Dover Air Force Base Dormitory

Description of Work: This is a Sources Sought Notice and is for information purposes only.

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, QUOTATIONS, OR BIDS.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, intends to award a firm fixed price contract for Dover Air Force Base Dormitory, Dover, DE.

Contract work consists of:

Construct a 245-room dormitory consisting of a multi-level steel frame structure with reinforced concrete foundation and floor slabs, interior corridors, masonry walls/finish system with 8-inch interior walls and 12-inch exterior walls, sloped metal roof, pavements, utilities, and other necessary support. The dormitory space shall include Enhanced 1+1 room configurations with a private bathroom, living modules and laundry, vending, storage, administrative, recreation, and supporting facilities in accordance with the Air Force Enlisted Unaccompanied Housing Guidance Memo, 25 July 2018. The project includes all utilities, site improvements, pavements, detection/protection features, security enhancements, and other supporting work necessary to provide a complete and useable facility. The facility must be able to withstand seismic effects as prescribed in applicable codes and design guides. Facilities will be designed as permanent construction in accordance with Department of Defense Unified Facilities Criteria 1-200-01. This project will comply with Department of Defense anti-terrorism/force protection requirements per UFC 4-010-01.

Location

The Landings Club. 479 Evreux St, Dover, DE 19902

POC

Project Manager: CPT Ramon F. Concepcion/ Ramon.F.Conception@usace.army.mil

Design Manager: Christopher P. Carnes/ Christopher.P.Carnes@usace.army.mil

Estimated cost range of the project is $100M-$150M.

The NAICS Code for this project is 236220 Commercial and Institutional Building Construction.

Sources Sought/Market Survey responses Requested to this Sources Sought Announcement will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. Narratives are requested with the following information, which shall not exceed a total of ten (10) pages Interested Offerors can respond to this Sources Sought Synopsis to include the following information:

1. Offeror’s name, address, points of contact with telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.
2. Business size/classification to include any designations as Small Business, HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned, 8(a), Women-Owned small businesses shall be indicated on first page of submission.
3. Description of capability to perform similar or same projects listed above and manage subcontractors if applicable.

Past performance/experience on projects of similar scope and magnitude, describing no more than three (3) projects completed within the past five years. The past performance information should include project title, location, general description of the construction to demonstrate relevance to the proposed projects, the Offeror’s role, dollar value of contract, and name of the company, agency or government entity for which the work was performed with contact information (reference name, phone number and e-mail address).

DAFB Dormitory – Questions for an Industry Day

Please emphasize answering High Priority Questions (1-11) over Low Priority Questions (12-29).

High Priority Questions

1. What alternative project delivery methods (e.g., design‑build, CM‑at‑risk, progressive design‑build) would you recommend to compress schedule and reduce change orders, and why? (USACE)
2. What early contractor involvement or preconstruction services would most help to optimize cost, phasing, and constructability before the design is finalized? (USACE)
3. Do you feel that the local sub-contractor pool availability will be a constraint in the execution of this project? (USACE)
4. What are your thoughts on Alternative Construction Methods? (A-E)
5. What alternative construction methods (including industrialized construction) have you previously applied to projects?  (A-E)
6. What was the project impact of these methods, specifically to: (A-E)
   1. Schedule
   2. Cost
   3. Quality
7. What are challenges associated with these methods? (A-E)
   1. Design – changes to current UFC and UFGS standards?
   2. Construction – Availability of contractors, availability of materials, Cost, transportation?
8. What are the benefits associated with these methods? (A-E)
9. What alternate construction method(s) do you recommend (linear/panelized, modular, etc ) for THIS project and why? (USACE)
10. Is there anything you would like the government to know? (A-E)
11. What constraints should be considered to ensure industrialized construction solutions can be prefabricated, transported, and erected for the area this project will be constructed? (USACE)

Low Priority Questions

1. How much staging area would be needed if some type of industrialized construction were used? (USACE)
2. How much lead time would be required for procurement of prefabricated units? (USACE)
3. Where would industrialized construction components be sourced from? (USACE)
4. Can the modules be engineered to meet Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP) standards? (USACE)
5. How do your standard designs adapt to meet Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC)? (USACE)
6. What structural tolerances (vertical and horizontal) does your system require for the site-built foundation (e.g., pier, slab-on-grade ... etc.)? And does it require standard tolerances or more stringent tolerances? (USACE)
7.  How are the structural connections between the modules and the foundation made, and are they accessible for inspection and future maintenance? (USACE)
8.  How do you control and mitigate differential settlement between modules, especially on soils with low bearing capacity? What experience do you have installing vapor barriers and/or passive or active vapor removal systems?  Is the experience internal or through a subcontractor? (USACE)
9. Are you aware of USACE ECB 2026-13 Reformed Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) and Modernized Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG)? The primary goal of the UFC Reform was to more closely align DoD requirements with the International Building Code (IBC) and other recognized industry standards. The initiative rigorously challenged the extra criteria previously mandated for DoD facilities, focusing on designing to mission requirements and reducing the overall cost of military construction. How will this impact bidding and risk on the project? (USACE)
10. From your experience, where does overspecification typically occur in dormitory projects (structural loading, fireproofing, finishes, etc), and what could be used instead to be more cost and schedule efficient? Which specifications or details commonly drive unnecessary cost (custom elements, proprietary systems, overly tight tolerances), and how might they be rewritten to allow cost‑effective equivalent products or methods? (USACE)
11. What HVAC building systems tend to provide the best lifecycle cost and maintainability for dormitories the climate the project is being constructed? (USACE)
12. What are typical schedule delays you see on similar projects (e.g., utility coordination, material lead times, inspections), and what design or contracting strategies have best mitigated them? (USACE)
13. What long‑lead materials or equipment should the project be designed around to protect the critical path, and what alternatives can be considered to reduce risk of losing schedule? (USACE)
14. Which details typically generate RFIs and field rework on dormitory projects, and how can the drawings and specifications be clarified to minimize ambiguities? (USACE)
15. What contractual or commercial barriers typically prevent you from proposing bold ideas or meeting contract requirements, and how can this project avoid them? (USACE)
16. Can you share examples where you significantly reduced cost or schedule on a similar building through unconventional means, and what design conditions made those successes possible? (USACE)
17. Given the current local labor and subcontractor market, how should the design be tailored to align with the strengths and limitations of available trades? (USACE)
18. Are there particular systems or materials that are difficult to staff or supply locally that we should avoid or redesign around? (USACE)

Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. If you have any questions concerning this opportunity, please contact: Responses should be sent to Brian W. Cox@usace.army.mil on or before 17 August 2026, at 2:00 PM EST.