Southeast Florida Sediment Morphodynamics

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District 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 this requirement for Southeast Florida Sediment Morphodynamics. The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 541620 with a size standard of $15M. There is no solicitation at this time. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred. The purpose of this synopsis is to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities and qualifications of various members of industry, namely the Contractor Community to include Section 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Women-Owned (WOSB) and Historically Underutilized (HUBZone) concerns. The Government must ensure there is adequate competition among the potential pool of responsible contractors. The technical services to support missions of operation and maintenance for navigation and coastal storm risk management to identify solutions for long term sediment management and resiliency in southeast Florida includes the following scope of work: - the measurement, analysis, and forecasting of sediment transport and pathways in order to develop conceptual models that influence southeast Florida inlets and beaches; - the design, development, implementation, and execution of three (3) project site specific sand, silt, and/or clay fraction sediment tracer studies, which require interpretative analysis and reporting to inform sediment morphodynamics in the project areas. Additionally, it requires the following: - integration of sediment tracer results into a Delft3D model framework or equivalent (see attachment A for minimum model requirements) for calibration and validation purposes. Further advancement and development along with production of the model along with supporting metocean data may also be a requirement of this work; - knowledge and experience in utilizing the Delft3D model, or equivalent, framework collecting and analyzing metocean data to accurately represent large scale physical oceanography and project scale sediment dynamics near inlets and in the presence of coral reef environments. Radioactive, magnetic, or radio-isotope tracer material is not authorized due to the sensitive coral/hardbottom environment of planned release locations. The tracer must be manufactured to mimic natural sediment characteristics and clay fraction sizes, and be environmentally safe for release and long term tracking; - continued sampling and analysis of sediment tracers previously released in southeast Florida by an ISO-9001 certified laboratory to process sediment concentration and particle sizing to ensure continuity of interpretation and analysis. The Modeling Requirements are as follows: 1. Three dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic and wave modeling (wind, waves, currents, water levels) 2. Three dimensional (3D) sediment transport (morphological change over time, sediment pathways and transport rates) 3. Capture large scale oceanographic features in model (Gulf Stream, Florida Current, and any break off eddies) Question: Would you explain the reason why the use of magnetic and naturally occurring radio-isotope tracer material is not authorized for use? Answer: The Government is utilizing the following criteria to determine appropriate tracer properties; ease of measurement, no naturally-occurring background concentration in sediment, lack of interference with sediment movement, chemical stability, and environmental safety and sensitivity. Radioactive tracers are banned in the USA. Natural radio-isotopes or radionuclides are naturally present in rocks and sediments providing a natural label depending on the chemical composition of the minerals. In addition radioactive tracers have not shown to work effectively for tracing fine suspended sediments. Similarly, magnetic tracers cannot mimic natural fine suspended sediment accurately or consistently over time. In addition, due to the minimum size of the magnetic particles, it is not possible to produce sediment tracer particles below 42 microns, which means that the vast majority of silt and clay particles cannot be produced at all. Magnetic tracers rely on detecting the particles by determining the mass or weight of tracer particles in a sample rather than number, making them very unreliable and without the size range needed for the scope of work. This sources sought notice is not a request for competitive offers and no solicitation package is available. However, firms that believe they can provide the requested services may submit substantiating documentation in writing within thirty days of this notice. Documentation will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. Oral communications are not acceptable in responses to this notice. Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the above-listed services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by 4 June 2018 at 0900 hours, Eastern. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to Mr. James Tracy at james.t.tracy@usace.army.mil and Ms. Tracey Brooks at tracey.n.brooks@usace.army.mil . Prior Government contract work is not required for submitting a response under this sources sought synopsis. You must be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) in order to receive a Government contract award. To register go to www.sam.gov. If you have any questions concerning this opportunity, please contact: Mr. James Tracy at (904)232-2107 and Ms. Tracey Brooks at (904)232-1992.