A21 - Questions and Responses - MPV Brandy Station Towing_Updated_10-08-2025.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 18 KB Posted
- Attached to
- MPV BRANDY STATION - TOWING SERVICES
- Solicitation number
- W912PM25QA033
About this file
This document is a Questions and Responses file for a towing services solicitation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District. The solicitation (W912PM25QA033) seeks a contractor to provide ship towing services for the Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV) "Brandy Station", involving a tow from the USCG Station dock in Freeport, TX to a facility within 40 nautical miles of Houma, LA. The procurement is a small business set-aside under NAICS code 488330, with a size standard of $47M, and will result in a single award.
Key details include a flexible start date around October 15, 2025, with towing requirements specifying a sea state limitation of 6' or less, daily operational logs, and specific vessel preparation instructions. The contractor must provide a towing bridal, towing gear, and a surveyor to sign off on the deadship tow. All tug services must be included in the bid, and the tow will be a continuous route from Freeport to Houma. Subcontracting is permitted under specific small business guidelines, and the vessel has a 63' vertical air draft with rotating machinery to be secured by crew members.
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Sheet1
| Questions and Responses | |
| Solicitation Number: W912PM25QA033 | |
| 08 October 2025 | 45838 |
| MPV Brandy Station - Towing Services |
| # | Question | Response |
| 1 | Proposal Format: Do you require the pricing and technical proposals to be submitted as separate PDF files, or is a single, well-organized document acceptable? | As stated in the solicitation, please submit 2 separate documents: Title file(s) in the following format: |
W912PM25QA033_COMPANY NAME_PRICING
W912PM24QA033_COMPANY
NAME_TECHNICAL
| 2 | Incumbent Information: Is there a current or previous incumbent contractor for this requirement? If so, can you share the incumbent’s name or contract number? |
| There is not an incumbent contractor. | |
| 3 | Budget Range: Is there a government estimate or anticipated budget range for this project that you can disclose? |
| We cannot disclose this information. Please submit your best offer. | |
| 4 | Delivery Location: The SOW mentions Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors in Houma, LA. Can you confirm if that’s the mandatory delivery destination, or may the contractor propose a facility within 40 NM of Houma? |
| Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors in Houma, LA is the delivery destination. The contractor is not to propose another facility. | |
| 5 | Tow Start Date: Is October 15, 2025, the required start date for the towing operation, or is there flexibility depending on award timing and weather conditions? |
| We are flexible on the towing start date. | |
| 6 | Operational Updates: The SOW calls for daily operational logs. Is there a required format or template for these updates? |
| There's not a required format, but the following information shall be required every 12-hrs: |
Location - ETA - Speed - Weather - Sea State
| 7 | Vessel Preparation: Will the Brandy Station be fully prepped and ready for hookup at the Freeport dock, or will the contractor be responsible for any preparation tasks onsite? | |
| Vessel is ready for tow, but as required in the SOW, the towing company must provide the towing bridal and any other required towing gear. | ||
| 8 | Location: Is this specifically only coming from the Freeport, TX location and going to the Houma, LA location? Are there going to be any stops in between? | |
| Yes, this specifically only coming from the Freeport, TX location and going to the Houma, LA location, and this will be one continous tow. | ||
| 9 | Subcontracting: Is it permissible for subcontracting on this opportunity? | Please refer to FAR clause 52.219-14(b), Limitations on Subcontracting. If subcontracted, it must be to another business that is considered small under the NAICS code used in this solicitation (488330): 52.219-14(b) Definition. Similarly situated entity, as used in this clause, means a first-tier subcontractor, including an independent contractor, that— |
(1) Has the same small business program status as that which qualified the prime contractor for the award (e.g., for a small business set-aside contract, any small business concern, without regard to its socioeconomic status); and
(2) Is considered small for the size standard under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code the prime contractor assigned to the subcontract.
| 10 | What is vertical air draft (distance from waterline to the topmost part of the mast) on vessel? |
| 63' with light load ballast | |
| 11 | Will rotating machinery / propeller shafts and rudders be secured by crew members? |
| Yes | |
| 12 | Our proposed method will be pushing ahead from the stern via the intercoastal waterway given our vessels are inland towing vessels. Our vessels have worked with the Brandy Station before at drydock and we will prepare an alternate backup method of towing a stern as well as requested but is there anyway one of our staff and the tow Captains would be able to get close to the vessel or board tomorrow to check arrangements from the stern? We were able to source some pictures of the stern, however, we wanted to make sure on how our vessel would make up to the stern. There seems to be an anchor on the stern at midship. |
| Yes, the Contractor can come on-site. We will also provide a dwg of the stern anchor setup. | |
| 13 | Surveyor – Understand vessel will be ready for tow, however if we are awarded the contract, would we be providing the surveyor to sign off on the deadship tow? |
| Yes, the Contractor shall provide the surveyor to sign off on the deadship tow. | |
| 14 | Riding Crew – Will there be any type of riding crew onboard the towing vessel? If so, will they have ability to engage the emergency generator and operate bilge pumps? This will affect the contingency planning and what we would write into the Tow Plan. |
| No | |
| 15 | Routing preference: Is either GIWW or offshore acceptable provided we meet delivery and safety requirements, given the vessel’s ~63’ air draft? |
| Either GIWW or offshore is acceptable | |
| 16 | Assist tugs: Should offerors include departure/arrival assist tug costs at Freeport and Houma in our price, or will those be coordinated separately by the Government/yard? |
| All tug services should be included in the bid. | |
| 17 | Weather limits: Please confirm any maximum wind/sea state thresholds for go/no‑go and continuation under tow. |
| SOW / section 2.4. Sea State Limitations: The maximum sea state conditions under which the Contractor is authorized to perform towing operations shall be limited to sea state 6’ or less. |
| 18 | Fuel onboard: With the SOW’s fuel limit for the tow, are any additional hazmat/pollution contingency measures required beyond standard provisions? |
| No | |
| 19 | Arrival/acceptance: Please confirm the exact berth/pier and any yard access/security requirements at Thoma‑Sea (Houma). |
| This shall be coordinated with the COR and the POC (named below) prior to the tow. |
Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors Bill Purvis, Repair Division Manager 137 Barry Belanger St.
Houma, LA 70363 bill@Thoma-Sea.com Office: 985.853.0620 Cell: 337.258.6669
Sheet2
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .