Y--Harpers Slough Islands

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District issued solicitation W912ES-14-B-0007 for the Harpers Slough Islands Environmental Management Program, a habitat rehabilitation and enhancement project located in Pool 9 of the Mississippi River in Allamakee County, Iowa. The project involves the construction of various islands using granular fill from main-channel dredging for the bases, with fine fill from access and habitat dredging for the tops. Larger islands will include an intermediate layer of random fill. The scope of work further includes planting the islands with grass and willows, stabilizing shorelines with rock structures, and installing stand-alone rock features using off-site rock. Site access is restricted to the river, and the project area is located within a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service closed area. This procurement is a total small business set-aside under NAICS code 237990, structured as a firm-fixed-price contract with a base requirement and four options. The estimated base price ranges between 1,000,000 and 5,000,000 dollars. The project is supported by several environmental authorizations, including a Sovereign Lands Construction Permit, a Flood Plain Development Permit, and a Water Quality Certification Permit, the latter of which mandates strict equipment decontamination to prevent invasive species. Multiple amendments were issued to the solicitation to revise the bid schedule, update technical specifications for measurement and payment, incorporate updated Davis-Bacon wage rates, and extend the bid opening date to September 5, 2014.