concept, management and technical approach, bid bond and price form cover page
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price design-build contract (negotiated, best value); two-phase design-build selection procedures
- Period of performance
- Not clearly stated in the text provided. The garbled SF 1442 fields appear to show start within 10 days of notice to proceed and completion within 1,632 calendar days; offers valid 120 days. Confirm in the full RFP.
- Place of performance
- Bridge of the Americas Land Port of Entry, El Paso, Texas
- Estimated value
- The RFP cover says the range is $400,000,000.00 - $460,000,000,000.00 (as written; the upper figure looks like a typo)
- Contract vehicle
- Two-phase design-build (FAR); only offerors shortlisted in Phase 1 may submit a Phase 2 proposal
- How they'll choose
- Negotiated, best value procurement. Factors named in the Q&A amendments: Quality of Design Concept, Management and Technical Approach, an initial oral presentation, and price. Order and weights are in the full RFP, which was mostly not provided.
- Offers due
- October 15, 2026, 2:00 PM Central (SF 1442 shows 2:00 PM CST; notice shows 14:00 -05:00). Amendment 0007 confirms the date is unchanged.
- How to submit
- Electronic submission to the Contracting Officer, Marsha Howard (marsha.howard@gsa.gov); exact portal not stated in the text provided. Solicitation documents are on a GSA shared drive; request access with your GACA account email.
- Page limits
- Phase 2 technical submission no more than 100 pages, 11-point font, 8.5x11 (11x17 allowed for design concept drawings only per Amendment 0006). Quality of Design Concept 50 pages; Management and Technical Approach 20 pages including the Gantt chart. Cover page, tabs and table of contents do not count.
What they'll judge offers on
- Quality of Design Concept (50-page limit; pre-award design concept per the 2025 CBS Submittal Matrix; proposed betterments are evaluated)
- Management and Technical Approach (20-page narrative including a Gantt-chart schedule; key personnel)
- Initial oral presentation (up to 8 presenters, virtual; Design Project Manager and construction-phase Quality Control Coordinator must attend)
- Total evaluated price (price form cover page)
What to include when you submit
- Acknowledge every amendment (0002 through 0007) using SF 30 Block 11
- Price: submit only the cover page of the Phase 2 BOTA DB Pricing Sheet Rev 9.16.2026 as a PDF; the anticipated awardee submits the full base, options, allowances and modifications pricing within 2 weeks of notification
- Include a bid bond with the Phase 2 proposal
- Show every design option as a separate, itemized item in the pre-award drawings so GSA can pick options at award
- Include a section titled Betterments that says how each betterment exceeds the RFP baseline; betterments must sit inside the firm-fixed price
- Update all documents to the 2026 PBS Core Building Standards and Revision 1 of the 2023 CBP Design Standard, but keep using the 2025 CBS Submittal Matrix
- Submit a small business subcontracting plan using the GSA template
- Send RFIs to the Contracting Officer, not through Kahua
You must have
- Only firms shortlisted in Phase 1 can compete in Phase 2
Shortlisted offerors are responsible for monitoring and downloading the solicitation and any potential amendments, if any, to the RFP/solicitation.
- Bid bond with the Phase 2 offer; performance and payment bonds after award
A Bid Bond (Phase 2 requirement), Performance and Payment Bond (after award) are REQUIRED.
- An acceptable small business subcontracting plan must be submitted and negotiated; failure makes the offeror ineligible for award
negotiate the subcontracting plan shall make the Offeror ineligible for award of a
- Design professionals must carry professional liability insurance (about $5,000,000 per claim per the Agreement language quoted in the Q&A); GSA says no changes to the Agreement
insurance in the amount of $5,000,000 per claim and shall provide
- Main GC and subcontractor lead personnel must go through HSPD-12 credentialing and get badges
Workers will be required to go through the HSPD-12
Not in the notice text
- The full Phase 2 RFP (Amendment 0002, about 770,000 characters) was mostly cut off, so the full Section L/M, factor weights and order of importance, SOW, agreement terms and wage determinations were not read
- How exactly to transmit the proposal (portal or email) and any file size limit; the Q&A mentions a 25MB limit and refers the answer to Amendment 0006, but the answer was in a part not provided
- Contract duration: the performance period on SF 1442 is garbled
- Middle sections of Amendments 0003 to 0006 (parts of the Q&A) were left out
- Detailed price breakdown (only CLIN list and cover page format were provided); allowance amounts are to be determined
- Amendment 0007 Q&A answer on submitting large files via a GACA Google Drive account was only referenced
- Controlled shared-drive documents (CBS Submittal Matrix, program of requirements, drawings, reference files) were not provided
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Key facts
- Response due
- Oct 15, 2026, 7:00 PM UTC
- Posted
- Oct 5, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Solicitation
- 47PB5126R0003
- Agency
- General Services Administration · Public Buildings Service
- Office
- PBS Project Delivery Capital Construction - Branch Northeast
- Set-aside
- No Set aside used
- NAICS
- 236220
- Product/service code
- Z2AZ
- Business type
- Construction & renovation
- Place of performance
- El Paso, TX, 79905
- Contracting contact
- Marsha Howardmarsha.howard@gsa.gov8175058543
- Versions
- 7 (amended since first posted)
Full notice text from SAM.gov
Amendment 0007 is hereby posted. =============================================================================================== Amendment 0006 is hereby posted. =============================================================================================== Amendment 0005 is hereby posted. =============================================================================================== Amendment 0004 is hereby posted. =============================================================================================== Amendment 0003 is hereby posted. =============================================================================================== The planned project is to design and construct a U.S. Land Port of Entry that will reflect the critical importance of this crossing as a gateway to the United States of America. The DB scope of work includes all labor and materials required to provide design and construction services for the BOTA LPOE project pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Two-Phase Design Build Selection Procedures and incorporating Art in Architecture Program, and Design-Construction-Operational Excellence policies and procedures. The resultant contract will be firm fixed price. The project is funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Phase 1 is complete. The shortlisted offerors were announced via www.sam.gov. Phase 2 RFP is hereby issued under Amendment 0002 with an award anticipated January 2027. This is a negotiated, best value procurement. Any questions regarding this notice shall be directed to the Contracting Officer whose name appears herein. Shortlisted offerors are responsible for monitoring and downloading the solicitation and any potential amendments, if any, to the RFP/solicitation.
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