Notice of Intent to Sole Source
Title: Notice of Intent to Award a Sole-Source Utility Energy Services Contract (UESC) Task Order
Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs, Program Contracting Activity Central (PCAC)
Requirement: Phase 2 UESC at the VISN 22 Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona
The Department of Veterans Affairs intends to award a sole-source firm-fixed-price task order to Southwest Gas Corporation under GSA Areawide Contract No. 47PA0724D0005 for Utility Energy Services Contract (UESC) Phase 2 at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix VAMC). The acquisition is identified in Acquisition Plan No. 36C776-23-AP-1146.
Description of Requirement
The contemplated task order is the implementation and performance-period phase (Phase 2) of a phased UESC project at the Phoenix VAMC. The Investment Grade Audit (IGA) was completed under Phase 1. Phase 2 will provide engineering, construction, commissioning, and 11 years of Measurement and Verification services for energy conservation measures identified in the IGA. The energy conservation measures (ECMs) to be implemented under this task order include boiler replacement, Chiller Plant #2 replacement, heat recovery chiller installation, building automation system and controls modernization, interior LED lighting retrofits, steam trap replacements, mechanical insulation upgrades, domestic water and sewer conservation fixtures, cooling tower efficiency measures, and solar photovoltaic module and inverter replacement.
The task order period of performance will include an implementation period estimated at 33 months, followed by an 11-year M&V period. The acquisition uses a hybrid funding approach consisting of VA appropriated Non-Recurring Maintenance funds and utility-arranged financing.
Authority
This proposed sole-source action is authorized pursuant to 41 U.S.C. § 3304(a)(5), as implemented by FAR (RFO) 6.103-5 as cited in the acquisition documents, because the acquisition is authorized by statute. The underlying statutory UESC authority is 42 U.S.C. § 8256, which authorizes Federal agencies to enter into utility energy service contracts with an electric, natural gas, or water utility serving the facility.
Sole-source rationale
Southwest Gas Corporation is identified as the only serving utility for the Phoenix VA Medical Center that offers UESC services to its customers and is therefore the only legally eligible source for this UESC requirement.
This requirement is also a follow-on to prior Phoenix UESC task orders previously awarded to Southwest Gas Corporation for the completion Phase 1 of the phased UESC project at the Phoenix VAMC. Awarding to another entity under a different authority would require repeating the IGA process, duplicating engineering and design costs, creating inconsistencies, and causing schedule delay.
Interested parties
This notice is not a request for competitive proposals. Nevertheless, any responsible source that believes it can satisfy this requirement within the statutory limits of 42 U.S.C. § 8256 may submit a capability statement and supporting documentation demonstrating its legal eligibility to provide UESC services to the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center, its relevant experience performing comparable UESC services, and its ability to meet the required schedule and technical scope.
Responses should clearly address, at a minimum, the respondent s status as a serving utility for the Phoenix VA Medical Center or other legally supportable basis under 42 U.S.C. § 8256, its ability to provide the required integrated engineering, construction, commissioning, financing coordination, and long-term M&V services, and its ability to support phased execution in an active medical center without disrupting patient care.
Response instructions
Interested parties should submit a concise capability statement, not to exceed 5 pages, by the date and time identified in the notice posting. Submissions should include the notice title, company name, UEI, CAGE code, point of contact, phone number, email address, and sufficient detail to permit the Government to evaluate the respondent s asserted eligibility and capability.
Responses must be submitted electronically to the Contracting Officer or Contract Specialist identified in the solicitation or SAM.gov posting. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs associated with the preparation or submission of a response.
Disclaimer
This notice is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed action based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.
