Heating, cooling and plumbing work is some of the most steady federal construction demand. Hospitals, labs, barracks, offices and visitor centers all run on mechanical systems that wear out, and agencies replace them on a rolling basis. Many of these jobs are set aside for small businesses.
What gets bought
- Equipment replacements: rooftop units, chillers, boilers, air handlers, split systems.
- Controls upgrades: building automation systems, thermostats, energy-saving retrofits.
- Plumbing: domestic water, water heaters, fixtures, backflow preventers.
- Maintenance and repair contracts, sometimes multi-year, for a base or a group of buildings.
- Combined jobs: mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) repairs at one site.
The trade's industry code is NAICS 238220 (plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors). Some maintenance contracts use service codes instead, so search by keyword too.
Requirements specific to HVAC bids
- Refrigerant handling: technicians working on refrigerant systems need EPA Section 608 certification, and solicitations often ask you to confirm it.
- Submittals: equipment data sheets, efficiency ratings and warranties for approval before you order.
- Testing, adjusting and balancing and commissioning are often required at the end.
- Davis-Bacon wages for pipefitters, sheet-metal workers and laborers on construction jobs (how that works).
- Lead times: equipment can take months to arrive. Ask about it in your questions to the contracting officer and reflect it in your schedule.
Getting started
- Register in SAM.gov (free) under 238220.
- Start with repair and replacement jobs near you, under $150,000.
- Get firm equipment quotes from your distributor before pricing; agencies expect the specified equipment or an approved equal.
- Price start-up, testing and disposal of old equipment and refrigerant explicitly.
- Keep a one-page list of similar jobs you've done, with a reference for each.
See every open federal HVAC and plumbing job, updated daily. Bidding Veterans Affairs work? Read how to bid on VA HVAC contracts. Pricing a maintenance contract? See how to price a federal HVAC maintenance contract.