Inactive

Estimated Construction Cost: $250,000,000 and $500,000,000 Synopsis: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District is issuing a Sources Sought Announcement for the Early Contractor Involvemen... Estimated Construction Cost: $250,000,000 and $500,000,000 Synopsis: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District is issuing a Sources Sought Announcement for the Early Contractor Involvement – Integrated Design and Construction (ECI-IDaC) project at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) West Haven, Connecticut to determine the interest, availability, and capability of contractors to perform the work as described below. The project is planned to be issued on or about June 2023. Construction award is currently programmed for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. The new Surgical and Clinical Space Tower to be constructed is intended to upgrade and consolidate existing clinical and direct patient care spaces to current standards of patient care. General utilities serving the space are also outdated and require updating and upgrading including heating (steam), electrical, and medical gas systems. The following project scope is based upon the recommendations contained in the Final Project Book – a document intended to provide a thorough technical evaluation to establish the requirements for the project, covering site and any existing building conditions, utilities, the final Space and Equipment Planning System (SEPS) Program for Design (PFD) baseline, and Preliminary Room Contents (PRC). The scope of the project includes the construction of an approximately 162,000 GSF multi (at least three) story tower, the demolition of approximately 40,000 GSF (Buildings 6, 7, 8, 8.5, 9, and 10) of existing out buildings, and the renovation of approximately 40,000 GSF of vacated space from the main hospital building (Building 1) after the surgical services are relocated to the new tower. The tower is planned to be constructed north of Building 1 and be connected to it via direct addition, and multiple corridors and/or catwalks to Buildings 1 & 5 in an area presently occupied by a parking lot and the buildings to be demolished. Major impacts to existing infrastructure include relocation and expansion of multiple utility distribution systems impacted by the new construction, new utility tunnels, additional steam plant and on-site water storage capacity, new electrical substations, parking and road network reconfigurations, and re-grading of site/construction of retaining walls. Use of swing space and phasing is expected to be needed to minimize impacts to current campus operations. Specialized construction requirements include operating rooms, intensive care units, pathology, endoscopy, laboratories, mental health spaces and supporting spaces that meet all DVA infection control standards; associated complex and specialized HVAC and electrical requirements; medical gas distribution systems, nurse call systems, pneumatic tube distribution systems, medical security, and alarming systems that will all need to be integrated with existing systems; and management of biological hazardous waste. The new tower will need to integrate seamlessly with the other buildings on campus. New construction and demolition will need to be coordinated with the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). Renovations will include extensive architectural modifications and upgrades to all impacted building systems to include localized seismic upgrades. Site improvements will include access roads, replacement parking, utilities, landscaping, and all other work necessary to provide a complete and usable project. It is expected that the project will be constructed to comply with the 2016 Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings (Guiding Principles) and can be certified to meet LEED Silver. Current proposed phasing approach is to 1a) provide temporary facilities for the displaced personnel; demolish existing buildings; 1b) relocate utilities to be impacted by the new construction and upgrade campus infrastructure plant & utilities; 2) construct new surgical and clinical tower; and 3) renovate vacated spaces. The medical center will remain operational at all times during the construction of this project. The current proposed acquisition method is ECI-IDaC. The Draft ECI-IDaC Deviation is attached as a reference to this sources sought announcement. The ECI-IDaC RFP will be based on Schematic Design 1 (SD-1) Documents currently under contract to be developed. Refer to the VA Design Manual for more information on the standard content for a SD-1 deliverable (https://www.wbdg.org/ffc/va/architectengineer-information-and-ae-design-submission-requirements-pg-18-15/ae-sub-maj). The SD-1 package will align with the construction phases listed above. Each construction phase will be identified as a construction option in the SD-1 documents. The Government will ask the contractor to develop a Technical and Price Proposal that will be evaluated under a Best Value Trade-off process in accordance with FAR Part 15. The Price proposal will have the contractor develop an Initial Target, Initial Profit, and Initial Ceiling for each option item. Below is an example CLIN structure that may be included in the ECI-IDaC RFP: 0001 - Preconstruction Services (FFP): $______________ 0002 OPTION – Construction – Phase 1 A (Temp Facilities and Demo) Initial Target $______Initial Profit ______Initial Ceiling$____ 0003 OPTION – Construction – Phase 1 B (Utility Relocations and Upgrades) Initial Target $______Initial Profit ______Initial Ceiling$_____ 0004 OPTION – Construction – Phase 2 (New Tower) Initial Target $______Initial Profit ______Initial Ceiling$_____ 0005 OPTION – Construction – Phase 3 (Renovation and Backfill) Initial Target $______Initial Profit ______Initial Ceiling$ _____ Responses to this sources sought announcement will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this announcement, the Government intends to hold an industry day and/or conduct additional market research to engage with industry on the project scope and the proposed ECI-IDaC acquisition method. NO SOLICITATION IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. All interested offerors will have the opportunity to respond to the solicitation announcement at a later time. Responses: Responses are requested from both large and small businesses. Interested firms should submit a capabilities package to include the following: 1. Business Classifications (e.g., Veteran-owned Small Business VSOB), HUBZone) 2. Qualifications of the contractor or team and experience in performing the work requirements stated above. Firms must submit past demonstrated experience with up to three examples of an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI), ECI-IDaC, CM at Risk, or Integrated Project Delivery, similar in scope and magnitude to this project that the contractor or team has performed. The examples must demonstrate complex building construction and should highlight demonstrated experience with construction on an occupied site with minimal impact to existing operations and cutover time; and with management, coordination, and execution of a multi-discipline (architectural, civil, structural, mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP), etc.) medical project. The past experience examples must have been performed within the last ten years. Identify the team’s major subcontractor(s), including their prior experience and qualifications, which will be used to support the effort. Describe the teaming relationship and contract structure between the Construction Contractor, the owner and the Designer of Record, and how the Construction Contractor improved the quality of the final design. 3.Responses to the following questions a. What Preconstruction Services should the Government consider when developing the scope of services for the ECI-IDaC? What deliverables do you recommend be included in the scope of work? Below is a list of anticipated Preconstruction Services: i. Participation in Facilitated Partnering ii.Site Visits to understand scope, scale, and complexity of the existing conditions. iii. Proactive participation in design development 1. Provide deliverables with each design package to influence construction methodology and system selection 2. Constructability suggestions 3. Sequencing/phasing suggestions iv. Participation of the VE Study v. Constructability Reviews vi. validation of project scope 1.validation of schedule 2. identification and allocation of project risks 3. verification of supply chains and market analysis 4. engagement of subcontractors vii. Independent Cost estimating of Design Packages 1. verification of supply chains and market analysis 2. engagement of subcontractors b. How can the contractor best influence and inform the design, schedule, phasing, and collaborate fully with the team? c. The Government is interested to hear how best to quantify the Preconstruction Services effort in the bid. Should the Government assume a certain number of Full Time Equivalents (FTEs) assigned to the project during the Preconstruction phase or should the Government develop a task-specific list of activities and deliverables for the contractor to estimate a level of effort for each task? d. What do you recommend with respect to involvement of major subcontractors in Preconstruction Services? Describe your process for selecting subcontractors and partnering with the trades. e. The Government intends on issuing a the ECI-IDaC RFP based on the SD-1 documents. What items of the SD-1 package should be further advanced to ensure the project scope is sufficiently comprehensive for the contractor to propose a maximum ceiling price and initial target price? f. How does the contractor intend to and does the contractor have a concern with ability to develop an Initial Target price of all phases of construction based on the SD-1 bid package, understanding each phase will have a different award date? With respect to escalation, what is your current outlook for this project given its 10 year schedule, current market volatility, supply chain delays, and the potential for recession? g. Would contractors be amenable to establishing an Initial Target price based upon pricing as of when this is procured (current day pricing) and then tying escalation to an agreed upon index? If so, what index would contractors propose using and why? h. Given the scope of the project, does the contractor have recommendations on proposed option construction bid items for the different construction phases of work other than what has been described above? Does the contractor have recommendations on optional phasing approaches? i. The Government is considering consolidating all the construction activities, providing temporary facilities for the displaced personnel; demolishing existing buildings; relocation of utilities to be impacted by the new construction and upgrade of campus infrastructure plant & utilities; construction of a new surgical and clinical tower; and renovation of vacated spaces, described by this notice into a single contract. Please describe how consolidating this work into one project will affect the contractors ability to do the work, either positively or negatively. Please describe the potential impact of consolidation on small business participation: 1a) provide temporary facilities for the displaced personnel; demolish existing buildings; 1b) relocate utilities to be impacted by the new construction and upgrade campus infrastructure plant & utilities; 2) construct new surgical and clinical tower; and 3) renovate vacated spaces. j. Please comment on the use of a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) A Project Labor Agreement (PLA) is a tool that agencies may use to promote economy and efficiency in Federal procurement. Pursuant to Executive Order 13502, agencies are encouraged to consider requiring the use of project labor agreements in connection with large-scale construction projects. In accordance with Executive Order 14063, it is expected that Project Labor agreements will become mandatory, unless waived by a senior official, for Federal construction projects over $35 million dollars in 2023. Currently, an agency may, if appropriate, require that every contractor and subcontractor engaged in construction on the project agree, for that project, to negotiate or become a party to a project labor agreement with one or more labor organizations if the agency decides that the use of project labor agreements will 1. Advance the Federal Governments interest in achieving economy and efficiency in Federal procurement, producing labor-management stability, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations governing safety and health, equal employment opportunity, labor and employment standards, and other matters; and 2. Be consistent with law. Reference: Provision: 52.222-33 Notice of Requirement for Project Labor Agreement Clause 52.222-34 Project Labor Agreement. Some of the factors that may be considered regarding PLA use are: a. The involvement of multiple contractors and/or subcontractors working in multiple crafts or trades. b. The complexity of the project. c. Shortage of skilled labor in the region. d. Completion of the project will require an extended period of time. e. The use of PLA's on other comparable projects in this geographic area. f. The promotion of the Governments long term programs interests such as training of skilled workforce for future projects. g. The possibility of labor disputes that threaten timely completion. h. Additional costs from use of PLAs may be cost prohibitive. In consideration of the above factors, and any others which may be deemed appropriate, the construction community is invited to comment on the use of PLAs. Of particular interest to the Government are responses to the following questions: a. Should a PLA be executed on the above Construction Project? What benefits do you believe a PLA could achieve? What other factors should the Corps consider before deciding to include PLA provisions for the construction project? b. Will the use of a PLA be effective in achieving economy and efficiency? If so, how? What is the estimated relative cost impact, or any other economies or efficiencies derived by the Federal Government, if using a PLA? Will a PLA impact the cost of submitting an offer? c. Are there any concerns regarding labor-management stability related to this project? Will the use of a PLA produce labor-management stability on this project? Have labor disputes or other labor issues contributed to project delays in the local area? Are you aware of examples of labor-management conflicts in the area which could impact the efficiency of this project, which a PLA could positively impact/resolve? What market share does union labor in construction trades have in the geographic area? Which existing Collective Bargaining Agreements will expire during construction of this project? d. Will use of a PLA be conducive to ensuring compliance with laws and regulations governing safety and health, equal employment opportunity, labor and employment standards, and other relevant matters on this project? Are there instances where these standards have not been met on Federal contracts in the local area? Were PLAs used for those specific contracts? e. This project will require construction contractors and/or subcontractors employing workers in multiple crafts or trades; do you foresee any work on this project that may result in both the prime contractor and at least one subcontractor, or two or more subcontractors, employing the same trade? f. Are there concerns by prime contractors on the availability of skilled construction labor? Are there large scale construction projects in the area (over $25M, within 50 miles) which could impact availability of skilled labor for this project? What is the anticipated volatility in the labor market for the trades required for the execution of the project? Are existing apprentice programs providing sufficient numbers of skilled workers for future requirements? g. Is the proposed schedule/completion time one which would benefit from a PLA - if so, how? Will a PLA impact the completion time? Would a PLA benefit a project which contains a unique and compelling mission-critical schedule? h. Are you aware of comparable projects undertaken by Federal, State, municipal, or private entities in the geographic area of this project? For each project, please indicate if a PLA was used, the initial and final cost, number of trades on the project, if the project was completed on time, and if there were any challenges such as labor shortages, labor related delays, safety issues, etc... i. Will the use of PLAs impact the ability of potential Offerors and subcontractors to meet small-business utilization goals? j. Will inclusion of PLA requirements affect your decision to submit a proposal for this project? If so, please detail how it will affect your decision. Respondents to this Sources Sought are advised that any/all documents related to the use of a project labor agreement for the subject contract become records of the Government and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requirements may apply to the release of PLA market research results. Responses shall also include proof of bonding capability. Responses are due August 28, 2022. Responses should be emailed to Benjamin.g.hoell@usace.army.mil and Erin.e.Bradley@usace.army.mil. Responses are limited to thirty pages but 11x17 pages can be used for the project overview. Interested firms shall provide the above documentation in one pdf. This sources sought announcement is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The Government will not pay for any material provided in response to this market survey nor return the data provided. This notice is for information purposes only and is not a request to be placed on a solicitation mailing list nor is it a Request for Proposal (RFP) or an announcement of a solicitation. The results of this survey will be considered to be in effect for a period of one year from the date of this notice.