NPS seeks electrician to separate Kotzebue boiler room from tenant electrical account

A boiler room serving two National Park Service apartments in Kotzebue has been wired into one tenant's residential electrical account, meaning shared building loads have been appearing on a private occupant's utility bill. The agency issued a request for quotation to fix it before winter, part of a broader effort to address aging housing and heating infrastructure at Western Arctic National Parklands documented in prior NPS project records.

Prior NPS documents show the agency has been working through a series of infrastructure problems at its Kotzebue facilities. In 2024, NPS approved a separate project to replace undersized and deteriorating boiler units in a nearby fourplex, with construction running from June through September. A 2025 parklands update described a plan to replace aging buildings entirely with new housing at the NPS property at 5th and Mission Streets in Kotzebue, noting that "adequate park housing is essential to support staffing and operations in Western Arctic National Parklands."

The current solicitation covers Apartments 152 A and B at the Western Arctic National Parklands administrative base. The fix requires a dedicated meter, disconnect, and panel for the boiler room, with all loads rewired to the new service. Optional work may also be performed at the Northwest Alaska Heritage Center at 171 3rd Avenue in Kotzebue. All materials must be mobilized by the contractor, by air or barge, at their own cost. The contractor must conduct site visits to verify existing conditions before ordering materials and must plan work to minimize disruption to occupants, as the units may be occupied during construction.

The contract is a 100% total small business set-aside. Bidders must provide two examples of successfully completed projects of similar size or greater from the past five years. The project must be completed within 150 calendar days of the Notice to Proceed, with the stated period of performance running from Aug. 5 to Nov. 30, 2026. Quotes are due July 30 at 5 p.m. Alaska Standard Time and must be submitted as a single PDF by email to contracting officer Francisco Velasco at [email protected]. Vendors may submit questions until July 10 at 5 p.m. Alaska Standard Time.