Spring Creek North Ecosystem Restoration Project

SUBJECT: Market Survey- Spring Creek North Ecosystem Restoration Project, Queens, NY Please advertise the information below in the Sam.gov for a period of fifteen (15) calendar days: 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 from contractors with experience conducting Thin Layer Placement (TLP) techniques for wetland restoration. No awards will be made from the responses to this synopsis. No solicitation will be available at this time. General Information This is a Sources Sought announcement; a market survey for information only, to be used for preliminary planning purposes. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSAL AND NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED FROM THIS SYNOPSIS. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this synopsis or any follow up information request. Information provided by the Respondents will not be made publicly available and will remain confidential. 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 your comments. Description and background USACE and New York City Parks (local sponsor) is advancing an ecosystem restoration project within the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The Spring Creek North project area is a 48-acre portion of Spring Creek Park located adjacent to the banks of Spring Creek and Ralph's Creek tributaries of Jamaica Bay. The proposed ecosystem restoration project seeks to improve the habitat in Spring Creek Park and Jamaica Bay. The construction, maintenance, and improvement of the network of channels in Jamaica Bay required the dredging of millions of cubic yards of material. Historically, most of this material was deposited in nearby wetland areas, profoundly degrading the salt marsh community at Spring Creek. The proposed project would restore 45 acres of presently degraded habitat to 8.0 acres of low marsh, 9.4 acres of high marsh and transition marsh zones, 1.1 acres of scrub shrub wetland, and 26 acres of maritime upland. A component of the overall project includes restoration/uplift of roughly 12.5 acres of existing wetlands. It is envisioned that this would be accomplished via Thin Layer Placement (TLP) style operation. The site has a number of unique challenges related to construction access, import of material, and TLP methodologies. As such, USACE is seeking input from contractors with applicable experience to establish a feasible construction approach for the site. With that input, USACE hopes to tailor the design and permitting approach to the project to maximize flexibility and efficiency during construction. Access and Material Import: Pairing with a nearby Operation & Maintenance (O&M) or construction dredging operation for sand is unlikely. It is assumed that the sediment for the TLP application will be purchased and imported to the site. Via Water: At this time, the project team assumes that the most practical approach for importing sand material will be to barge it as close to the site as possible from Betts/Spring Creek. However, that could be constrained by water depths, tidal fluctuations, and by the Belt/Shore Parkway bridge over Betts/Spring Creek. With the need to slurry the imported material for the TLP application, it is assumed that importing the sediment via barge has the advantage of being immediately adjacent to a water source for the slurry operation. Via Road: The site is flanked by the Belt/Shore Parkway to the south/east and by the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens to the north/west. The congested nature of the surrounding area could hinder the feasibility or cost effectiveness of hauling material to the site. Further, each of the surrounding roadways, come with their own unique constraints for access: Fountain Ave.: No direct access to the site. Flatlands Ave.: Overland access via Flatlands Ave. does not connect to targeted TLP areas and would require temporary stream crossings (see additional discussion below for on-site access constraints). 75th St. and 157th Ave.: Currently, there is no construction access planned via this side of the site. The design team has concerns about hauling significant volumes of material through the adjacent residential area. Belt/Shore Parkway: While we anticipate being able to provide equipment access off the shoulder of the highway, there are concerns about the practicality/feasibility of importing a significant volume of material at this location. Traffic and congestion associated with any of the surrounding roadways could impact daily schedules and workflow. On-Site Access Constraints: The proposed TLP areas are fragmented by on-site water bodies. Using Ralph's Creek as a boundary, the south/east portion of the site could only be accessed via Betts/Spring Creek or the Belt/Shore Parkway. The north/west portion of the site can only be accessed by Flatlands Ave. or 75th St. The - bridge over Spring Creek visible on aerial images is actually two 15'x8.5 sanitary lines, which are likely unsuitable for use as a haul road. As such, crossing of Spring Creek would need to be supported on a temporary bridge. Any other crossings over Spring/Ralph's Creek would require temporary stream crossings. Information Sought Responses to this market survey should address the following topics in TLP Methodology. TLP Application Methodology: Material Placement: There is an interest in minimizing equipment use on the existing marsh platform. Past projects have shown that even with the use of matting, portions of wetlands that see equipment travel can require additional/expensive restoration. This is the driver for the TLP style operation. We understand that placement of material can vary between high-pressure, long-range sprayers to more localized applications (i.e., bleeder pipes). We'd like to understand: What kind of equipment is available locally? What types of soils work well/poorly with the equipment that is available? What is the piping range on these setups? What are the perceived problems with barging material as close as possible and then pumping out over the marsh plain? What can be built into the design and regulatory approvals to maximize the number of bidders and to offer the selected contractor as much flexibility as possible? Slurry Operation: Whether overland or via barge, imported material would need to be slurried for the TLP application. If via barge, it is assumed that the contractor would set up a batch slurry plant from which the material would be distributed. We are interested in feedback on this approach. Alternatively, if overland hauling of material is a viable option, we'd be interested in how the selected contractor would approach the slurring operation (likely being much further from an available water source). Are there other viable options we have not considered? Perimeter Containment: The traditional approach for TLP projects was to provide continuous perimeter containment around areas receiving sediment. This can be heavy handed and expensive. Recent projects have had success with only using perimeter containment as-needed and at the contractor's discretion. We are interested in local contractors' experience and recommendations. Equipment What type of standard construction equipment do you own and/or operate for work on soft soils such as hydraulic excavators outfitted with long reach booms, low-pressure off-road hauling equipment, low ground pressure dozers, low ground pressure utility vehicles, use of timber mats to support excavators and to assist in moving across wet areas of the site that is suitable for the work described? For each item of equipment that you list, please specify its load capacity, modifications and any other relevant characteristics. Responses can include additional information in one or more of the following experience. Experience working with Thin Layer Placement methodologies. Please describe the project, identify for whom the work was performed, and the dates the work was performed. Explanation on perimeter containment, material placement and slurry operations. Evidence of capabilities to perform comparable work in the area of General Construction associated with ecosystem restoration with Thin Layer Placement application. Include project name and description of key/salient features of the project (i.e., amount of CY of sediment used for TLP application, methodologies) Experience with Congested nature of New York City Roads with constraints of access to construction site. Experience working in a Marsh/Wetland Environment. That may include use of temporary stream crossings, mattings and other temporary road access. 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. Any information submitted by respondents to this Market Survey is strictly voluntary. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS: The market survey response shall not have a font size smaller than 12-point. Submittal should be in text .pdf format. Respondents should answer questions listed in Attachment 1. USACE is interested in feedback regarding feasible and cost-effective approaches to establishing site access and importing material. Please include the following administrative information: Company Name: Cage Code: Mailing Address: Point of Contact: Phone Number: Email: Attn: contact@example.gov Survey Questionnaires will not be accepted after 2:00 pm on the original response date shown in the advertisement in the 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.