How to Win the GC-MACC Contract at Beale AFB: A Guide for Small Businesses

Introduction

The U.S. Air Force is seeking small businesses to provide general construction services at Beale Air Force Base (AFB) in California under a multiple award contract (MAC) with an estimated value of $500 million. The General Construction Multiple Award Contract (GC-MACC) is a 10-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract that will cover a wide range of construction projects, such as interior/exterior electrical, steam fitting, HVAC, plumbing, sheet metal, fencing, demolition, fire protection, concrete and masonry. The GC-MACC is a restricted acquisition that is set aside for 8(a) small businesses with a bona fide place of business within the geographical area of the Fresno, Sacramento, and San Francisco SBA districts. The solicitation number is FA468624R0001 and the expected release date is December 2023.

This article will provide an overview of the GC-MACC opportunity, its historical background, the RFP description, who should participate, and the challenges that small businesses may face in pursuing this contract. It will also offer some tips and insights from GDI Consulting, a leading provider of capture and proposal services for government contractors.

Historical Background

The GC-MACC is not the first MAC contract for general construction services at Beale AFB. In 2016, the Air Force awarded a similar contract to five 8(a) small businesses: Alutiiq General Contractors LLC, Bristol General Contractors LLC, Dawson Federal Inc., KJS Support Services JV LLC, and Tunista Construction LLC. The contract had a base period of five years and one five-year option period, with a maximum value of $95 million. The contract was also restricted to 8(a) small businesses within the same geographical area as the GC-MACC.

The previous MAC contract was used to support various construction projects at Beale AFB and its satellite locations, such as Camp Beale Training Site, Sutter Buttes Annex, Lincoln Receiver Site, and Coyote Runway. Some examples of the projects that were awarded under the contract are:

• Renovation of Building 2145 for Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) operations
• Repair of Building 2435 for Civil Engineering operations
• Construction of a new fire station at Camp Beale Training Site
• Replacement of HVAC systems at various buildings

The GC-MACC is expected to continue and expand the scope of work that was performed under the previous MAC contract.

RFP Description

The GC-MACC RFP has not been released yet, but based on the pre-solicitation notice posted on SAM.gov, some of the key features and requirements of the RFP are:

• The RFP will be issued electronically via beta.SAM.gov and/or FedBizOpps.gov. No hard copies will be provided.
• The RFP will use a two-phase design-build selection process. In Phase I, offerors will submit their qualifications and past performance information. In Phase II, offerors will submit their technical and price proposals for a seed project.
• The RFP will require offerors to have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) and a current Joint Certification Program (JCP) certification.
• The RFP will require offerors to have relevant experience in general construction projects similar in size, scope, and complexity to those anticipated under the GC-MACC.
• The RFP will evaluate offerors based on the following factors: past performance, technical approach, management approach, safety record, and price.
• The RFP will award multiple contracts to the most highly qualified offerors based on a best value trade-off analysis.

Who Should Participate

The GC-MACC is an attractive opportunity for small businesses that are interested in providing general construction services to the Air Force. However, not all small businesses are eligible or suitable for this opportunity. To participate in the GC-MACC competition, small businesses should meet the following criteria:

• They should be certified as 8(a) small businesses by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and have a SBA-approved bona fide place of business within the geographical area of the Fresno, Sacramento, and San Francisco SBA districts.
• They should have sufficient bonding capacity and financial resources to handle multiple task orders under the GC-MACC.
• They should have relevant experience and expertise in general construction projects, especially in the areas of interior/exterior electrical, steam fitting, HVAC, plumbing, sheet metal, fencing, demolition, fire protection, concrete and masonry.
• They should have a strong team of qualified personnel and subcontractors who can perform the work in accordance with the Air Force standards and specifications.
• They should have a proven track record of delivering high-quality work on time and within budget, as evidenced by their past performance references and customer feedback.

Challenges

The GC-MACC is a highly competitive opportunity that will attract many qualified small businesses. To win a contract under the GC-MACC, small businesses will have to overcome several challenges, such as:

• Developing a compelling and compliant proposal that demonstrates their understanding of the Air Force’s needs and expectations, their technical and management capabilities, their innovative and cost-effective solutions, and their value proposition.
• Differentiating themselves from their competitors by highlighting their unique strengths, advantages, and benefits that they can offer to the Air Force.
• Establishing and maintaining strong relationships with the Air Force contracting officers, end users, and stakeholders, as well as with potential teaming partners and subcontractors.
• Navigating the complex and dynamic procurement environment of the Air Force, which may involve changes in requirements, priorities, budgets, schedules, and regulations.

Conclusion

The GC-MACC is a lucrative opportunity for small businesses that can provide general construction services at Beale AFB. However, to win a contract under the GC-MACC, small businesses will have to prepare well in advance, conduct thorough market research and analysis, develop a winning capture and proposal strategy, and execute it flawlessly.

GDI Consulting can help small businesses achieve these goals. GDI Consulting is a leading provider of capture and proposal services for government contractors. GDI Consulting has extensive experience and expertise in the federal government contracting market, especially in the architecture engineering and construction sector. GDI Consulting has written over 2938 successful proposals for the federal government worth over $16.6 billion just in 2022. GDI Consulting has a 82% win rate, which makes it one of the most trusted and reliable capture and proposal services in the market.

GDI Consulting can assist small businesses with the following services:

• Capture management: GDI Consulting can help small businesses identify and qualify opportunities, conduct market research and analysis, develop capture plans and strategies, perform competitor analysis and price-to-win analysis, establish teaming arrangements and partnerships, and communicate with the government customers and stakeholders.
• Proposal development: GDI Consulting can help small businesses write compelling and compliant proposals that address all the RFP requirements and evaluation criteria. GDI Consulting can provide proposal writing, editing, formatting, graphics design, review, quality assurance, production, and submission services.
• Proposal support: GDI Consulting can help small businesses with various proposal support services, such as market assessment, bid-no bid decision making, black hat review, virtual war room setup and management, color team reviews, self-scoring proposals consultation and optimization, pricing strategy development, and proposal training.

If you are interested in pursuing the GC-MACC opportunity or any other federal government contracting opportunity, contact GDI Consulting today. GDI Consulting will help you win more contracts with less stress. Visit gdicwins.com for more information.