Independent Design Review of watershed dam in the state of Mississippi - Town Creek Site 5

RECOVERY - TAS::12 1073::TAS THIS NOTICE IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS OPPORTUNITY IS AVAILABLE ONLY TO THE CONTRACTOR UNDER CONTRACT NO. AG-3A75-C-09-0020. RECOVERY - The USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is announcing award of Task Order AG-7482-D-10-0012 under Contract No. AG-3A75-C-09-0020. The task order is for an independent design review of the watershed dam in the state of Mississippi - Town Creek Watershed Site 5. The Contractor shall furnish the personnel, equipment, labor, materials, transportation, and facilities required to perform the services described herein: I. Purpose The Contractor shall perform an independent review as required by the policy of the USDA'Natural Resources Conservation Service as stated in the National Engineering Manual (NEM) Part 501.05(a), Part 520.26 and Part 511.05(b). The NEM defines independent review as an examination and evaluation of procedures used and decisions made during the design of a dam by peers from outside NRCS or from an organizational unit other than the one responsible for the design. The NEM requires an independent review of designs for engineering job class VII and other projects, as determined, based on their complexity and potential hazard The Contractor's capability must be equal to that needed to independently perform the design. Independent reviews are made to verify that design and construction procedures and decisions reflect safety considerations as well as economy. Dam safety considerations are directly related to the potential for loss of life, damage to valuable property, or disruption of transportation and utility facilities if the dam fails. The classification of dams is determined by the potential for such losses and damage (see NEM 520.2l). The Contractor shall determine whether the methods of analyses are appropriate and the assumptions are justified by the site conditions, as well as whether the results are reasonable. The Contractor shall verify that the design: - Addresses all potential dam safety deficiencies - Safely and effectively meets the stated objectives - Addresses unique site conditions - Is consistent with industry practice for similar structures - Generally complies with, or has appropriate variances to, the more stringent of NRCS or applicable state policy and criteria.