Z--Maintenance Dredging at Portsmouth Harbor and Piscataqua River in ME and NH

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District is soliciting contractors for maintenance dredging at Portsmouth Harbor and Piscataqua River in ME and NH. The NAICS code for this procurement is 237990. The project is planned to be issued in on or about 20 August 2012. The construction window for dredging activities is between December 1, 2012 and March 15, 2013. The estimated construction cost is between $500,000 and $1,000,000. Any responsible source meeting this standard may submit a bid to be considered by the New England District. The project involves maintenance dredging and advance maintenance dredging to remove a total of about 15,000 cubic yards of sand and gravel from the authorized 35 foot deep channel in the Piscataqua River. The work involves removal of 3 distinct, relatively small shoal areas within the Simplex Reach. Advance maintenance dredging to -40' Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) plus 2' allowable over-depth dredging will be performed on the primary shoal located adjacent to the Tyco Integrated Systems Company wharf (i.e. formerly the Simplex Wire and Cable Co. dock). Maintenance dredging to -35' MLLW plus 2' of allowable over-depth (i.e. 37' below MLLW) will be performed on the other two shoals; one located upstream of the primary shoal and one located downstream of the primary shoal. The dredged material will be placed at a previously-used, in-river disposal area, located about 3,000' seaward of the dredging area. Because of the dynamic nature of the area, it is anticipated that it will be necessary for the contractor to dredge to the allowable depths (i.e. -42' and -37' respectively) to positively clear the required depths of -40' and -35' below MLLW. The dredging window for this work is 1 Dec -15 Mar. Due to uncertain weather conditions and potential ice flows in the river, we are targeting the beginning of the dredging window to complete the work. The Piscataqua River has one of the swiftest tidal currents of all of the commercial waterways in the U.S. Tidal currents can exceed 5 knots. Any dredging work is inherently dangerous, but it is especially critical when working during the winter months in relatively deep water, against swift tidal currents and around high vessel traffic that is involved in the transport of hazardous cargos in a densely populated area such as the international port of Portsmouth. The Contractor will be required to conduct the work in such a manner as to not obstruct navigation, and the contractor's plant will be required to be moved on the approach of any vessel to such an extent as may be necessary to afford a practicable passage. The solicitation will be available on or about 20 August, 2012 and will be available for downloading by accessing the Federal Business Opportunities website (http:/www.fbo.gov). In order to view this solicitation, prospective contractors are required to self register their firm with Federal Business Opportunities (go to http:/www.fbo.gov and register under Vendor/Citizen). Amendments, if any, to the solicitation will be made available at the http:/www/fbo.gov website. Neither telephonic, mailed nor fax requests will be accepted. Registrants are responsible for the accuracy of the information on the FedBizOps Registration List.