USACE National Enterprise Dredging Center Small Business Dredging Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC)

                                                                                Sources Sought Notice

                                                                                                  for

USACE National Enterprise Dredging Center Small Business Dredging Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC)

This is a Sources Sought/Request for Information only. This is NOT a Solicitation Announcement, nor is it a Request for Proposal. This request does not obligate the Government in any contract award.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Enterprise Dredging Center plans to award a multiple task order contract (MATOC) for maintenance dredging within the Boundaries of the United States.  This contract will be established primarily to serve the boundaries of the United States area of responsibility. The maximum number of contract awards will be dependent upon the number of offerors whose proposals the Source Selection Authority determines meets the requirements of acceptability as set forth in the solicitation.  The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) executes construction contracts for regular, reoccurring, and emergency National Enterprise Dredging requirements at various coastal harbors, inland rivers, canals, and connecting channels throughout the United States. Individual projects are typically annual requirements and may utilize mechanical, hydraulic, or a combination of dredging equipment and techniques with activities to include but not limited to maintenance and new work dredging, dredged material placement, and other activities such as Confined Disposal Facility (CDF), Dredged Material Disposal Facility (DMDF), or upland containment facility maintenance, groundskeeping, other earthwork at placement sites, surveying, or other work connected with dredging and placement requirements. Task orders issued under this MATOC will require the contractor to mobilize dredge plant and support vessels to the project location, perform dredging as shown on the respective plan(s), place dredged material—which may include beach nourishment, open-water placement, CDFs, DMDFs, beneficial use, or alternative placement strategies as indicated in individual task orders—and demobilize once complete. The solicitation will be issued in electronic format only and will be posted on the Sam.gov website at https://sam.gov/.  In order to receive notification of any amendments to this solicitation, interested vendors must REGISTER AS AN INTERESTED VENDOR on the Sam.gov website at https://sam.gov/.  If you are not registered, the Government is not responsible with providing you with notification of any amendments to this solicitation.  You must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) in order to be eligible to receive an award from this solicitation.  For additional information, please call 866-606-8220 or visit the SAM website at https://www.sam.gov/. NAICS Code 237990 Dredging and Surface Cleanup Activities, size standard $37 million. NOTE: TO BE CONSIDERED A SMALL BUSINESS, A FIRM MUST PERFORM AT LEAST 40 PERCENT OF THE VOLUME DREDGED WITH ITS OWN EQUIPMENT OR EQUIPMENT OWNED BY ANOTHER SMALL BUSINESS (13 CFR 121).

The maximum ordering capacity for the 5-year ordering period of the MATOC and maximum task order amounts are TBD.

Below are the draft source selection criteria proposed:

1. FACTOR 1: Technical Capability
   
   1. Submission Requirements:
      
      1. Dredge Information: The offeror shall provide documentation for any dredges being proposed for use under this solicitation/contract, and any subsequent task orders. If the proposal does not include at least one of the identified dredges below, then Factor 1 will be rated “Unacceptable”. Proposed dredges must include a minimum of at least one of the following:

1. Cutter Suction Dredge - employs a mechanical cutter to break up material which is then excavated hydraulically and transported to the placement site through a pipeline.
   1. Minimum Requirement: 10-inch discharge diameter or larger
   2. Mechanical Dredge - uses of some form of bucket to excavate and raise submerged material.
      1. Minimum Requirement: 5 cubic yard bucket or larger

Offeror can submit more than one dredge(s) that meets the minimum requirements above in responding to this evaluation factor. Dredges that are still under construction or are in the process of undergoing major reconstruction will not be considered.

The dredge documentation must include the following information:

1. dredge type;
2. certify that the dredge meets minimum requirements stated above;
3. proof offeror owns the dredges submitted (leased dredges are not acceptable).

1. FACTOR 2: Past Performance
   
   1. Submission Requirements: Offerors will be required to provide three (3) past performance examples of recent and relevant maintenance dredging projects for the type of dredge submitted under Factor 1 – Technical Capability, which demonstrate that they have experience accomplishing the following: dredging of Navigation Channels, Rivers, Harbors, Inland Waterways with depths ranging from 6 feet to 50 feet. The past performance examples must include dredging that has been performed within the last six (6) years from the date of the solicitation. 

In addition to submitted examples, the Government may review any other sources of information for evaluation of past performance.

If the Offeror is proposing as a Joint Venture (JV), Partnership and/or Teaming Arrangement and past performance cannot be provided as such, each partner shall submit past performance information but shall not exceed the three (3) projects total for this factor.

1. Note 1: NAA: The Offeror will be required to provide documentation related to EM 385-1-1 requirements such as Floating Service Naval Architecture Analysis (NAA) with either MATOC or Task Order proposal.

2. Note 2: The Offeror may be required to submit a letter of commitment with their proposal from a surety that confirms that the offeror's bonding capacity meets a specified minimum amount.

All interested firms with 237990 as an approved NAICs code have until 11 September 2026 at 1500 EST to submit the following information:

- Name & Address of your Firm

- Point of Contact (Name/Phone/E-mail)

- Current SAM

- Documentation of ownership of at least one of the following:

▪ Cutter Suction Dredge (employs a mechanical cutter to break up material which is then excavated hydraulically and transported to the placement site through a pipeline) - min 10" or larger diameter

▪ Mechanical Dredge (uses of some form of bucket to excavate and raise submerged material) - min 5 cubic yard bucket

Dredge documentation must identify the dredge by name, serial number or some other way that leaves no doubt which particular dredge is being discussed.

- Business Size, to include designation as HUBZone, 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Woman-Owned Business, and Large Business. Any supporting documentation that confirms your socio-economic status should be provided, i.e., letter of certification from VA confirming SDVOSB status. The Government must be able to verify SBA certification of HubZone and 8(a) via SAM.

- Bonding capability - both single and aggregate capacity contracts, as evidenced by submission of Surety Company Letter stating bonding capacity.

- Evidence of capabilities to perform comparable work (dredging projects). The contractor must provide evidence of comparable work on two (2) recent projects greater than $1,000,000.00 in value (not more than seven (7) years old.) Include the project name and description of the key/salient features of the project (completion date, total contract construction value, and your company's level of involvement in the project, i.e., subcontractor (type), prime, GC, etc. and your specific role. Additionally, if you were teaming with another firm, clearly identify your role on the project(s) submitted. Please provide at least one point of contact (with e-mail address and phone number) for project validation. The Government will not give credit to projects if the lack of information hinders the ability to determine relevancy and/or level or experience.

- Firm's capability to perform, to include geographic span and project size.

- Information on Teaming Arrangement (if applicable). Although we are not looking for formal signed agreements at this time, if you intend to "team" with another firm, formally or informally, you must submit information, not more, than one (1) page, about your team's involvement. More specifically, you must submit sufficient information for the Government to determine the roles each team member will play and what your socio-economic status is or will be considering the proposed arrangement. Therefore, included in your one (1) page if you are a Small Business and you intend to mentor/protégé and/or JV with a large business both team members must sign agreeing that 40% of the labor will be performed by the 8(a) firm. Additionally, if the team is a mentor/protégé arrangement, identify the areas that will be mentored. Any supporting documentation that confirms your socio-economic status as a team should be provided.

The Government may not give credit to your socio-economic class if there is not sufficient documentation to support it or if the Government cannot verify through other means that your business is as such.

Responses to this Sources Sought Announcement will be used by the government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. All interested businesses, regardless of size should submit a narrative demonstrating their Specialized Experience in similar type contracts, Past Performance, Key Personnel. Capability statements should include size/classification of your firm, bonding capacity, bonding availability, details of similar projects, and the completion dates, references and contract amount for the similar projects listed.

Narratives shall be no longer than 30 pages.  The requested information shall be submitted electronically to:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Attn: Rosalind M. Shoemaker and Melissa Vaughn

E-mail: rosalind.m.shoemaker@usace.army.mil and melissa.a.vaughn@usace.army.mil

The email should be titled: National Small Business MATOC

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS SUCH.

Do not send hard copies of advertising or promotional materials. Please ensure that all responses are comprehensive and provide a name and point-of-contact for your firm for follow-up by this office or the procuring contracting officer. If you have responded to any previous e-mail messages or had other communications with our office regarding preliminary market research for this project, please be advised that it will be necessary for you to respond to this e-mail and the questions contained therein. Any responses involving teaming agreements should delineate between the work that will be accomplished by the Prime Contractor and work accomplished by the teaming partner

All information is to be provided on a voluntary basis at no charge to the Government. There is no entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs related to or arising out of responding to this request for information. All information provided becomes property of the Government. There is no guarantee, expressed or implied, that the market research for this acquisition will result in any guarantee of award or acquisition strategy.