RELIEF WELL PUMPING AT THE CHENA LAKES FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY FOR RELIEF WELL PUMPING AT THE CHENA RIVER LAKES FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT, NORTH POLE, ALASKA.  OFFERS OR PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR THIS NOTICE.  THIS IS NOT A PRE-SOLICITATION. 

The Alaska District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting market research to facilitate a determination of acquisition strategy prior to releasing a solicitation for this anticipated project.  The determination of acquisition strategy lies solely with the government and will be based on market research and information available to the government from other sources.  Please note that this Sources Sought is for information only and does not constitute a solicitation for competitive offers/proposals and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government.  However, all interested parties who believe they can meet the requirement are invited to submit information describing their capability to provide the required services.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK:  Provide all management, labor, equipment, travel, supplies, materials to perform relief well pumping on as many as 174 relief wells at the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project located approximately 18 miles east of Fairbanks, Alaska near the town of North Pole. 

Work Plan and Accident Prevention Plan

Following the receipt of the Notice to Proceed (NTP) and prior to commencing work, the Contractor must prepare and submit to the Government a Draft Work Plan. The Draft Work Plan must describe in detail the Contractor’s schedule for completing the work, personnel qualifications, operational procedures, and equipment to be used. The Draft Work Plan must include the Quality Control Plan (QCP), Testing, Maintenance, and Monitoring Plan, and an Accident Prevention Plan per EM 385-1-1. The required Draft Work Plan must be submitted to the Government. The Government will review and provide comments on the Draft Work Plan. Once comments are incorporated, the Final Work Plan will be accepted by the Government. The Final Work Plan must be approved by the Government prior to the start of work. Any deviations from the Final Work Plan during execution of the work must be noted in the daily logs and reports, with direct notification given to the COR at the time the deviation occurs.

Mobilization and Demobilization

Prior to mobilization, a pre-trip meeting will be held to discuss the Work Plan, Accident Prevention Plan, and other services required under the SOW. No separate payment will be made for moves between boreholes. Mobilization and demobilization will consist of delivery of all equipment, materials, supplies, and personnel required for the work at the project site. Mobilization and demobilization will also consist of returning the surface to its original condition and site cleanup.

Conditioning and Pumping Tests

All pumping tests must conform to Engineer Manual 1110-2-1914, Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Relief Wells and ASTM D 4043-17, Standard Guide for Selection of Aquifer Test Method in Determining Hydraulic Properties by Well Techniques.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Wells deemed below the efficiency threshold should be cleaned and have maintenance performed in accordance with the following sections:

• Brushing - Brushing of the interior of the well, from the riser through the screened section is often employed as a ‘pre’ treatment to mechanical rehabilitation. The required brushing consists of attaching an appropriately designed stiff poly or nylon brush to drill pipe or an approved apparatus and brushing the interior of the well. It is required that brushing be accomplished in small sections, to ensure thorough cleaning of the interior of the well.
• Air Surging - Air surging consists of alternating cycles of air surging and airlift pumping using suitably sized airline and air compressor. Prior to the start of the surging action, well flow should be initiated by injecting compressed air, above the screen, at a reduced rate, until uninhibited flow through the well screen is achieved. This will reduce the potential for screen collapse during initial surging. Once uninhibited flow through the well screen is achieved, the surging action can be initiated by cycling between air surging and airlift pumping. The cyclic surging and pumping must be performed at five-foot intervals throughout the length of the screen, for a period of 5 minutes, per interval. Two full cycles are required to penetrate maximum energy into filter pack. Repeat the full cycle until the water discharge is clear.
• Remove Sediment - Sediment may exist or be generated during well maintenance. The sediment may consist of organics, fines, sand, and/or gravel. All sediment must be removed from all intact serviceable relief wells before the step-drawdown tests. An air lift system is recommended for this process.

Re-Test Relief Well Efficiency

Following the brushing and surging of all wells operating under 80% efficiency as calculated by the equations provided by the Government, perform a step-drawdown test on all cleaned wells to determine their efficiency after cleaning. Report new pump performance results to the Government for review.

Draft Relief Well Maintenance Pumping Report

The Contractor must submit one Draft Relief Well Maintenance Pumping Report at the end of the work being performed. All reports must be completed in English using imperial units. The Government will review and provide comments to the Contractor within 14 calendar days upon receipt of the report. The Contractor will have 14 calendar days to address the comments and finalize the report.

The estimated award date of this contract is April 2026.  This procurement is subject to the availability of funds.  If the project is cancelled, all proposal preparation costs will be borne by the offeror.

All offerors are advised that they must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) (www.sam.gov) before submitting a proposal.  Joint ventures must also be registered in SAM as a joint venture.  Offerors are advised to begin this process when they prepare their proposal in order to ensure registration is in place should they be selected for award.  Lack of registration in the SAM database would make an offeror ineligible for award.

The intent of this Sources Sought is to solicit interest from qualified firms with a primary North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code of 541380 Testing Laboratories, which has a small business size standard of $19 million.  In accordance with FAR 19.501 paragraph (c) The contracting officer shall conduct market research and review the acquisition to determine if this acquisition will be set aside for small business or considered for an award to a small business under the 8(a) Program (see FAR subpart 19.8), HUBZone (see FAR subpart 19.13), service-disabled veteran-owned (see FAR subpart 19.14), or women-owned small business program (see FAR subpart 19.15).  If the acquisition is set aside for small business based on this review, it is a unilateral set-aside by the contracting officer. 

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT OPEN TO ALL QUALIFIED PRIME CONTRACTOR FIRMS (Large and Small Businesses under NAICS 541380). All interested firms are encouraged to respond to this announcement no later than 4 December 2025, by 10:00 AM Alaska Standard Time, by submitting all requested documentation listed below to: US Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District, via email to travis.tofi@usace.army.mil and george.g.nasif@usace.army.mil.

Interested prime contractor firms are encouraged to submit a capabilities package (not exceeding 5 pages) demonstrating the ability to perform the work described above. Packages should include the following information regarding their company:

1.  Company Name, Address, DUNS Number, Cage Code, Business Size under the applicable NAICS above, and Point of Contact information including email and phone number.

2.  SAM status, Large or Small Business status under the applicable NAICS above, and type of small business (8a, HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Women-Owned, etc.)

3.  Demonstration of the firm’s experience as a prime contractor on projects of similar size, type, and complexity within the past ten years.  List actual projects completed and include project title, location, and a brief description of the project.

4.  Your company’s intent to propose on the Relief Well Pumping at the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project project as a prime contractor.

Interested parties are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought by the response time stated above. Please submit all documentation by email in PDF format. Responses received after this time and date may not be reviewed.