CHICAGO HARBOR LOCK LHE

By way of this Market Survey/Sources Sought Notice, the USACE-Chicago District intends to determine the extent of capable firms that are engaged in providing the services described hereunder for the Chicago Harbor Lock LHE project, located at Samson's Slip along the south branch of the Chicago River, Chicago, Illinois. The responses to this Notice will be used for planning purposes for an upcoming procurement. Therefore, this Notice does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP); it does not guarantee the future issue of a RFP; nor does it commit the government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, this Agency will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondents are advised that this Agency will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this Notice; all costs associated with responding to this Notice will be solely at the responding party's expense. At this time, proprietary information is not being requested, and respondents shall refrain from providing proprietary information in response to this Notice. Responses to this Notice will not be returned. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. Not responding to this Notice does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S Government to form a binding contract. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this Notice. GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS 1. GENERAL SCOPE OF WORK The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Chicago District, requires the utilization of Load Handling Equipment (LHE) and the services of a LHE Operator and Rigger(s) for the loading/unloading of eleven (11) bulkheads and one (1) lifting beam onto/off of three (3) Corps of Engineers supplied deck barges. In addition to the load/unloading operations, the aforementioned lifting beam must first be load tested prior to loading onto the Corps of Engineers supplied deck barges. The Contractor shall be responsible for supplying an appropriately sized LHE, all necessary rigging, spreader beam(s) and miscellaneous supplies to safely and efficiently load/unload the bulkheads and lifting beam onto the Corps of Engineers supplied deck barges. The Contractor shall also be responsible for supplying an appropriately sized LHE, all necessary rigging, spreader beam(s), certified test weights and miscellaneous supplies to safely and efficiently perform a proof test on the Corps of Engineer's designed lifting beam to 125% of the identified working load limit. The Contractor shall also be responsible for providing an overall lift supervisor, LHE Operator and Rigger(s) to execute the various activities identified under this Scope of Work. 2. DESCRIPTION OF WORK LOADING/UNLOADING OF BULKHEADS AND LIFTING BEAM The Contractor shall be responsible for supplying an appropriately sized LHE, all necessary rigging, spreader beam(s) and miscellaneous supplies to safely and efficiently load/unload the bulkheads and lifting beam onto the Corps of Engineers supplied deck barges. The bulkheads and lifting beam are currently stored at the Chicago District's Bulkhead Storage Site located at Samson's Slip along the south branch of the Chicago River, in Chicago, IL. The Contractor shall be responsible for determining the means and methods for loading/unloading the bulkheads and lifting beam onto/off of the Corps of Engineers supplied deck barges. Each bulkhead weights approximately 66,000lbs and has two lifting lugs to which the bulkheads will be picked from. The lifting beam weights approximately 24,000lbs. PROOF TESTING OF LIFTING BEAM The Contractor shall be responsible for supplying an appropriately sized LHE, all necessary rigging, spreader beam(s), certified test weights and miscellaneous supplies to safely and efficiently perform a proof test on the Corps of Engineer's designed lifting beam to 125% of the identified working load limit (77,000LBS). Within ten (10) days of conclusion of the proof test, the Contractor shall supply a proof test certificate. The lifting beam shall be tested to meet requirements of ASME B30.20. 3. SAFETY AND HEALTH All work specified shall be performed in accordance with US Army Corps of Engineers Safety and Health Requirements manual EM 385-1-1, 2014 Appendix A, Paragraph 3.k, Section 15, 16 and 21 where applicable for work done on Government property. ACTIVITY HAZARD ANALYSIS Prior to the commencement of work, the Contractor shall complete an Activity Hazard Analysis (AAHA) ten (10) days prior to the commencement of work under this Scope of Work and submit for Acceptance to the Technical POC and the Chicago District's Safety Office. The AHA should include all identified hazards associated with the work under this Scope of Work and should identify means and methods for remediation of identified hazards and all Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) to reduce exposure to the identified hazards. Work shall not be allowed to commence until the AHA has been reviewed and accepted by Chicago District's Safety Office. After the AHA has been accepted by the Chicago District's Safety Office, a pre-lift meeting shall be conducted onsite between the Contractor and the Technical POC and the Chicago District's Safety Office. CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE FOR LHE AND RIGGING Prior to the commencement of work, the Contractor shall complete EM385-1-1 Form 16-1 "Certification of Compliance for LHE and Rigging" for all LHE and Rigging utilized during the activities under this Scope of Work to the Technical POC for review. OPERATOR LIFT PLAN Prior to the commencement of work, the Contractor shall complete EM385-1-1 Form 16-2 "Standard Pre-Lift Crane Plan/Checklist" and submit to the Technical POC for review. The LHE Operator shall plan the lifts associated with this Scope of Work in advance, with particular attention to lift radii & boom angles, Load Moment Indicator (LMI) response, and expected LMI warning indicators, if any. CRITICAL LIFT PLAN If any of the lifts associated with the activities under this Scope of Work are determined to be a Critical Lift per EM385-1-1 Section 16, Subsection H, the Contractor shall complete EM385-1-1 Form 16-3 "Critical Lift Plan" and submit for Acceptance to the Chicago District's Safety Office. Work shall not be allowed to commence until the Critical Lift Plan has been reviewed and accepted by Chicago District's Safety Office. FALL PROTECTION PLAN As the lifting points on the bulkheads are over four (4) feet from ground level, the Contractor shall submit a Fall Protection Plan per EM385-1-1, Section 21 and submit for Acceptance to the Chicago District's Safety Office. Work shall not be allowed to commence until the Fall Protection Plan has been reviewed and accepted by the Chicago District's Safety Office. SECURITY All contractor and all associated sub-contractors employees shall comply with applicable installation, facility and area commander installation/facility access and local security policies and procedures (provided by government representative). The contractor shall also provide all information required for background checks to meet installation/facility access requirements to be accomplished by installation Provost Marshal Office, Director of Emergency Services or Security Office. Contractor workforce must comply with all personal identity verification requirements (FAR clause 52.204-9, Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel) as directed by DOD, HQDA and/or local policy. In addition to the changes otherwise authorized by the changes clause of this contract, should the Force Protection Condition (FPCON) at any installation or facility change, the Government may require changes in contractor security matters or processes 4. LOAD HANDLING EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATIONS LHE REQUIREMENTS The LHE shall be of an appropriate size and lifting capacity to make all the required picks to load/unload the eleven bulkheads and lifting beam onto/off of the three (3) Corps of Engineers supplied deck barges and to perform the proof test on the lifting beam. It is the Contractors responsibility to specify and deliver to the jobsite an appropriate size piece of LHE to complete all operations under this Scope of Work. LHE MAINTENANCE AND CERTIFICATION The LHE necessary to perform the activities under this Scope of Work shall be in good working condition and all necessary maintenance shall be completed prior to delivery to the Chicago District's Bulkhead Storage Site. All certifications for the LHE delivery to the Chicago District's Bulkhead Storage Site shall be current and shall be onsite the day(s) of operation under this Scope of Work are to take place. LHE DELIVERY SCHEDULE The delivery of the LHE shall be made such that the LHE is available for operation no later than 9:00AM of the rental period commencement date. The Contractor shall be given five (5) calendar days' notice of any change in rental period commencement date specified for loading/unloading of the bulkheads and lifting beam as well as the lifting beam proof test in the Base Contract. The Contractor shall be paid for the mobilization and demobilization of the LHE as well as the number of days the LHE is used which shall not be less than the minimum number of guaranteed days specified. The Contractor shall be paid at the Option rate bid for each day the LHE is used beyond the minimum which shall not exceed the specified maximum number of Option days. The Contractor shall be notified the day before the expiration of the minimum use period whether the LHE is to be used for any additional days. Late delivery of the LHE (or delivery of LHE that does not meet the requirements under this Scope of Work), or loss of use of the LHE that has not been properly maintained and/or delivered ready for operation (including safety equipment, etc.) shall cause the contract amount to be reduced on a pro-rated basis for the number of days lost until the LHE is ready for use, rounded up to the nearest whole day. 5. LHE OPERATOR AND RIGGER(S) QUALIFICATIONS LHE OPERATOR QUALIFICATIONS LHE shall be operated only by trained, certified, qualified and designated personnel. Proof of qualification shall be provided by the Contractor and designation shall be in writing and be submitted to the Technical POC for review. QUALIFIED RIGGER(S) QUALIFICATIONS Any worker engaged in the duties and performance of rigging shall be a Qualified Rigger (QR). The Contractor must determine and designate in writing the QR(s) and the specific rigging tasks for which they are qualified and be submitted to the Technical POC for review. 6. PROJECT LOCATION FOR LHE OPERATIONS SAMSON'S SLIP The LHE and all associated rigging, certified test weights and supplies shall be delivered to the Chicago District's Bulkhead Storage Site, which is located at Samson's Slip along the south branch of the Chicago River, Chicago, Illinois. A pre-proposal site meeting will be held on Thursday, December 17, 2015 at 9:00AM CST to discuss the site conditions and requirements of this Contract. Upon award, the Contractor shall be responsible for making all necessary arrangements for mobilization and demobilization of the LHE to and from the site. Access to the Corps of Engineers - Bulkhead Storage Site requires coordination with the Chicago District Corps of Engineers' technical POC. The nearest local address is: 2411 S. Loomis Street, Chicago, IL 60604. 7. PROJECT SCHEDULE LOADING OPERATION AND LIFTING BEAM PROOF TEST The Contractor is responsible for making all necessary arrangements such that loading of the bulkheads and lifting beam activities as well as the lifting beam proof test can commence at 9AM Thursday, January 21, 2016. UNLOADING OPERATION The unloading operations will commence at the conclusion of the Chicago Harbor Lock dewatering which will occur sometime between Monday, March 7th and Monday, March 21st, 2016. The Technical POC shall contact the Contractor seven (7) days prior to the commencement of unloading operations. The Contractor is responsible for making all necessary arrangements such that the unloading of the bulkheads and lifting beam can commence at 9AM on the identified date of operation. LATE DELIVERY If the LHE is not ready for operations at the aforementioned times and dates, this instance shall constitute a late delivery, and the Contractor will be required to submit to the LATE DELIVERY provisions specified below. Delivery of a LHE that has not been properly maintained and ready for safe operation shall also constitute a late delivery, and the LATE DELIVERY provisions will apply until a safe piece of equipment is delivered and ready for operation. If an unqualified/unlicensed LHE Operator and/or Rigger(s) are dispatched to the job site to perform lifting operations, the LATE DELIVERY provisions will apply until a qualified/licensed LHE Operator and/or Rigger(s) are present on the job site and are ready to perform lifting operations. LATE DELIVERY of the LHE shall cause the Contract amount to be reduced on a pro-rated basis for the number of days lost until the LHE is ready for use, rounded up to the nearest whole day. PROJECT MAGNITUDE: The cost magnitude of this project will be from $25,000 to $100,000. SCOPE OF CAPABILITIES: The USACE-Chicago District is searching for contractors that are capable of meeting all of the above requirements. REQUESTED INFORMATION: Since this notice is being used to assess the extent of Firms capable of fulfilling the government's requirements, this Agency requests that interested contractors complete the following questions to assist the government in its efforts. 1. Is your company currently registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) formerly known as the Central Contractor's Registration (CCR) Database? If not, has it been registered or does it plan to register? 2. In consideration of NAICS code 238990, with a small business size standard in dollars of $15 Million, which of the following small business categories is your business classified under, if any? Small Business, Veteran Owned Small Business, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Woman-Owned Small Business, HUB Zone Small Business, or 8(a) Business. 3. Is your company currently prohibited from doing business with the Federal Government? Yes / No (If yes, explain.) 4. Is the potential offeror capable of obtaining performance and payment bonds for $100,000? 5. Is the potential offeror a small-business interested in performing as a subcontractor? 6. Does the potential offeror have experience in the work described for this project? If so, how many years? SUBMISSION OF RESPONSES: Respondents interested in providing a response to this Notice shall provide their submittals to Pamela J. Brown NLT 3:00 p.m. (CDT) on 8 December 2015, via email to: pamela.j.brown@usace.army.mil (ensure that the number & title of the Sources Sought Notice of "W912P6-16-S-0001, Chicago Harbor Lock LHE," is included in the subject line of the email). Any electronic files (EMAIL) CANNOT EXCEED this Agency's size limit of 20MB (includes email and its attachment); files exceeding this size will be denied access to Ms. Brown's email inbox.