ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories has selected 10 New Mexico companies to provide an estimated $156 million in general construction, mechanical and electrical work at the federal laboratory for up to six years. Eight of the companies chosen are small businesses.
The companies will be prime contractors for the labs, and will compete for individual construction projects as they occur, said Camille Gibson, manager of Sandia’s Infrastructure Operations Procurement Department.
“Sandia has successfully used construction partnerships for several years. They provide an ongoing exchange of ideas that has been and will continue to be beneficial to both Sandia and our contractors,” Gibson said. “Having an established group of highly qualified prime contractors allows for competitive prices and a quick turnaround when individual construction projects arise. Construction partnerships also have improved Sandia’s construction safety performance over the last decade.”
The prime contractors selected for general construction projects are B&D Industries Inc., Engineering Constructors Inc., Summit Construction Inc. and T.E.F. Construction Inc. The mechanical contractors are BRYCON Construction, Cross Connection Inc. and JB Henderson Construction. The electrical contractors are Del Rio Enterprises Inc., Enterprise Electrical Services Inc. and U S Electrical Corp. All the companies are based in Albuquerque, except BRYCON, which has headquarters in Rio Rancho.
“The review team is to be commended for its unwavering commitment to the small business community as 80 percent of these agreements were set aside for small businesses,” said Don Devoti, manager of Sandia’s Small Business Utilization Department. “Sandia is committed to discovering and using diverse, highly qualified, small business suppliers to assist the laboratories in achieving our national security mission. These construction partnership agreements clearly demonstrate and reinforce our commitment to New Mexico’s small business community.”
Sandia’s team of reviewers did an “outstanding job” informing suppliers in the community about the construction partnership agreements, Devoti said. There were outreach efforts to announce the construction partnership agreements, including two town hall meetings in Albuquerque in 2008.
The companies were among 25 firms that submitted bids for the construction partnership agreements. More than 60 companies expressed interest in the agreements.
The bidders underwent a competitive and rigorous selection process that included meeting minimum mandatory requirements, providing information about their qualifications and technical skills, undergoing a review by a five-member technical and safety team at Sandia and successfully completing multiple reviews by the NNSA, said Christine Riddle, a contracting representative for the Infrastructure Operations Procurement Department.
The minimum requirements included being in business for at least three years, being licensed and bonded and having a safety record that meets certain Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements, Riddle said.
While the vast majority of construction at Sandia labs will be covered by these partnership agreements, there are opportunities for other companies to obtain work from Sandia. These projects include maintenance, demolition, subcontracting with the prime contractors and other work. Companies interested in working at Sandia can find out more at http://supplier.sandia.gov/opportunities/selection.aspx.