Sources Sought: Liberty State Park Ecosystem Restoration Project, Jersey City, NJ

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT TO BE USED FOR MARKET ANALYSIS ONLY.  NO AWARDS WILL BE MADE FROM THE RESPONSES TO THIS SYNOPSIS.  NO SOLICITATION WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER, RESPONSES WILL BE USED TO DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE ACQUISITION STRATEGY FOR A FUTURE ACQUISITION. 

The purpose of this announcement is to gain knowledge of potential business sources; with specific interest in small business, certified 8(a) serviced by SBA districts, certified HUB Zone, and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), for work on a wetland restoration and park amenities construction contract. The NAICS Code is 237990 (size standard $45,000,000 average annual receipts for preceding five fiscal years). No awards will be made from the responses to this synopsis. No solicitation will be available at this time.

Responses will be used to determine appropriate acquisition decisions for a future procurement. 

A. BACKGROUND AND INFORMATION FOR CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT

The New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (District) is preparing plans and specifications for primarily ecosystem restoration at Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey.

1. The goal of the project is to create a resilient coastal ecosystem within a highly urbanized setting that provides both ecological and social benefits. Primary project components include:

1. Restoration of the Liberty State Park interior including approximately 46.2 acres of tidal wetland habitat, 25.0 acres of non-tidal wetland habitat, and 72.6 acres of native upland habitat.
2. Enhancement of approximately 7.1 acres of existing non-tidal wetland (4.5 acres) and upland (2.6 acres) habitats by removing invasive flora and planting native species.
3. Creation of park amenities to accommodate and provide public interaction with this habitat restoration project, such as trail networks, overlooks, bird blinds, viewing hills, and a restroom.

The State of New Jersey, acting through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), is the non-Federal sponsor for this project.

2. The magnitude of the Liberty State Park Ecosystem Restoration project is between $100,000,000 and $250,000,000.  The duration of construction is anticipated to be approximately 1,686 calendar days after Notice to Proceed. Notice to Proceed is anticipated to occur approximately in October 2027.

B. OPERATIONAL CONSTRAINTS

The Contractor will conform to all local, state, and federal laws while carrying out the construction process for this project. This includes paying all fees and obtaining all permits required for the work.

The Contractor shall prepare and submit a site-specific safety and health plan to the Government for approval prior to mobilization. 

C. SURVEY OF THE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR INDUSTRY

The following is a confidential survey questionnaire designed to apprise the US Army Corps of Engineers, NY District, of any prospective construction contractors’ project execution capabilities.  Please provide your response to the following questions. At the end of this survey, you will be asked to provide any comments.

General

The proposed project is for the Liberty State Park Ecosystem Restoration project:

1. Description of project: ecosystem restoration and park amenities. The proposed project is for construction.
2. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 237990.  The Small Business Size standard is $45,000,000.
3. The following information is required from interested sources:
   1. Name of firm with address, phone, and fax number, point of contact and email address.
       
   2. Identification and verification of the company as a Small Business Administration (SBA) certified HUBZone Small business firm, or a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) firm, or an SBA certified 8(a) firm with an SBA approved office for performing a competitive acquisition in the State of New York, or a Small Business firm under the size standard assigned to the procurement.
       
   3. A CAGE Code and UEI (Unique Entity ID) Number for the firm.
       
   4. Statement of Interest: Would you be willing to bid on the project described above?  Please provide a brief description. If the answer is no, please explain why not.
       
   5. If you were to bid, would you be bidding on this project as a sole contractor, prime contractor with subcontractor(s), or as a joint venture?
   6. Is there a dollar limit on the size contract that you would bid?
   7. What are the largest construction contracts (in dollar amounts) on which you were the prime contractor?
   8. The scope of this construction contract involves Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC). What is your experience with this type of work, either performing as the prime or overseeing a qualified subcontractor?
   9. The scope of this construction contract involves removal of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste. What is your experience with this type of work, either performing as the prime or overseeing a qualified subcontractor?
   10. Qualification Criteria: Responses to this Source Sought shall provide information that indicates the contractor has the experience to perform the work as specified above. Firms should respond to this notice by providing at least three relevant projects that the firm performed as a Prime Contractor.  No more than five relevant projects can be submitted as Past Experience.  Firms shall provide the dollar value of past relevant projects that the firm performed.
   11. What is your bonding capacity per contract? What is your total bonding capacity.
   12. The interested contractor should list the percentage and type of work that they will self-perform. Interested responders should refer to the following FAR Clauses to see the Limitations on Subcontracting that pertains to specific Set-asides.

FAR 52.219-14 pertains to Small Business and 8(a) Set-asides.  If the acquisition is set-aside for all Small Businesses or the 8(a) Program, the concern will perform at least 15 percent of the cost of the contract, not including the cost of materials, with its own employees. 

FAR 52.219-3 pertains to HUBZone Set-asides.  If the acquisition is set-aside for HUBZone Small Businesses, at least 15 percent of the cost of contract performance to be incurred for personnel will be spent on the HUBZone prime contractor’s employees; and at least 50 percent of the cost of the contract performance to be incurred for personnel will be spent on the HUBZone Prime Contractor’s employees or on a combination of the HUBZone Prime Contractor’s employees and employees of HUBZone Small Business concern Subcontractors; and no more than 50 percent of the cost of contract performance to be incurred for personnel will be subcontracted to concerns that are not HUBZone Small business concerns.

FAR 52.219-27 pertains to Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) set-asides.  If the acquisition is set-aside for SDVOSB, at least 15 percent of the cost of the contract performance incurred for personnel will be spent on the concern’s employees or the employees of other Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business concerns. A joint venture may be considered a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business concern if at least one member of the joint venture is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business concern, and makes the following representations:  That it is a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business concern, and that it is a Small Business concern under the North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) code assigned to the procurement; and each other concern is small under the size standard corresponding to the NAICS code assigned to the procurement; and  the joint venture meets the requirements of paragraph 7 of the explanation of Affiliates in 19.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.  The joint venture meets the requirements of 13 CFR 125.15(b)

D. Contractor’s Comments or Recommendations

Please provide comments or recommendations, if any.

Please note that this notice is not a commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract as a result of this notice or to pay for any information received. This synopsis neither constitutes a Request for Proposal or Invitation for Bid, nor does it restrict the Government to an ultimate acquisition approach. The Government should not construe this Sources Sought Synopsis as a commitment for any purpose. The Government does not intend to rank submittals or provide any reply to interested firms.

Submit Survey Questionnaires to:

Attn:  Nicholas Emanuel and Jordan Moran, CENAN‑CT, US Army Corps of Engineers, NY District, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY, 10278

Email: Nicholas.P.Emanuel@usace.army.mil and Jordan.K.Moran@usace.army.mil

Survey Questionnaires will not be accepted after 4:00 pm on the original response date shown in the advertisement in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).  If the original response date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a Federal Holiday, the response date will be moved to the next business day.

Firms responding to this source sought announcement, who fail to provide ALL the required information requested, will not be used to assist the Government in the acquisition decision, which is the intent of this sources sought announcement.