Recompete of the week

Recompete of the week: a $1.9M grounds contract in Los Angeles

Nov 1, 2026 · Built by a Marine Corps veteran

Every week I pick one real federal contract from the Veteran Rebids list that's coming up for re-bid, and walk through what the public record says about it. This week it's a grounds job in Southern California.

What the record shows

• The job: landscaping, grounds maintenance and irrigation services for the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. The buyer is the VA's Network Contracting Office 22.
• The size: $1,879,937 so far (the current award amount), over five years of work, August 1, 2022 to September 30, 2027. Each option year has been worth about $358,000.
• The end date: the current end date and the potential end date are both September 30, 2027. The agency used option year 4 on October 1, 2026, so no options are left.
• How it was bought: set aside for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, as a negotiated request for proposals. 3 companies bid.
• Last time's solicitation number: 36C26222R0101.

How it went last time

The old notices are still on SAM.gov, marked Inactive. Here's the timeline from those notices and the award record:

1. June 1, 2022: the first notice for RFP 36C26222R0101. It was updated several times, and the response date moved to June 20.
2. July 27, 2022: the contract was signed.
3. August 1, 2022: the work started.
4. August 4, 2022: the award notice.

So last time, the first public notice came out about two months before the work started. If the office follows a similar schedule for an October 1 start, the next notice could show up around August 2027. That's a guess from one data point, not a promise. It could come earlier, or the agency could extend the current contract instead.

One more thing in the record: a novation agreement in September 2025. That's when a contract moves to a new company, usually after a sale or merger. The card above shows who holds it now.

What I'd do now

If I ran a landscaping company that could take on a job this size, here's my list:

1. Read the old solicitation. Search 36C26222R0101 on SAM.gov Contract Opportunities, with both Active and Inactive ticked under Status. The statement of work tells you the acreage, the irrigation work and how often they expect service.
2. Price it carefully. This was a negotiated RFP, not a quick quote, so price is only part of the score. The accounting and pricing help page and the proposals help page walk through both sides.
3. Get your registrations current. A SAM.gov registration and SBA's veteran certification (VetCert) are both free. See SAM.gov and VetCert help.
4. Find a partner if you're far away. A job this size needs a local crew. The teaming help page explains how teaming and subcontracting work.
5. Watch for the next notice. A saved search on SAM.gov for landscaping notices from this office will email you when something new posts.
6. Talk to your local APEX Accelerator. They give free one-on-one help with pricing and proposals.

Only three companies bid last time. A small field means a well-prepared proposal really counts.

Want to check a contract like this yourself? Here's my 10-minute routine for researching a recompete.