Columbia & Lower Willamette Rivers Pipeline Dredging

This SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT is for informational and market research purposes only. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary, and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is conducting market research to identify interested and qualified parties for pipeline dredging of the Columbia and Lower Willamette Rivers Navigation Project. The Government may use responses for information and planning purposes. Responses are requested regardless of business size.

NAICS: The proposed NAICS code for this procurement is 237990 – Dredging and Surface Cleanup Activities

Size Standard: The small business size standard for NAICS Code 237990, as defined by the Small Business Administration (SBA), is $37M in average annual receipts. Additionally, to be considered small for purposes of Government procurement, a firm or its similarly situated subcontractors must perform at least 40 percent of the volume dredged with their own equipment or equipment owned by another small dredging concern.

Anticipated Period of Performance: To begin dredging onsite 01 Oct 2027. A minimum 5-year contract duration is anticipated, with a preference for a duration exceeding 10 years, pending necessary approvals.

Requirement Background: For nearly 100 years the USACE has satisfied the dredging requirement for Columbia and Lower Willamette Rivers (C&LW) Navigation Project channel maintenance in part through partnerships and contracts with the Port of Portland, execution of contracts with the dredge industry, and utilization of USACE’s fleet. Improvements to the Columbia River navigation channel were most recently authorized by Congress in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004, which includes the following: 

The Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, is directed to proceed with the construction of the Columbia River Channel Improvements, Oregon and Washington, project in accordance with (IAW) the Report of the Chief of Engineers, dated 23 December 1999, and the economic justification and environmental features stated therein, as amended by the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement dated 28 January 2003.  P.L. 108-199, SEC 123, 118 Stat. 3, 440. 

In the Report of the Chief of Engineers, dated 23 December 1999, the Chief of Engineers recommended the deepening of the Columbia River channel to 43ft and requested that a non-Federal sponsor assist the Government by making a suitable pipeline dredge available:

“The Federal Government should be authorized to allow the non-Federal sponsor to assist in the work of maintaining the main ship channel in the Columbia and Willamette Rivers by making available to the United States (U.S.) a suitable pipeline dredge in good operating condition, with full crew and equipment, without charge other than reimbursement for the full operating cost of the dredge on a basis approved by the Chief of Engineers.  The reimbursement to be afforded, subject to Government audit, would be based on the full operating cost of the Port of Portland’s dredge while performing maintenance dredging of the project.  This would include the proportionate cost of maintenance of the dredge based on the period of time the dredge is performing work for the U.S. that fiscal year (FY) or the actual FY appropriations identified for that portion of maintenance dredging that are made available, whichever is less.” Chief of Engineer’s Report, dated 23 December 1999 at 5-6.

USACE Portland District is currently executing this requirement through a cost (no-fee) single award task order contract (SATOC) issued to Port of Portland on a sole-source basis. More detailed cost information is publicly available at FPDS.gov. Reference Indefinite Delivery Vehicle “W9127N17D0002” or follow the link below:

https://www.fpds.gov/ezsearch/fpdsportal?indexName=awardfull&templateName=1.5.3&s=FPDS.GOV&q=w9127n17d0002&x=0&y=0

Future (C&LW) Navigation Project channel maintenance pipeline dredging need is forecasted to increase in volume according to the Draft Lower Columbia River Draft Integrated Dredged Material Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement.

Requirement Summary: The purpose of this requirement is to maintain the C&LW Navigation Project, which includes a 43-foot deep, 600-foot-wide channel in the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington and the Pacific Ocean, and a 40-foot-deep channel of variable width in the Willamette River downstream of Portland, Oregon. This deep draft channel is the largest component of the Columbia - Snake River inland navigation system. The requirement includes pipeline dredging operations and maintenance, material placement, placement site preparation and maintenance, and related activities in support of the C&LW Navigation Project. Average annual dredging of 2.5 to 4 million cubic yards of material from the Columbia River deep draft navigation channel between river mile 20+00 and river mile 105+25 and in-water material transfer sites is required. Dredging depth is between 20 feet and 48 feet Columbia River Datum (CRD). Most placement sites are only accessible from the river by vessel. The contractor will be required to provide all support vessels, barges and equipment including shore equipment and facilities, a dedicated hydro and land survey capability, floating and shore pipe, and dredge and placement (upland) crews.

Requirement Details, Constraints, and Challenges:

1. Annual maintenance dredging is required from 1 June to at least 31 Dec.  Availability for out-of-season emergency dredging response is required. Therefore, the full pipeline dredging operation will need to remain proximal to the C&LW Navigation project year-round. Environmental work windows allow for dredging year-round to prevent shipping restrictions.
2. The contractor’s equipment and operations must be capable of supporting an average daily dredging production rate between 18,000 and 25,000 cubic yards.  Typical dredge assignments are 400 feet wide.
3. Dredging depths are between 20 feet and 48 feet below CRD. The average tidal range is between 8 feet at the Mouth of the Columbia River (extreme is 13 feet) and 3 feet at low river stages at Vancouver. Annual freshets have little effect on river level at the Mouth of the Columbia River, but average 12 feet above CRD at Vancouver.
4. Material to be dredged is primarily sand, gravel, and pumice. Approximate wet densities of representative sediment samples range from 1,520 grams/liter to 2,350 grams/liter. Snags, logs, cobbles, boulders, wire rope, and miscellaneous debris are encountered.
5. The operation must be capable of dredging during 6 feet per second river currents, 25 mph wind with 40 mph gusts and wind waves up to 5 ft in an exposed river estuary environment with tidal exchange and river flow. The instantaneous flow in the lower reaches of the river changes constantly due to ocean tide effects and can range from greater than 5 times the mean daily-average river discharge to negative values (upstream flow).
6. Equipment must support pumping up to 2 miles from the dredge site, to include a minimum of 12,000 linear feet of conventional discharge pipeline, 8,000 feet of which must be readily deployable as "floating line". A submersible discharge pipeline unit of not less than 900 feet in length is required for dredging and placement locations on opposite sides of the shipping channel. A fill elevation of up to 70 feet above CRD is required.
7. Placement area requirements include: deep water placement areas using an end scow fitted with a 20-foot downspout and diffuser, shallow water placement sites filled to designed intertidal fill elevations, shoreline placement along riverbanks, construction of new islands within the river system, and confined upland placement with return water using gravity-fed weirs or pumps until a site can be sloped for gravity flow of return water.
8. The Portland District will issue a general plan for the work required for the season early in the calendar year, however, it will direct the dredge to mobilize to specific locations approximately every 2-3 weeks, based on channel conditions and coordinated dredged material transfer operations with other dredges.
9. Environmental compliance requirements include spill protection and response, turbidity minimization and monitoring, bird monitoring, avoidance and dissuasion, and wetland and riparian vegetation protection.

Interested Parties: All interested parties who believe they can meet the requirements are invited to submit, in writing, complete information describing their interest and ability to meet all requirements stated above. Prior Government contract work is not required for submitting a response to this announcement. Please keep your response concise. A maximum of six (6) pages of information including the below content is requested:

1. Firm's name, address, point of contact, phone number, and email address.
2. CAGE code and Unique Entity ID (UEI) number.
3. Business classification: Small Business (SB), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone Small Business (HUBZone), 8(a) Program, Other Than Small Business (Large Business).
4. A written capability statement in sufficient detail to demonstrate the ability of the firm to provide pipeline dredging services able to meet USACE Portland District requirements in a satisfactory manner, to include identifying the specific dredge plant to be used and where it is currently located.

Submission Instructions: Responses to this notice must be submitted electronically (via email) with SUBJECT: “Sources Sought Response – C&LW Pipeline Dredging,” to Mr. Mitchell Johnson, Contracting Officer, at mitchell.j.johnson@usace.army.mil and Mr. Brandon Lasich, Contract Specialist, at brandon.m.lasich@usace.army.mil. Responses must be submitted before 3:00 pm Pacific Standard time on 23 Jan 2026.

Disclaimer and Important Notes:

1. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this notice or any follow up information. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's capabilities to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or to provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.
2. The requirements listed above are not all inclusive but should cover most expectations.
3. All interested parties must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov to have size status considered.