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Project Labor Agreement Survey: W9128F23SC006

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District is soliciting comments from the construction community addressing the potential use of Project Labor Agreements (PLA) for a large-scale construction project (exceeding $25 million) for the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Fort Harrison, MT.

Email your responses no later than 2:00 PM Central Standard Time on 29 December 2022 to adam.l.beaver@usace.army.mil. Ensure your response is limited to 5 pages and the Subject Line of your response includes the “PLA Survey W9128F22SC006 - Ft Harrison, MT VAMC Seismic Upgrade and Specialty Care Improvements; Phase I, Design-Build Central Utility Plant (CUP) and Parking Structure”. Please provide your contact information in the body of the email.

A PLA is defined as a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement between a Prime contractor and one or more labor organizations that establishes the terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project and is an agreement described in 29 U.S. C. 158(f). Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR 22.503) Policy provides that:

(a) Project Labor Agreement (PLA) is a tool that agencies may use to promote economy and efficiency in Federal procurement. Pursuant to Executive Order 13502, agencies are encouraged to consider requiring the use of project labor agreements in connection with large-scale construction projects.

(b) An agency may, if appropriate, require that every contractor and subcontractor, or certain subcontractors, engaged in construction on the project agree, for that project, to negotiate or become a party to a project labor agreement with one or more labor organizations if the agency decides that the use of project labor agreements will:

(i) Advance the Federal Governments interest in achieving economy and efficiency in Federal procurement, producing labor-management stability, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations governing safety and health, equal employment opportunity, labor and employment standards and other matters; and

(ii) Be consistent with law. Reference: FAR 52.222-33 Notice of Requirement for Project Labor Agreement; FAR 52.222-34 Project Labor Agreement.

Request responses to the following questions:

(1) Do you have knowledge that a PLA has been used in the local area on projects of this kind? If so, please provide supporting documentation.

(2) Are you aware of skilled labor shortages in the area for those crafts that will be needed to complete the reference project? If so, please elaborate and provide supporting documentation where possible.

(3) Are you aware of time sensitive issues/scheduling requirements that would affect the rate at which the referenced project should be completed? If so, please elaborate and provide supporting documentation where possible.

(4) Identify specific reasons why or how you believe a PLA would advance the Federal Governments interest in achieving economy and efficiency in federal procurement.

(5) Identify specific reasons why you do not believe a PLA would advance the Federal Governments interest in achieving economy and efficiency in federal procurement.

(6) Identify any additional information you believe should be considered on the use of a PLA on the referenced project.

(7) Identify any additional information you believe should be considered on the non-use of a PLA on the referenced project.

The information gathered in this survey should include the following information on projects completed in the last 2 – 5 years:

1. Project Name and Location


2. Detailed Project Description


3. Initial Cost Estimate vs. Actual Final Cost


4. Was the project completed on time?


5. Number of craft trades present on the project


6. Was a PLA used?


7. Were there any challenges experienced during the project?

Project Description:

This is a Design-Build Services project for the Ft Harrison, MT VAMC Seismic Upgrade and Specialty Care Improvements; Phase I, Design-Build Central Utility Plant (CUP) and Parking Structure. Preliminary planning and design is currently being performed to develop a Design-Build Request for Proposal to construct two facilities on the Ft Harrison Campus: and approximately 15,300 GSF Central Utility Plant (CUP) with utilities distribution system and an approximately 660 space Parking Structure north of the main hospital building, the demolition/modification of the existing campus heating/hot water system and chilled water system, and the demolition of old boiler plant and supporting backup generator buildings.

a. General site conditions: The existing site is situated near the property line that borders the adjacent National Guard installation to the north, the existing B170 warehouse building to the west, and a potential Outpatient Mental Health Facility (Building 173 – to be constructed by others) to the east. The site is located partially on an existing parking lot, and the rest of the site occupies open undeveloped space with natural vegetation. At various times, there are a fluctuating number of shipping containers that may be located on or near the site. The site slopes generally from the west to the east. Surface water runoff is mostly sheet flows. There are no identifiable concentrated flows within the project site. Most of the campus has open section roadway (no curb and gutter), except for the area immediately surrounding the main hospital facility itself. There are some identified utilities that run through the project site, like sanitary sewer, signal / telecom utilities, and some water lines. There are existing light poles along the perimeter of the existing parking lot. Closer to the hospital, there is irrigated turfgrass, but that does not extend to the project area.

b. Central Utility Plant: The structural system will be designed such that access to overhead pipe and duct support is possible. Design the building to allow all equipment to be installed and removed in the future. Given the building height (currently assumed to be about 30’), and approximate size of the new CUP facility (~15,300 sq. ft.) the building will utilize exterior load bearing concrete masonry unit wall construction with exterior face brick to match brick used elsewhere on the campus. A rainscreen system will be utilized on all exterior walls and will include the following: exterior brick veneer, air space/drainage cavity, exterior rigid insulation, vapor barrier/drainage plane on concrete masonry block wall. Composite metal panels will also be used on the exterior face of the building at locations that lend itself well to a different material other than face brick. Similarly, a rainscreen system will be utilized with the composite metal panels.

c. Utilities Distribution System: The distribution system is designed to connect the new CUP to the future hospital complex and the existing steam and chilled water systems. The distribution system is primarily routed underground in new utility corridors (approximately 8’x8’) and also inside of the existing buildings to provide building cooling, heating, and domestic hot water needs to the following buildings: Building 141 including the Hydronic Plant, Building 154, Building 154A, Building 169, and future Building 173. The primary connection from the CUP to the Main Hospital Building 154 will be through the primary utilidor. This connection will be made to Mechanical Room B100 located in the basement of Building 154. Utility piping from the primary utilidor will reach the final equipment connection either using secondary utilidors or by utilizing the crawl space under Building 154 or routing through existing buildings. In addition to steam, steam condensate, and chilled water piping, the utilidors must be provided with lighting, ventilation, and drainage as required by code. The utilidor design must provide a safe working space as required.

d. Building System Connection and Demolition: Work within the existing buildings includes connection of the new steam utilities from the CUP to the existing building steam systems and the replacement of the hydronic heating boilers in the Building 141 plant with shell and tube heat exchangers to convert the steam to heating hot water. The existing hydronic heating hot water distribution system within the buildings is to remain. Work within the existing buildings also includes connection of the new chilled water utilities from the CUP to the existing building chilled water systems. The existing chillers and chilled water distribution systems within the buildings are to remain as backup. The new chilled water connections to each chilled water distribution system must include flow metering and temperature monitoring in addition to motorized valving to allow selection of CUP chilled water operation or individual chiller system operation.

i. Building 141 (existing hydronic plant) contains two (2) Superior fire tube hot water boilers installed in 2010 with MAWP of 60 psig and rated at 200 BHP or 6,700 MBH and two (2) Patterson Kelly hot water boilers installed in 2015 with 160 psig MAWP rated at approximately 60 BHP or 2,000 MBH. This equipment is to be replaced by heat exchangers supported by the new CUP with equipment to be salvaged with value recaptured in the project cost. The hydronic heating boilers and domestic water heaters in Building 169 are also to be replaced with shell and tube heat exchangers with the existing heating hot water and domestic hot water distribution systems to remain.

ii. Building 169 (Residential Rehabilitation) contains three (3) unitary boilers that are to be replaced by heat exchangers supported by the new CUP. This equipment is to be salvaged with value recaptured in the project cost.

iii. Building 171 (operational boiler plant) must remain online until the requirements for commissioning and stable operation of the new CUP are complete. Building 171 is equipped with three (3) Superior fire tube low pressure steam boilers (2012 build) that feature a maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP) of 30 psig and have a rated capacity of 8,625 lb/hr steam. Additionally, the building is equipped with two (2) Superior fire tube high pressure steam boilers (2012 build) that feature a maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP) of 150 psig and have a rated capacity of 5,175 lb/hr steam. Building 171 shall be gutted and left in an environmentally controlled state. The new CUP is to be operational for a period of not less than 10 days prior to decommissioning this plant. The existing ~10,000 gl underground storage tank will have to be removed as per Montana Department of Environmental Quality standards and the area restored.

iv. Building 142 (decommissioned Boiler Plant) and Building 159 (supporting generator) are to be deconstructed as part of this project. The four boilers contained within as well as the supporting generator are to be salvaged with value recaptured in the project cost. The A/E shall conduct an analysis of this as well as other contained equipment to determine the most fiscally appropriate course of action. The A/E will have to provide for MT SHPO considerations during demolition. Supporting under-ground storage tanks have previously been removed and hence no environmental risk is present.

e. Parking Structure: The parking structure will include approximately 660 parking spaces. The project includes site improvements, rerouting of existing streets, site utilities, and a covered walkway. The facility will also include facility vertical transportation, facility mechanical, electrical, communications, and fire protections systems. The facility shall meet life safety, Physical Security, and accessibility requirements. The new parking structure will have covered parking and serve as the primary drop off location for the VA medical center, building 154. A connected covered walkway will connect the structure to the entry of building 154. The facility will have vertical transportation lobbies at each level. The exterior wall construction will consist of ornamental brick or metal panel cladding over concrete parking structural frame and vehicle barriers. The parking structure will not be conditioned. The top-level parking deck should be configured for the addition of a roof of metal construction and also allow for the addition of photo-voltaic panels. The parking structure will include a reinforced concrete slab on grade with a reinforced concrete foundation at the base level, and the elevated structure is structurally framed of either cast-in-place post-tensioned concrete (one-way system) or precast prestressed double tee and girder construction.

f. Service Access Road. Design and build an access road loop by extending Devil’s Brigade Way around the north end of campus to allow for service access to B170 once the existing Devil’s Brigade paralleling Patriot’s Way is closed for construction.

The estimated magnitude of construction cost of this project is between $75,000,000 and $100,000,000.

The estimated period of performance is 975 calendar days from construction notice to proceed (NTP).

REMINDER: Formal responses to this Market Survey must be submitted electronically (via email) with SUBJECT: PLA Survey W9128F22SC006 – Ft Harrison, MT VAMC Seismic Upgrade and Specialty Care Improvements; Phase I, Design-Build Central Utility Plant (CUP) and Parking Structure. Please email to adam.l.beaver@usace.army.mil. Responses must be received by 2PM Central Standard Time, on 29 December 2022, to be considered.

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