SOW_Draft Brandt Island_FY25_Barge.pdf

SCOPE OF WORK

BRANDT ISLAND

SUBSURFACE INVESTIGATION

BARGE RENTAL

CATERET COUNTY, NC

March 28, 2025

1. Description of Services. The Contractor shall provide a spud barge and tugboat capable of operating within 4 to 30-feet of water in order to support drilling operations and necessary equipment for loading and unloading barges, and other services as specified herein. The purpose for using a spud barge is to provide a safe, stable, work platform for USACE drilling crews while drilling operations are underway. The spud barge and tugboat shall be fully manned and capable of supporting drilling operations within the Morehead City Channel and Money Island Bay.

The proposed work includes USACE drilling equipment being used on the drilling barge to drill eight

(8) standard penetration test holes at locations specified within this statement of work, delivering subsurface investigation equipment to the Brandt Island dredged disposal facility located in Carteret

County, North Carolina and retrieve the equipment upon the completion of subsurface investigation operations. It is estimated that drilling will take approximately 31 working days at Brandt Island.

Drilling will be performed by government furnished drill rigs, drill crew and drill supplies.

The estimated number of days may change depending on customer needs. The Contractor shall also supply a crew boat to transport the drilling crew and any supplemental supplies to and from the barge and/or Brandt Island; a crane capable of lifting up to 40,000lbs to load and unload a drill rig and supplies, if necessary. The Contractor will supply adequate dock space to load and unload necessary supplies and equipment for use in the proposed contract.

2. Site Information. Site maps, navigation charts and bathymetric maps may be acquired from the

Wilmington District, Navigation Section, POC [insert later], email; [name]@usace.army.mil

Historical tide data can be acquired from the NOAA Tides and Currents website;

https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/noaatidepredictions.html?id=8665728. Borehole coordinates will be provided by the Wilmington District for navigational purposes. Hard copy maps can be made available upon request.

3. Barge Requirements. The barge shall be self-propelled or attached to a tug boat, be capable of spudding in a maximum of 30-feet. Deck must have an 8” minimum diameter moon-pool to allow the drill string to be lowered through the deck to the seafloor. Onboard water pump, electrical generation, and crane capacity is required. The vessel shall be compliant with established US Coast Guard guidelines and regulations. Vessel must be able to support a drilling rig weighing up to 18 tons along with additional supplies and tooling.

The Contractor shall provide a crew boat capable of safely transporting the drilling crews

(up to 5 people) and any supplemental supplies safely from the dock to the barge moored offshore. Crew will be transported from the mainland and returned after daily drilling activities each day. Contractor must provide area on mainland to park two government owned vehicles with dock access for crew pick-up and drop- off for the duration of the project. Contractor shall also provide storage of vehicles which consist of two semi-truck/trailers combos during the duration of the project.

4. Workday. The Contractor shall ensure that the vessel and crew are prepared to conduct 12-hour operations. One (1) USACE drilling crew will conduct 1-drilling shift within a 12-hour period. One drilling shift shall consist of a ten (10) hour day, with two hours allocated for transport on and off the vessel by a crew boat. Some workdays may be extended due to reasons out of the Governments’ control such as weather delays, harbor delays or mechanical breakdowns.

5. Survey and Elevations. The Contractor shall provide HYPACK capability to assist with navigation and locating of the borings, and ocean floor depth. All horizontal locations shall be given in North

Carolina State Plane East based on North American Datum 1983 (NAD83). Any vertical elevation corrections will be referenced to Mean Lower Low Water.

6. Safety. Safety of all parties is a major concern. The Contractor shall ensure that waterborne transport of personnel and equipment, as well as on-site drilling operations will have a minimal effect on navigation. The Contractor and subcontractor(s) shall comply with all U.S. Coast Guard requirements and requests, applicable State requirements, and guidance established in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Safety Manual. All work shall comply with EM 385-1-1, 15 March 2024 edition, and all applicable Federal, State, and local safety standards. EM 385-1-1 may be viewed and downloaded online at: https://publications.usace.afpims.mil/USACE-Publications/Engineer-Manuals/.

Additionally, all equipment shall be operated in accordance with the manufacturer’s written recommendations.

a. The Contractor shall submit an Accident Prevention Plan to USACE for approval no more than ten (10) calendar days following contract award. No work shall be performed until the plan is approved by USACE. The plan shall follow the guidelines established in EM 385-1-1 to include: the location of the work site; verified emergency contact information to the local

US Coast Guard station; evacuation plan to the nearest medical facility; emergency radio frequencies and telephone numbers; required safety equipment; certified first aid personnel;

spill prevention and HAZMAT information; and an Activity Hazard Analysis. The Contractor shall be responsible for conducting a daily Safety Brief and Risk Assessment prior to commencing work each day. All personnel shall be properly clothed and protected for working at the site and for being transported on the water. Wilmington District reserves the right to halt drilling operations for any safety violations. The Wilmington Safety Officer is Mr. Bill Harris and he may be reached at 910-251-4698.

b. No person shall be required or instructed to work in surroundings or under conditions that are unsafe or dangerous to his or her health.

c. Contractors with non-English speaking workers shall have a person(s) fluent in the language(s) spoken as well as English to interpret and translate as needed.

d. Prior to commencement of work, the Contractor shall submit for acceptance, an Accident

Prevention Plan (APP) and Activity Hazard Analysis (AHA) for all work associated with the contract. See Attachment 1 for the APP worksheet and Attachment 2 for the AHA form.

Work shall not commence without an accepted APP and AHAs. Ten (10) business days, fourteen calendar days, shall be allowed for review of the APP and AHAs, as well as revised APP and AHAs.

e. Daily safety meeting shall be held prior to commencement of work to discuss the day's activities, including weather conditions that may affect the activities. Issues from the previous day's activities shall also be discussed. The COR shall be notified of the time of the meetings and afforded an opportunity to attend. The meetings shall be documented on SAW Form 4.

See Attachment 3.

f. Site Safety and Health Officer. The Contractor shall have a designated Level 3 Site Safety and Health Officer (SSHO). See Chapter 2 of EM 385-1-1 for the definition of Level 3

SSHOs. The SSHO shall be on the project site anytime work is underway. When the SSHO is off-site, an alternate, equally qualified SSHO shall be on site until the primary SSHO returns.

The SSHO shall have a minimum of 3-years of experience in managing safety for drilling services.

https://publications.usace.afpims.mil/USACE-Publications/Engineer-Manuals/

g. Employees are responsible for reporting all work-related injuries or illnesses, and property damage as soon as possible to their employer or immediate supervisor. Employers and immediate supervisors shall report all work-related injuries or illnesses, and property damage to the PCO within 24 hours. All work-related accidents will be investigated to determine cause. An accident that results in a fatal injury, permanent partial or permanent total disability shall be immediately reported to the PCO. The Final Accident Report shall be submitted to the PCO on ENG Form 3394, Mishap Investigation Report (July 2021) not later than seven days after occurrence of the accident. See Attachment 4.

h. The Contractor shall submit by the fifth day of the current month hours worked for the previous month. See Attachment 5 for the form for submitting monthly exposure hours.

i. Employees working alone shall be provided an effective means of emergency communications. This may be by cellular phone, two-way radio, or other acceptable means.

The selected means of communications must be readily available and must be in working condition. No one shall work alone when performing extremely high or high hazard work.

j. Hazardous Substances. When any hazardous substance is procured, used, stored, or disposed, Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for the substances shall be available at the worksite. All employees using, storing, or disposing of hazardous substances shall receive training in the information contained in the SDS for the substance and any general safety and health instruction required to understand the information. When the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to corrosives, strong irritants, or toxic chemicals, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body shall be provided within 10 seconds of the worksite. The

Contractor shall submit for acceptance a written Hazard Communication Program.

k. Heat Stress Management. The Contractor shall have a Thermal Stress Management Program that complies with Chapter 6, paragraph 6-7.g of EM 385-1-1. The Contractor shall submit the program for acceptance.

l. Drinking Water. Employees shall be provided an adequate supply of potable drinking water in all places of employment. Cool water shall be provided during hot weather. Workers shall be encouraged to drink water when working in hot environments.

m. First Aid and CPR. A minimum of two employees on each shift shall be certified to administer first aid and CPR. A minimum of one Type III, 16-unit first aid kit shall be provided.

n. Personal Protective Equipment. Minimum Requirements. Employees shall wear clothing suitable for the weather. Minimum dress shall be short sleeve shirt, long pants (excessively long or baggy pants are prohibited, safety-toe boots. Safety-toe boots shall comply with ASTM F2413. All personnel must wear hard hat, safety glasses, and have hearing protection available.

o. Gloves. Persons involved in activities that subject the hands to cuts, abrasions, punctures, burns, and chemical irritants shall select and use gloves appropriate for the hazard. Gloves shall conform to ANSI 105.

p. Equipment shall be allowed to cool down prior to refueling.

q. Lockout/Tagout. Before an employee performs any servicing or maintenance on any equipment where the unexpected energizing, start up or release of any kinetic or stored energy could occur and cause injury or damage, the equipment shall be locked or otherwise disabled to prevent unexpected energizing, start up or release from occurring.

r. Safety violations should be reported to the Wilmington District Safety Officer, Mr. Bill Harris, 910-251-4698.

7. Drilling Operations. The drilling agency shall perform 8 borings within Morehead City

Channel. The barge provider shall be able to set up on 8 boring locations identified in Table

1 within and around the channel which the barge operator shall be required to position the vessel and stabilize the work platform prior to commencement of drilling. The work shall be conducted in such a manner that does not adversely impact navigation in the entrance channel. For technical questions contact Steven Widincamp 912- 652-5670.

8. Borings. Drilling shall be done at the coordinates provided in Table 1, or on the maps shown, or as directed by the Government. Eight (8) SPT borings are to be advanced using a full-sized rubber tire drilling rig weighing up to 15 tons. POC for the drilling rig dimensions is Steve Widincamp; 912-

652-5670, email; steven.d.widincamp@usace.army.mil.

9. Captain’s Responsibility. The Captain of the barge shall be responsible for the barge vessel and the safe transportation of personnel and equipment on it. He shall make determinations relevant to the efficient and safe navigation, operation, and docking of vessels. He shall cooperate with the driller in setting up on the proposed drilling location as directed by the driller or onboard geologist. He shall make determinations as to safety of his vessels during inclement weather and for setting up in the river, high water conditions, rough seas, or fast currents at the drill site. An initial kick-off meeting with the barge captain, USACE representatives, and local harbor pilots shall be required to identify boring locations which could potentially pose an issue for continued shipping navigation during setup or drilling and mitigate any potential conflicts prior to commencement of drilling operations.

10. Weekly Status Reports. During the work period of the task order a weekly progress teleconference shall be conducted. Participants shall include a person from the drilling agency, barge Captain

(pending duties) and the on-board geologist. The call is to provide a brief oral overview of the activities for the previous week. This time may also be used to discuss potential problems and solutions related to contract performance or conditions that might affect performance.

11. Schedule. The estimated schedule for this work is as follows:

Begin Drill Work: 07JULY2025

Finish Drill Work: 18AUG.2025

12. Direction. The Contractor shall accept directions only from the Wilmington District Contracting Officer (KO), Ms. Ros Shoemaker (910-251-4436) or her designee. Requests or desires of the Users, Using Agency, or any other party made directly to the Contractor shall be immediately brought to the attention of the KO for this Contract. Any changes to this SOW must be authorized in writing by the

KO.

13. Bids. Contractor bid shall include daily rate for mobilization (which includes loading and unloading of drilling equipment and supplies), daily rate for workdays, daily rate for weather days and daily rate for off days deemed necessary by the government.

Contractor will only be paid based on number of days used since the overall number of days (31) are estimated based on the current customer needs. Customer needs may change during the course of the project based on drilling data. Workdays, and weather days not utilized by the government will not be paid to the contractor.

Contractor will be paid based on rate used since the overall numbers of days is estimated based on the current customer needs.

14. Request for Payment. The Contractor shall provide a copy of the invoice on completion of agreed services. The invoice shall be provided through the US Postal Service or email, to the Technical Point of Contact or the Contractor Officer’s Representative (COR) named below. The contractor shall ensure that the following are included on the invoice:

• Contract # mailto:steven.d.widincamp@usace.army.mil

• Invoice #

• Company Name

• Invoiced Line Item(s) must match the Contract Line Item(s)

• Small Business, Veteran Owned, or 8A – If applicable, indicate on invoice

15. Coordination. The COR is Mr. Michael Ellis, P.E. (910-251-4571), and he shall be the Contractor’s point of contact (POC) for all timeline execution (see Paragraph 11, Schedule). The Wilmington

District technical POC for this task order is Mrs. Candice Barnes, E.I.T. (910-251-4546). In her absence, contact shall be maintained with Mr. Ellis. The Contractor shall designate a person who shall be the principal point of contact for the Wilmington District in administering this contract. The

Contractor's POC shall be responsible for all coordination to ensure the work is accomplished in a professional manner. Any directions given that are viewed by the Contractor as a change to the SOW affecting contract fee and time shall be brought to the immediate attention of the KO or the COR.

COR and technical POC mailing, and email information follows:

Michael M. Ellis, P.E.

(michael.m.ellis@usace.army.mil)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Wilmington District

Attn: Michael Ellis, P.E.

69 Darlington Avenue Wilmington, NC 28403-1343

Candice M. Barnes, E.I.T.

(candice.m.barnes@usace.army.mil)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Wilmington District

Attn: Candice Barnes, E.I.T.

69 Darlington Avenue Wilmington, NC 28403-1343

Table 1. Water Boring Locations

BORING NO. NORTHING EASTING DEPTH

BI-25-SPT-55 20 FT. below MLLW

BI-25-SPT-57 20 FT. below MLLW

BI-25-SPT-58 20 FT. below MLLW

BI-25-SPT-59 20 FT. below MLLW

BI-25-SPT-60 20 FT. below MLLW

BI-25-SPT-62 20 FT. below MLLW

BI-25-SPT-64 20 FT. below MLLW

BI-25-SPT-65 20 FT. below MLLW

16. Contractor Personnel. The Contracting Officer may direct the Contractor to replace any employee(s) that the KO or COR deems incompetent, careless, insubordinate, under the influence of intoxicating drugs, beverages, etc. or whose continued employment is deemed to be contrary to the public interest.

The Contractor shall be responsible for the immediate replacement of any employee under the conditions identified above, in addition to any costs associated with the replacement of an unsuitable employee.

The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that all its employees and employees of subcontractors strictly observe the laws of the United States, North Carolina, local counties where work is to be performed, and any other governing bodies which may affect the work to be completed under this contract. Contractors with non-English speaking workers shall have a person(s) fluent in

English to be onsite while work is being performed.

mailto:michael.m.ellis@usace.army.mil mailto:candice.m.barnes@usace.army.mil

17. Anti-Terrorism and Operations Security.

a. General security requirements and guidance: The security requirements described below apply to all contract personnel (including employees of the prime Contractor (“Contractor”) and all subcontractor employees) supporting the performance requirements of this contract.

The Contractor is responsible for compliance with these security requirements. Questions regarding security matters shall be addressed to the designated Government representative (e.g., Contracting Officer Representative (COR), Requiring Activity (RA) representative, or

Contracting Officer (if a COR or other RA representative is not appointed)). Contract personnel are critical to the overall security and safety of US Army Corps of Engineers

(USACE) installations, facilities and activities, and security awareness training contributes to those efforts. The Department of Defense (DoD) and Army security training requirements specified below, if applicable, are performance requirements; all applicable contract personnel shall complete initial training within 30 days of contract award or the date new contract personnel begin performance on the contract. Within five business days from the completion of training, the Contractor shall provide written documentation (e.g., email or memorandum) to the Government representative. The documentation shall include the names of contract personnel trained and which training they completed; the Contractor shall maintain training records as part of their contract files and be prepared to provide copies of training certificates to the Government representative. Contractor personnel and vehicles are subject to search when entering federal installations. Additionally, all contract personnel shall comply with Force Protection Condition (FPCON) measures, Random Antiterrorism

Measures (commonly referred to as “RAMs”), and Health Protection Condition (HPCON) measures. The Contractor is responsible for meeting performance requirements during elevated FPCON and/or HPCON levels in accordance with applicable RA plans and procedures --this includes identifying mission essential and non-mission essential personnel.

In addition to the changes otherwise authorized by the changes clause of this contract, should the FPCON or HPCON levels at any individual facility or installation change, the

Government may implement security changes that affect contract personnel. The Contractor shall ensure all contract personnel are aware of their security responsibilities, including any site-specific requirements identified in local policies or procedures.

b. Physical security and access control requirements: All contract personnel requiring physical access to a federal installation or facility shall comply with the access control procedures of that location. Contract personnel requiring unescorted access to meet contract performance requirements on a DoD installation in the US shall be vetted by the installation/facility

Provost Marshal/Directorate of Emergency Services/Security Office using the National Crime

Information Center-Interstate Identification Index (commonly referred to as “NCIC-III”) and

Terrorist Screening Database (commonly referred to as “TSDB”). Contract personnel shall comply with all personal identity verification requirements specified in installation/facility policies and procedures. Contract personnel who do not meet requirements for unescorted access to USACE facilities shall coordinate escorted access with the Government representative, as needed. Contract personnel who receive keys, access cards, or lock combinations that provide access to government-owned property shall comply with key and lock control procedures of the RA.

c. Suspicious Activity Reporting training (e.g. iWATCH, CorpsWatch, or See Something, Say Something): All contract personnel shall receive initial and annual refresher training from the

RA representative on the local suspicious activity reporting program. This locally developed training provides contract personnel with general information on suspicious behavior, and guidance on reporting suspicious activity to the project manager, security representative or law enforcement entity.

d. Pre-screen candidates using E-Verify Program: Contractors shall comply with the requirements set forth in FAR clause 52.222-54 Employment Eligibility Verification and

FAR Subpart 22.18 in using the E-Verify Program at (https://www.e-verify.gov/) (website subject to change) to meet the contract employment eligibility requirements. Contractors are encouraged to cooperate with Federal and State agencies responsible for enforcing labor requirements to include eligibility for employment under United States immigration laws in accordance with FAR 22.102-1(i). An initial list of verified/ eligible candidates shall be provided to the COR no later than three business days after the initial contract award. When contracts are with individuals, the individuals will be required to complete a Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, and submit it to the Contracting Officer to become part of the official contract file.

18. Site Visit.

An organized site visit has been scheduled for [Insert Date].

Participants will meet at the boat ramp: [Insert Location]. Any interested vendor will have to meet us at the boat dock and follow the Government in their own vessel out to the site, per the Government’s safety regulations only USACE personnel can be on USACE vessels.

On Site POC’s:

Candice Barnes: 910-251-4546 or 330-255-9002 Kelley Kaltenbach: 910- 251-4623 or 910-228-9845

Dennis Moran: 910-251-4481

IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE SITE VISIT, PLEASE RSVP by 1:00 pm, on [Insert Date] to rosalind.m.shoemaker@usace.army.mil. If no RSVP’s are received the site visit will be canceled.

19. Site Conditions – Photo Location Map and Photos mailto:rosalind.m.shoemaker@usace.army.mil