Five months after promising up to 800 units of new temporary housing on its West Los Angeles campus by this fall, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is calling for bids to build fewer than a third of that number with a delivery date seven months later.
A request for proposals issued last month by the VA calls for a minimum of 220 units with an option for 40 more. A contract to be awarded at the end of August would require completion by next April.
The solicitation marks a retreat in quantity but an upgrade in quality. After the VA unveiled a plan during a federal court hearing in January to install 800 tiny homes on the campus, advocates for veteran housing criticized the 8-foot-by-8-foot sheds as cramped, flimsy and undignified. The new proposal is for much larger structures of 160 to 226 square feet, each with a bathroom and kitchenette containing a refrigerator, microwave and sink.
Bidding is limited to firms owned by disabled veterans. The notice did not specify a cost. The winner will be chosen based on value, balancing price and technical quality, it said.