Y--Improve Protection of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal

The Government seeks, through the solicitation and award of a design-build contract, a remedy for a hurricane and flood related problem in Orleans Parish. This Pre-solicitation notice provides to the potential proposers a broad overview of this procu rement. The notice explains the overall problem the Government desires to remedy through this procurement, explains the Governments approach to the procurement, provides general information on the method of selection, and outlines how the Government plan s to make key technical data available to the proposers. The problem is the lack of adequate protection provided by the existing hurricane protection on the IHNC and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway /Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (GIWW/MRGO) to the areas adjacen t to the IHNC and the GIWW/MRGO from a design storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico through Lake Borgne and Lake Pontchartrain. Scope of Work The work will require that the contractor provide 100-year flood protection from waters coming from the Gulf of Mexico, through Lake Pontchartrain, and through Lake Borgne, and the GIWW/MRGO. Minimum flood protection provided shall be the 100-year water h eights and wave loading, design parameters that will be provided by the Corps of Engineers. The protection will be based on future conditions for the year 2057 for all designs. The protection system may be in the form of levees, floodwalls, floodgates, some combination of these, or some other innovative method. The existing flood protection in the construction region shall not be compromised or degraded without prior approval. Design and the sequencing of construction elements shall not increase the potential risk of interim flooding beyond existing conditions. Factors of safety and stability of all protection systems shall comply with the most recent applicable U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Criteria. The affect of waves, both vessel and wind generated, shall be included in all designs. The flood protection shall be designed for minimum operat ion and maintenance costs. This includes design and construction of various hurricane and flood control measures meeting the requirements that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will furnish to the short-listed firms. The US Army Corps of Engineers has split the project into two separate requirements: one to protect the IHNC and GIWW/MRGO from a 100-year frequency storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico through Lake Borgne into the GIWW/MRGO and the second to protect the IH NC from the water heights and waves generated by the same storm on Lake Pontchartrain. We will issue the advertisement for the second requirement at a later date to be determined. This pre-solicitation only pertains to the first requirement to protect th e area from storm surge entering the IHNC from the Gulf of Mexico through Lake Bornge, and the GIWW/MRGO. Approach and Selection The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is confident that the design-build delivery approach will save time, and generate holistic, innovative solutions to the problem above. The US Army Corps of Engineers intends to procure design-build services by means of FAR Part 36; Subpart 36.3 Two-Phase Design Build Selection Procedures method. In step one, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) will be issued, and from the respondents Statement of Qualifications (SOQ), select a short-list of three, but not less than two, an d no more than five firms. In step two, the design-build Request for Proposals (RFP) will be issued to the short-listed firms to request their proposed technical approach, design, and associated price. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will select a singl e technical approach based on a Best Value selection process. The initial RFP will be a Draft RFP. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is interested in using short-listed firms input to improve its RFP, and currently the plans are to issue the draft RFP to short-listed firms, followed by a pre-proposal conf erence. The US Army Corps of Engineers will then issue the final RFP. To encourage innovative solutions to the stated problem, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will not prescribe a design but rather provide key technical data and design criteria to the shortlisted firms. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has previously util ized the services of an Architect-Engineer (A-E) firm to develop a conceptual framework of possible solutions to verify that there is a solution to the problem. The US Army Corps of Engineers is also developing environmental data for the areas including c onsideration of some of the possible alterations that may occur to the areas with a protection plan chosen from the proposers. This data and the conceptual plan will be made available to proposers for their use in preparing their bids. The task of select ing the best technical approach and optimizing that approach is left to the proposers. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers however, has no particular bias toward any particular technical approach previously considered. It remains the responsibility of the proposer to collect any additional data they determine necessary to develop their technical approach. While the RFP selection criteria have not been fully developed, at a minimum the following factors are currently under consideration: technical approach, management team, experience, O&M costs, proposed schedule, and price. The contract type is cost-reimbursable plus an award fee. It is in the best interest of the Government to have a contractor or contractors on board early in the design-build process. Response Please indicate interest as a potential offeror (prime or joint venture partner) to this planned procurement by responding to Karen Golden via letter or e-mail at: U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Contracting Division ATTN: Karen Golden HPO, Rm 184 PO Box 60267 New Orleans, LA 70160-0267 contact@example.gov The Government invites your comments and concerns to this planned procurement, as described above. The Government values and will consider all input received, however, we do not intend to respond directly to each comment.