Construction Requirements Letter

• Printer-friendly Construction Requirements Letter (23KB)

(Name and Address of Awardee’s
Authorized Representative)

Dear Mr. _________:

This is to inform you that our office, the “Health Care and Other Facilities” (HCOF) program office is responsible for certifying that your grant funded project will be designed, bid, constructed, and ultimately completed in accordance with all applicable federal requirements. To that end, our involvement will require the receipt of proper documentation and concomitant certification from you at various phases of the project.

We have received a copy of the “Notice of Grant Award” issued. Therefore, we outline below the procedures which shall be followed for the oversight of the various phases of your project.

1. If you have not yet done so, it is expected that you will engage the services of an architect/engineer (A/E) to develop the pertinent construction documents as well as to supervise the construction phase of the project. Accordingly, your A/E will submit to the HCOF program office a pre-certification statement attesting to his suitable involvement in this project (see enclosed “Architect/Engineer Pre-Certification Statement”). This statement should be submitted to the HCOF program office within 30 days from the date of this letter. If this deadline is not feasible, it is imperative that you contact us to work out an extension in time.
   
   
2. The project must be designed in accordance with the mandatory requirements imposed on federally-assisted construction projects as well as all applicable program standards, state codes, and local codes and ordinances. Accordingly, your A/E will certify (before construction bidding and contract award) that the final working drawings and final technical specifications were so developed (see enclosed “Architect/Engineer Certification of Final Design”). It is expected that the design documents will be completed by the estimated completion date so stated in the pre-certification statement, and that the certification of final design statement will be submitted to the HCOF program office within 30 days from that date.
   
   
3. You must certify that the various bonding and insurance requirements for federally-assisted construction projects will be met (see enclosed, “Statement of Assurance of Grantee’s and Contractor’s Bonding and Insurance Coverage”).
   
   
4. It is your responsibility to make every effort to award the construction contract(s) under a process where maximum competition is achieved in order to obtain the most reasonable price. Therefore, competitive bidding by formal advertisement must be used except when construction management procedures are employed.
   
   Accordingly, you will submit to us your bid tabulations, certified by your A/E, and your formal recommendation of award. The recommendation should also include a statement of determination that the selected contractor is not on the U.S. General Services Administration Lists of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement or Non-Procurement Programs (debarred list). If you award the contract to any qualified bidder other than the lowest bidder, provide proper documentation for your decision. Subsequently, a copy of your award letter(s) to the successful contractor(s) will also be submitted to the HCOF program office. The bid tabulations, certification, award recommendation, “debarred list” statement, award letter, and bonding and insurance statement (see item 3) must be submitted within 30 days from the scheduled contract award date.
   
   
5. During the construction phase, submit a quarterly construction report informing us of the progress of the project including problems/issues that were observed or need to be addressed. This report should include the percentage of project completion to date, the start date for the project, projected completion date, the drawdown percentage of the awarded funds, and a description of the status of the project. The status description should include any major problems/delays, change orders, changes of scope, or any other issues related to the status of the project. The quarterly report must be submitted on a timely basis, no later than 30 days from the end of the report period. IF THE REPORT IS NOT SUBMITTED, IT MAY HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE AWARD DRAW DOWNS.
   
   
6. Submit written notification to the HCOF program office when the project is completed. The letter will include statements assuring that the project has been completed in accordance with the previously certified contract documents and that the project is free of mechanics’ liens. (Also see related item 7 below,)
   
   
7. You must sign, date and submit to the HCOF program office a statement in which you certify: 1) that the project has been constructed in conformance with the applicable federal statutes and regulations, 2) the final project costs and their respective allowable and non-allowable components (submit a final SF 424C “Budget Page”) and 3) the Substantial Completion Date, 4) a copy of the certificate of occupancy issued by the Authority Having Jurisdiction, and 5) photographs of the front and rear of the project and each of the major rooms in the project, with a brief description. The notification of project completion letter (see item 6), certification statement with attached SF 424C, certificate of occupancy, and descriptive photographs must be submitted within 30 days of project completion.

We look forward to working with you toward a successful project. The HCOF program office is committed to processing your project in an orderly and prompt manner. Cooperation between the HCOF program office and you, the grantee, is crucial to ensure the continued disbursement of your grant funds without interruption. Mr. ___________ of my staff has been designated as your DFCR Project Manager. He can be reached at (301)-443-____ or (301)-443-0619 (fax) or __________@hrsa.gov (preferred method). The mailing address for the HCOF program office is 10-105 Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.