Whiteriver Hospital Construction

The project is to construct a new Whiteriver Hospital, located three miles north of the community of Whiteriver on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, Navajo County, Arizona. The proposed new hospital will be on the existing IHS Hospital Campus immediately south of the existing hospital.

The Indian Health Service (IHS) is conducting a SOURCES SOUGHT/REQUEST FOR INFORMATION as outlined in FAR 15.201(c)(3) to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities, and qualifications of firms especially small businesses including: Native American/Indian-Owned Businesses (Indian Economic Enterprise (IEE)), 8(a) Certified Small Businesses, Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) Small Businesses, Women Owned Small Businesses, Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB), Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB), and Veteran Owned Small Businesses.

The IHS is also SEEKING INDUSTRY FEEDBACK – Please see questions that the IHS is requesting industry feedback on at the end of this announcement.

NO PROPOSALS ARE BEING REQUESTED OR ACCEPTED WITH THIS RFI. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS. Respondents will NOT be notified of the results of this notice. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this notice or any follow-up information requested.

Market Research is being performed pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10 to identify businesses capable of performing the functions described herein.

Description/Scope of Work:

The project is an acquisition for the new Whiteriver Hospital. The IHS plans to replace the existing Whiteriver Hospital on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The Contractor shall construct a new 406,000 Square Foot Indian Health Service (IHS) Hospital that is planned to serve a Primary Service Area (PSA) projected user population of 19,088 in 2030. The new hospital will be constructed on the existing 14-acre site of the existing hospital with minor adjustments to the existing lease. Services will be expanded to include Primary Care, Telemedicine, Dental Care, Eye Care, Audiology, Emergency Services, Transitional Care, Emergency Medical Services, Specialty Care (including General Surgery, Ophthalmology, ENT, Orthopedics, Podiatry, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Nephrology, Pulmonology, Rheumatology, and Genetic Testing), Psychiatry, Social Services, Behavioral Health Emergency & Inpatient Care Response Services, Acute Care (Adult Medical/Surgical, Pediatric), Low‐Risk Labor & Delivery, Inpatient & Outpatient Pharmacy, Laboratory, Diagnostic Imaging (X‐Ray, Ultrasound, Mammography, Fluoroscopy, CT, MRI), Rehabilitation Services (Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy), Respiratory Therapy, Public Health Nursing, Public Health Nutrition, Health Education, Wellness Center, Community Health Representatives, Environmental Health, Administration, Business Office, Human Resources, Quality Management/Quality Improvement, Health Information Management, Information Technology, Clinical Informatics, Purchased and Referred Care, Security, Clinical Engineering, Dietary, Facility Management, Medical Supply, Housekeeping & Linen, Comprehensive Pain Management, Employee Facilities, Public Facilities, Education and Group Consulting, Emergency Air Transportation, Research Partnership, Diabetes Management, Veterans Administration, Social Security Administration, Arizona Long Term Care Services Administration, Tribal Transportation (non‐emergency), Women Infant & Children (WIC), and the Tick Disease Surveillance Program.

The area required for the new hospital includes parking lots, drives, utility areas, and stormwater management. The site consists of land that is south of the existing hospital, and the area where the existing hospital and Garrett Building (Supply/Maintenance)  are located. The existing hospital will be demolished after the new hospital is built and the existing hospital is vacated. The location of the existing hospital will be used for parking. As a result of construction, on-site parking spaces will be limited, and a temporary lot will be created. Staff and patients, and potentially construction workers, will be shuttled from the temporary lot to the hospitals as appropriate during construction and demolition activities. In addition to the construction of the hospital, the project includes construction of two wastewater treatment plants. The first to be located approximately 0.5 miles north of the existing campus on Powerline Road, and the second to be located near the quarters approximately 20 miles north of the existing campus near the intersection of AZ-73 and AZ-260. The quarters (a separate project, not part of this project) will also be built at the intersection site near the community of Pinetop, AZ.

The new facility will be designated as an Primary Care Acute Care Facility by the 2022 FGI guidelines. The new construction will be in accordance with IBC 2024, Type IB construction. Occupancies are designated primarily as Healthcare (Group I-2)and Business Group B with Groups A-2, A-3, R-2, S-1, and S-2 also included in the buildings.

Additional work requirements will be provided in the finalized Statement of Work. Period of Performance is 1095 calendar days after issuance of a Notice to Proceed. TERO is applicable.

The type of work to be performed will be categorized under PSC code Y1DA, Construction of Hospitals and Infirmaries and NAICS code 236220, Commercial and Institutional Building Construction with a size standard of $45 million.

In accordance with Disclosure of the Magnitude of Construction Projects, the anticipated project magnitude is more than $250,000,000.

RESPONSES - SUBMITTAL

Responses to this notice must be emailed to Erik Lundstrom at Erik.Lundstrom@ihs.gov and must be received no later than the posted due date and time.  Responses must include:

1. Company Information: Company name, website, physical address, SAM UEI code
2. Point of Contact: Contact name, phone number, and E-mail address
3. If a solicitation is issued, will your firm/company be submitting a proposal? Indicate Yes or No
4. Type of Business: Native American-owned (IEE/ISBEE), SBA certified 8(a), SBA Certified HUB Zone, Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB), Women Owned Small Business (WOSB), and/or Small Businesses (SB). For more information on the definitions or requirements for these small business programs, refer to http://www.sba.gov.
   1. Native American-owned (IEE/ISBEE) firms - Submit completed Attachment 1: IHS IEE Representation Form along with the controlling enterprise’s Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood documentation. Please note that there shall be no personally identifiable information (PII), such as social security numbers, included in the documentation submitted. Any PII shall be redacted prior to submission.
5. Bond Capacity: Information on the firm's bonding capability - specifically identify single and aggregate bonding capacities.
6. Experience Submission Requirements: Submit at least two (2) but no more than five (5) projects completed by your firm within the last seven (7) years that are similar to the work that will be required under this project. Firms shall include the following information for each project:
   1. Indicate whether Prime Contractor or Subcontractor for each project submitted;
   2. Dates of construction for each project submitted;
   3. Contract value, location, completion date, and complexity of job for each project submitted;
   4. Indicate whether the project is a federal, state, tribal or other for each project submitted; and
   5. Project references/Agency point of contact (telephone number and email address) for each project submitted.
   6. If the entity responding to this sources sought is submitting experience information from any entity that does not match the name, CAGE code, and/or UEI exactly as stated on the submitting entity’s SAM record (e.g. affiliates, subsidiaries, parent companies, sister companies, etc.) the submission shall clearly demonstrate how that entity will have meaningful involvement in the performance of the contract and specifically address which resources would be committed to the contract. Failure to comply with this requirement or failure to adequately demonstrate meaningful involvement and commitment of resources on behalf of that entity may result in that experience information to be considered not relevant.
   7. Along with the project experience submission, the following questions shall be answered in your firms’ submission:
      1. How is your company structured to handle quality control of the various disciplines of a construction project? (i.e., what position(s) (full-time/part-time) are employed under your company to perform QC?)
      2. Does your company primarily handle the construction activities related to construction management by the prime contractor and if so, what are those activities? 
      3. Does your company self-perform any of the construction disciplines, if so, what are those disciplines?  What disciplines does your company anticipate self-performing for this specific project?
      4. What is your firm’s opinion on the appropriate duration for this contract solicitation which will allow the appropriate amount of time for your firm to obtain input from subcontractors, understand the construction documents sufficiently, minimize price risk so your firm can provide the most competitive proposal, etc.? IHS is currently considering a 60, 90, or 120 day solicitation period.
      5. What is your firm’s preference about the inclusion of the shuttle service between a temporary parking lot and the hospitals in this contract? Should the shuttle service be performed under the construction contract, or a separate contract between the IHS and a 3rd party shuttle service firm? Does your firm have experience including shuttle services under the construction contracts?
      6. With such a constrained construction site, would you anticipate that your firm will need an additional staging area for construction materials and offices? There is a large parking area which will be available for staging during most of the construction period, but after the building opens for service and prior to the existing hospital being demolished most, if not all, of that parking area will be unavailable for staging or office space.
      7. With such a constrained construction site, and lack of local housing in the immediate community, how would your firm handle logistical issues such as housing of the labor force required for construction, and parking of construction workers at the construction site?
      8. Based on the requirements in the second paragraph above, which outlines small business requirements for this project, what strategies would you anticipate utilizing to meet or exceed those requirements given the remote nature of the site.
      9. Given the history of the industry over the last few years, what is your firm’s strategy to keep the project on schedule given challenges with the supply chain, long lead times, and/or delays in shipping? What can we do as owners in the contract requirements to minimize schedule risk associated with supply chain, long lead times, and/or delays in shipping?

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Pursuant to 48 CFR Part 326, Subpart 326.603-3 and IHM 5.5-6, Indian Health Service must use the negotiation authority of the Buy Indian Act, 25 U.S.C. 47, to give preference to Indian Economic Enterprises (IEE) whenever the use of that authority is authorized and practicable. The Government is seeking to identify Indian Small Business Economic Enterprises (ISBEEs) capable of performing the below Indian Health Services (IHS) requirement. Any firm responding to this notice should submit their capability statement as well as the Buy Indian Act Indian Economic Enterprise Representation Form (attached).

Indian Small Business Economic Enterprises (ISBEEs) as well as other small business are highly encouraged to respond to this notice. However, firms should understand that generic capability statements are not sufficient for effective evaluation of their capacity and capability to perform the work required. Please note that a decision not to submit a response to this request for information will not preclude a firm from participating in any future solicitation.

All information received in response to this source sought that is marked proprietary will be handled accordingly. Documents and/or information other than what is requested will not be reviewed.  Information submitted beyond what is requested will not be considered.

QUESTIONS:

Questions regarding this sources sought may be emailed to Erik Lundstrom at Erik.Lundstrom@ihs.gov.