AML - Fords Run Drainage Project

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is soliciting bids for the AML – Fords Run Drainage Project (ARFQ DEP24-24) located in Barbour County, West Virginia, through an Agency Request for Quote (ARFQ) procurement. The project is an abandoned mine land reclamation initiative requiring comprehensive drainage system construction, site stabilization, and environmental remediation across approximately 21 acres of former coal mining and refuse disposal land. The scope of work encompasses mobilization and demobilization, construction layout and surveying, site preparation including clearing and grubbing, demolition of existing infrastructure (48-inch reinforced concrete pipe and building foundations), construction of three drainage channels with specific linings (riprap and Claymax geosynthetic clay liner), erosion and sediment control measures, fill placement and compaction, soil cover installation, and revegetation activities. Major deliverables include unclassified excavation (16,602 cubic yards), riprap channel construction (3,028 linear feet combined in trapezoidal and vee configurations), rolled erosion control products (13,134 square yards), revegetation (16.1 acres), asphalt paving (474 tons combined base and wearing courses), guardrail installation (1,125 linear feet), and silt fencing (1,500 linear feet), with additional stone materials totaling approximately 2,600 tons. The project requires contractor compliance with NPDES stormwater construction permit WV0115924, preparation of as-built plans in both paper and electronic formats, and adherence to the 2023 West Virginia Department of Transportation Standard Specifications. Qualified bidders must attend a mandatory pre-bid meeting scheduled for September 21, 2023, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time at the project site near Philippi, West Virginia, with failure to attend resulting in bid disqualification. Technical questions must be submitted by September 29, 2023, at 4:00 PM Eastern Time, and all bids must be submitted electronically through the wvOASIS Vendor Self Service portal by October 10, 2023, at 10:30 AM Eastern Time. Bidders must provide a 5% bid bond, proof of commercial general and automobile liability insurance with minimum limits of $2,000,000 per occurrence, workers' compensation coverage, a valid West Virginia contractor's license number, and signed drug-free workplace affidavits. The contract is structured as a fixed-price contract with a 270-day completion timeline from the notice to proceed, with liquidated damages assessed at $1,000 per working day for delays beyond the completion period.

The procurement contains no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged business enterprises, though the solicitation requires compliance with West Virginia Jobs Act requirements for contract values exceeding $500,000 and mandates that contractors with projects over this threshold hire 75% of employees from the local labor market. The project is subject to federal Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements mandating domestic production of all iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials unless approved waivers are obtained on grounds of non-availability, unreasonable cost exceeding 25 percent of project cost, or public interest. Contractors must complete the Abandoned Minelands (AML) Contractor Information Form required by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) under 30 CFR 874.16, including organizational information and certification through the Applicant Violator System (AVS), and must be free from outstanding environmental enforcement actions, unresolved DEP vendor complaints, federal or state debarment, and existing debt to the State or Political Subdivision. No incumbent contractors are identified in the solicitation documentation. The engineer's estimate for the Fords Run Drainage Project is $2,256,631.20, establishing the budgetary scope for bid evaluation and contract award, with payment to be made in arrears upon receipt of proper invoices. Award will be made to the lowest responsible and prequalified bidder, with apparent low bidders required to furnish performance bonds and labor/material payment bonds equal to 100% of the contract value prior to contract execution.