CA FLAP MNO 01N04(1) Saddlebag Lake Road, Drilling for subsurface pavement investigations

The Federal Highway Administration's Central Federal Lands Highway Division is seeking a contractor to perform drilling services for subsurface pavement investigations along Saddlebag Lake Road in Mono County, California. The work involves conducting 10 shallow pavement borings across a 2.5-mile route within the Inyo National Forest to investigate existing roadway conditions, which consists of approximately 1.2 miles of pavement and 1.3 miles of native material sections. The contractor must provide a firm fixed-price quotation covering mobilization, permit fees, traffic control, drilling work, and miscellaneous supplies using a truck-mounted drill rig with a two-person crew. Following an amendment to the original solicitation, the technical questions due date has been extended to July 7, 2025, and the quotation submission deadline is July 11, 2025. Contractors must maintain active SAM.gov registration and comply with specified wage determinations and service contract requirements, with evaluation likely based on technical capability and price competitiveness.

This opportunity is designated as a total small business set-aside under NAICS code 541380 (Testing Laboratories and Services), limiting competition to qualified small businesses in the geotechnical analysis sector. The work is scheduled to be completed between June 23 and September 12, 2025, with the entire subsurface investigation project expected to be completed within one day. The project location begins at the intersection of Highway 120 and Saddlebag Lake Road, approximately 9.9 miles east of US 395 and CA 120 in Lee Vining, California, and proceeds north for 2.5 miles to terminate at a parking lot. The contractor will be responsible for obtaining utility locates through 811 services, and while minimal utility conflicts are expected along the roadway, potential utilities in the upper parking area require careful identification. The solicitation requires contractors to use either an 8-inch auger (preferred) or 6-inch hollow stem auger to collect 5-gallon bucket samples, with an encroachment permit to be obtained from Mono County in coordination with FHWA.