Description

This is a request for information (Questionnaire attached). This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quote (RFQ), or an Invitation for Bid (IFB) and it shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. There will be no solicitation, specification, or drawings available at this time.

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southeast (NAVFAC SE) is soliciting comments from the construction community addressing the use of Project Labor Agreements (PLA) for construction projects (including new work, additions, alterations, and repairs).

P103 construct Engineering Test Facility (ETF) at Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU). This project will provide the U.S. Navy with a new mission critical facility located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida. The facility will consist of approximately 132,000 square foot (SF) building, which will sit on an approximate 33.50-acre green field site. The proposed construction includes a high bay, single story building with a mezzanine on a reinforced concrete foundation with a steel frame superstructure and reinforced concrete exterior wall panels. The roof structure will include metal decking over steel joists covered by rigid insulation and built-up roofing. Interior walls will be reinforced concrete masonry units (CMU) with filled cores and light-gage metal framing with gypsum wallboard partitions which extend to the underside of the roof / ceiling.

The building will consist of large laboratory (lab) and test areas. The individual areas will be connected by an internal circulation spine and have exterior access for material delivery. The facility will be supported by other administration, mechanical, electrical, communications, and building services spaces throughout. A mezzanine will be provided for the heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) air-handling units and for mezzanine access to one of the test areas. Several of the areas will require high-bay construction for either overhead bridge cranes, storage racks, or to house tall vertical elements. Several of the spaces will require additional special requirements for operational needs. Some of these will be raised access flooring systems for heavy electrical and communication infrastructure and acoustical treatments for loud operation uses or for controlled communication.

This site and building have heightened flood and wind control due to its location. These features will require a raised finish floor elevation to lift the building above the flood and ocean surge plane along with increased structural design requirements for high wind gusts during a hurricane event. Increased environmental care will be required for this sensitive site. The site is undeveloped and has the potential to support habitats for endangered animal and bird species. In particular, the beach mouse, gopher tortoise, scrub jay, and tri-colored bat. This project anticipates relocating existing scrub jay habitat to another location. There may also be some cultural sensitivities. Additional investigation is needed to confirm any presence of historical items and their possible impact on the development of the facility. The design will be developed to meet a 50-year building life cycle. This will impact the performance level of building systems and materials selected. There will be several large pieces of equipment sensitive to vibration that will require isolated floor slabs to meet the weight and seismic requirements. The use of air pallets will also require several of these isolated slabs to have a low tolerance for flatness (i.e., be super flat). There will be several built-in cranes in the facility that will require an increased structural design load or separate steel structure and concrete footings. There will be two special commissioning requirements for the ETF: cybersecurity and security. This project will follow the UFC 4-010-01 Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings, UFC 4-010-06 Cybersecurity of Facility Related Control Systems, and UFC 4-010-05 Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities Planning, Design and Construction.

The project will be design-bid-build, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 236220 – Commercial and Institutional Building Construction with the annual size standard of $45 million. Project Magnitude is between $100,000,000 and $250,000,000. The general period of performance is anticipated to be approximately 851 calendar days.

A PLA is defined as a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement with one or more labor organizations that establishes the terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project and is an agreement as described in 29 U.S.C. 158 (f). Effective January 22, 2024, Final Rule (FAR Case 2022-003), implements Executive Order (E.O.) 14063, Use of PLAs for Federal Construction Projects, which requires the use of PLAs in large-scale (defined as $35 million or more) Federal construction projects within the United States. Contractors and subcontractors working on large-scale construction projects must negotiate or become party to a PLA with one or more labor organizations unless an exception is granted. This requirement applies to new solicitations, including task or delivery orders, issued on or after January 22, 2024.

The Government is requesting information to determine if the use of project labor agreements will (1) advance the Federal Governments interest in achieving economy and efficiency in Federal procurement; (2) promote adequate competition at a fair and reasonable price; and (3) be consistent with statutes, regulations, laws, etc. The Government is seeking information from both unionized and non-unionized contractors, as well as contractors familiar with the federal marketplace as well as new entrants, that may be interested in participating in competition for this procurement. Reference is made to: FAR Subpart 22.5 Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects; provision, FAR 52.222-33 Notice of Requirement for Project Labor Agreement; and to clause, FAR 52.222-34 Project Labor Agreement.

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 a PLA for this proposed project using the attached questionnaire.

This is not an announcement of the availability of a solicitation nor is it a means of generating a plan holder’s list. After review of the responses to this special notice, the Government intends to make a determination to pursue an exception to the mandatory use of a PLA or not. The Government will not contact the responders for clarification of information provided. This survey is for planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a Request for Proposal or as an obligation on the part of the Government. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this market survey or otherwise pay for the requested information. The Government will not provide a debriefing on the results of this survey. All information will be held in a confidential manner and will only be used for the purposes intended.

Responses shall be submitted on the attached questionnaire via email to Sheila Borges, sheila.i.borges.civ@us.navy.mil and Lindsay Betteridge, lindsay.e.betteridge.civ@us.navy.mil. no later than 2:00 PM ET on April 1, 2024.

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