Y--Harlan County Dam Stoplog Construction Project Awarded

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS ANNOUNCEMENT. This is a Sources Sought Synopsis announcement; market survey for information only, to be used for preliminary planning purposes. No proposals are being requested or accepted with this synopsis. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS AND NO CONTRACT SHALL BE AWARDED FROM THIS SYNOPSIS. 1. Purpose. The purpose of this project is to provide a spillway dewatering structure for Harlan County Lake's Dam. The structure is necessary to enable maintenance and rehabilitation of the existing Tainter Gates. 2. Dam Location and Description. Harlan County Dam is located on the Republican River in south-central Nebraska near Alma, NE. The dam was built in the early 1950's as part of a flood control/irrigation project. The dam is combined earth-rolled embankment and concrete gravity dam. The concrete section includes a controlled spillway regulated by 18 Tainter Gates, 9 sluice gates and two irrigation outlets. The Tainter gates are 40 feet wide and 30 feet high and located between piers located 48 feet on center. The existing piers are constructed of an 8 feet wide section above the spillway weir. The piers resist forces imposed by the water and Tainter gates under various water levels and gate configurations. The piers also carry loads from the bridge that spans between the piers. The reinforcing in the piers is typically spaced at 12 inches on center vertically and horizontally, with 4 quote mark concrete cover. The spillway bridge above the Tainter Gates is simple span with 18 spans. The cast-in-place deck and sidewalks are supported by steel girders, floorbeams and stringers. The steel members are non-composite with the deck. 3. Project Description. The work in this contract involves fabricating 16 new stoplogs, 4 new pier guides, 2 support (sill) beams, 1 lifting beam, and 1 rigid template. The pier guides and support beam will be installed on the upstream face of the dam by Hilti HIT-RE 500-SD Adhesive Anchoring System and stainless steel (ASTM F593 CW2 (316)) all-thread anchors. The stoplogs will be constructed of ASTM A709 plate steel and fabricated into H-sections, approximately 47'-7 quote mark long. The web thickness is inches. To accommodate tolerances and limit weight, upper and lower-bound thicknesses of the flanges are specified 0.80 quote mark and 0.75 quote mark , respectively. Each stoplog will be placed between vertical pier guides attached to the upstream side of the weir. The vertical pier guides are also constructed of ASTM A709 steel plates and fabricated as built-up H-sections, approximately 17 feet long. The pier guides will be anchored to the upstream face of the weir. A grout pad is placed between the guide and the pier to address surface defects, tolerances of stoplog system erection, superior seal against water, and for immediate force transmission from stoplog bearing pressures into the dam's pier. The stoplogs will rest on a support beam. The support beam will be fabricated from a bent ASTM A 709 steel plate (approximately 48 feet long), bent in the shape of an inverted L, and have intermittent stiffener plates welded to the support beam. The top horizontal surface of the support beam is the sill for the stoplog system. The support beam is also anchored to the concrete dam. To address the conditions of the upstream surface of the dam as well as construction tolerances, a grout pad is placed between the dam and both the pier guides and support beam. Fabricating the stoplog system's steel structures will require (but is not limited to): weldment fabrication by a certified welder meeting AWS D1.5 or AWS D1.1 (as applicable) standards, weldment inspection by a certified weld inspector, and vinyl painting (3-A-Z paint system). Precision machining will be required to meet the required tolerances. Many tolerances for stoplogs, pier guides, and support beam allow less variation than ASTM A6 for similar rolled sections. 4. Installation. Two options for installing the steel structures have been evaluated and appear feasible. One option is to lower the structures into place with a crane from the bridge. It is anticipated that, in addition, a barge will be required upstream of the spillway for installation of pier guides and support beam, and their respective anchors. The second option for placing the steel structures is from barges on the lake upstream of the spillway. 5. Bridge. If a crane from the spillway bridge will be used to deploy the stoplogs and other components of the stoplog system, the bridge could be subjected to larger loads than it was designed to support. In accordance with the 2011 AASHTO Manual for Bridge Evaluation (MBE), Second Edition, the bridge was analyzed considering crane loads for a permit load condition. Local crane rental companies and crane manufacturers crane configurations and support reactions were collected. The bridge deck and structural steel members were analyzed to determine the maximum permit loads that could be allowed. The result is that the bridge is capable of carrying the expected crane loads without exceeding its capacity. The bridge was investigated for a 65 Ton crane configuration. As part of the work plan that shall be approved prior to starting work, the contractor shall provide the pattern and magnitude of loads imposed by the specific crane they plan to use for all expected lifting conditions required for the work and permit load rating calculations in accordance with AASHTO MBE to ensure they do not exceed the capacity of the bridge. The minimum recommended permit live load factor is 1.4, the minimum impact factor is 1.0, and the capacity of the bridge shall account for the bottom flange width reduction of 1-inch as noted in the calculations. The loading configurations and calculations are required to be submitted for USACE approval to ensure overloading the bridge does not occur. 6. Major Activities. a) Field-verify condition and measure upstream surface of the Dam to ensure grout pad can be placed and all tolerances prescribed in the plans and specifications can be met. b) Construct underwater test anchors in pre-cast concrete blocks. Perform pull-out tests of the anchors. c) Locate the vertical sealing plane for stoplog erection. Perform Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to locate and subsequently mark Pier rebar at anchors. A plan for approval shall be submitted explaining method for placing template and locating anchors within tolerances. For rebar located under the water surface elevation, it is acceptable to project vertical rebar vertically and to assume horizontal rebar is spaced per Record Drawings. The maximum acceptable GPR elevation is 1956.0 ft for locating vertical rebar. d) Perform any existing concrete preparation or repairs if required. e) Verify proposed anchor lengths are sufficient. f) Upon approval of the plan (step b), fabricate a rigid template that meets the requirements specified in the plans and specifications. Fabricate pier guides, support beam, stoplogs, and lifting beam in accordance with plans and specifications. g) After shop verification that template conforms to tolerances, install template on dam. Apply debonding agent or plastic cover to template prior to grout placement. Template must be securely placed and surveyed to verify location will produce the desired location of the sealing plane within tolerances. h) Locate and install pier guide and support beam anchors. i) With template and formwork securely placed, place grout. j) Remove formwork. Inspect and repair any damage to grout. k) Flush mount pier guides and support beam to grout pad at spillway bay to be dewatered. Prior to deploying guides, grease inside flanges for smother deployment of stoplogs. l) Install stoplogs between pier guide flanges such that stoplogs do not get hung up and damage does not occur to seals. Deploy no more than eight stoplogs per spillway bay. 7. Divers. It is assumed that pool levels during construction will be normal and diving will be required to install the pier guide anchors as well as the support beam anchors. It is also assumed that diving will be required to fasten the pier guides and support beam to the anchors. It is at the contractor's discretion to develop ways to dewater these areas in lieu of diving. *************************************************************************** 8. Information Sought. Of particular interest in the sources sought is to receive industry suggestions to improve the value or lessen the difficulty of select activities. These activities include: a) Stabilizing pre-cast concrete blocks for drilling and installation of test anchors. b) Size limitation of test anchor specimens for transport and testing of anchors. c) Splice locations in the stoplogs, and other suggestions that assist with the machining or transportation of the stoplogs. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT AND/OR REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI). This Sources Sought/RFI is for information and planning purposes only as defined by FAR 15.201. The purpose of the posting is to ascertain the breadth of interest and capability of the marketplace to fulfill a specific need. This Sources Sought/RFI does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ), Request for Proposals (RFP), or an Invitation for Bid (IFB), or a promise that any of the aforementioned will be issued in the future. This request does not commit the Government to contract for any services or supplies. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is not seeking quotes, proposals, or bids at this time; nor will USACE accept any of the aforementioned at this time. Responders are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred as a result of responding to this Sources Sought/RFI. If a solicitation is released in connection to this requirement, vendors must be actively registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database to be eligible for an award. Firms can register via the CCR internet site at http://www.ccr.gov. For further questions or concerns regarding CCR, please contact CCR assistance at +1 (555) 000-0000 Monday through Friday from 08:00 to 18:00 (EST). Potential vendors must also complete their online representations and certifications. To do so requires CCR registration, including an MPIN number. Instructions for the Offeror Representations and Certification Application (ORCA) may be obtained, and required information may be entered at http://orca.bpn.gov. This sources sought notice is solely for the Governments use as a market research tool. As such, the issuance of a competitive solicitation is not guaranteed. All responsible sources are encouraged to submit a response to this notice with a statement of interest on company letterhead no later than January 4, 2013 by 16:00 (CST). The response to this notice shall be in summary format and shall not exceed twenty (20) pages. All attachments must be provided in either Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat PDF format. At a minimum, please provide the following: 1. Company name; 2. Company mailing address; 3. Point(s) of Contact including Telephone Number(s) & E-mail Address(es); 4. Current socioeconomic status of your company as it relates to (NAICS) Code 237990 5. A brief synopsis of your company's capabilities to meet this requirement. 6. Bonding capacity for projects of this type and magnitude 7. Suggestions for any/all of the following: a) Stabilizing pre-cast concrete blocks for drilling and installation of test anchors. b) Size limitation of test anchor specimens for transport and testing of anchors. c) Splice locations in the stoplogs, and other suggestions that assist with the machining or transportation of the stoplogs. Per the direction of FAR 4.5 Electronic Commerce in Contracting, The Federal Government shall use electronic commerce whenever practicable or cost-effective. Therefore, responses to this announcement shall be sent via email to contact@example.gov. Responses via FAX or traditional mail will not be accepted. All information received will be considered. Failure to respond to this notice does not preclude a firm from offering on any resultant solicitation; however, a lack of interest in this requirement may keep this effort from moving forward competitively. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT OR AUTHORIZATION TO INCUR COSTS IN ANTICIPATION OF AN AWARD. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT BOUND TO MAKE ANY AWARDS UNDER THIS NOTICE. PLEASE DIRECT ALL QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE via EMAIL TO contact@example.gov or contact@example.gov. (This sources sought is related to the Sources Sought currently posted under W912DQ-13-R-1004 for the Harlan County Dam Tainter Gate Replacement)