VA clinic proposals sought in Pike

It was announced last year that a multi-million dollar Out Patient Veterans Affairs facility will be opened in Pike County and now the Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking expressions of interest from those who can enter into an agreement with the VA for a rental or lease term of up to 20 years. ’We are excited about what this will mean for our veterans in Pike and surrounding communities and also the boost it will bring to our economy,’ said county manager John Hanson. According to an ad that ran in the Dec. 27 edition of the Pike County Journal Reporter, the new VA Clinic facility must be around 49,000 square feet with at least 350 parking spaces and will provide medical care for citizens in Pike and surrounding counties. According to the VA’s solicitation requirements, the maximum rentable square feet cannot exceed 66,386 and the VA will consider leased space located in an existing building as well as land for new construction for a build-to-suit lease option.Among many requirements listed on the VA solicitation documents are that the space must be easily accessible to multiple highways which provide multiple routes of travel, must have a loading dock and freight elevator with a parking lot that can accommodate deliveries by trucks with trailers, must be zoned for the VA’s intended use by the time initial offers are due and must be located on no more than two contiguous floors with a minimum of two passenger elevators and one combination passenger/freight elevator. ’The VA’s Office of Real Property (ORP) seeks information from Potential Offerors who are capable of successfully performing a lease contract, including design and construction of the facility described here, for a term of up to 20 years, inclusive of all options, as well as all maintenance and operation requirements for the duration of the lease term at a fair and reasonable price,’ states the online document. ‘The magnitude of the anticipated construction/buildout for this project is between $20 and $50 million.’For Complete Solicitation details, go to fbo.gov and enter the Solicitation #36C10F18Q0540. Local information must be submitted by 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8.