This contract will be procured in accordance with the Brooks Architect-Engineer Act as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 36.6. The Government intends to award a multiple award, not exceeding three awards, IDIQ for Architect-Engineer (A/E) services to be performed for the Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) from this announcement. The contractor’s performance period is for a 12-month base period and four 12-month option years; a total of five years if all options are exercised. The primary geographical area is the Washington DC-metro and surrounding areas as well as Fairbanks, Alaska, as follows below. Work under task orders may be required to be performed within the United States (U.S.).
NESDIS SSMC1 Building, 1335 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910
NESDIS SSMC3 Building, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910
NESDIS Satellite Operations Facility (NSOF), 4231 Suitland Rd, Suitland, MD 20746
NESDIS Fairmont CBU Facility (CBU), Vertex Building, 1000 Galliher Drive, Fairmont, WV 26554
NESDIS Wallops CDA Station (WCDAS), 35663 Chincoteague Road, Wallops, VA 23337
NESDIS Fairbanks CDA Station (FCDAS), 1300 Eisele Road Fairbanks, AK 99712
University of Maryland M Square Building 5830, University Research Ct., College Park, MD 20740
In accordance with FAR 36.209, “No contract for the construction of a project shall be awarded to the firm that designed the project or its subsidiaries or affiliates, except with the approval of the head of the agency or authorized representative.” Future construction contracts to any A/E awardee will be limited in that respect.
NOAA/NESDIS reserves the right to utilize the A/E Contractor in other locations within the U.S. and its territories. The Government reserves the right to award one or no contracts as a result of this announcement. If the Government decides to award a contract from this notice, the Government may individually rank the firms that respond. The Government reserves the right to invite the highest-ranked firms from this announcement for interviews. However, the Government is not obligated to conduct any interviews and may rank firms based simply on their response, so offerors should submit their best response. If interviews are conducted, any firm that responded but was not invited to an interview may request a debriefing in accordance with FAR 15.506. If interviews are conducted, any firms selected for interviews will be re-ranked, after the interviews, based on the selection criteria listed below.
The Government may request services in accordance with the ordering provisions of this contract. Task orders may be issued for individual projects. Each task order will be a negotiated firm fixed price contract based on an individual Statement of Architect and Engineer Services (SAES) which shall state:
The scope of work to be performed;
Required A/E tasks;
Required deliverables;
Government-provided materials and/or services;
Specialized codes, standards, references, and publications; and
Periods of performance with schedule for intermediate milestones.
Typical facilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Office buildings;
Warehouses and storage buildings;
Laboratories and research facilities;
Communications installations;
Weather forecast offices; or
Data centers.
The Government will require A/E services at NESDIS sites associated with studies and reports; the construction of new facilities; and the renovation, repair, expansion, and/or demolition of existing facilities. A/E IDIQ services may include, but are not limited to, those listed in Attachment 1 – Statement of Architect and Engineer Services, IDIQ Base Contract, Section 1.4 “Types of Services”.
Overview
Selection of the most highly qualified firm(s) will be based on the evaluation of the following three (3) equally weighted factors:
Corporate Experience
Professional Qualifications & Management Capabilities
Past Performance
Offerors must address all three criteria in their submission. Instructions for what to submit and how each section will be evaluated are provided below.
1. Corporate Experience
Instructions to Offerors
Offerors shall submit a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of five (5) relevant projects performed as the prime contractor within the last seven (7) years that are similar in size, scope, and complexity to those described in this solicitation. Projects may include work completed for federal, state, local Governments, or private entities. Federal Government experience is considered a strong asset.
For joint ventures, projects may be submitted by the joint venture entity or any individual member.
For ongoing contracts, the contractor must have at least 12 months of performance completed by the solicitation closing date to be considered.
Each project description should include the following:
Purpose and scope of the project, facility type, tenant mission, facility use (e.g., 24/7 ops), square footage, and equipment complexity.
Total contract value.
Description of services and level of responsibility.
List of subcontractors used and associated dollar values.
Contract type (e.g., firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursable, T&M).
Contract start and end dates, including options.
Client contact information (name, title, phone, email, address).
Building owner or representative contact information (name, title, phone, email, address).
Evaluation Criteria
Corporate Experience will be evaluated based on the diversity, complexity, and relevance of prior work similar in scope to:
Sustainability and energy efficiency projects
Hazardous materials abatement
Building demolitions and new construction
Fault tolerance analysis
Primary and backup power systems
Mechanical and HVAC systems for 24/7 operations
Facility master planning and space utilization
Operations and maintenance service improvement
More recent and highly relevant experience will be rated more favorably. Work by predecessor companies or subcontractors may be considered.
2. Professional Qualifications & Management Capabilities
Instructions to Offerors
Offerors shall submit a staffing plan and resumés (maximum 1 page each) for all key personnel, including the Project Manager, Architects, Engineers, and other key professionals. The plan should describe how personnel and any subcontractors will be deployed to accomplish all aspects of the contract scope.
Key personnel should demonstrate experience managing multi-discipline projects at a single location simultaneously. All personnel must be familiar with current codes and standards relevant to their discipline.
Offerors must propose individuals who meet or exceed the minimum qualifications outlined below. After award, changes to proposed key personnel require Government approval.
Minimum Key Personnel Qualifications
Project Manager
Minimum of five (5) years of experience as an architecture or engineering project manager
Experience with leadership, negotiation, schedule management, cost control, risk management, contract administration, communications, work breakdown structures, and quality management
Architect
Registered Architect (RA) licensed in a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory
Minimum of five (5) years of experience as a design architect
Experience with space planning, evidence-based design, life safety, accessibility, sustainability, historic preservation, and construction
Structural Engineer
Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in structural discipline or Structural Engineer (SE) in a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory
Minimum of five (5) years of experience as a design structural engineer
Experience with modern and antiquated structural and foundation systems, seismic design, blast resistance design, and dynamic analysis
Civil Engineer
Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in construction, geotechnical, transportation, or water resources/environmental disciplines
Minimum of five (5) years of experience as a design civil engineer
Experience with site analysis and development, circulation, roadway and pavement design, stormwater management, utility design, geotechnical evaluation, roofing systems, and sustainability
Surveyor
Licensed Professional Surveyor (PS) in the state(s) where survey work will be performed
Minimum of five (5) years of experience as a professional surveyor
Experience with topographic, utility, landscape, cadastral/boundary, deformation, and structural surveying
Mechanical Engineer
Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in mechanical discipline
Minimum of five (5) years of experience as a design mechanical engineer
Experience with HVAC-R systems, building automation, plumbing, steam generation/distribution, data centers, fire protection, elevator systems, equipment planning, sustainability and energy management, and building commissioning/retro-commissioning
Electrical Engineer
Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in electrical discipline
Minimum of five (5) years of experience as a design electrical engineer
Experience with low/medium voltage distribution, emergency generation, lighting and controls, fire alarms, electronic security, telecommunications, building automation, lightning protection, arc flash/selective coordination studies, sustainability, and commissioning
Fire Protection Engineer
Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in fire protection discipline
Minimum of five (5) years of experience as a design fire protection engineer
Experience with healthcare, ambulatory care, residential, and business occupancies; life safety surveys; and development of Joint Commission Statement of Conditions (SOC) documents
Evaluation Criteria
This factor evaluates the depth and relevance of experience of proposed key personnel, and the effectiveness of the staffing plan in supporting successful contract execution.
Key personnel qualifications, past performance, and technical capabilities will be assessed, including:
How well proposed personnel align with required qualifications
Effectiveness of proposed team structure and resource allocation
Risk reduction demonstrated in the staffing strategy
Reference checks on key personnel performance (if applicable)
3. Past Performance
Instructions to Offerors
Offerors shall submit past performance information for the same 3–5 projects submitted under Corporate Experience. Include customer references and building owner/representative contact details who can speak to the quality of services provided.
For significant subcontractors or joint venture partners, offerors should also submit past performance information and relevant customer contacts.
Evaluation Criteria
The Government will assess the quality and relevance of past performance, focusing on:
Adherence to contract requirements and schedules
Quality of deliverables and workmanship
Proactive issue resolution and milestone achievement
Management responsiveness and cooperation
Commitment to customer satisfaction
References indicating “excellent” or “outstanding” performance—particularly for long-term contracts—will be evaluated favorably. The Government may also use past performance data from other known sources.
Offerors without relevant past performance will receive a neutral rating, which will neither help nor hurt the overall score.
In accordance with FAR 36.6, this is not a request for price proposal. Interested firms having the capabilities to perform this work must submit a full (i.e., Parts I and II) electronic copy of their Standard Form 330, “Architect-Engineer Qualifications,” to be received at the address listed below no later than 10:00 am (EDT, DC/Local) on Monday, May 16, 2025. Submissions received after this date will not be considered, except at the Government’s sole discretion. Submissions shall be limited to a total of 80 pages single-sided (or 40 pages double-sided). Therefore, conciseness and simplicity are encouraged. These forms must be submitted to both Mr. Mark Sullivan ([email protected]) and Ms. Markita Simmonds ([email protected]).
All Contractors doing business with the Government must be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). No award can be made to a company not registered in SAM.gov. To register with SAM.gov, an entity must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in SAM.gov, which can be obtained free of charge via SAM.gov. Please visit SAM.gov for additional information on how to register.