Presolicitation
Underground Fuel Storage Tank Cleaning, Inspection, Testing and Re-Fueling
Department of Veterans Affairs
AI summaryThe Department of Veterans Affairs (Network Contracting Office 21) wants a contractor to clean, inspect, test the fuel in, and refill nine underground diesel tanks at the North Las Vegas VA Medical Center, Nevada (solicitation 36C26127Q0089). It plans a firm-fixed-price (FFP) award: one set price, whatever the work ends up costing. Work runs December 1, 2026 to February 9, 2027, and the response due date is November 6, 2026, 10:00 AM 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A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 23, 2026. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of another version of this notice: check what changed on SAM.gov. This summary may miss requirements: 1 of 3 attachments weren't read (WD 2015-5593 REV 33 08.27.26.pdf). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (Network Contracting Office 21) wants a contractor to clean, inspect, test the fuel in, and refill nine underground diesel tanks at the North Las Vegas VA Medical Center, Nevada (solicitation 36C26127Q0089). It plans a firm-fixed-price (FFP) award: one set price, whatever the work ends up costing. Work runs December 1, 2026 to February 9, 2027, and the response due date is November 6, 2026, 10:00 AM Pacific.
Who can bid (4)
- Registered in SAM with a unique entity ID (UEI)
- Ability to run permit-required confined-space entry: trained and qualified entry personnel, entry permits, atmospheric monitoring and rescue arrangements
- An independent testing laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 for petroleum testing
Show all 4Show fewer
- Hazardous-material handling training for personnel and the waste transportation and disposal authorizations that apply
How to submit: Email to gary.christensen@va.gov with the solicitation number in the subject line. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (9)
From the version posted Oct 23, 2026.
- Serious: Specialized, safety-critical work with a 10-week window. Entering fuel tanks needs confined-space, lockout and hazardous-waste capability, an accredited laboratory and a rescue plan. The work covers nine tanks.
- Serious: Hospital emergency power must stay available. Only one tank may be out of service at a time, and each tank must be back in service by the end of every workday unless the VA's on-site representative approves.
- Worth checking: Question deadline given as two different dates. The solicitation's instructions say questions are due October 30, 2026, while the SF 1449 front page says November 2, 2026. Ask the contracting officer which date governs.
Show all 9Show fewer
- Worth checking: Site visit on October 29, 2026; confirm attendance by October 28, 2026. Quoters are urged and expected to inspect the site, but the text does not call the visit mandatory. Attendance must be confirmed by email by 10:00 AM PDT on October 28, 2026.
- Worth checking: Contractor pays for all waste disposal and spill cleanup. Disposal fees, hazardous waste testing, and any spill or overfill response are the contractor's cost inside the firm price, with no extra payment.
- Worth checking: New fuel is part of the price. The contractor must buy and deliver new red-dyed diesel to refill the tanks, estimated at 12,598 gallons, and must verify actual tank levels before delivery.
- Worth checking: Past performance counts, and recent work is favored. Quotes rate higher when past performance is similar in size, for the same maintenance services, and within 3 years. Firms without fuel tank cleaning history rate lower.
- Worth checking: Safety plans must be accepted before hazardous work starts. The confined-space program, rescue plan, lockout procedure, staff qualifications and waste plan must be accepted by the Government first. Delays stay the contractor's responsibility.
- Minor: Veteran-owned subcontractor names clause is included. A clause asks offerors to name the service-disabled veteran-owned and veteran-owned small businesses they would subcontract to. The listed evaluation factors do not mention it; ask the contracting officer.
Read from the notice and 2 attachments. 1 of 3 not read. Show which files.
- 36C26127Q0089.docx (read)
- QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN.docx (read)
- WD 2015-5593 REV 33 08.27.26.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- Clean and inspect the inside of nine underground diesel fuel tanks (20,000 gallons each), one tank out of service at a time, with before and after photos
- Pump out each tank's fuel, store it temporarily, filter (polish) it, and return fuel that passes testing; replace unusable fuel only with written Government approval
- Sample fuel before removal, during temporary storage, after cleaning and at final acceptance, with tests by an independent laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 for petroleum testing
- Refill each tank with new red-dyed ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) to 17,000 gallons, 85% of capacity; the Government estimates 12,598 gallons of new fuel across all nine tanks
- Remove, clean and replace filter elements, strainers, gaskets and seals on the diesel filtration system in Building 3
- Follow permit-required confined-space entry and lockout/tagout (LOTO: locking off energy sources so equipment cannot start) rules, and return each tank to service by the end of every workday
- Handle, haul and legally dispose of all sludge and waste, and give the VA's on-site representative (the Contracting Officer's Representative, COR) the manifests within five business days after disposal
- Send a project schedule within 10 calendar days after award, daily reports, laboratory and fuel delivery records, and a final closeout package
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price (FFP)
- Period of performance
- Base period of 10 weeks: December 1, 2026 to February 9, 2027. No option periods are stated in the text that was read.
- Place of performance
- VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System, North Las Vegas VA Medical Center, 6900 North Pecos Road, North Las Vegas, Nevada 89086
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Comparative evaluation of quotes to find the best value (technical capability and past performance, with a competitive price)
- Offers due
- November 6, 2026, 10:00 AM Pacific
- How to submit
- Email to gary.christensen@va.gov with the solicitation number in the subject line
What they'll judge offers on
- Technical capability (Volume 1): (1) confined space entry, (2) lockout/tagout, (3) hazardous material handling, (4) fuel tank level sensors, alarms and Veeder-Root monitoring systems, (5) diesel fuel contamination and quality
- Past performance (Volume 2): relevant (similar in size, for the maintenance services in the statement of work), successful and recent (within 3 years)
- Price (Volume 3): total price on the single price schedule line
What to include when you submit
- Send each volume as its own PDF: Volume One Technical, Volume Two Past Performance, Volume Three Price and Administrative. Emails over 5 MB may not be delivered.
- Start with a title page naming the vendor, the solicitation number and the contents.
- Technical volume: for each of the five technical factors, explain your company's capability, with training, permits, monitoring, rescue and testing laboratory details.
- Past performance: describe recent, relevant work for the same services at other VA locations or government facilities, with contract numbers and, if possible, references with name, phone number and email.
- Price and administrative volume: SF 1449 (Standard Form 1449, the solicitation form) block 17a with address and UEI, blocks 30a, 30b and 30c (signature, name and title, date), the Section B continuation page, and the price schedule in Section B.2.
- Do not change or add line items in the price schedule; doing so may make the quote unresponsive.
- Vendors must be registered in SAM (System for Award Management) and have a UEI (unique entity ID).
- Prices must stay firm for 14 calendar days after the response due date.
After award, you must have
- A written Gas-Free Certificate from a qualified person (Marine Chemist, Certified Industrial Hygienist, Certified Safety Professional or similar) before anyone enters a tank From 36C26127Q0089.docx:
…has issued a written Gas-Free Certificate indicating the tank is safe for entry…
- Gas monitoring equipment calibration certificates sent to the COR before work starts From 36C26127Q0089.docx:
Calibration certificates shall be submitted to the COR prior to the commencement of work.
Not in the notice text
- Part of the solicitation was not read: about 71,000 characters from the middle of 36C26127Q0089.docx (the rest of the statement of work and the contract clauses, including the insurance terms) were left out, and the wage determination file WD 2015-5593 REV 33 08.27.26.pdf is attached but not read.
- Set-aside: SAM.gov does not state one, and the SF 1449's set-aside boxes could not be read; check the form on SAM.gov.
- Which wage rule applies and the wage rates in the attached wage determination (attached but not read).
- Insurance amounts, bonding, and any other requirements in the contract clauses section that was left out.
- Whether option periods exist: only a 10-week base period appears in the text that was read.
- Dollar value or Government estimate: none is given; the price schedule has one blank line.
Eligibility and how to respond
- Set aside for small businesses: only a business that counts as small under this notice's NAICS code can bid as the prime contractor. More open small business set-asides under NAICS 213112
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email to gary.christensen@va.gov with the solicitation number in the subject line. 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 23, 2026
- Notice type
- Presolicitation
- Office
- 261-Network Contract Office 21 (36C261), Mather, CA
- Product/service code
- H999 · Other QC/Test/Inspect – Miscellaneous
- Business type
- Equipment repair & maintenance (FedReady's grouping, from product/service code H999)
- Versions
2 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 23, 2026 · SolicitationDue Nov 6, 2026
- Oct 23, 2026 · Presolicitation (this version)Date Nov 6, 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
- Set-aside contracts explained
- Limitations on subcontracting
Terms on this notice: Solicitation, 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 Southern Nevada Health Care System (VASNHCS) has a future need for fuel tank cleaning, inspection, sampling, testing of fuels quality, restoration and fueling of 9 underground diesel fuel tanks for the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VASNHCS) located at 6900 North Pecos Road, North Las Vegas, NV 89086-4400. Solicitation Number 36C26127Q0089 for this effort will be posted to SAM.GOV (https://sam.gov) on or about October 23, 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 November 6, 2026 (see solicitation when available for specific time/date). Point of Contact: Gary Christensen, Contract Specialist, gary.christensen@va.gov. Questions regarding this notice may be submitted via e-mail to gary.christensen@va.gov.
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