USACE SPK DBB Construction - Lower American River, Site 2-1 - Sacramento, CA

This Sources Sought Notice is for market research purposes to determine the availability, capability, and interest of small business firms for a potential Government requirement. NO SOLICITATION IS AVAILABLE; requests for a solicitation will go unanswered. No award will be made from this Notice. Responses will be used to determine potential acquisition strategies, understand current market capabilities, and to gain knowledge of potential sources.

GENERAL SCOPE:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Sacramento District (SPK), anticipates a potential requirement to repair erosion at Site 2-1 located on the American River in Sacramento, California.

Work is anticipated to include design-bid-build (DBB) construction services to provide roughly 5,500 feet of stream bank protection and stabilization of the existing levee, to protect critical infrastructure against the effects of erosion during large flood events. Most vegetation will be cleared from the project footprint prior to construction; however, the Contractor will be required to clear remaining vegetation and stumps, grub, and strip the project footprint, place soil and rock revetment on the waterside levee face and riverbank, place soil and erosion control netting to construct planting benches, place instream wood structures on the planting benches, and plant and seed the placed material. About 4,100 feet of the site will require working in the active channel of the American River to place material. The project will require import and placement of approximately 143,000 tons of rock riprap, approximately 38,000 tons of bedding material, approximately 31,000 cubic yard of top soil, approximately 180 trees, and approximately 855 live cuttings to be planted on-site.

The Government anticipates this work will be completed in the Spring to Fall of 2022. In-water work is limited to July 1 through October 31, 2022.

The potential requirement may result in a solicitation issued approximately October 2021.

If solicited, the Government intends to award a firm-fixed-price contract by December 2021.

In accordance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) 236.204(ii) the estimated magnitude of construction is expected to be between $25,000,000.00 and $100,000,000.00.

The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for the potential requirement is 237990, Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction. The small business size standard for this NAICS, as established by the U.S. Small Business Administration, is $39,500.00 million in annual revenue. The Product Service Code is Y1KA, Construction of Dams.

If there is a reasonable expectation that at least two (2) responsible small business concerns under this NAICS can provide the anticipated services at fair market prices, the Contracting Officer is required to set the acquisition aside for small business concerns. If competition is set-aside for small businesses, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting, requires that general construction small business Contractors self-perform at least 25% of the cost of the contract, not including the cost of materials. If no set aside is made, the potential requirement is competed with full and open competition, and the Awardee is other than a small business, the Contractor is required to perform the percent of the total amount of work identified in the solicitation under FAR 52.236-1, Performance of Work by the Contractor.

Contractors with the skill, capabilities, workload capacity, and ability to obtain bonding to complete the project described (either through self-performance and/or Subcontractor management) are invited to provide capability statements to the point of contact listed below. Other than small businesses are also encouraged to submit Capability Statements.

CAPABILITY STATEMENT

Responses must be limited to twelve (12) 8.5 x 11 pages with a minimum font size of point 10.

In your response, please provide the following information:

1) Company name, Employer Identification Number (EIN; previously DUNS #), address, point of contact, phone number, and e-mail address.

2) Experience and capability to complete contracts of the anticipated magnitude and complexity of the potential requirement, including at least three (3) examples of comparable work performed within the past six (6) years. Each example should include a brief description of the project, description of work performed (self-performance and/or Subcontractor management), customer name, customer satisfaction, timeliness of performance, dollar value of the project, whether a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) was used (see PLA survey section below), and whether there were any challenges experienced during the project (delays, investigations, health and safety issues, labor shortages, management/organizational issues, etc.).

3) Business size and socioeconomic type for the applicable NAICS (ex: certified HUBZone, Woman-Owned Small Business, Serviced-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB), 8(a) Participant, small business, or other than small business (large business)).

4) Bonding capability (in the form of a Surety letter).

5) PLA Survey. A PLA is a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement with labor organization(s) that establishes the terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project. Pursuant to Executive Order 13502, agencies are encouraged to consider requiring the use of PLAs for large-scale construction projects if it will be consistent with law, achieve economy and efficiency in Federal procurement, produce labor-management stability, and ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing safety and health, equal employment opportunity, labor and employment standards, and other matters. Please answer the following questions regarding PLAs, relative to the anticipated requirement:

- Have PLAs been used on similar projects undertaken by Federal, State, municipal, or private entities in the geographic area where work will be performed? If so, please provide contract number(s) and points of contact.

-  Do you think requirement of a PLA will promote the agency’s long-term program interests (as described above)? If so, how? If not, why not?

- Has there been / is it anticipated there will be a shortage of skilled labor in the labor categories and/or geographic location of the anticipated project? If so, please describe the trade(s) affected and describe how/what you know of the shortage.

- Will multiple construction Contractors and/or Subcontractors employing workers in multiple crafts or trades be required to complete the anticipated work?

- Is it difficult to recruit or retain a skilled workforce in the anticipated work location?

- Do you think completion of the project will require an extended period of time?

- Do you anticipate any unique, compelling, time-sensitive issues, or other schedule requirements to complete the anticipated work (aside from those already noted) or that would affect the rate at which the anticipated project could be completed? If so, please elaborate and provide supporting documentation where possible.

- Are you aware of any other large-scale projects begin completed in the area during the anticipated period of performance?

-  Do you think requiring a PLA will increase contract costs or contribute to cost savings? Why or why not? How?

- How do open shop and union wage rates influence prevailing wage rates in the local market area? How does unionization in the local market impact wages?  Please provide supporting documentation.

-  Do you think requiring a PLA will increase contract risk? Why or why not? How?

- If you have previously been party to a PLA, approximately how long did it take to negotiate the terms of the PLA? Did PLA negotiation delay construction start? If so, by how long?

- Any other information you think should be considered regarding the use of PLAs for the anticipated project.

Please ensure that all information is submitted as one (1) document. Any commercial brochures or marketing material may also be submitted with the Capabilities Statement, with all documents limited to the total ten (10) page maximum.

Responses will not be considered an offer, proposal, or bid for any solicitation that may result from this Notice. Moreover, responses will not restrict the Government to an ultimate acquisition approach. This Notice is for information and planning purposes only. Respondents will not be notified of the results of any review conducted or the capability statements received.

Please provide responses and/or questions by e-mail to the Contract Specialist, Sara D. Kimsey, at (sara.d.kimsey@usace.army.mil) by 1000 / 10:00 a.m. (PST) Wednesday, 15 September 2021.

Please include the Sources Sought Notice number, ‘W91238S21S0033’ in the subject line.