A02.12 PWS - Commodity & Cargo Forecast Aquisition dated 2025.08.25.docx

Commodity and Cargo Forecasts Supporting U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Commercial Navigation Evaluations

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

25 Aug 2025

Introduction

This performance work statement (PWS) provides background and specifications of data and information needed by USACE for the evaluation of waterborne transportation and supporting waterway systems crucial to foreign trade and the domestic economy of the United States. The organizational element within USACE that has direct need for acquisition and application of the subject data is the Institute for Water Resources, Water Resource Center (IWR-WRC), located in Alexandria, Virginia.

The IWR-WRC compiles, processes, and analyzes data and information for waterborne transportation, and affiliated services involved with the conduct of both domestic and foreign trade critical to the economy of the United States. The data and information assembled by the IWR-WRC is employed in economic and engineering evaluations of federally sponsored navigation studies which can recommend harbor or waterway improvements. Such improvements include the construction of new general navigation features (GNFs) such as channels or vessel maneuvering areas and enhancements to existing features. Enhancements may include deepening or widening of transit channels and vessel maneuvering areas to accommodate evolving changes and operational requirements of the fleet service regime driven by trade, demand, and economies of operation for supporting waterborne transportation.

In the same context as the evaluation of new GNFs or related periodic enhancements or improvements, subject data and information is routinely used to inform USACE Operations and Maintenance (O&M) budgetary decisions for the waterborne navigation program and mission. Part of the information essential to waterway system evaluations includes the specifications of vessels using federally authorized navigation channels. In addition, data on geographic dispersion of commodity movements, trends, forecasts, vessel loading patterns and other trade and shipping parameters are used routinely in economic and engineering evaluations. These datasets facilitate the evaluation of physical improvements or enhancements, economic benefits or return on new construction, and O&M initiatives which evaluate transportation cost efficiencies uniquely attributable or made possible by improvements or enhancements. Associated cost efficiencies may include operating vessels more efficiently than would otherwise be possible (without specified improvements or enhancements), the realization of operational thresholds for applicability, or use of larger and more efficient vessel hull types and sizes.

General Description of Need

Per the general description of work, data, and information outlined in the preceding introduction, IWR-WRC has identified technical requirements for the acquisition of maritime data and information pertaining to waterborne commodity and cargo traffic demand forecasts. Initial research and inquiry pertaining to existing products that appear to generally fulfill specifications indicate that several products or services are commercially available. Generally, these products were created for use by commercial maritime interests or entities but in the interest of cost efficiency may also fulfill the primary procurement and technical specifications of concern to the USACE and the Government. Within this context, additional review of the current and foreseeable products market appears to affirm that applications employing commodity and cargo traffic demand forecasts will acceptably fulfill requirements. A summary of requirements includes the following:

(1) Current or near-current commodity and cargo information with additional associated data attributes (e.g., vessel, origin, destination, tonnage, TEUs, and terminal/dock of commodity transfer).

(2) Current or near-current industry and trade pattern reports, evaluations, and insights.

(3) Comprehensive bilateral trade forecasts incorporating historical trends and complex micro and macro-economic variables.

(4) The ability to evaluate commodity and cargo forecasts a minimum of 20-years into the future.

(5) Supplemental technical manual(s) clearly describing forecasting logic, methods, and assumptions.

Primary Procurement and Technical Specifications

(1) Duration of time and frequency of provision and update of data and information over time. The duration for contractual services or product procurement will be on an annual (365 calendar days in duration) subscription basis. Contractor shall provide access and download of data and information within four (4) calendar days of the contract award.

(2a.) Privileges for access, distribution, use and retention. USACE is a federal agency that serves and supports the U.S. waterborne navigation mission through its Civil Works function which represents and helps enforce federal jurisdiction and stewardship of the nation’s navigable waterways. More specifically, jurisdiction and stewardship extend to General Navigation Features (GNFs) which are, in general context, considered open to all on equal terms of use. GNFs include common or open-use access to transit channels, turning or maneuvering areas, offshore approach channels, anchorages, and structures such as jetties or shoreline armoring. GNFs do not generally include berthing areas situated immediately dockside of a private commercial interest or port authority or otherwise controlled as such. Correspondingly, the needs and applications for data and information acquired for IWR-WRC extends across various levels of the organization summarily described according to the needs of IWR-WRC.

(2b.) USACE and IWR-WRC have requirements for distributing or sharing economic data and information to be acquired from the vendor. Presently, the IWR-WRC employs subject data for waterway system evaluation studies at the national or regional level which are executed on a periodic basis (perhaps one or two times a year). In addition, IWR-WRC procures and shares available data and information for use by District offices with civil works missions and responsibilities for waterborne navigation. This data primarily supports the coastal deep-draft navigation and inland waterways centers who routinely undertake harbor and waterway economic evaluations throughout the continental United States and its outlying states, recognized territories, protectorates or possessions. Related efforts for such studies may be geographically dispersed across the nation on any coast or the extent of expanse encompassing the inland waterways system. Most of these efforts involve project or port-specific evaluations, of which only a limited number are conducted or in process each year.

USACE studies or evaluations typically take place over a period of months to years and involve the assessment of trends or patterns in data and information extending across several years of history up through recent occurrence. USACE often reviews prior evaluations in comparison to current findings for waterway system usage and needs to support waterways system planning and management civil works initiatives. Accordingly, all data and information once purchased for a given period or coverage through time shall remain the property of the Government in perpetuity for any applicable need to evaluate historical data or trends over time subject to the privileges for distribution and sharing set forth under this performance work statement (PWS), and subject to the protections from public or external disclosure commensurate with data and information deemed sensitive or proprietary.

General Structures of Contract Acquisition or Procurement Acquisition & Pricing

Respective to any applicable privileges for access or download, presently, it is estimated that access will be needed for a minimum of five (5) individual users with requests for privileges and respective pricing for two scenarios:

(1) Assignment of access to specific designated individuals.

(2) Assignment of specific designated usernames and passwords with flexibility of sharing access amongst a larger group (e.g., ten individuals sharing usernames and passwords, but no more than five individuals having access at any given time).

Quantity: Tentatively, two (2) users are expected to be employed within IWR-WRC, two (2) users within the coastal deep-draft navigation center, and one (1) user within the inland navigation center.

To reiterate, respective data and information accessed or downloaded at the detailed or individual record level of the selected vendor’s products or offerings will only be distributed or shared within IWR-WRC, the applicable centers for coastal deep-draft and inland waterborne navigation, and District-level offices engaged in waterway evaluation studies. Data and information accessed or downloaded by IWR-WRC will not be distributed or shared at the detailed or individual record level with any other entities internal or external to USACE including (but not necessarily limited to) any USACE internal District or Division, or affiliated office, laboratory, research entity or activity, or field operating activity. Data and information at the detailed record level will not be shared with any external contractor or affiliated support entity not directly employed by and for purposes specific to efforts of IWR and USACE, or any other administrative or technical work element not otherwise specifically or explicitly identified herein for respective privilege(s) of access, distribution, sharing, use and retention. Where data and information are shared as described for official work purposes signatory non-disclosure (NDA) and non-alternative use (NAU or NAUA) agreements will be required. Specific to any entity or activity external to USACE such as a contractor, academician or reviewer, or external agency, they will be required via signatory agreement to purge all provided data and information upon completion of any associated analytical or contractual assignment. The way data and information are purged will be compliant with methods and conditions for compliance with NDAs and NAUAs.

Detailed data will be used to assemble internal project study and statistical reports comprised of aggregated statistics such as averages and ranges for data which may be shared with other Federal agencies or outside the realm of Federal agencies as deemed to be in the public interest respective to the missions and duties of USACE. While no further sharing of detailed data will be beyond that generally described, aggregated statistics derived from the compilation of detailed statistical records database may be used or released to only the extent necessary in documentation and reporting. Any such documentation and reporting will contain sufficient detail and explanation to convey the context or framework of analytical methods, procedures, and findings or conclusions derived from internal analytical investigations, project analyses and evaluations employing subject data of concern.

Accordingly, such aggregated statistics may be released publicly or shared with other labs and agencies for interagency or public coordination and review but when released to any external (to USACE) agency or in any public form they shall be released or disclosed only to the extent necessary to acceptably convey the general nature of analytical findings or general description of analytical technique or methodology for analyses or evaluations.

In addition to the above description of privileges for distribution and sharing of data and information, USACE (whether IWR-WRC, the Navigation Centers, or any relevant organization internal to USACE) occasionally needs to make detailed information available for external independent technical or external peer reviews (ITR\IEPR) of project studies and evaluations conducted in the interests of the public. Typically, such reviews are performed by specialists in other governmental agencies or professionally recognized subject and academic institutions or academicians affiliated with academic institutions with relevant knowledge, skills, and experience. Within these requirements as they arise, data at varying levels of detail employed or relevant to a given project evaluation and technical review occasionally needs to be made available to entities performing the review to independently determine the viability of analytical approach and methodologies, findings, conclusions, and as may be appropriate, any recommendations because of subject analytical efforts. Correspondingly, privileges for distribution and sharing of relevant data will be granted on an as-needed basis only to the extent necessary and with mandate of requirements for written signatory agreements for both nondisclosure (NDA) and non-alternative use (NAUA) for any other purpose including (but not necessarily limited to) other analytical assignments, applications, or publication other than as needed and approved by IWR for the specified review tasking of provided data and information. Integral to agreements for external entities will be the requirement for signatory agreement to purge and expunge all data and information provided in a manner consistent with measures to ensure ongoing compliance with requirements for NDA and NAUA previously described.

To additionally emphasize, consistent for compliance regarding preceding described needs for distribution and sharing, data at the detailed level will not be distributed or shared outside of USACE with any other governmental, non-governmental (including commercial or private sector) entities or entities within and to include the public at large not specifically and explicitly identified for privileges of distribution set forth by the PWS herein.