Fort Randall Powerhouse Flowmeters Installation

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PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE W9128F23B0008

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Omaha District intends to issue a Full and Open Unrestricted Two-Step Invitation for Bid (IFB) that will result in one (1) Firm Fixed-Price contract for the Fort Randall Dam Powerhouse Flowmeters near Pickstown, SD.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 237110, (Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction).

Estimated Magnitude of Construction: Between $500,000, and $1,000,000

PROJECT SCOPE: This procurement will be for the purchase and installation of 49 flow meters in various locations throughout the Fort Randall (FR) Dam Powerhouse. Flow meters will be used to provide generating units real time monitoring of cooling water flow to be proactive with unit maintenance caused by cooling water flow rate degradation. The scope will include purchasing of the flowmeters as well as installation to include pipe welding, electrical wiring, scaffolding, and piping work.

TWO-STEP PROCUREMENT: This solicitation and resulting contract are using a Two-Step Sealed Bidding procurement method as described in FAR Part 14.5.

The two-step procedure is a combination of competitive procedures designed to obtain the benefits of sealed bidding while ensuring only technically acceptable firms participate in the priced sealed bid. The process allows for the Step One technical proposal submission and evaluation to be performed concurrent with the development of the final 100% technical specifications and construction drawings. Step One ensures that only technically acceptable firms participate in the Step Two sealed bid process.

The STEP ONE solicitation, issued as a Request for Technical Proposal, is expected to be available on or about 6 February 2023 via Contract Opportunities at https://sam.gov/.

The submission requirements of Step One, Request for Technical Proposal, shall not include any prices or pricing information. Bid bonds / guarantees are not required to be submitted with the Step One technical proposal.

Under this bidding process, Step One consists of the request for submission, evaluation and (if necessary) discussion of a technical proposal. Only one (1) technical proposal may be submitted by each offeror. The proposals will be evaluated for technical acceptability. Again, the technical proposal must not include prices or pricing information.

A notice of “acceptable” or “unacceptable” will be forwarded to each Step One offeror upon completion of the technical proposal evaluation and final determination. The names of the offerors that submitted acceptable technical proposals will be listed on the Government’s https://sam.gov/ website for the benefit of prospective subcontractors.

Interested prime contractors must have an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration. Firms can register via the SAM website at https://sam.gov/. If an offeror is a Joint Venture (JV), the JV entity must have valid SAM registration in the SAM database representing the JV as one (1) business/firm/entity.

In STEP TWO, an amendment to the solicitation will be issued along with the final 100% technical specifications and construction drawings to only those offerors whose technical proposals are determined to be acceptable in Step One. The normal sealed bidding process in FAR Part 14 will be followed in Step Two. Only bids based upon technical proposals determined to be acceptable, either initially or as a result of discussions for Step One, will be considered for award. Each bid in Step Two must be based on the bidder's own technical proposal that was submitted, evaluated and determined to be acceptable in Step One. Bidders must comply with the 100% technical specifications and construction drawings and the bidder’s acceptable technical proposal.

Bid bonds will be required to be submitted with the Step Two bid submission.

Payment and Performance Bonds will be required for the full amount (100%) at the time of contract award before the Notice to Proceed (NTP) can be issued.

A site visit will be scheduled and times and locations will be included in the Solicitation. Interested parties will be required to register in advance to allow the Government to plan the best approach for the site visit based on the number of interested firms. Attendance may be limited to prime contractor participation.

The point of contact for all questions/inquiries is Contract Specialist Wayne Weidenhamer at wayne.c.weidenhamer@usace.army.mil .