The General Services Administration (GSA) has a requirement for repairs and modernizations that fulfill the requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed in 2022 with the goal of substantially lowering greenhouse gas emissions and incorporating emerging and sustainable technologies. Components affected include but are not limited to Lighting, HVAC, and Building Automation Systems (BAS) in the Albert V Bryan Courthouse (AVB).

GSA’s intention is to repair and modernize aging systems in the Albert V. Bryan Courthouse. The courthouse was built in 1995, is federally-owned, metropolitan-based, and serves as the Eastern District of Virginia that can seat fifteen judges and has a high operational activity each day, housing the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the US Marshall Service (USMS) among others.

This project will fulfill the sustainable technology goals dictated in the IRA for reduced lifecycle costs, betterment for the environment, and quality of life improvement for the Courthouse tenants. This may include meeting LEED gold, making sustainable updates to the systems affected, and preparing to be net zero ready.

This project will utilize the Design-Bid-Build (DBB) delivery method.

Briefly, and without force and effect upon contract documents, work of contract can be summarized as follows:

• Task 1: Chiller Plant Upgrades:
  • Base Bid: Replace  chillers, chilled water pumps and isolation valves. Upgrade the chilled water side of the plant to a variable primary system type with properly sized pumps, bypasses, DDC controls, and accessories. Demolish glycol system and plate and frame secondary loop heat exchangers and associated pumps
  • Bid Alternate: Provide variable speed screw chillers instead of centrifugal magnetic bearing chillers
  • Bid Option: Replace condenser water pumps and associated valve trains
• Task 2: Lighting System Replacement: This will include existing lighting replacement with LEDs and a new full occupancy and daylighting controls system throughout the building, and new conduit and cabling where required. The building is 536k SF and has standard courthouse, administration, and building maintenance areas of use. The new system is targeted for a deep dive energy reduction of 40% using new settings according to the Energy Analysis Dept at Berkeley National Laboratory:
  • Replacement and improvement of all interior building lighting systems. Includes demolition and installation of conduit and conductors for lighting
  • Bid Option: Replace garage and exterior lighting system
• Task 3: Controls Upgrades: A new secure BAS system that replaces the obsolete existing one and adds/replaces all end devices, air and water side controls on AHUs and VAVs, and other metering devices that increase the efficiency of the building. Devices include but are not limited to sensors for temperature, humidity, static pressure, carbon dioxide, differential pressure, airflow measurement, control valves, actuators, freeze stat, etc.
  • Base Bid: Provide upgraded non-proprietary native BACnet control components with proprietary Tridium Niagara Framework and front end (with native BACnet driver) control components. Provide control devices, programming, and graphics for the chilled water plant and AHUs 1 through 20.
  • Bid Option 1: Provide control devices, programming, and graphics for all fan-powered terminal boxes
  • Bid Option 2: Provide control devices, programming, and graphics for lighting controls, RTUs and ACUs
  • Bid Option 3: Provide control devices, programming, and graphics for electrical panel metering and all exhaust/ventilation fans