Lower Columbia River Sediment Management
1. General: This is a Sources Sought and is for informational/market research purposes only. This is not a request for proposal, quotation, or bid, nor a synopsis of a proposed contract action under FAR subpart 5.2. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District has been tasked to solicit for a Regional Sediment Management Plan Development for Beneficial Use of Dredge Material at Lower Columbia River, Washington and Oregon. The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. The purpose of this Sources Sought is to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities, and qualifications of the industry, to include the small business community. The Government must ensure there is adequate competition among the potential pool of responsible contractors.
Responses to this Sources Sought announcement will be used by the Government to support acquisition strategy decisions.
2. Contract Information: The Portland District expects to solicit a firm-fixed-priced services contract for Regional Sediment Management Plan Development for Beneficial Use of Dredge Material at Lower Columbia River, Washington and Oregon.
3. Project Description: The purpose of this requirement is to develop a long-term strategy which will guide sediment management practices, serve as the basis for permitting a network of beneficial use sites available for material dredged from maintenance of the FNCs or other permitted dredging or sand mining activities, and facilitate the securing of federal and state appropriations to finance ongoing research and monitoring in the Lower Columbia River (LCR) in support of the Regional Sediment Management Plan (RSMP). A fundamental goal of the RSMP is to improve the current program of sediment management in the LCR. The LCR RSMP will be coordinated with the existing MCR RSMP. Using careful design, adaptive management, and effective monitoring, this RSMP is intended to meet a variety of objectives. Elements of the RSMP will include:
• Definition of Sediment Transport Sub-Reaches within LCR: Sediment Budget within the LCR should not be treated as a continuum of sediment transport from Bonneville Dam (RM 145) to the Mouth of the Columbia River (MCR). Instead, the LCR is a piece-wise and sometimes non-continuous conveyer belt of sediment transport that can be divided into sub-reaches. Within a given sub-reach, sediment transport is relatively consistent and defined by the sediment flux affecting the reach (tributary inflow) and the dominant fluvial or estuarine processes. Each sub-reach can be considered to have its own sediment budget. Some sub-reaches may function as sediment sinks during a given range of river/tidal flow conditions, and other sub-reaches may function as sediment sources for a given range of river/tidal flows. Understanding how each of these sub-reaches functions is critical to managing dredged material and identifying opportunities for beneficial use.
• Identification of Opportunities to Sustain the Sediment Budget: Dredged material placement needs to be managed such that the "transference" of sediment from reach to reach is sustained. Opportunities to optimize dredged material placement need to be identified to enable sustenance of the LCR sediment budget within each sub-reach.
• Description of Dredging Equipment and Practices: Specific dredging equipment and best practices for FNC maintenance and permitted dredging and sand mining activities shall be described in detail, and differences between each reach/sub-reach shall be noted. Identify present limitations and evaluate future initiatives that can be introduced to strategically improve dredged material management to further sustain the LCR sediment budget.
• Identification of Ecological Resources Reliant on River Sediment: Identify ecological resources that are dependent on a functioning (sustained) river sediment budget and the associated restrictions that affect present dredging and sand mining and dredged material placement practices and identify opportunities to modify and/or optimize dredging and dredged material placement to improve ecological functions in river reaches/sub-reaches.
• Development and Implementation RSM Strategies within the National Economic Development (NED) Framework: Identify RSM strategies that will broaden or enhance NED-related benefits. Identify sources and develop strategies to leverage support from Stakeholders to realize non-NED benefits from RSM project implementation.
• Identification of Adverse Consequences: Identify potential adverse consequences directly or peripherally related to proposed RSM initiatives in the LCR.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Engage Corps Stakeholders in the development of the RSMP via meetings and technical review of deliverables to aid in identifying novel beneficial use opportunities, critical knowledge gaps, and the development of future studies and monitoring activities to supplement available information.
North American Industrial Classification Code (NAICS): 541620 - Environmental Consulting Services
Size Standard: $15M
Federal Service Code: B532 - Special Studies/Analysis
4. Submission Instructions: Interested parties may submit a response in electronic format only via email to Teresa.f.dailey@usace.army.mil by no later than 23 Aug 2019 4:00 pm Pacific Time. Electronic files shall be in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Emails should not exceed 10MB. The information submitted should not exceed a total of 4 (4) 8½ x 11 sized pages and font no smaller than 10 point.
Respondents shall include the following as part of their Sources Sought submission:
a. Company name and DUNS number.
b. Company point of contact including phone number and email address.
c. Business size, as validated via the System for Award Administration (SAM). All offerors must register on the SAM located at http://www.sam.gov to be eligible for a federal contract award.
d. Provide any information on your Firm's technical abilities/experience as they pertain to the services listed above, along with number of years of experience specific to what we are looking for. (Include past contracts with USACE, if applicable.)
5. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this Sources Sought Notice or any follow-up information. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Standard company brochures will not be considered a sufficient response to this Sources Sought. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or to provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses, a solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities (www.fbo.gov). However, responses to this notice will not be considered an adequate response to a solicitation.
Teresa F. Dailey, Contract Specialist, Phone 5038084619, Email teresa.f.dailey@usace.army.mil
