Award Watch: Massachusetts local and state solicitations worth a fast read (deadlines late Feb–March 2026)

Executive takeaway

This set of Massachusetts solicitations spans very different buying motions: a multi-year school space lease in Lincoln, a single-piece equipment buy for a water treatment facility in Attleboro, a housing planning consulting engagement in Wrentham, a statewide educator professional learning initiative, parking garage repairs at a public university, multi-site fire detection system maintenance/repair under MassDOT, benefits administration services for a city, and a personal property revaluation/services engagement for North Andover. Several notices include process constraints (e.g., “do not submit via COMMBUYS” or “download from city website” or “retrieve via email”), so compliance and correct submission channel will matter as much as technical content.

What the buyer is trying to do

Lease of Classroom and Administrative/Support Space in the Hartwell Building (Town of Lincoln)

Lincoln Public Schools are seeking proposals to lease classroom and administrative/support space in the Hartwell Building (6 Ballfield Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts) for a defined multi-year term: September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2031.

High Lift Pump (City of Attleboro)

Attleboro is soliciting sealed bids for the purchase and delivery of one Hayes High Lift Pump for the Russell F. Tennant Water Treatment Facility (1296 West St, Attleboro MA). The bid package is obtained via the city’s bid page or in person, and the city explicitly instructs bidders not to submit bids via COMMBUYS.

Wrentham Housing Production Plan (Town of Wrentham)

Wrentham is seeking sealed proposals from qualified consultants to prepare a Housing Production Plan.

Teaching for Civic Empowerment | RFR (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)

DESE seeks one or more vendors to support implementation of “Teaching for Civic Empowerment,” an initiative intended to strengthen and expand teacher capacity for high-quality civics instruction by offering free, accessible professional learning to Massachusetts educators. The notice states the bid is covered under the World Trade Organization (WTO).

WSU 26-10 Parking Garage Repairs (Worcester State University)

Worcester State University is soliciting proposals for parking garage repairs, with instructions to access details via projectdog.com (project #872161).

District 6 Inspection, Testing, Maintenance & Repair of Fire Detection Systems (Department of Transportation)

MassDOT is seeking inspection, testing, maintenance, and repair services for fire detection systems across various locations (District 6). The notice includes a key process instruction: do not use COMMBUYS to bid on this project.

FSA, HRA, and COBRA Administration Services (City of Haverhill)

Haverhill is soliciting an RFP for benefits administration services covering FSA, HRA, and COBRA. The RFP document is obtained by emailing a request with a specified subject line (email address redacted in the snippet).

Personal property valuation (Town of North Andover)

North Andover’s Board of Assessors is accepting sealed proposals for a complete revaluation of all personal property for implementation in Fiscal Year 2029, plus collection and valuation services in Fiscal Years 2027 and 2028. The complete RFP is hosted on bidnetdirect.com for the town.

What work is implied (bullets)

• Lincoln school space lease: propose lease terms for classroom and administrative/support space in a specific building and location for the stated 2026–2031 period (verify detailed specifications in attachments).
• Attleboro high lift pump: supply and deliver one specified pump model/brand (“Hayes High Lift Pump”) to a named water treatment facility; follow sealed bid procedures and city submission instructions (verify all technical requirements in the RFB).
• Wrentham housing plan: produce a Housing Production Plan as a consulting deliverable (scope, engagement cadence, and required outputs should be confirmed in the RFP attachments).
• DESE civic empowerment initiative: support implementation of professional learning that is free and accessible, focused on civics content and pedagogy application in classrooms (verify delivery model, scheduling, and required vendor roles in the RFR).
• WSU parking garage repairs: perform defined repair work on a university parking garage as specified in ProjectDog documents (verify trade scopes, phasing, and site constraints in ProjectDog).
• MassDOT fire detection systems: conduct inspection/testing plus maintenance and repair services across multiple sites in District 6 (verify device types, reporting requirements, and response times in the bid package).
• Haverhill benefits admin: administer FSA, HRA, and COBRA services (verify compliance, integrations, and reporting requirements in the RFP).
• North Andover personal property valuation: complete town-wide personal property revaluation for FY2029 implementation and provide collection/valuation services for FY2027–FY2028 (verify methodology expectations and data requirements in the RFP).

Who should bid / who should pass (bullets)

• Bid if you are:
  • A property owner/landlord or facilities provider able to offer education-ready classroom and administrative/support space for a multi-year lease (Lincoln).
  • A water/wastewater equipment supplier or manufacturer’s authorized dealer able to supply and deliver the specified high lift pump (Attleboro).
  • A planning/consulting firm with a practice focused on municipal housing planning (Wrentham).
  • A professional learning provider with experience building educator capacity and delivering accessible professional development at scale (DESE).
  • A qualified contractor for structured repair work on parking structures/garages (WSU).
  • A fire detection systems service provider equipped for multi-site inspection/testing/maintenance/repair programs (MassDOT District 6).
  • A benefits administration firm offering FSA/HRA/COBRA administration (Haverhill).
  • A firm specializing in personal property valuation/revaluation services for assessors and municipal tax administration support (North Andover).
• Pass if you:
  • Cannot comply with the stated submission channel restrictions (e.g., where the notice says not to use COMMBUYS, or where documents must be retrieved via city website/email/ProjectDog/bidnetdirect).
  • Don’t have the capacity to support multi-site service logistics (MassDOT District 6) or multi-year municipal valuation support (North Andover).
  • Cannot meet a “purchase & delivery” equipment requirement without substitutions (Attleboro)—unless the RFB explicitly allows equals (verify in the RFB).

Response package checklist (bullets; if unknown say “verify in attachments”)

• Confirm solicitation type and submission method (sealed bid vs. sealed proposal; electronic vs. physical delivery) verify in attachments.
• Acknowledge any “do not submit via COMMBUYS” instruction and use the alternate path provided (Attleboro; MassDOT District 6).
• Completed bid/proposal forms verify in attachments.
• Pricing schedule aligned to the buyer’s requested format verify in attachments.
• Technical approach / scope narrative (consulting/professional learning/maintenance programs) verify in attachments.
• Product cut sheets and compliance documentation for equipment purchases (Attleboro) verify in the RFB.
• Work plan and deliverables (Wrentham housing plan; DESE initiative; North Andover valuation services) verify in attachments.
• Access proofs: ProjectDog registration and retrieval of full documents for WSU (project #872161); bidnetdirect access for North Andover.
• Any required certifications, bonds, insurance, or licenses verify in attachments.

Pricing & strategy notes (how to research pricing; do not invent pricing numbers)

Because these opportunities range from a single equipment purchase to multi-year services and facilities work, pricing strategy should be based on comparable awards and local market benchmarks rather than a one-size approach. Practical steps:

• Use the buyer’s channel to pull full bid tabs or award history where available:
  • For Attleboro, start at the city’s bid page referenced in the notice and look for prior water treatment facility equipment bid tabs or purchase histories.
  • For WSU, once in ProjectDog, review addenda and any planholder lists (if available) to gauge competitiveness and scope clarity.
• Triangulate “like-for-like” comparables:
  • For the pump, look for comparable high lift pump procurements in neighboring municipalities and water districts; ensure comparisons match model requirements and delivery terms.
  • For MassDOT fire detection maintenance, compare with similar multi-location inspection/testing/repair contracts (same general service category), paying attention to whether pricing is per-device, per-site, or time-and-materials (verify the required pricing format in the bid documents).
  • For consulting engagements (Wrentham HPP; North Andover valuation; DESE professional learning), benchmark against recent municipal consulting RFPs with similar deliverables and duration, then adjust for reporting burden and any public-meeting expectations verify in attachments.
• De-risk with assumptions that are explicitly stated: where the documents are not yet reviewed, avoid burying key assumptions (e.g., travel, meetings, data availability, or schedule) inside price—spell them out and align them to the RFP requirements once verified.

Subcontracting / teaming ideas (bullets)

• WSU parking garage repairs: consider teaming with specialty subs aligned to the repair scope once confirmed in ProjectDog (verify trade scopes in project documents).
• MassDOT fire detection systems: prime/branch model can work well—use local service coverage for multi-site responsiveness and ensure consistent inspection/testing documentation across locations (verify reporting needs in the bid package).
• DESE professional learning initiative: team instructional design and facilitation capacity with content specialists in civics pedagogy if the RFR expects both program design and delivery (verify in RFR).
• North Andover personal property valuation: if the RFP separates data collection from valuation analytics, consider a teaming approach that matches each firm’s strength (verify allowable subcontracting in the RFP).

Risks & watch-outs (bullets)

• Submission channel errors: multiple notices explicitly direct bidders away from COMMBUYS or toward alternative portals (city website, email request, ProjectDog, bidnetdirect). Noncompliance can be fatal.
• Document access lag: where the RFP is obtained via email request (Haverhill) or external platforms (ProjectDog/bidnetdirect), build time for account setup and download/printing requirements.
• Specification reliance: the Lincoln lease references “Specifications enclosed herewith.” Do not price or commit to space features until the specifications are reviewed.
• Equipment exactness: Attleboro specifies “one Hayes High Lift Pump.” Confirm whether equals are permitted and what documentation is required in the RFB.
• Multi-site service complexity: MassDOT’s District 6 fire detection work implies coordination across various locations—confirm scheduling, access constraints, and reporting deliverables in the bid package.
• Multi-year valuation timeline: North Andover spans FY2027–FY2029 related services; ensure staffing and data governance can support a longer arc (verify milestones and deliverables in the RFP).
• WTO coverage note: DESE indicates WTO coverage; confirm any procurement implications in the RFR and ensure your compliance narrative aligns accordingly.

Related opportunities

• Lease of Classroom and Administrative/Support Space in the Hartwell Building
• High Lift Pump
• Wrentham Housing Production Plan
• 26CISMMK2 | Teaching for Civic Empowerment | RFR
• WSU 26-10 Parking Garage Repairs
• 614068 DISTRICT 6 Inspection, Testing, Maintenance & Repair of Fire Detection Systems
• RFP for FSA, HRA, and COBRA Administration Services
• Personal property valuation

How to act on this

1. Pick your lane: equipment (pump), facilities (garage repairs / fire detection systems), space lease, or consulting (housing plan / valuation / benefits admin / educator professional learning).
2. Pull the full documents today using the stated channel (city bid site, ProjectDog #872161, bidnetdirect, or the RFP-by-email process) and scan for submission instructions, required forms, and pricing format.
3. Build a compliance matrix from the attachments and map every requirement to your response section.
4. Decide bid/no-bid fast based on submission pathway, schedule, and your ability to meet the specified product/service constraints.

If you want a second set of eyes on compliance, packaging, and bid strategy for any of these notices, work with Federal Bid Partners LLC.