Dealing with up to 100 cadets who have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, the Air Force Academy posted a solicitation for 220 hotel rooms to house healthy cadets while the campus dorms are used to spread out the sick into social distancing arrangements.
The officer training school has sought “220 double hotels room [sic] with a minimum of two (2) queen beds per room off base to house approximately 440 cadets for the 2020-2021 Academic Year.”
The request for proposals (RFP) specifies the rooms would be rented from July 22, 2020, until July 21, 2021.
More from the solicitation:
In order to keep the cadets in close proximity to the base as well as close proximity to one another due to safety requirements and travel costs absorbed by the individual cadets, the goal is to have the 440 cadets reside in as few hotels as possible within a 10-mile vehicle commute radius of USAFA.
USAFA currently has a potential need to house some portion of the Cadet Wing off the installation in order to create swing space within the cadet dormitories. To support this requirement USAFA seeks to contract with multiple off base lodging facilities on a potential short and long-term basis. The contractor shall provide quality lodging and a secure facility that is within of [sic] 10-mile vehicle commute radius of USAFA (for safety and travel reasons) as measured from the USAFA Airfield.
The contractor shall furnish all resources (including, but not limited to, facilities, furniture, equipment, supplies and breakfast) and incidental services to provide lodging accommodations meeting normal commercial standards. Should the number of required rooms change during the period of performance, USAFA will be required to provide the contractor commercially standard notice for cancellation.
Asked to comment, an Academy spokesperson declined, noting the pending RFP and contract.
However, the spokesperson says via email:
We are providing quarantine and ISO here at the Academy that necessitates creative thinking to housing cadets …. Also, as part of that creative thinking process, we would also like our local businesses to be a part of the creative solutions for the U.S. Air Force Academy. Our business community and community at large have always been very supportive of our institution and believe this is a chance to further solidify those relationships. This is not dissimilar to what the other Service Academies are doing.