Synopsis: Biological Sampling and Testing of Dredged Material IDIQ

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District (NYD) intends to issue a solicitation package seeking to award one Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for the physical and biological testing of dredged material. 

The IDIQ contract would include the sampling and testing of dredged material proposed for placement at the Historic Area Remediation Site (HARS). HARS sampling and testing would adhere to the procedures, and their subsequent updates, as described in:

1. 2016 US Army Corps of Engineers New York District/EPA Region 2 Guidance for Performing Tests on Dredged Material Proposed for Ocean Disposal  (a.k.a. Regional Testing Manual) (http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/Portals/37/docs/regulatory/Formdoc/FINAL_NYD-R2_REGIONAL_TESTINGMANUAL-APRIL%202016.pdf)
2. 1991 EPA/USACE, Evaluation of Dredged Material Proposed for Ocean Disposal (a.k.a. the Green Book) (https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/green_book.pdf). 

The IDIQ contract would also include the sampling and testing of dredged material proposed for upland placement. “Upland” sampling and testing would adhere to the procedures, and their subsequent updates, as described in:

1.  New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) New Jersey Administrative Code (NJAC), Title 7, Chapters 9 and 26 (a.k.a. ‘NJAC 7’) (https://dep.nj.gov/rules/current-rules-and-regulations/)
2. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) manual, entitled “Technical & Operational Guidance Series (TOGS) 5.1.9 In-Water and Riparian Management of Sediment and Dredged Material” (November 2004) (a.k.a. ‘TOGS 5.1.9’) (https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/water_pdf/togs519.pdf)
3. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York Codes, Rules and Regulations (NYCRR), Title 6, Part 375 (December 2006) (a.k.a. ‘6 NYCRR Part 375’) (https://extapps.dec.ny.gov/docs/remediation_hudson_pdf/part375rlso.pdf).

Other state procedures may also be requested and would be coordinated between NYD and the contractor to determine capabilities.

Task orders would include all or some of the following:

1. sediment and water collection (on Contractor-supplied ship)
2. handling, processing and shipping of samples
3. physical and chemical analyses
4. quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) procedures, and necessary corrective actions. 

For each task order, the contractor would provide reports containing the sampling logs, all testing results and QA/QC information in the format required by NYD, EPA – Region 2, and/or state agencies. 

Prior to sampling and testing, a Work/Quality Assurance (QA) Plan and an Accident Prevention Plan (APP) would need to be prepared by the contractor and approved by NYD. A Work/QA Plan must include:

1. descriptions of all technical procedures for field sampling, laboratory analyses (e.g. biological, physical) for HARS and upland testing, data reduction and validation, and reporting
2. clearly written standard operating procedures (SOP) for all field, experimental and analytical procedures
3. clearly defined QA objectives that are consistent with the regulations (e.g. Regional Testing Manual, Green Book, NJAC 7, TOGS 5.1.9, and 6 NYCRR Part 375) and if applicable, permit application
4. mechanisms for conducting performance and systems audits during the course of the field laboratory work
5. procedures for detecting problems with sampling and analytical work, and implementation of corrective actions in a timely manner.

All sampling would be performed within the Port of New York & New Jersey, all Federal Navigation Channels within New York District, the length of the Hudson River, in the Atlantic Ocean at the Historic Area Remediation Site and its Mud Dump Reference Site. “New Work or Harbor Deepening” projects may be proposed and coordinated between NYD and the contractor.

A detailed description of work required for these contracts will be provided in its entirety upon issuance of the complete solicitation.  Prior to issuance of the solicitation, it is highly recommended that interested parties read the required regulations (e.g. Regional Testing Manual, Green Book, NJAC 7, TOGS 5.1.9, and 6 NYCRR Part 375) in order to obtain a thorough understanding of the work required by the NYD and EPA – Region 2 dredged material testing program. 

The Period of Performance will be the Base Year and four (4) option years from the issuance of the Notice to Proceed (NTP).  This contract will be up to $2,000,000 for the base year and for each of the four option years.

One contract will be awarded on an Unrestricted basis to the lowest bidder who has, within the last 18 months, demonstrated their capability of performing the program’s work to EPA – Region 2.  A bidder can prove their capability through one of the following:

1. the bidder has received, within the last 18 months from EPA – Region 2, documentation stating that the laboratory has submitted data that is fully acceptable or acceptable with qualification; or
2. the bidder has satisfied the Demonstration of Capability (DOC) requirements for the NYD and EPA – Region 2 dredged material testing program. 

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541380.  The business size standard is $25,500,000.