THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY FOR 2026-2028 DILLINGHAM HARBOR MAINTENANCE DREDGING.  OFFERS OR PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR THIS NOTICE.  THIS IS NOT A PRE-SOLICITATION. 

The Alaska District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting market research to facilitate a determination of acquisition strategy prior to releasing a solicitation for this anticipated project.  The determination of acquisition strategy lies solely with the government and will be based on market research and information available to the government from other sources.  Please note that this Sources Sought is for information only and does not constitute a solicitation for competitive offers/proposals and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government.  However, all interested parties who believe they can meet the requirement are invited to submit information describing their capability to provide the required services.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK: 

The project is to perform pre- and post-dredge surveys, annual maintenance dredging with a cutter-head pipeline dredge, and open-water placement of an estimated 110,000 cubic yards of dredged material for the base and each option year (if awarded) at Dillingham Harbor in Dillingham, Alaska. The harbor consists of a basin approximately 700 feet long and 390 feet wide with a maintained depth of 0 feet mean lower low water (MLLW). The entrance channel is divided into two portions: approximately 120 feet long and 40 feet wide at the same depth as the basin and the seaward approach is approximately 160 feet long and 40 feet wide with a maintained depth of +8 feet MLLW. The open-water placement site for dredged material is 250 feet long by 300 feet wide and located in the Nushagak River approximately 1,200 feet southeast of the harbor basin. Based on previous maintenance dredging operations, shoaled material consists primarily of silt and organic silt with some sand and gravel in the entrance channel and along the side slopes.

The work period for the base items is anticipated to begin on or after 15 May 2026, subject to harbor “ice out” conditions, and be completed no later than 30 June 2026. Options for 2027 and 2028 shall be included and have a work period of 15 May (“ice out”) to 30 June for the respective option years.

The Contractor shall furnish all labor, equipment, supplies, materials, supervision, and other items and services necessary to accomplish the work. The Contractor shall comply with commercial and industry standards as well as all applicable Federal, State, and local laws, regulations, and procedures. The total estimated magnitude of construction for base and option items is between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000. The type of contract shall be firm-fixed price. A fuel price adjustment provision for the dredging plant shall be included. Construction wage rates (formerly Davis Bacon Act wage rates) shall apply. The estimated award date of this contract is December 2025. This procurement is subject to the availability of funds.

If the project is cancelled, all proposal/bid preparation costs will be borne by the offeror.  If a large firm is selected for this contract, the firm must comply with FAR 52.219-9 regarding the requirements for a subcontracting plan for that part of the work it intends to subcontract. 

All offerors are advised that they must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) (www.sam.gov) before submitting a proposal.  Joint ventures must also be registered in SAM as a joint venture.  Offerors are advised to begin this process when they prepare their proposal in order to ensure registration is in place should they be selected for award.  Lack of registration in the SAM database would make an offeror ineligible for award.

The intent of this Sources Sought is to solicit interest from qualified firms with a primary North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code of 237990 – Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction, which has a small business size standard of $37 million.  In accordance with FAR 19.501 paragraph (c) The contracting officer shall conduct market research and review the acquisition to determine if this acquisition will be set aside for small business or considered for an award to a small business under the 8(a) Program (see FAR subpart 19.8), HUBZone (see FAR subpart 19.13), service-disabled veteran-owned (see FAR subpart 19.14), or women-owned small business program (see FAR subpart 19.15).  If the acquisition is set aside for small business based on this review, it is a unilateral set-aside by the contracting officer. 

The requirement for the submission of both performance and payment bonds in an amount equivalent to 100