ENVIRONMENTAL LABORATORY SERVICES

Revised response date to be sooner.

SOURCES SOUGHT TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION FOR SERVICES

INTRODUCTION

The United States Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District (LRC) is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support the requirement for enivornmental laboratory services for water and sediment sampling analysis. The intention is to procure these services on a competitive basis

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

Contractor facilities.

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

The USACE Civil Works and Operations and Maintenance (O&M) missions that necessitate this Analytical Services Contract are designated as programs that focus on water resource development, navigation, and environmental stewardship. Site characterization via analytical services performed on sampled environmental media provides projects under these missions the ability to plan long-term dredging strategies, inform construction projects, and determine the environmental impacts of water control features through water quality monitoring.

In accordance with these assignments, the objective of each sampling project is to obtain technically valid and legally defensible environmental data that will meet or exceed the site-specific Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) as identified in each task order.

Since litigation over possible environmental effects may arise, it is essential that laboratory tests ensure that the production of data is to the highest degree of confidence, reproducibility, and reliability achievable by approved state-of-the-art and current methodologies. Full control over sample integrity and/or loss of sample constituents during the total process of sampling, sample handling and preservation, and testing, is necessary to obtain the quality of results the USACE requires.

REQUIRED CAPABILITIES

Our needs require the Contractor’s laboratory services to provide analytical services support and supplies to characterize environmental material collected by USACE-LRC or another USACE-LRD District (Great Lakes and Ohio Rivers Division)

The objective of each sampling project is to obtain technically valid and legally defensible environmental data that will meet or exceed the site-specific Data Quality Objectives (DQOs).

Our need requires for the characterization of soils, sediments, ground waters, surface waters, tissues, oils, wastes, and other environmental sample types for projects over a five year time frame. Typical projects will involve analyzing samples collected to determine the concentrations of various pollutants and/or physical properties of collected media. The USACE is concerned about pollutants at trace concentration levels. Concentrations of interest include the following: 1) typical of ambient open water, 2) low-levels required for comparison to risk-based screening criteria for water, soil and/or sediment quality, and 3) waste characterization screening. In addition, samples may be required to undergo several predictive tests including leaching tests, elutriate tests, and other laboratory prepared extractions. Refer to the attachment for the specific list of sampling requirements that may be required. USACE-LRC maintains the ability to request analyses be conducted that are not specifically listed in Schedule A (located in the attached draft Performance Work Statement (PWS)) with the ability to negotiate per task order such as PFAS and fish tissue testing.

Further detail is provided in the PWS attached to this announcement (Attachment 1). The Contractor should specifically note Table 1. “Anticipated Reporting Limit Ranges for Common Chemicals of Concern.”

The Contractor can expect the approximate breakdown of analytical tests required as well as media to be tested, based on averages from USACE-LRC’s Summer 2025 sampling season. This estimate applies strictly to analytical tests for the purpose of navigational dredging. The Contractor can expect deviations from this general estimate when awarded a task order from LRD at large, or a task order not associated with navigational dredging:

• Sediment: 75%, Water: 15%, Elutriate: 10%
• Chemical: 85%, Physical: 10%, Biological: 5%
• The Contractor can anticipate ± 5% as a range for each estimate.

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.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• The laboratory must maintain National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) accreditation for all appropriate fields-of-testing. Additional costs associated with obtaining or maintaining certifications are a Contractor expense. Copies of active certificates shall be provided to USACE upon contract award and within the Quality Control Plan for each individual task order.
• The laboratory and/or its subcontractors are required to obtain and maintain any applicable state analytical certifications where analyses will be performed.
• Any work performed under this contract that is related to analysis of Hazardous, Toxic and Radiological Waste (HTRW), identified in individual task orders, shall meet the applicable portions of the Department of Defense Quality Systems Manual (QSM).

ELIGIBILITY

The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 541380 with a Small Business Size Standard of $19 million. The Product Service Code is B504 Special Studies/Analysis Chemical- Biological. Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to respond; however, each respondent must clearly identify their business size in their capabilities statement.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SUBMISSION DETAILS (CAPABILITIES STATEMENT)

A draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) and draft Personnel Qualifications Description are attached for review. (Attachment 1)

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 2 pm, CT 3 March 2026. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be e-mailed to sara.t.king@usace.army.mil.

In addition to the capabilities statement requested above, your submittal must address , at a minimum, the following items:

1. What type of work has your company performed in the past in support of the same or similar requirement? Include your experience working under multiple task orders submitted in quick succession during typical sampling months (May through September).
2. Which methods are you certified to perform, and which are typically subcontracted?
3. What specific technical skills does your company possess which ensure capability to perform the tasks?
4. Provide a plan for teaming arrangements with subcontractors to complete all analyses required including chemical, biological, and physical parameters from both solid and aqueous media. Please note the additional requirement in 5).
5. 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 described in this PWS for the base period as well as the option periods.
6. Provide a statement including current small/large business status and company profile to include number of employees, annual revenue history, office locations, UEI number, etc.
7. Respondents to this notice also must indicate whether they qualify as a Small, Small Disadvantaged, Women-Owned, HUBZone, or Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concern.
8. Include in your response your ability to meet the requirements in the Facility and Safeguarding requirements.

The estimated period of performance consists of five years. Specifics will be provided in the solicitation.

The commercial services contract type is anticipated to be a firm-fixed unit price, Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity task order contract. The aniticipated minimum guarantee is $10,000 with a $1,250,000 ceiling.

The proposed contract is anticipated to include tasking that would be accomplished by labor categories that are subject to the Service Contract Act.

Upon evaluation of the capability statements, if it is determined that this requirement will be an unrestricted competition, the Government intends to evaluate the Small-Business responses and conduct further market research to identify a subcontracting goal.

Your response to this Sources Sought, including any capabilities statement, shall be electronically submitted to the Contract Specialist, Sara King, in either Microsoft Word or Portable Document Format (PDF), via email sara.t.king@usace.army.mil. Include in the email subject line, the sources sought title and notice ID number.

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 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.