FY 2018 Little Gypsum Mine Safety Closure Project

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety is procuring a sealed bid contract for the FY 2018 Little Gypsum Mine Safety Closure Project (Bid Number 2017-0293), a mine safeguarding initiative funded jointly by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. The project encompasses the closure of 35 adits, 5 shafts, 1 prospect pit, and 2 subsidence features located in Little Gypsum Valley approximately 45 miles from Naturita, Colorado, spanning San Miguel and Montrose Counties on BLM-managed public property. The scope of work includes installation of mine safety closures using corrugated steel pipes with grates, bulkheads, wire rope nets, backfills, and bat exclosure systems across 44 distinct features, with revegetation of approximately 2.5 miles or 2.25 acres of equipment tracks. Key deliverables include completion of a project Safety, Health, and Environmental Plan (SHEAP), radon monitoring using a SabreAlert Breathing Zone Monitor or equivalent with mandatory mitigation protocols, and bat-friendly closures meeting specific timeline requirements with priority completion by October 31, 2017 for four identified bat habitat features. Qualified bidders must demonstrate prior experience on a minimum of two mine safety closure projects in steep, rugged conditions and submit a single sealed copy including a completed bid form, bid schedule with pricing for all line items, bid bond (5% of total bid price), equipment list, and prequalification documentation. The contract completion time is 73 calendar days from Notice to Proceed, with construction scheduled between September 18, 2017 and November 30, 2017, including a required ten-day mobilization period. A mandatory pre-bid meeting and site showing was held on June 27, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. in Naturita, Colorado, with bids due no later than 4:00 p.m. on July 12, 2017, and bid opening scheduled for July 13, 2017 at 10:00 a.m.

The procurement contains labor restrictions requiring that 80% of laborers must be Colorado residents to comply with Colorado labor requirements. Performance and payment bonds at 100% of contract price are required for bids over $50,000, with retainage withheld at 10% for bids between $50,000 and $149,999.99 and 5% for bids $150,000 and over, while liquidated damages are set at $400 per day for schedule delays. All work must be completed prior to December 1 due to big game winter habitat restrictions, and contractors must comply with comprehensive uranium mine closure safety procedures, white-nose syndrome decontamination protocols for bat protection, OSHA regulations, and environmental standards with special emphasis on radon progeny exposure controls and gamma radiation monitoring. The five bid items include mobilization/demobilization, SHEAP development and implementation, revegetation (approximately one acre), mine safeguarding with specific closure methods and pricing required for 43 individual mine features, and additional excavator equipment time (16 hours, not guaranteed). Project funding is provided through federal grants from the BLM (CFDA 15.236) and OSM (CFDA 15.252), supplemented by Colorado Severance Tax, though the specific total contract value or budget range is not disclosed in the available documentation. Five contractors attended the pre-bid meeting held on June 27, 2017, including Dirtco, The 5 Seventeen Company, Four States Construction, McCollum Excavating, and Secure Energy.