DK Heart Butte Dam Safety Modification

The Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation seeks a contractor to perform comprehensive dam safety modifications at Heart Butte Dam, located approximately 80 miles west of Bismarck, North Dakota, with proposals due June 18, 2026 at 12:00 Mountain Time. This is a firm fixed-price procurement under Part 15 of the FAR with no set-aside, open to full and open competition.

The NAICS code is 237990 (Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction) with a small business size standard of $45 million. Estimated project value exceeds $10 million. The period of performance runs from December 31, 2026 through June 30, 2030, with work to commence within 10 calendar days of notice to proceed and completion required within 1,277 calendar days, subject to liquidated damages of $15,789.47 per calendar day of delay (maximum $1,500,000).

Scope encompasses jet grouting treatment of the spillway and outlet works conduit (minimum unconfined compressive strength 300 psi and permeability 1.0E-06 cm/sec at 28 days), backfill grouting, concrete demolition and repair of outlet works, excavation of approximately 20,000 cubic yards, installation of filter systems and drainage infrastructure (1,100 linear feet of 12-inch perforated HDPE pipe, 440 linear feet of 12-inch nonperforated, and 250 linear feet of 18-inch nonperforated), embankment construction with multiple soil zones, mechanically stabilized earth wall installation, riprap placement, dewatering and unwatering systems across four construction phases with deep wells and observation wells, temporary cofferdam and channel crossing construction, and site restoration and revegetation across 17.5 acres. The contractor must design and install a temporary conduit shoring system capable of sustaining 600 cubic feet per second of discharge flow.

Mandatory site visit is scheduled for April 28, 2026. Offers require 20 percent bid guarantee or $8 million (whichever is less), and performance and payment bonds within 10 days of award. Insurance requirements include workers' compensation ($100,000 minimum), general liability ($500,000 per occurrence), and automobile liability ($200,000 per person/$500,000 per occurrence). All contractor personnel must comply with a government-issued identification and background check site security program.

Proposals must be submitted electronically via Kiteworks in four separate volumes: Business Proposal (Representations, Certifications, and Offer), Technical Proposal/Past Performance, Small Business Subcontracting Plan, and Price Proposal. Government acceptance deadline is 180 calendar days after proposal due date. Evaluation factors in order of importance are Technical Plan for Construction (Work Plan Narrative and Construction Schedule), Project Management/Quality Control/Safety Plans, Experience with similar projects, Past Performance (via CPARS reports and Past Performance Questionnaires), and Small Business Participation (weighted equally), with Price as the least important factor. DOI small business subcontracting goals are 45.87% small business overall, 5% small disadvantaged business, 5% women-owned small business, 5% service-disabled veteran-owned small business, 3% HUBZone, and 3% Indian Small Business Economic Enterprise.

Construction wage rate requirements apply for Grant County, North Dakota. Contractors must register in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submittal and use the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) for payment requests. Work is subject to Reclamation Safety and Health Standards, OSHA requirements, environmental protection standards, water pollution control, and protection of historical and archaeological resources. Amendment 0006 (effective June 3, 2026) extended the deadline solely because Kiteworks was offline June 17, 2026, 15:00–17:00 MT. Contracting Specialist is Mitchell Frost; Contracting Officer is Travis Stephens.