--Sole Source Contract - HLB Decisions

1. HLB Decisions built a vessel trip cost (VTC) model for Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway as part of a study for the International Joint Commission. The work was completed under contract with Transport Canada and under the direction of a j oint U.S-Canadian Commercial Navigation Work Group (one of the co-leads being the Buffalo District). Currently, the Corps of Engineers is working on a complementary study that considers Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence Seaway and lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior  the rest of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway (GLSLS). This study is a multi-agency, U.S-Canada study jointly managed by Transport Canada and the Detroit District (CELRE). Other USACE districts (Huntington, Buffalo, Louisville, and New England) are participating in the study. 2. The GLSLS Economics team is building a system economic model that includes a VTC module and a Lock Risk Module. Though no VTC module for the entire GLSLS navigation system exists, HLB has, as stated above, developed such a model for Lake Ontario and t he St. Lawrence Seaway. The other necessary module, the Lock Risk Module, is being developed for the system economic model by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This module needs to link to the VTC module. 3. HLB Decisions has unique knowledge of the computer code that will allow them to: 1) expand their existing VTC model to cover the entire GLSLS navigation system and 2) ensure that the Lock Risk Module links properly to the VTC module. The LRD Navigatio n Planning Center requests a sole source contract with HLB Decisions to make the necessary modifications to the VTC module so that it to covers the entire GLSLS and links properly with the Lock Risk Module.