Design-Build Contract for New Consulate Compound in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Active

Contract Opportunity

This is a Pre-Solicitation Notice – interested companies do NOT need to submit any documentation at this time. The solicitation for Phase I will be posted on SAM.gov at a later date, please see below for further information.

The U.S. Department of State (DOS), Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), has a requirement for Design-Build (D/B) Construction Services for the New Consulate Compound (NCC). The Project is described below. OBO seeks to commission our nation’s top constructors to produce facilities of outstanding quality and value.

This acquisition is full and open competition subject to the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986, as amended, 2025 NDAA § 7214, (Public Law 118-159) (“Omnibus Act”). This solicitation will consist of two phases:

Phase I – Minimum Mandatory Requirements (MMRs) Phase 1 Proposal Request from Offerors for Eligibility Determination (see below); and

Phase II – Site Visit and Request for Phase 2 Proposals (Technical and Price) from Eligible Offerors.

Project Description:

Design-Build Construction Services for the New Consulate Compound (NCC) in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The future 17.4 acre NCC site is well situated within the city of Almaty, adjacent to the central business district, 18 minutes from an international airport, with nearby access to public transit and bounded by four bi-directional roadways that offer access to the site. The roadway to the north of the site, Al-Farabi Avenue, is heavily trafficked and it is the primary thoroughfare through the city. The site offers southern views towards the mountains which create a formidable backdrop for the future NCC. There are approximately 13 meters of grade change from the high point of the site sloping north. The site is bordered to the north and east by a mix of high-rise healthcare, residential and commercial buildings. To the south of the site, there is a mostly undeveloped residential low-rise area. To the west, there is a mix of low-rise commercial and residential uses.

Summary of Project Scope:

The project scope includes a new office building (NOB), compound access control facilities (CAC’s), support annex (SPX), utility building, mail screening facility, marine security guard quarters (MSGQ), and parking facilities. Construction of a perimeter wall is also required.

Building construction – approximately 20,148 GSM total

• NOB – 14,818 GSM


• SPX – 1958 GSM


• CAC’s (Maintenance, Consular, and Service) – 673 GSM


• Mail Screening – 30 GSM


• Utility Building – 1568 GSM


• MSGQ – 1102 GSM


• Parking (Official 53 spaces, Staff 120 spaces, and Visitor 10 spaces) – 5359 GSM

This is a Design-Build contract. The awarded contractor shall be provided with bridging documents that the contractor shall develop to 100% final design.

Estimated Design/Build Construction Cost: $300 - 400 million

Solicitation Process:

The project solicitation will consist of two phases.

Phase I – Minimum Mandatory Requirements (MMRs) of Offerors

The solicitation of proposals addressing Minimum Mandatory Requirements (MMRs) is Phase I. Offerors submitting proposals for Phase I shall address the criteria set forth in the Phase I solicitation. The Department of State (DOS) will evaluate the eligibility of Offerors based on the evaluation criteria set forth in the Phase I solicitation. Only Offerors determined to be eligible or conditionally eligible in Phase I are eligible for participation in subsequent Phases and/or for award. The structure of the Offeror (prime or joint venture) must remain the same throughout each subsequent Phase.

Definitions:

“Eligible” – An offeror that meets all Phase I minimum mandatory requirements and is deemed eligible for participation in Phae II and for consideration of award.

“Conditionally eligible" - An offeror that may meet all Phase I minimum mandatory requirements prior to contract award without the need for discussions and/or proposal revision (e.g. with respect to the Omnibus requirements, the offeror will reach substantial completion of similar projects by award and/or meet the incorporation deadlines per Certification 2 in the Omnibus Statement of Qualifications; and/or may meet the security clearance MMR. NOTE: The Department is not obligated to extent the acquisition timeframe or delay the contract award to accommodate an Offeror’s ability to become fully eligible.

Offerors that are not determined “eligible” or “conditionally eligible” at Phase I will not be eligible for participation in Phase 2. Note: An Offeror must be determined to fully meet all MMRs at Phase II to be eligible for consideration for award.

Phase II – Requests for Proposals from Eligible/Conditionally Eligible Offerors

Those Offerors determined to be eligible or conditionally eligible in Phase I in accordance with this notice will be issued a formal Phase II Request for Proposal (RFP) for the project and invited to participate in a site visit and submit technical and pricing proposals. Phase II proposals shall include both technical and pricing proposals for the design-build construction. As noted above, only Offerors determined to be eligible or conditionally eligible in Phase I are eligible for participation in subsequent Phases and/or for award.

Offerors will be required to participate in a visit to the project site, anticipated to be within 10 to 15 days after the issuance of the Phase II RFP depending on travel and access restrictions.

The project scope requires the D/B contractor to complete all design and engineering documents based on the project specific design direction that will be provided in the RFP design requirements. The Government will provide bridging level design documents that will include, at a minimum, a site utilization plan; building massing and exterior elevations; space and requirements standards, organizational relationships, space requirements program; building utilities and infrastructure design; and supporting narratives, where applicable.

Construction services will include providing construction labor and materials to execute the OBO-accepted design; on-site organization with management to ensure overall project coordination; and overall control throughout the life of the project. Required services include preparation of construction documents, quality control plans, safety plans, project schedules, cost estimates, and project close-out activities.

The technical proposal will require detailed information in response to the RFP criteria relative to the designer and constructor’s experience and past performance relevant to the project in size, scope and complexity as well as the proposed team’s qualifications, management plan, and the proposed schedule. The technical proposal criteria will be identified in the Phase II RFP. These Phase II criteria are separate and distinct from the criteria considered relative to the Omnibus Act and generally an Offeror will be required to demonstrate technical experience by identifying four (4) comparable projects of similar size, scope and complexity, previously performed by the Offeror as a Prime or by the JV and or its member entities.

Active SAM.gov Registration Requirement

Offerors, including any offeror organized as a joint venture, must have an Active SAM.gov registration at the time of Phase I proposal submission and throughout the procurement process.

A proposal from any offeror whose registration is not Active in SAM.gov at the time of Phase I proposal submission will not be evaluated and excluded from the process. If the offeror proposes as a Joint Venture, the Joint Venture itself must be registered in SAM.

Facility Clearance Requirement:

In order to be eligible to receive award and perform under this contract, the successful offeror(s), including JV offerors, must possess a Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) Secret Facility Clearance (FCL), with Secret safeguarding capability, issued in accordance with the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual, DOD 5220.22-M.

If an otherwise conditionally eligible offeror (as determined in Phase I) does not possess the necessary FCL, DOS/Diplomatic Security may sponsor the firm for an FCL. The sponsored firm is afforded 120 calendar days from the notice of Phase I eligibility to obtain the necessary FCL for the classified portions of the Phase II RFP. DOS sponsorship does not guarantee that the Offeror will receive the FCL, nor that it will be received within the 120-day period.

The Department will not be obligated to extend the Phase II proposal submission due date, if any of the sponsored firms have not been issued the required clearance prior to the release of the classified construction documents as applicable to the conditionally eligible firms for their use in preparing their offers. The Government will not award the contract to a firm not having been issued an FCL (with appropriate safeguarding capability). The Department is not obligated to extent the acquisition timeframe or delay the contract award to accommodate an Offeror’s ability to obtain its FCL.

Foreign firms are not eligible for FCLs and therefore ineligible to participate in this acquisition. Only U.S. firms organized and operating in the U.S. or Puerto Rico, or a U.S. possession or trusted territory, are eligible for facility clearances. U.S. firms which are determined to be under Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) are not eligible for an FCL unless actions (as directed and approved by DCSA) can be taken to effectively negate or reduce associated FOCI risks to an acceptable level.

Companies and Citizens of countries listed below will not be eligible to perform on this project in any capacity. DOS reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to determine suitability of contractor personnel to work on design, construction and other diplomatic facilities contracts.

• Belarus


• Cuba


• Hong Kong


• Iran


• North Korea


• Peoples Republic of China


• Russia


• Venezuela


• Vietnam

NOTICE: After award, the successful offeror selected for contract award must possess or obtain an Information System (IS) approved by DCSA for processing classified information up to the Secret level. Performance on this contract will require access to the Department’s ProjNet-C, for receipt and transmission of all classified information, and a DCSA approved classified IS for processing classified information.

Estimated schedule:

The solicitation, Phase I – Minimum Mandatory Requirements (MMRs) of Offerors, is planned for release on SAM.gov on/about April 3, 2025.

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