Brookhaven Science Associates, which runs Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton for the U.S. Department of Energy, is lining up small-business contractors for mechanical services under a basic ordering agreement, solicitation SJ472268. It's a total small business set-aside under NAICS 238220, Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors. The notice went up on SAM.gov October 1.

So what's a basic ordering agreement? It isn't a job. It's a standing deal on terms and rates. The lab's own words: the contractor performs “a variety of mechanical construction work on various projects throughout the BNL site,” and “Scope will be authorized through individual Task Orders (TOs) placed under the BOA.” Think of it as getting your company and your unit rates on file. The work comes one task order at a time. No dollar value is posted.

Now, the calendar, and it's tight at the front. The RSVP deadline for both mandatory events is October 9. The virtual solicitation overview is October 15 at 10 a.m., and the site visit follows at 11 a.m. the same day. The notice says “Attendance at both the Virtual Solicitation Overview Meeting and Site Visit is mandatory.” Questions are due October 21 at 5 p.m., offers October 30 at 4 p.m., and award is expected in November.

The notice lists three pieces for your offer: the Qualification Criteria Form (Enclosure 2), the Sample Project Pricing Sheet (Enclosure 3), and the Schedule of Unit Rates (Enclosure 1, Attachment 3). Here's the thing about that last one. Those unit rates are likely what future task orders get priced against, so build them like you'll be living with them.

What it takes to get in: the lab says “Contractors must be registered in SAM.gov and meet the qualification criteria for each solicitation.” Labor is federal prevailing wage. The lab says construction contractors “must pay prevailing wages under the Construction Wage Rate Statute Requirement (formerly known as Davis–Bacon Act).” Keep in mind the buyer here is the lab's operator, not a federal contracting office, so read its terms in the solicitation instead of assuming the FAR clauses you know from direct federal work. RSVP through the contractual representative listed on the SAM.gov notice by October 9.

On the record: Mechanical Services Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA), issued by ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF / ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF. Solicitation SJ472268. Bids are due October 30, 2026. The listing on SAM.gov (Federal): https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/d1a3648cd2a34edbbf8a1f1ad5284bdc/view. Full record on The RFI Wire's board: https://therfiwire.com/rfi/RFI-003123.html.