SAM #36C25227Q0062

Sole-source fire alarm monitoring, testing, programming, and technician service for the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center

The VA Great Lakes Acquisition Center plans a sole-source fire alarm monitoring and service contract for the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, Illinois. - Opportunity and agency - Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Great Lakes Acquisition Center (GLAC), office 36C252. - Intended sole-source contractor: Johnson Controls Fire Protection. - This is a notice of intent, not a request for competitive quotes. - Services required - Continuous 24/7/365 monitoring of fire alarm and suppression systems across the facility’s listed buildings and partitions, including wet, dry, and fire-pump systems and buildings under construction or awaiting activation. - Dispatch the fire department for fire alarms and notify the facility of fire, supervisory, and trouble alarms as specified. - Testing, programming, and ongoing technician service, including two scheduled on-site visits per month, generally on the second and last Thursday during normal working hours when possible. Provide documentation after each visit. - Key requirements - Service personnel must be certified on the Simplex Grinnell system and have access to its proprietary programming; technicians must hold NICET Level II or higher credentials. - Central station monitoring must be UL 827-listed or FM-approved. Work must meet applicable NFPA, Joint Commission, OSHA, VA, manufacturer, and other relevant standards. - Term and response - One-year base period with four one-year options, at the Government’s discretion. The notice gives no specific start or end date; the service table identifies April through September for monitoring and technician visits. - Capability statements were invited by October 28, 2026, for Government consideration.

Description

Under Statutory Authority 41 U.S.C. § 1901, the VA Great Lakes Acquisition Center (GLAC) intends to negotiate a sole source contract with Johnson Controls Fire Protection. The contractor shall furnish all labor, material, tools, equipment, supervision, transportation, and expertise to perform fire/smoke alarm testing and fire suppression systems in accordance with all current regulations, and to service all fire alarm devices and equipment located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center. This acquisition is conducted under the authority of 41 U.S.C. § 1901, Simplified Acquisition Procedures, as implemented in RFO 12.102: only one responsible source, and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. This will be a firm fixed-price contract for a base plus four (4) option years. The NAICS Code is 561621. This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive quotes. No solicitation documents are available, and telephone requests will not be honored. However, if a firm believes it can meet the requirements, it must furnish information about its products and services, as well as references from other customers who are using these products and services, to the Contracting Officer by 9:00 AM local time on 10/28/2026. Supporting evidence must be furnished in sufficient detail to demonstrate the ability to comply with the above requirements. Responses received will be evaluated. However, a determination by the Government not to compete the proposed procurement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. If no responses are received, the Contracting Officer will proceed with the sole source negotiation with Johnson Controls Fire Protection. Capability statements shall be submitted by email only as a MS Word or Adobe PDF attachment to Lori Eastmead at Lori.Eastmead@va.gov. Telephonic inquiries will not be accepted.

Statement of Work (SOW) Fire Alarm System Monitoring/Programming

1. General Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC), located at 3001 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, requires 24/7/365 monitoring of fire alarm and suppression systems, including technician labor for programming and two monthly visits.

2. Scope The contractor shall furnish all labor, material, tools, equipment, supervision, transportation, and expertise to perform fire/smoke alarm testing and fire suppression systems in accordance with all current National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and The Joint Commission regulations, and to service all fire alarm devices and equipment, including all devices located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center. The contractor shall provide service personnel certified on a Simplex Grinnell system, including access to proprietary programming, to service all station fire systems.

3. Period of Performance The anticipated period of performance (POP) will include a one (1) year base period, plus four (4) one-year option periods, to be exercised at the Government’s discretion.

4. Conformance Standards Contractors shall ensure that the equipment functions in conformance with The Joint Commission Elements of Performance EC.02.03.05, the latest published edition of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Codes, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Veterans Administration (VA) standards, International Organization of Standardization (ISO) 9000, and manufacturer/industry standards. Contractors must comply with records management guidelines outlined at https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/policy/records-mgmt-language.

5. Qualifications The contractor shall provide qualified technicians who have, at minimum, National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) Level II or higher. The contractor shall provide service and monitoring of all fire alarm systems and fire suppression systems on station. The monitoring contractor must be listed for central station service (UL 827 or FM-approved) and issue a Certificate of Alarm Service to the protected premises.

6. Services to Be Provided Contractors must provide monitoring 24 hours per day, seven (7) days per week, with designated fire department notification upon all alarms. Tech labor is covered during normal working hours. The contractor shall provide two technician visits per month at the facility to provide ongoing service. These visits shall be scheduled to occur on the second Thursday of the month and the last Thursday of the month. This is to ensure an even number of visits are spread out to maximize effectiveness.

7. Hours of Services A schedule of technician visits shall be established to be completed during working hours, Monday through Friday, from 7:00 AM local time until 3:30 PM local time, to the extent possible. National and Federal holidays shall be exempt. The service schedule shall be confirmed between the contractor and Contracting Officer Representative (COR) prior to the first working day of the month. National and Federal holidays that shall be exempt: New Year’s Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Presidents’ Day Memorial Day Juneteenth Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day Any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a National or Federal Holiday When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be observed as a National or Federal Holiday by U.S. Government agencies. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be observed as a National or Federal Holiday.

8. Documentation The contractor shall provide documentation records upon request regarding monitoring. The contractor shall provide documentation to the COR after every visit to properly document repairs and history for recordkeeping and Joint Commission requirements.

9. Performance Monitoring The COR shall monitor all documentation to ensure compliance with all regulations and proposals. Any regulation changes or requirements shall be provided to the contractor via email by the Contracting Officer Representative or their designee.

10. Security Requirements Test and maintenance personnel shall be required to obtain FHCC-issued contractor identification badges from Building 135 PIV Office. The contractor shall be responsible for keeping the credentials renewed as required. The identification shall always be worn visibly while on FHCC property.

11. Check-In/Check-Out The contractor shall check in with Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center Controls personnel in Building 188. The contractor shall check out with Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center Controls personnel in Building 188 upon completion of services or at the end of the day, whichever occurs first.

12. Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government-Furnished Information (GFI) No GFE or GFI will be furnished.

13. Key Personnel The contractor shall provide a contract manager who shall be responsible for the performance of work. The name of the designated manager and an alternate who shall act for the contractor when the manager is absent shall be designated in writing to the contracting officer. The contract manager shall have full authority relating to the daily operation of this contract. The contract manager shall be available between 7:00 AM and 3:30 PM local time, Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays.

14. Service Table Service Frequency Number of Inspections per POP Service Month(s) Monitoring for Partitions Monthly Continuous (24/7/365) April, May, June, July, August, September Service Visits—Tech Labor Twice a month Second Thursday and last Thursday of the month April, May, June, July, August, September

15. Table 2: Inventory of Buildings

a. Medical Buildings Building #Wet SystemDry SystemFire Pump 131XX 133XXX 133CAXX (quantity of 2)X 133EFX 7XX 11XX 66XX

b. Long-Term Care Buildings Building #Wet SystemDry SystemFire Pump 201X 202X 205X 206X 134XXX

c. General Buildings Building #Wet SystemDry SystemFire PumpNotes 1XXVacant/construction 3XX 4XX 5XXUnder construction 6XX 9XX 32X 37X 46XX 48Vacant/construction 92 (new fire panel will be installed)XInstallation in progress 132 135XX 138X 139X 140X 187 188X Co-GenX Fisher HouseX

16. System Monitoring All buildings listed in Tables 2(a), 2(b), and 2(c) require monitoring 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year, of all fire systems. The buildings that are under construction are highlighted in red. Building 1 is unoccupied but still needs to maintain life/safety, as does Building 48. Building 5 is currently close to completion and will be active in the future. The partition for Building 5 has already been created and will need to be maintained in the monitoring agreement; it will eventually require testing once released to FHCC ownership.

17. Typical Dispatch Scenarios for Any Alarm Received Fire: Dispatch the fire department and notify the facility. Supervisory/Trouble Alarms: Notify the facility—do not dispatch the fire department. (Currently, the fire department will be dispatched for supervisory alarms and even some trouble alarms. This is not necessary; common industry standards call for notification only.) Placing Systems on Bypass/Test: A list of approved FHCC staff who are authorized to call into monitoring will be provided and maintained at the COR’s discretion. This is to prevent anyone with the password from placing a system on test/bypass without FHCC’s knowledge, and to accurately track outages and maintain facility security and safety.

18. Billing All invoices submitted shall be detailed in their description of work and match the contract line-item totals so that the approval process is straightforward. Services shall be billed as follows: Monitoring: Billed monthly, matching the line items in the contract for the schedule of services. The invoice shall list all partitions and buildings covered. Labor/service: Billed monthly and include a clear description of services provided, with costs matching the contract schedule of line-item amounts exactly. This will provide quicker processing of invoices. Invoices will be rejected if they do not meet the minimum requirements listed.

Fire Alarm System Monitoring/Programming

View original listing