ST. PHILLIPS BARGE SERVICES

The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism (SCPRT) issued an Invitation for Bid (IFB) for ST. PHILLIPS BARGE SERVICES, seeking a contractor to provide 100-ton barge and marine construction services to St. Phillips Island in Beaufort County. The solicitation requires approximately 50 barge trips over a five-year contract period, with services encompassing standard barge operations and ad hoc marine construction activities. Specific deliverables include transportation of equipment, materials, and supplies between Hunting Island State Park and St. Phillips Island, as well as equipment rentals such as tandem axle dump trucks and excavators, construction aggregate ordering, and infrastructure development including bridges, causeways, docks, and rock revetments. Contractors must provide a secure staging area within Beaufort County and comply with U.S. Coast Guard regulations. Key performance requirements include completing normal barge service requests within one week and emergency services within 48 hours. Bidders must submit unit pricing per barge trip online at http://www.procurement.sc.gov by November 28, 2023, at 3:30 PM EST, with site visits available by appointment with procurement officer Ashley Bishop. Questions were required to be submitted by November 22, 2023, at 12:00 PM EST, with contract award scheduled for December 1, 2023.

The solicitation includes Resident Contractor Preference and Resident Subcontractor Preference provisions, requiring bidders to maintain an in-state office and meet specific direct labor cost thresholds. Contractors must ensure all personnel pass security background checks and are not listed on state or national sex offender registries. The contractor will assume full liability for any damages or losses resulting from employee negligence. No specific set-asides for disadvantaged businesses were identified in the documentation. The contract term is structured as a five-year agreement, consisting of a one-year initial period with four potential one-year renewal options, spanning from December 1, 2023, to November 30, 2028. Invoicing will be conducted monthly upon service completion, with detailed invoices required to include unit fees, service dates, service types, purchase order numbers, and total amounts. Notably, the subsequent "No Award" document indicates that no offers were received in response to this solicitation, resulting in the procurement being unsuccessful. While no specific budget range was explicitly stated, the comprehensive service requirements suggest a significant potential contract value for marine and construction logistics services.