--Towboat and towing services for the US Army Engr Dist St. Louis

Sources Sought Switch Boat Upper Mississippi River Locks & Dams 25, 24, 22, 21, and 20 The purpose of this sources sought notice is to gauge what level of interest there might be in the towing community/industry for the scope of work described below. Consequently, the US Army Corps of Engineers is conducting market research to gather inform ation and input regarding strategies from interested parties. This is not a Request for Proposal, a Request for Quotation, an Invitation for Bids, a solicitation, or any indication that the Corps of Engineers will contract for the concept contained herein . The Government does not intend to award a contract based solely on the submission of this request nor does it intend to pay for any costs incurred as a result of this announcement. Offerors having the skills, experience and capabilities necessary to pe rform the stated requirement are invited to provide information to contribute to this market survey/sources sought. Contractor shall furnish all facilities, labor, materials, tools, and equipment to provide a towboat equipped for the purposes of pulling and securing 1st cuts of double-cut lockages, assisting in lock operation, ice & debris removal, and other duties need ed at Locks & Dams 25, 24, 22, 21, and 20. The towboat shall meet all requirements of the United States Coast Guard and be equipped with tow knees. The towboat shall be fully staffed with an operator and two deck hands. The towboat shall have a rating o f 1200-1600 horsepower and a maximum length of 70 feet. The towboat and crew will be required to meet all safety requirements of EM385-1-1, Corps of Engineers Safety Manual. Coast Guard Safety Inspections will be performed on the vessel at the start of t he contract and every 6 months thereafter. The Contractor shall manage the maintenance, repairs, replacement, etc. of the towboat to ensure adequate, dependable service. If the towboat dispatched to the site is out of service for more than 8 hours, the Contractor shall be required to provide anoth er towboat at no additional cost to the government, unless the outage is scheduled and pre-approved by the Lockmaster or his approved representative. The Lockmaster or his approved representative will provide directions for use of the towboat, as well as designate mooring locations. As Contracting Officers Representative, the Lockmaster has full authority to direct other work, including but not limited to: ice removal, debris removal, and helper boat. The towboat shall be furnished for a base period of 1 year, with two optional yearly contract periods, not to exceed three years total. Interested businesses are invited to submit qualification statements addressing whether they can perform any of the tas ks as outlined. A potential bidders qualification statement should not exceed 5 pages, minimum 10 pitch font. Potential bidders are asked to specify points of contact and which locations the POCs can support, including a summary of the identified soluti on, technical description of the solution, and company information including background/experience, list of equipment and/or facilities owned or leased in support of this effort, differentiators, and key points of contact. This announcement constitutes a sources sought/market research synopsis and will close on June 23, 2006. Responses to this sources sought notice must be submitted by 3:00 PM Central Time on Friday, June 23, 2006 to Ms. Lisa White. One copy of responses m ust be in hard copy form, sent to Ms. White at either of the two addresses provided below. Responders must also send an electronic submission of its response to Ms. Lisa White at contact@example.gov. For US Mail only: US Army Engr Dist St. Louis Attn: CEMVS-CT-X, Lisa White 1222 Spruce Street St. Louis, MO 63103 For courier or commercial carrier: US Army Engr Dist St. Louis Attn: CEMVS-CT-X 1222 Spruce St reet St. Louis, MO 63103 E-mail your questions to Ms. Lisa White at contact@example.gov