Manatee Protection System (MPS) Maintenance, Repair, Underwater Engineering and Mechanical Services

Sources Sought Synopsis

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support a requirement for Manatee Protection System maintenance, repairs, and upgrades at six lock sites within the District. The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 811210 with a size standard of $34M.

There is no solicitation at this time. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred.

The purpose of this synopsis is to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities and qualifications of various members of industry, namely the ENTIRE Contractor Community, to include Other than Small Business, Small Business, Section 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Women-Owned (WOSB) and Historically Underutilized (HUBZone) concerns. The Government must ensure there is adequate competition among the potential pool of responsible contractors.

Description of Services: The USACE Jacksonville District requires a non-personal, multiple year service contract to provide maintenance, repair, and upgrades to the six Manatee Protection Systems (MPS) at Lock and Dam facilities within the USACE Jacksonville District. The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and services necessary to perform MPS maintenance, repairs, and upgrades.

The six Locks and/or Dams are Canaveral Lock, St. Lucie Lock and Dam, Port Mayaca Lock and Dam, Julian Keen Jr. Lock and Dam, Ortona Lock and Dam, and W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam. The locks are equipped with MPS systems that provide automated gate controls to the lock gates while the gates are closing. During closure of the gates, acoustical transmitters and receiving arrays are monitoring for the presence of manatees through acoustical signal interruption caused when a manatee passes through the space between gate noses. When the signal is interrupted, the MPS stops the closure of the gate automatically and waits for the signal to be restored, indicating the manatee has safely passed through the gates.

The MPS is an electronic, digital, and mechanical system that requires expertise in multiple disciplines to understand the interaction and functionality of all components and to successfully maintain the system. The designed operation and performance of the MPS is dependent on all the components always working together, without interruption. Reliability is key to providing safe manatee passage through the locks and dams when the machinery is in service. Consistency is key to keep the Locks open for Navigational traffic during normal business hours without any disruptions to commercial or recreational vessel traffic also allowing uninterrupted flood control and controlled water releases through the dams/spillways. Any malfunction of the MPS can result in closure of the Locks and/or Dams until the problem is corrected. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the USACE to maintain an effective maintenance and repair contract on all MPS, such that preventive measures are regularly performed, and corrective action is contractually available for timely response.

Objective & Scope: The primary objectives of this contract are to properly maintain the MPS at all six Locks and five Spillway/Dams by performing regularly scheduled maintenance, cleaning, calibration, troubleshooting, performance verification, performance alterations, reporting, and repairs. Professional execution of these activities is paramount due to the highly technical nature of the MPS and the need to maintain safe and continuous navigational passage and controlled water releases through these Lock and Dam structures 365 days per year. The objective is to have contractual access to a qualified contractor who can diagnose problems within a 24-hour response time and make the repairs in a timely manner.

The types of services to be performed include, but are not limited to:

• Cleaning


• Repair


• Replacing


• Examination/ Diagnosing


• Testing


• Video recording of the submerged portions of the MPS


• Removal and replacement of components in need of repair, and/or removal of components to facilitate lock gate repairs.

The services listed above include work both above and below the water line. Additionally, the contractor shall provide electronic, digital, and mechanical evaluation of all MPS components to demonstrate 100% compliance with a properly functioning MPS as outlined in the MPS Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Manual located on site at each Lock and Dam facility.

All modifications and upgrades to the MPS systems will require revisions to the Design Documentation Report that details all the information needed to duplicate the existing system at each lock. Such information shall include, but not be limited to, descriptions of all Design Criteria, Manufacturing Criteria, Parts Specifications, Processes, and Instructions.

This sources sought synopsis is not a request for competitive offers and no solicitation package is available. However, firms that believe they can provide the requested services may submit substantiating documentation in writing within thirty (30) days of this notice. Documentation will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. Oral communications are not acceptable in responses to this notice.

Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the above-listed services are invited to submit a response to this synopsis by 2 May 2025 at 3:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST). All responses under this Sources Sought Notice shall be emailed to Ms. Brittany Jackson at brittany.r.jackson@usace.army.mil and Mr. Dustin Furrey at dustin.l.furrey@usace.army.mil.

A firm’s response to this synopsis shall be limited to 10 pages and shall include the following information:

• Firm’s name, address, point of contact, phone number, website, and email address.


• Firm’s interest in bidding on the solicitation when it is issued.


• Firm’s capability to perform a contract of this magnitude and complexity (include firm’s capability to execute comparable work performed within the past three (3) years: This may and should be tailored specifically to the project.


• Brief description of the project, customer name, timeliness of performance, customer satisfaction, and dollar value of the project) – provide at least three (3) examples.


• Firm’s Business category and Business Size – Other than Small, Small Business, 8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB, or HUBzone. If your firm is a Small Business, be sure you understand the performance of work requirements for your specific socioeconomic category (i.e. SB, 8(a), SDVOSB, WOSB, or HUBZone).


• If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, firms should address the structure of such arrangements to include Joint Venture information if applicable – existing and potential.

Prior Government contract work is not required for submitting a response under this sources sought synopsis.

You must be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) in order to receive a Government contract award. To register, go to www.sam.gov.

If you have any questions concerning this opportunity, please contact: Ms. Brittany Jackson at brittany.r.jackson@usace.army.mil or Mr. Dustin Furrey at dustin.l.furrey@usace.army.mil.