Presolicitation
IDIQ For Architect Engineer (A/E) Services for Central Office
Department of Justice · Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons
More open Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons contracts
AI summaryStep 1 of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' (FBOP) search for architect-engineer (A-E) design firms, solicitation 15BBNF26R70000006 for Central Office, is the Standard Form 330 (SF-330, the A-E qualifications form), due November 4, 2026, 10:00 AM Mountain. Only small businesses may take part; no more than six firms are short-listed for interviews, and four are then invited to send formal proposals. The work is indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ: separate task orders as needed) firm-fixed-price design contracts for prison facilities across the United States, one base year plus up to four option years. 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 Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons's list before the solicitation is posted. See the contact
AI summary Beta
This summary may miss requirements: 2 of 3 attachments weren't read (SF-330 AE Qualifications.pdf, Flap A Tab 4- sow REV 2 CO IDIQ.pdf). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
Step 1 of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' (FBOP) search for architect-engineer (A-E) design firms, solicitation 15BBNF26R70000006 for Central Office, is the Standard Form 330 (SF-330, the A-E qualifications form), due November 4, 2026, 10:00 AM Mountain. Only small businesses may take part; no more than six firms are short-listed for interviews, and four are then invited to send formal proposals. The work is indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ: separate task orders as needed) firm-fixed-price design contracts for prison facilities across the United States, one base year plus up to four option years.
Who can bid
- Small business: this is a total small business set-aside, and the firm must be registered in SAM.gov as a small business.
- Registered in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).
- Licensed architects and engineers on the team. Licensure in any one U.S. jurisdiction is acceptable, as is an NCARB certificate or NCEES record (the national architect and engineer credential records), per the question responses.
How to submit: Electronically through the JEFS App Box link in the notice (https://jefs.app.box.com/f/336fbbe977394048827a238f901db3a3); no fax, paper, mail or hand-carried submissions. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (8)
From the version posted Oct 21, 2026.
- Serious: Small business set-aside only. Only small businesses can respond, and the firm must be registered as small in SAM.gov.
- Serious: Multi-step selection: SF-330 first, then interviews, then invitation-only proposals. This step is open to all small businesses; interviews go to no more than six firms and formal proposals only to four selected firms. A firm that is not short-listed is shut out. Dates for later steps are not given.
- Worth checking: Statement of Work is restricted and was not read. The Statement of Work, which describes the services and the required disciplines, is a controlled file on SAM.gov; access must be requested before you can price your team.
Show all 8Show fewer
- Worth checking: Page limits unclear. The notice limits each project and each Section H narrative to one page. Question responses say more pages may be allowed, but no new limit is stated; ask the contracting officer.
- Worth checking: Design firm cannot build the same project. A firm that wins an award, and its subsidiaries or affiliates, cannot get the construction contract for a project it designs. This matters for design-build firms.
- Worth checking: Work inside occupied secure prisons. Most projects are in fully operational correctional facilities with complex design and heavy coordination, which raises the bar for team experience.
- Minor: Low guaranteed minimum. Each contract guarantees only $10,000.00 a year, and up to four firms share the work, so actual task orders are not assured.
- Minor: You must confirm receipt yourself. Late submissions are not considered, and the firm is responsible for checking that its file arrived.
Read from the notice and 1 attachment. 2 of 3 not read. Show which files.
- Questions and Responses for RFQ 15BBNF26R70000006.pdf (read)
- SF-330 AE Qualifications.pdf: not summarized: open it on SAM.gov
- Flap A Tab 4- sow REV 2 CO IDIQ.pdf: not read (access is restricted): request it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- Supplemental architect-engineer design services for Bureau of Prisons facilities throughout the United States, ordered through individual task orders.
- Most projects are renovations inside fully occupied, fully operational, secure correctional facilities, with complex design work and close coordination between design disciplines, the institutions and Central Office.
- Design plus coordination during construction, as described in the Statement of Work (attached on SAM.gov, access must be requested).
- Firms with licensed architects and engineers, an established team of key personnel and capacity to finish projects on time.
- After the interviews, four selected firms negotiate overhead, profit and hourly rates for firm-fixed-price contract rates and task orders.
- Contract type
- Indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ), firm-fixed-price, supplemental A-E services; multiple awards, no more than four expected
- Period of performance
- 1 base year + up to 4 option years exercised unilaterally by the Government, with a possible six-month extension
- Place of performance
- Various FBOP facilities throughout the United States; SAM.gov lists Washington, DC, USA
- Estimated value
- Guaranteed annual minimum of $10,000.00 per contract; estimated annual maximum of $10,000,000
- How they'll choose
- Qualifications-based selection under the Brooks Act and FAR 36.6: SF-330 review and interviews of a short-list of no more than six firms, then four firms negotiate rates for firm-fixed-price contracts. Price is not an evaluation factor in the SF-330 step.
- Offers due
- November 4, 2026, 10:00 AM Mountain (12:00 PM Eastern)
- How to submit
- Electronically through the JEFS App Box link in the notice (https://jefs.app.box.com/f/336fbbe977394048827a238f901db3a3); no fax, paper, mail or hand-carried submissions
- Page limits
- SF-330 Section F: one page per project, up to five projects. Section H narratives: one page each. Question responses say FBOP will consider more pages if the content stays concise, but no new limit is given.
What they'll judge offers on
- Specialized Experience and Technical Competence (32%)
- Capacity to Accomplish the Work in the Required Time, shown by ability to complete projects on time (27%)
- Acceptability of an Established Team of Key Personnel (23%)
- Professional Qualifications Necessary for Satisfactory Performance, including licensed engineers and architects (18%); a question response says licensure in any one U.S. jurisdiction is acceptable
What to include when you submit
- Submit Parts I and II of the SF-330, dated not more than 12 months before the date of the synopsis.
- Include a cover letter with the firm's name and main office address (as registered in SAM.gov), unique entity ID (UEI), Tax ID (TIN), CAGE code (commercial and government entity code) and main point of contact (phone and email) for the whole process.
- Section F: details of not more than five significant and/or complex renovation projects completed in the past five years, with the lead designer, design approach, evidence of design excellence where possible, and a client reference (name, title, address, phone, fax, email) for each.
- Completed projects may be either fully designed (100 percent design) or constructed, per the question responses.
- Resumes of key personnel showing commitment to the projects, qualifications and experience; the disciplines in Section F.10 of the Statement of Work are the minimum. Resumes are not required for every labor category or for technical and clerical staff.
- Highlight sustainability features (energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, recycled materials) in the project designs.
- Section H narrative 1 (one page): project management planning, coordination, scheduling and production facilities, capabilities and techniques for design and construction inspection.
- Section H narrative 2 (one page): ability to develop accurate preliminary budgets, control costs during design, design within funding limits, coordinate construction documents and engineering disciplines, and control production quality.
- Use standard 8.5 x 11 format, no extraneous attachments, Adobe PDF with searchable text, no embedded sound or video, virus-scanned, compatible with Adobe Acrobat Reader 11 and Microsoft Office Suite 2016.
- Name the file 15BBNF26R70000006_ Company Name_SF330 Architect Engineer (A/E) Services for Central Office.
- Confirm receipt yourself with Alex Jackson, Contracting Officer, at a4jackson@bop.gov.
Current contractor
No incumbent is named. The notice says it expects no more than four awards and will short-list no more than six firms for interviews.
Not in the notice text
- The Statement of Work (a controlled file on SAM.gov, access must be requested) and the SF-330 form (a scanned PDF) are attached but not read, so the full scope, disciplines and labor categories are not covered here.
- Interview dates and the due date for the formal proposals from the four selected firms are not given.
- The page limit that replaces one page per project and per Section H narrative is not stated.
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 541310
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Electronically through the JEFS App Box link in the notice (https://jefs.app.box.com/f/336fbbe977394048827a238f901db3a3); no fax, paper, mail or hand-carried submissions. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- Architect-engineer services tied to buildings or construction are usually bought under the Brooks Act: the agency ranks firms on qualifications from an SF 330 first, then negotiates a price with the top firm. How A/E contracts work.
- 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
- Fao, Grand Prairie, TX
- Product/service code
- C219 · Architect and Engineering – General: Other
- Business type
- Engineering, architecture & research (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 541310)
- Versions
2 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 21, 2026 · Amendment 0001 (this version)Due Nov 4, 2026
- Sep 23, 2026 · PresolicitationDue Nov 4, 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
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