Architect-Engineering (A-E) Geotechnical Related Services, Seattle District (NWS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)

INTRODUCTION: The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Seattle District (NWS), is issuing this sources sought synopsis on behalf of NWS, Walla Walla District (NWW), and Portland District (NWP), as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support the requirement for Architect-Engineering (A-E) services to provide Geotechnical related services primarily for large-scale civil works project sites (dams, levees, etc.) and secondarily for larger or complex military, Interagency and International Services (IIS), and civil works projects. The intention is to procure these A-E services on a competitive basis as an Indefinite Delivery Contract (IDC) under PL 92-582 (formerly known as the Brooks Act) and FAR Part 36 procurement procedures. BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES (IN FULL OR IN PART) OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION, and multiple awards MAY be made. All Small Business Set-Aside categories will be considered. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. Place of Performance Primary Location % On-Site Government %Off-Site Contractor Selected/Awarded A-E firm(s) TBD TBD office locations or as required byTask Order Statement of Work DISCLAIMER - THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A - REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) TO BE SUBMITTED. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. RESPPONSES WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO THE RESPONDER. NOT RESPONDING TO THIS NOTICE DOES NOT PRECLUDE PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ) OR INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) OR RFP, IF ANY ISSUED. IF A SOLICITATION IS RELEASED, IT WILL BE SYNOPSIZED ON THE GOVERNMENT-WIDE POINT OF ENTRY (GPE). IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF POTENTIAL OFFERORS TO MONITOR THE GPE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMMATION PERTAINING TO THIS REQUIREMENT. PROGRAM BACKGROUND USACE NWS, NWW, and NWP require A-E services for Geotechnical related services. Geotechnical related services will be primarily for large-scale civil works project sites (dams, levees, etc.) and secondarily for larger or complex military, Interagency and International Services (IIS), and civil works projects. Recurring requirements are expected to come from a variety of sources for civil works projects and USACE operating project sites. Department of Defense, IIS, and in-house USACE design projects will utilize this contract for project requirements, as these stakeholders frequently fund stand-alone A-E geotechnical investigations of new properties (e.g., foundations, tunnels, retaining structures) or damaged sites (e.g., slide zones, dam evaluations, soil subsidence, or jacking of structures), which require services from highly qualified geotechnical A-E firms. These are usually not part of a new facility design, such as Military Construction projects, and may occur at any phase of project execution. The Government will also use this contract for in-house USACE design projects requiring geotechnical services. Task orders to be issued from the IDC are intended for specialized geotechnical, seismic, and investigative expertise provided by geotechnical engineers, geologist, hydrogeologists, and hydrologists. A-E Services include the exploration, geologic mapping, sampling, testing, design, and analyses of embankments, foundations for structures and similar facilities, blast design, geophysical exploration, and rock mechanics investigations for one or more project phases, and other services as required by the Government. Firm will require the capability to provide a team of qualified and experienced A-E personnel to perform the work and manage multiple professional disciplines. Projects will be primarily located within the USACE Seattle, Walla Walla, and Portland District boundaries of Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana. However, work may be required on projects for other agencies served by these Districts. REQUIRED CAPABILITIES The Contractor shall provide A-E services experience and capabilities in support of the geotechnical areas as specified above in the Program Background section. If your organization has the potential capacity to perform these contract services, please provide the following information: 1) Organization name, address, email address, Web site address, telephone number, and size and type of ownership for the organization; and 2) Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. The Government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to: 1) provide services consistent, in scope and scale, with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated; 2) secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements; 3) implement a successful project management plan that includes: compliance with tight program schedules; cost containment; meeting and tracking performance; hiring and retention of key personnel and risk mitigation; and 4) provide services under a performance based service acquisition contract. Please note the forthcoming solicitation for this procurement will utilize qualifications-based criterion as required by FAR 36.602-1. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Security Requirements. Task orders may require Suspicious Activity Reporting Training, Pre-screening through the E-Verify Program, REAL ID compliant identification, and potentially other Employment Eligibility Verifications within 30 days of employees starting work. ELIGIBILITY The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 541330 for Engineering Services with a Small Business Size Standard of $25.5M in average annual receipts. The Product Service Code is C219. SUBMISSION DETAILS (CAPABILITIES STATEMENT) Interested parties are requested to submit a capabilities statement of no more than five (5) pages in length in Times New Roman font of not less than 10 pitch. The deadline for response to this request is no later than the response date and time provided with this sources sought notice. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be e-mailed to the contract specialist, Kyla Couch at Kyla.M.Couch@usace.army.mil. This documentation should address at a minimum the following items: Provide a statement including current small/large business status and company profile to include number of employees, office locations, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, etc. What type of work has your company performed in the past in support of the same or similar requirement? Can or has your company managed a task of this nature? If so, please provide details. Can or has your company managed a team of subcontractors before? If so, provide details. What specific technical skills does your company possess which ensure capability to perform the tasks? Please note that under a Small-Business Set-Aside, in accordance with FAR 52.219-14, the small business prime must perform at least 50% of the work themselves in terms of the cost of performance. Provide an explanation of your company's ability to perform at least 50% of the tasking. Respondents to this notice also must indicate whether they qualify as a Small, Small Disadvantaged, 8(a), HUBZone, Veteran Owned Business, Service Disabled Veteran-Owned, or Women-Owned Small Business Concern. Include in your response your ability to meet the - Special Requirements section as noted above. Please provide anticipated effort (percentage) to be subcontracted to small business(s): Small Business = ____ % Small Disadvantage Business =____ % Veteran Owned Business =____ % Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Business = _____% Woman Owned Small Business = ____% HUBZone= ___% ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The estimated period of performance consists of five (5) year base period with the base ordering period anticipated to commence in October 2025. Specifics regarding the number of option periods will be provided in the solicitation, if/when a solicitation is issued. The contract type is anticipated to be an IDC. Multiple award task order contracts (MATOC) and Single Award Task Order Contracts (SATOCs) are being considered for this procurement. The total capacity for any awarded contracts is anticipated to be approximately $10M. The proposed contract(s) is anticipated to be solicited and awarded under PL 92-582 (formerly known as the Brooks Act) and FAR Part 36 procurement procedures. The forthcoming solicitation for this procurement will utilize qualifications-based criterion as required by FAR 36.602-1. Upon review of the capability statements, if it is determined that this requirement will be an unrestricted competition, the Government intends to review the Small-Business responses and conduct further market research to identify a subcontracting goal. All data received in response to this Sources Sought that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary will be fully protected from any release outside the Government. No phone calls will be accepted. All questions must be submitted to the contract specialist (Kyla Couch) identified above. The Government is not committed nor obligated to pay for the information provided, and no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought. The Office of Small Business Programs POC is Enshane' Nomoto enshane.nomoto@usace.army.mil.