The Corps of Engineers New England District is soliciting comments from the construction community addressing the potential use of a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for the following large scale (exceeding $25 million) construction project: The MATOC will comprise of a pool of contractors for construction, renovation and repair projects at Military and other Federal Facilities throughout the six New England States. Primarily the work will be located within the New England District's geographical boundaries (VT, ME, NH, MA, RI, CT) but this contract may extend within the USACE North Atlantic Division Region (NY, NJ, PA, MD, DE, VA and Washington DC) in the continental United States. The work will consist of a broad range of construction tasks to include but not limited to minor new construction, renovation, repairs, upgrades, alterations, and preventive maintenance for vertical construction-type projects. The work for vertical construction may include but is not limited to: structural systems, roof systems, mechanical systems, plumbing systems, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, fire suppression systems, fire alarm systems, electrical systems, telecommunication systems, building security systems, and associated civil/site features (utilities, stormwater and wastewater management, parking, roadways, grading, landscaping, and site security). Task orders issued under this contract may also include minor stand alone civil/site/infrastructure projects and the following types of work incidental to the vertical construction project: environmental abatement (such as lead paint or asbestos), general earthwork, miscellaneous interior/exterior elements, system testing, building commissioning, requirements for anti-terrorism and force protection (ATFP), LEED, LID, EISA, EPACT, historical building renovations, or incidental design. Range of Magnitude: $7M for the base year followed by four one year options of $7M each for a total of $35M. Period of Performance: Expected to begin August 2014 with a five year ordering period. A PLA is defined as a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement with 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) Policy: 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 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 1. 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 2. Be consistent with law. Reference: Provision: 52.222-33 Notice of Requirement for Project Labor Agreement Clause 52.222-34 Project Labor Agreement. Some of the factors that may be considered regarding PLA use are: a. The involvement of multiple contractors and/or subcontractors working in multiple crafts or trades. b. The complexity of the project. c. Shortage of skilled labor in the region. d. Completion of the project will require an extended period of time. e. The use of PLA's on other comparable projects in this geographic area. f. The promotion of the Governments long term programs interests such as training of skilled workforce for future projects. g. The possibility of labor disputes that threaten timely completion. h. Additional costs from use of PLAs may be cost prohibitive. In consideration of the above factors, and any others which may be deemed appropriate, the construction community is invited to comment on the use of PLAs. Of particular interest to the Government are responses to the following questions: a. Should a PLA be executed on the above described MATOC? What benefits do you believe a PLA could achieve? What other factors should the Corps consider before deciding to include PLA provisions for the MATOC project? b. Will the use of a PLA be effective in achieving economy and efficiency? If so, how? What is the estimated relative cost impact, or any other economies or efficiencies derived by the Federal Government, if using a PLA? Will a PLA impact the cost of submitting an offer? c. Are there any concerns regarding labor-management stability related to this project? Will the use of a PLA produce labor-management stability on this project? Have labor disputes or other labor issues contributed to project delays in the local area? Are you aware of examples of labor-management conflicts in the area which could impact the efficiency of this project, which a PLA could positively impact/resolve? What market share does union labor in construction trades have in the geographic area? Which existing Collective Bargaining Agreements will expire during construction of this project? d. Will use of a PLA be conducive to ensuring compliance with laws and regulations governing safety and health, equal employment opportunity, labor and employment standards, and other relevant matters on this project? Are there instances where these standards have not been met on Federal contracts in the local area? Were PLAs used for those specific contracts? e. This project will require construction contractors and/or subcontractors employing workers in multiple crafts or trades; do you foresee any work on this project that may result in both the prime contractor and at least one subcontractor, or two or more subcontractors, employing the same trade? f. Are there concerns by prime contractors on the availability of skilled construction labor? Are there large scale construction projects in the area (over $25M, within 50 miles) which could impact availability of skilled labor for this project? What is the anticipated volatility in the labor market for the trades required for the execution of the project? Are existing apprentice programs providing sufficient numbers of skilled workers for future requirements? g. Is the proposed schedule/completion time one which would benefit from a PLA - if so, how? Will a PLA impact the completion time? Would a PLA benefit a project which contains a unique and compelling mission-critical schedule? h. Have comparable projects been undertaken by Federal, State, municipal, or private entities in the geographic area of this project? For each project, please indicate if a PLA was used, the initial and final cost, number of trades on the project, if the project was completed on time, and if there were any challenges such as labor shortages, labor related delays, safety issues, etc .. i. Will the use of PLAs impact the ability of potential Offerors and subcontractors to meet small-business utilization goals? Please provide your responses to these questions and any comments via email to Kimberly Pumyea, Contract Specialist, at
[email protected] no later than the close of business, 5pm EST on June 2, 2014.