MRG-river eyes monitoring

The Bureau of Reclamation seeks contractor services to provide daily monitoring of river conditions in the Middle Rio Grande between Cochiti Dam and Elephant Butte Reservoir, with proposals due August 13, 2026, and questions due August 6. The procurement is unrestricted, solicited under FAR Part 12 for commercial services on a time and materials basis, with contract award anticipated September 9.

Place of performance is the Middle Rio Grande, spanning the Cochiti, Angostura, Isleta, and San Acacia reaches, with the majority of work in the Isleta and San Acacia reaches. The monitoring season typically runs April through October annually, with a 12-month base performance period beginning February 1, plus four option years and a six-month extension.

The contractor must provide daily text message and email updates on river conditions and drying extent, participate in weekly (potentially daily) water operations conference calls, conduct discharge measurements at designated USGS gauge locations and wasteways, collect survey and spatial data, and deliver draft and final annual reports due November 30 and January 31 respectively. All deliverables must comply with ArcGIS 10.5 compatibility and DOI Scientific Integrity Policy. The contractor must also submit a comprehensive Safety Plan and Standard Operating Procedures within two weeks of contract kickoff and obtain landowner and tribal access permissions. Personnel qualifications include a contract manager and field staff capable of interpreting scientific data and meeting strict deadlines. Acceptable quality levels are 99% for daily communications and conference participation, 95–100% for reporting deliverables. If using uncrewed aircraft, the contractor must comply with DOI drone policies.

The NAICS code is 541690, Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services, with a small business size standard of $19.0 million. Small business participation is evaluated as a factor with Department of Interior subcontracting goals of 45.87 percent total small business, five percent socio-economically disadvantaged, five percent women-owned, three percent HUBZone, five percent service-disabled veteran-owned, and five percent Indian small business economic enterprises. Non-small-business offerors must submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan. Technical evaluation factors include demonstrated river monitoring experience, project area knowledge, project management capabilities, safety planning, and key personnel qualifications, with offerors required to provide three comparable contracts completed in the past five years. Amendment 0001, effective July 21, establishes that combined evaluation factors other than price are approximately equal to price in relative importance. New Mexico prevailing wage rates per the Service Contract Act apply, with wages ranging from $11.88 to $48.29 per hour plus fringe benefits.