Walla Walla District Dworshak Unit 4, Industry Day and One-on-One Sessions Announcement

2/19/2026: Industry Questions and Answers posted with attendance list. 

______________________________________________________________

11/21/2025: minor update to PLA questions. 

________________________________

Walla Walla District Dworshak Unit 4 Industry Day and One-on-One Sessions Announcement

Registration and General Information

W912EF26RSN02

USACE Walla Walla District is developing multiple acquisitions to expand the generation capability of the Dworshak Dam Powerhouse by installing a fourth generating unit (Main Unit 4) and associated powerhouse structure extension.  Dworshak Dam is located on the Clearwater River in Ahsahka, ID, approximately 50 miles east of Lewiston, ID. Additional scope of work can be found on the following pages along with a list of questions and desired information the Government would like to learn about your company regarding this project.  This information is intended to provide you awareness of what the Government would like to learn.  However, you are encouraged to share more information if you believe it will help the Government in developing the solicitation packages.

The multi-functional team within the Walla Walla District and Hydroelectric Design Center will be conducting an open forum and one-on-one sessions Dec 10-11, 2025, in order to share information on the government’s requirements and preliminary acquisition strategy, as well as to obtain industry feedback.  The government’s briefing will be conducted virtually.  The briefing will begin at 9 a.m. PST followed by an open forum question and answer session.  Following this briefing, one-on-one sessions will be conducted virtually.  Each company will be allotted one (1) hour and thirty (30) minutes for the one-on-one session. Please limit the number of company representatives to no more than three (3) attendees in order to facilitate effective one-on-one dialogue.  The purpose of the one-on-one session is to answer questions and allow the government to obtain specific feedback from your company’s representative.  Marketing/capability briefings are not authorized during the one-on-one session.

For our planning purposes, you are requested to provide the following information if you are interested in participating in the open forum and/or the one-on-one session:

1. Name of Company
2. Name of each individual attending, his or her contact number and e-mail addresses
3. Specifiy if attenting optn forum and/or requesting a one-on-one session 

Please provide the above information to jani.c.long@usace.army.mil and Leanne.r.walling@usace.army.mil by 4 December 2025.  Please include the title, “Company Name – Industry Day Attendees” in the email subject line.  You will be notified of your scheduled one-on-one session within two (2) days of receipt of your request. 

If you have questions you would like to submit in advance, please provide them to the above e-mail addresses no later than 4 December 2025.  If you consider the questions proprietary, please clearly mark them as such.

Summary of Scope of Work:

The Government intends to accomplish this work through multiple, firm fixed-price procurements with a proposed work breakdown and general scopes as follows:

1. Powerhouse Building Extension and Site Development – Preparation of site, construction of powerhouse substructure, and erection of functional building envelope for powerhouse extension.
    
2. Generator Step-Up Transformer – Supply contract for the procurement and delivery of a single three-phase ~300MVA transformer.
3. Turbine-Generator – Design, supply, installation and commissioning of a hydroelectric generator with an approximate rating of 250-300MW.
4. Balance of Plant – Auxiliary mechanical and electrical systems to support power generation and powerhouse operations.
5. Hydraulic Steel Structures – Supply of standalone steel structures such as gates, bulkheads and trash racks.
6. Contractor Access and Work Hour limitations: The office building will be occupied throughout the duration of the project.  Normal business hours for US Army Corps personnel will be 6:00am to 6:00pm Monday through Friday.  On-site construction activities will be limited to specific areas.
7. On-site construction is estimated to begin in June 2029.

Existing Conditions, Constraints & Challenges

• The Government intends to extend the configuration and design of the existing powerhouse for Main Unit 4. 
• Operation of the existing powerhouse and associated operations and maintenance activities will continue throughout all construction related to the addition of Main Unit 4.  Contractor operations must minimize disruption to Government operations and personnel.
• Disruption of the power generating capacity of existing units will not be allowed except during specific defined times when the units are out of use. These periods will be referred to as “outages.” Additional outages necessary for construction may be coordinated by the contractor, subject to Government approval.
• The project site has very limited room for contractor operations and equipment staging adjacent to the powerhouse. Access to the powerhouse is currently through a single road which has minimal turnaround and parking spaces. Remote sites, either Government- or Contractor-provided, will likely be necessary for work crew parking, equipment staging, office trailers and tool storage.
• Contractor means and methods including the construction of temporary in-water structures in the tailrace or necessary site development of the skeleton bays may be considered to reduce cost and schedule impact of site constraints.
• An existing on-site rock quarry is available to the contractor for development and extraction of materials.
• Should it prove advantageous to project cost and/or schedule by providing additional site access, an unmaintained roadbed from the dam’s original construction remains along the east bank of the North Fork Clearwater River between the town of Ahsahka and Dworshak Dam’s spillway.
• Transportation and delivery routes for large or heavy equipment may be limited by the capacity of bridges and other public transportation infrastructure.
• The work will occur adjacent to, over, or in water. Environmental controls will be critical to avoid oil spills and other impacts.
• There may be other prime contractors on-site at the same time for other proposed procurements. Contractors will need to coordinate between other contractors and with the Government.

Other Supporting Information: 

• Att. A – DWR Unit 4 concept sketches ALTS 1-3-20250818
• Att. B – Dworshak Photos – Existing site & historical construction
• Att. C – Dworshak civil structural existing reference drawings

Industry Day Questions 

General Qeustions: 

a. Powerhouse Building Extension and Site Development

1. Which aspects of this scope are best suited to design-build, if any? Please explain.
2. What elements of this project scope does your organization find particularly attractive?
3. What elements of this project scope would discourage you from bidding?
4. Based on the attached sketches of concept alternatives, provide contractor feedback and/or recommendations to improve schedule and/or cost
5. Where could stated or perceived site access constraints be relaxed at Government discretion to reduce contract cost and/or schedule?
6. Which aspects of this scope increase pricing uncertainty and in what way?
7. What factors other than scope would incentivize or discourage you from bidding on this work?
8. Are there any market conditions or industry practices that you feel the Government needs to be aware of?
9. If bidding as a prime, what features of work or percentage of the project scope would you self-perform?
10. Have you had experience dealing with a manufacturer of specialized equipment as a sub-contractor?
11.  Have you had experience in dealing with coordination of a third-party contractor, e.g. a separate contract was flown for provision of hydraulic steel and installation/oversight of hydraulic steel?

 Schedule and Workforce

1. What is the estimated duration for this project scope, inclusive of both design (if design-build) and construction?
2. Are there recommended scope items that should be phased? If so, please explain.
3. What would be the preferred work schedule for an effort like this, considering the scope and the project location?
4. What would be the estimated maximum size of work crew on site needed to accomplish the work?

. Turbine-Generator Questions

1. What elements of this project scope does your organization find particularly attractive?
2. What elements of this project scope would discourage you from bidding?
3. What interest would your company have in operating as a subcontractor to a prime also responsible for site development and construction of the powerhouse building expansion?
4. Would there be interest if a contract was for the provisions of all hydraulic steel and turbine and generator components, oversight/coordination of installation of the draft tube and scroll case, and installation of the remainder of the turbine/generator?
5. Can you describe the contract structure allowing you to bid confidently while giving you flexibility to deliver the best performance turbine at the lowest cost?
   1. What are the tradeoffs to the ideal scenario above it ht eturbine procurement must be firm-fixed price?
6. Would you be interested in a design only contract?  Would you be willing to provide and install another party’s design?
7. Assuming a separate turbine contract from construction of the powerhouse building expansion, can you describe the best way to integrate installation of major components (ex. draft tube liner install & embedment, scroll case pressure testing) with the contract constructing the building around the turbine-generator?
   1. Under a standalone turbine contract, how soon after turbine contract award would design parameters for the draft tube liner profile and scroll case be available?
   2. How would your company prefer to approach conducting final concrete installations of the draft tube and draft tube liner?
8. Given the scope of this effort, how long would it take to finalize a hydraulic design?  How long would the installation effort take?
9. Previous feedback indicated that there was no need to split the turbine in order to ship it to site.  Did this look at all the routes/transportation?  Did it examine the existing powerhouse door limitations (16 ft)?

Balance of Plant Questions

1. What generator voltage rating is recommended (e.g., 13.8kV or 25kV) and why?  Note that Unit 3 is rated 13.8kV.
2. What governor oil system pressure is recommended and why?  For the recommended pressure, what is approximate number of accumulators and floor space required.  Note that Unit 3 is rated 350 psi.

Project Labor Agreement (PLA) requirement questions: 

1. Do you have knowledge that a PLA has been used in the local area on projects of this kind?  If so, please provide supporting documentation. 
2. Are you aware of skilled labor shortages in the area for those crafts that will be needed to complete the referenced project?  If so, please elaborate and provide supporting documentation where possible.
3. Are you aware of time sensitive issues/scheduling requirements that would affect the rate at which the referenced project should be completed?  If so, please elaborate and provide supporting documentation where possible.
4. Identify specific reasons why or how you believe a PLA would advance the Federal Goverment's interest in achieving exonomy and efficiency in Federal procurment. 
5. Identify specific reasons why you do not believe a PLA would advance the Federal Government’s interest in achieving economy and efficiency in Federal procurement.
6. Identify any additional information you believe the Government should take into consideration regarding the use of a PLA on the referenced project.
7. Does your company intend to bid/propose on this project if a PLA requirement is included in the solicitation? Does your company intend to bid/propose on this project if a PLA requirement is not included in the solicitation?
8. What are the likely cost impacts, if any, to your bid/proposal price if a PLA requirement is included in the solicitation?  Please provide as much detail as possible regarding any anticipated cost impacts (positive or negative) of the inclusion of a PLA requirement, including any information you can provide about the magnitude of the anticipated impact.
   • The information gather in this exercise should include the following information on projects completed in the last 2-5 years (or other timeframe, as appropriate):
     • Project Name and Location
     • Detailed Project Description
     • Intitial Cost Estimate vs. Actual Final Cost
     • Was the project completed on time?
     • Nuber of craft trades present on the project 
     • Was a PLA used?
     • Where there any challenges eperienced during the project?