A7 - Sources Sought Notice.pdf

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

FOR

Philpott Anchors and Instrumentation Construction

This is a Sources Sought/Request for Information only. This is NOT a Solicitation Announcement, nor is it a

Request for Proposal. This request does not obligate the Government in any contract award.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District, is conducting research to determine the market capabilities of potential contractors to perform construction work to include:

• Installation of 12 new vertical post-tensioned spillway anchors with automated anchor load sensors, load cells, and Class I corrosion protection systems to replace the existing inclined anchors;

• Anchors are anticipated to be 2 ½" diameter A722 bars that are each roughly 40 feet long

• Installation of 4 automated inclinometers into Monoliths 9 and 13;

• Automation of 17 piezometers and integration into an automated data acquisition system;

• Automation of 22 crack gauges and integration into an automated data acquisition system; and

• Incidental related work.

Philpott Dam is located at Latitude 36° 46’ 50” N, Longitude 80° 1’ 40” W. The dam is on the Smith River approximately 44.3 miles above the river mouth. and is owned and operated by USACE. The National Inventory of

Dams (NID) number for Philpott Dam is VA089001. The dam site is in the Roanoke River Basin and is approximately 7 river miles north of Bassett, Virginia. The concrete dam portion of the Philpott Project was completed in 1952. Authorized project purposes included flood risk management, hydroelectric power generation, recreation, fish and wildlife enhancement, and pollution abatement in the Roanoke River Basin. The entire Philpott

Project with hydroelectric generation was completed in 1953.

The dam is a mass concrete gravity structure having two non-overflow sections, a power intake section, and an overflow (spillway) section. The dam is 892-ft long. Vertical construction joints separate the dam into 22 independent monoliths, which were cast in place in 5-ft deep lifts. The right non-overflow section consists of

Monoliths 1 through 9, which vary in height from about 17-ft to 214-ft. The left non-overflow section consists of

Monoliths 13 through 22, which vary in height from about 31-ft to 214-ft. The widths of the monoliths are all 40-ft, except Monoliths 8 and 9, which are 46-ft wide. The uncontrolled spillway section is located at Monoliths 10, 11 and 12. The spillway crest is at elev. 984.33-ft, (NAVD88) and has a clear opening of 120-ft wide by 31-ft high. The top of dam is at elev.1015.33-ft, (NAVD88) and the parapet walls along the non-overflow sections are at elev.

1017.38-ft, (NAVD88) The top of the dam ties into the left and right abutments, but the parapet walls do not connect to the abutments. Three sluiceways, 5-ft 8-in. wide by 10-ft high, run through spillway Monoliths 10, 11 and 12.

Each sluice has a bell-mouthed entrance and is equipped with one service gate and one emergency gate. A 120-ft-wide stilling basin extends downstream about 187-ft from the heel of the spillway. The elevation of the bottom of the stilling basin is elev. 789.33-ft, (NAVD88) and the elevation of the end sill is elev. 805.33-ft, (NAVD88)

(Figures 1 through 4).

The concrete for Philpott Dam was composed of natural cement, type II Portland cement, water, fine and coarse aggregate, and an air-entraining admixture within the natural cement. The design of the concrete mixtures was based on water-cement ratios that produced 1) plastic, workable mixtures suitable for the specific placement conditions and 2) when properly cured, the mixture produced a product with the durability, impermeability, and strength in accordance with the specifications. However, the aggregate used within the concrete mixture consists of fine-grained gneiss, fine-grained quartz-rich gneiss, and amphibolite. These rock types have resulted in Alkali Silica Reactions

(ASR), causing substantial concrete cracking on and within the dam. Manually read crack gauges have been monitored since 1968 to assess respective growth and movement. Other dam instrumentation includes manually read piezometers to assess hydrostatic uplift pressures.

Figure 1. Philpott Dam downstream and upstream profiles.

Figure 2. Philpott Dam monoliths, numbered 1 through 22. Monoliths 10, 11, and 12 comprise the ogee spillway.

Figure 3. Philpott Dam, as viewed from downstream toward upstream.

Figure 4. Philpott Dam: Typical cross sections.

Based on the results of a Dam Safety inspection in December 1968, spillway anchor installation to mitigate ASR concrete cracking within the spillway gallery passing through Monoliths 10 – 12 was recommended. Construction work consisted of drilling 15 inclined holes from the spillway crest to install post-tensioning units to stabilize cracking (Figures 5 through 7).

Figure 5. Plan sheet for 1969 spillway anchor installation.

Figure 6. Drilling rig placement (1969).

Figure 7. Spillway anchor installation (1969).

Figures 8 through 10 constitute draft drawings of the above-listed items. However, the design remains under development so drawings may be revised before contract solicitation.

Figure 8. Plan view (draft) drawing for new spillway anchor installation.

Figure 9. Profile view (draft) drawing for new spillway anchor installation.

Figure 10. (Draft) drawings for piezometer, inclinometer, and crack monitoring automation.

Constructability considerations

Construction of the project will involve various complexities. The dam crest and spillway crest are vertically separated by about 31 feet. As a result, access to the spillway may require crane or barge staging and transport of equipment and personnel (Figures 3 and 6). Additionally, the dam crest is most easily accessed from the right side via a paved service road. Conversely, the left side of the dam can only be accessed by a dirt and gravel road that traverses through forested areas. Therefore, the contractor will need to consider strategies for personnel and equipment transport, as well as ensuring safe operations of field personnel during construction activities.

Construction personnel qualifications and experience

Construction work shall be overseen by a Quality Control (QC) Manager at the work site to manage and implement the QC program. The QC manager shall be employed by the Prime Contractor and shall have a minimum of 10 years’ combined experience in the following positions: Project Superintendent, QC

Manager, Project Manager, Project Engineer or Construction Manager on similar size and type construction Contracts which included the major trades that are part of this Contract. The individual shall have at least 4 years’ experience as a QC Manager. The individual shall be familiar with the requirements of EM 385-1-1 and have experience in the areas of hazard identification, safety compliance, and sustainability. Additionally, he or she shall possess at least a bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, or construction management, with a current Professional Engineer (PE) registration in the state of Virginia or a current licensed architect in the state of Virginia. Additionally, the Contractor shall provide a qualified, licensed Geologist or Geotechnical Engineer experienced in subsurface exploration for each drill unit to oversee all drilling, sampling, and field-testing operations. This individual shall have at least 5 years’ experience in identifying and logging core and shall be responsible for Logging of core and preparation of drilling logs and records.

The Contractor shall assign additional QC specialists who will report to the QC Manager. A single person can cover more than one area or expertise provided that the single person is qualified to perform quality control activities in each designated and that workload allows. Regardless, some specific QC specialist requirements are provided below, but others may apply as delineated in the final contract specifications:

• Civil Engineering: Civil Engineer or Construction Manager with a PE license in Virginia, plus two years’ related experience in the type of work being performed;

• Electrical Engineering: Electrical Engineer with two years’ related experience or 5 years’ experience supervising electrical features of work in the field with a construction company;

• Structural Engineering: Civil Engineer or Construction Manager with a PE license in Virginia, with two years’ related experience or 5 years’ experience supervising structural features of work in the field with a construction company;

• Anchor and Testing Engineering: Professional having experience with installing post tensioned anchors and the testing of those anchors;

• Environmental Engineering: Environmental Engineer with a PE license in Virginia and 3 years’ relevant experience; and

• Concrete and Paving Specialist: Materials technician with two years’ relevant experience.

The individual assigned as lead instrumentation specialist must be a registered Professional Engineer and recognized professional in the field of instrumentation and monitoring of geotechnical and hydraulic structures with over 10 years of work experience relevant to the scope and magnitude of work specified in this contract. An experienced alternate individual, not meeting the PE license requirement, may work under the direction and supervision of the PE to carry out all tasks of the instrumentation specialist, with exception of the selection of alert values, analysis of reported instrument readings, and directed response actions.

Electrical work must be performed by a qualified person with verifiable credentials who are familiar with applicable code requirements. Verifiable credentials consist of State, National and Local Certifications or

Licenses that a Master or Journeyman Electrician may hold.

The Contractor shall submit a Drilling Program Plan (DIPP) in accordance with ER 1110-1-1807, “Drilling and Invasive Activities at Dams and Levees” to the Government for review, comment, and approval. The DIPP shall be prepared and signed by a licensed Professional Engineer or Geologist experienced in the type of activities proposed. Drilling shall not commence until the Government has approved of the DIPP.

On-site personnel (contractor, operator, field supervisor) shall be experienced in drilling methods and operations, with knowledge of potential difficulties to prevent or minimize adverse conditions when actively drilling through the dam. Drill rig operators must have a minimum of 3 years’ experience drilling with the type of equipment proposed, on at least two concrete dam projects. All drill rig operators and field supervisors shall be familiar with USACE guidelines and the issues that can cause adverse impacts.

The anchors must be installed by a firm with personnel who are regularly engaged in the installation of anchors and has at least ten years’ experience in the installation of similar anchors. The superintendent must have 10 years of experience installing anchors.

All interested firms with 237990 as an approved NAICs code have until 31 July 2025 at 1600 EST to submit the following information:

- Name & Address of your Firm

- Point of Contact (Name/Phone/E-mail)

- Current SAM

- Business Size, to include designation as HUBZone, 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Small

Disadvantaged Business, Woman-Owned Business, and Large Business. Any supporting documentation that confirms your socio-economic status should be provided, i.e., letter of certification from VA confirming SDVOSB status. The Government must be able to verify SBA certification of HubZone and 8(a) via SAM.

- Bonding capability - both single and aggregate capacity contracts, as evidenced by submission of Surety Company

Letter stating bonding capacity.

- Firm's capability to perform, to include geographic span and project size.

- Information on Teaming Arrangement (if applicable). Although we are not looking for formal signed agreements at this time, if you intend to "team" with another firm, formally or informally, you must submit information, not more, than one (1) page, about your team's involvement. More specifically, you must submit sufficient information for the

Government to determine the roles each team member will play and what your socio-economic status is or will be considering the proposed arrangement. Therefore, included in your one (1) page if you are a Small Business and you intend to mentor/protégé and/or JV with a large business both team members must sign agreeing that 40% of the labor will be performed by the 8(a) firm. Additionally, if the team is a mentor/protégé arrangement, identify the areas that will be mentored. Any supporting documentation that confirms your socio-economic status as a team should be provided.

The Government may not give credit to your socio-economic class if there is not sufficient documentation to support it or if the Government cannot verify through other means that your business is as such.

The estimated magnitude of this project is between $5,000,000 and $10,000,000, The NAICS Code for this project is 237990 Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction and the size standard is $39.0Million.

Responses to this Sources Sought Announcement will be used by the government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. All interested businesses, regardless of size should submit a narrative demonstrating their Specialized

Experience in similar type contracts, Past Performance, Key Personnel. Capability statements should include size/classification of your firm, bonding capacity, bonding availability, details of similar projects, and the completion dates, references and contract amounts for the similar projects listed.

Narratives shall be no longer than 30 pages. The requested information shall be submitted electronically to:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Attn: Rosalind M. Shoemaker and Jenifer M. Garland

E-mail: rosalind.m.shoemaker@usace.army.mil and jenifer.m.garland@usace.army.mil

The email should be titled: Philpott Anchors and Instrumentation Construction

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS SUCH.

Do not send hard copies of advertising or promotional materials. Please ensure that all responses are comprehensive and provide a name and point-of-contact for your firm for follow-up by this office or the procuring contracting officer. If you have responded to any previous e-mail messages or had other communications with our office regarding preliminary market research for this project, please be advised that it will be necessary for you to respond to this e-mail and the questions contained therein. Any responses involving teaming agreements should delineate between the work that will be accomplished by the Prime Contractor and work accomplished by the teaming partner

All information is to be provided on a voluntary basis at no charge to the Government. There is no entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs related to or arising out of responding to this request for information. All information provided becomes property of the Government. There is no guarantee, expressed or implied, that the market research for this acquisition will result in any guarantee of award or acquisition strategy.