New Ferry Boat - Plaquemines

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is soliciting electronic bids for design and construction of a new ferry boat for the Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District, with bids due August 12, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Electronic bid submission through www.bidx.com is mandatory, as are electronic bid bonds.

Bidders must be licensed under Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:2150-2165 for Heavy Construction classification and must register as prospective bidders at wwwsp.dotd.la.gov no later than 24 hours before bid opening. The project is not designated for a DBE or SBE goal, though apparent low bidders on SBE Goal Projects must comply with specified participation requirements.

The scope is design and construction of a new ferry boat as a federal-aid construction project (State Project No. H.015425, Federal Aid Project Grant No. RURL-22-0003-LA). All work must comply with Build America Buy America provisions, requiring that iron, steel, and certain manufactured products be manufactured in the United States with components representing at least 55 percent of total product cost. The work is subject to Davis-Bacon Act wage requirements.

The estimated contract value ranges from $20 million to $30 million. The Conditional Notice to Proceed is valid for 120 calendar days, with full project completion required within 804 calendar days after the effective Notice to Proceed. The project engineer is W. "Butch" Millet, P.E., and the DOTD coordinator is Anthony Antoine.

Contractors must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage, including Workers Compensation with employer liability of at least $1 million for work over water involving maritime exposures, Commercial General Liability Insurance with combined single limits ranging from $1 million to $5 million depending on initial contract amount, Owner's and Contractor's Protective Liability coverage, and Business Automobile Liability Insurance. Material purchases related to the project are exempt from sales and use taxes with an exemption certificate from the Louisiana Department of Revenue.