B--Soil Testing

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. SAND HILL RIVER ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECT SCOPE OF WORK DESIGN SOIL EXLORATION PHASE 1 LABORATORY SOIL TESTING GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF WORK The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will be conducting soil borings in southern Polk County near Beltrami, Minnesota for the Sand Hill River Ecosystem Restoration Project. USACE will collect disturbed (jar) samples and undisturbed (5-inch) samples during exploration that require laboratory testing. Table 1 below provides the type of test, the associated American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) test designation, and the number of tests requested. The Contractor shall perform the laboratory testing as described in Table 1. Table 1: Soil Testing Request TEST METHOD DESCRIPTION ASTM DESIGNATION NUMBER OF TESTS REQUIRED Atterberg Limits (Liquid Limit and Plastic Limit) D 4318 20 Particle Size Determination (Nested Sieves and Hydrometer) D422 20 Moisture Content D 2216 20 Specific Gravity D 854 5 5-inch Thin Wall Tube Extrusion and Description D 2487 5 1-D Consolidation Test D 2435 5 Unconsolidated-Undrained Triaxial Compression Test D 2850 5 CONSOLIDATION TESTS: Consolidation tests will include determination of an initial moisture content and dry density. The consolidation test shall include an unloading and reloading schedule (where the pressure on the soil is halved) occurring 1 to 2 load increments after the pre-consolidation pressure has been exceeded. At the completion of the loading schedule, the sample shall be unloaded (each successive load can be 1/4th of the preceding load). LABORATORY REQUIREMENTS The laboratory shall be USACE validated for the tests that are required. The laboratory must be capable of running triaxial compression tests on samples up to 4-inches in diameter and must have at least 3 years of experience in performing triaxial testing. To minimize disturbance of samples, USACE will deliver the samples to the laboratory and the testing must be performed locally at the laboratory where they are delivered. Samples shall not be transported to another office or laboratory location. For this reason, the laboratory shall be located within 50 miles of the St. Paul District Office. The undisturbed samples submitted for testing will be 5-inch diameter thin walled tubes, and the laboratory must be capable of extruding these samples. The Government reserves the right to be present at the laboratory when samples are being extruded. The laboratory shall retain the remaining portion of the samples not tested and preserve them in such a way that would allow for retesting of the sample at a later data. The laboratory shall retain these samples through the life of the contract and may dispose of them when the contract is officially closed out. All testing must be performed at the USACE validated laboratory and be completed within 2 months from the receipt of the samples. EXECUTION The USACE will be conducting the soil exploration program between April and May 2014. The Contractor shall expect to receive the samples within a week after the soil borings have been completed. The Contractor must be capable of completing tests and providing results within 2 months from the date of receiving the sample. Upon receipt of the samples, the Contractor shall provide the USACE a schedule for when samples will be prepared, tested, and completed. The Contractor shall provide an update to the schedule bi-weekly. Test results shall be submitted by the Contractor to the USACE electronically (via e-mail) when the tests have been completed and reviewed by the Contractor. The Contractor shall sign the reports to indicate that the reports have been reviewed. Testing reports shall be electronic files in the form of PDFs. Reports shall only report the sample results associated with a single sample. Multiple sample results shall not be documented together. The USACE reserves the right to require the Contractor to revise and resubmit any reports where errors and omissions are found. In addition to providing PDFs of the reports, the Contractor shall also provide the results of the Atterberg and particle size tests in a format such that the results can be imported into a quote mark gINT quote mark project. The format maybe a gINT project file or a formatted Microsoft Excel file. The required format of the Microsoft Excel file is attached. The contractor shall coordinate with the USACE technical point-of- contact on the format and delivery of the test results. REPORT REQUIREMENTS The Contractor's test reports shall at a minimum include the following information as required by the associated ASTM standards. In addition, the USACE requires the following additions and/or format to the undisturbed test reports: Photo of the specimen after extrusion and photos of the triaxial specimens after shearing is completed (the photos of the sheared specimens can take the place of the sketch or can be in addition to the sketch). Pressures associated with triaxial tests reported in tons per square foot (tsf). The readings taken throughout the test (e.g. strain, deviator stress, and pore pressure {when applicable}, dial reading, deflections) and the reduced data shall be provided in tabulated form. PAYMENT The Contractor must quote a unit price for each type of test or service listed above, along with the total price per test type (unit price number of tests), and a total price for all the testing. The Contractor will be paid based on the quantity of tests completed. The Contractor can submit monthly bills and will be paid for all testing that has been completed and for which laboratory test results have been received. When submitting the bill, the Contractor shall provide a list that indicates what samples and what tests have been completed and reported to the USACE. TECHNICAL POINTS OF CONTACT USACE technical points of contact responsible for this scope of work are: Primary Mr. Jason Foss - +1 (555) 000-0000, contact@example.gov Secondary Mr. Grant Riddick - +1 (555) 000-0000, contact@example.gov Mr. Chris Behling - +1 (555) 000-0000, contact@example.gov