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This Sources Sought is not a Request for Proposal, Request for Quote, or Invitation for Bid. There is no commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation, make awards, or pay for respondent's expenditures made in response to this notice. Interested vendors are responsible for monitoring this notice for any subsequent amendments. All submissions become government property and will not be returned. Any solicitation issued as a result of this notice will be in a separate announcement.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District is considering a requirement for construction services for the Alvin Bush Dam Rock Wall Stabilization Project. The anticipated magnitude of construction is between $10,000,000.00 and $25,000,000.00. The small business size standard is $45,000,000.00 for this NAICS. The purpose of this notice is to survey interest and obtain capability statements from industry. The jobsite is located at the Alvin Bush Dam on Kettle Creek in Clinton County, PA. The dam falls within the Susquehanna River Basin and is approximately 30 miles northwest of Lock Haven, PA. Kettle Creek joins the West Branch of the Susquehanna River at Westport, 15 river miles above Renovo and 112 river miles above the mouth of West Branch of the Susquehanna.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Original construction of the Alvin Bush Dam began in 1959 and was operationally completed in 1962. It is owned, operated, and maintained by the USACE Baltimore District. Primary features of the dam include an earthen embankment; an uncontrolled spillway with concrete weir; and a gated outlet consisting of a control tower and concrete lined tunnel through bedrock.

The embankment is zoned with a maximum height of 165 ft. and length of 1,350 ft. The spillway was excavated into rock during original construction of the dam, is made of concrete and measures 250 ft. wide across the crest. An access bridge approximately 550 ft. downstream of the spillway crosses the spillway channel and is the only means of access to the project site during times of high discharge (a separate access road exists approximately 0.5 miles downstream but is inundated during high discharge or spillway flow). Bordering the top of the spillway excavation on the right side is Kettle Creek Road (State Route 4001). The existing walls along the spillway are made of concrete. However, the right wall was only lined to the immediate location of the existing weir, whereas the left side extends 80 ft. downstream of the access bridge. The rock face along the right wall of the spillway channel is deteriorated and has nearly eroded back to the state roadway. This is caused by erodible areas of the rock being weathered away and collapsing into the spillway channel. This process has also been accelerated by water runoff coming from the above roadway and down over the face of the spillway wall. Freeze/thaw conditions involving this runoff as well as groundwater seepage also acts as an accelerant. This progressive erosion has caused the exposed rockface to migrate towards the edge of the roadway, threatening to damage the shoulder, and furthermore undermine the road.

Similar to the spillway area, the rock walls of the dam’s primary outlet channel have deteriorated due to the erosion of weathered zones which results in the collapse of overlying blocks. Additionally, flow from the tunnel outlet erodes rock at the base of the channel downstream of the low concrete walls, allowing more fall in. In 1986, shotcrete was applied to the face of the walls approximately 60 ft. downstream in order to stabilize the walls. Some vertical rock bolts (believed to be shallow) were installed around the perimeter of the cut, along with slush grouting of the ground surface to limit infiltration. Chain link fencing, held in place by rock bolts into the face, covers the shotcrete area (installation date uncertain). This system however has currently failed, leading to further erosion and large rocks falling off the face of the walls, creating an unsafe environment.

The main feature of work for this stabilization project includes the installation of anchored, reinforced concrete liner walls against the exposed rock faces at both the spillway and outlet channel. The concrete liner walls will be constructed to effectively protect the weak rock face from exposure and weathering and will restrain movement of localized areas of rock thereby maintaining the stability. Rock excavation by line drilling with 3-inch diameter holes at maximum 6-inch spacing will be required along the alignment of the new walls to allow the concrete to be placed uniformly along and directly against the finished rock face alignment. Rock anchors are required to increase the stability of both the proposed concrete liner wall, and bedrock blocks or wedges that have a potential of failing. To establish the rock anchor design, a non-traditional method was utilized due to the extended size (both length and height) of the concrete wall. The anchor type selected for this project is a high-strength (150 ksi) all-thread anchor bar with pre-assembled double-corrosion protection. The anchor holes will be drilled normal to the slope/wall at downward 4:1 batter. A minimum anchor hole diameter of 4-1/2" is needed to accommodate the design anchor sizes with corrosion protection. The anchor hole will be pressure tested and pre-grouted to assure watertightness prior to installation. After installation, the anchor will be single-stage grouted and tensioned once the required grout strength is achieved. The bearing plate is located within a concrete block-out, located one foot beneath the concrete wall surface. This anchor type and installation method reduces costs while providing adequate stability. The 45-foot wall height design requires 165 kips of individual anchor load, which is satisfied using a 1-3/4" dia. bar size, the 38-foot wall height design requires 142 kips of individual anchor load, which is satisfied using a 1-3/8" dia. bar anchor, the 32-foot wall height design requires 112.5 kips of individual anchor load, which is satisfied using a 1-1/4" dia. bar anchor.

In addition to the main feature of work, additional features will be constructed as part of the total project scope of work. These additional features include installing a new concrete ditch along the edge of the state roadway adjacent to the top of the right wall of the spillway, installing a new concrete headwall to the end of an existing 18 in. pipe, constructing a permanent access road into the spillway, and constructing new stairs and a ladder to safely access the outlet channel.

CAPABILITIES STATEMENT

Vendors interested in the potential procurement shall submit a brief capabilities statement no longer than ten pages. The capabilities statement shall include the following.

1. Company name, address, point of contact, phone number, e-mail address, CAGE code, and UEI number.

2. Business size in relation to the NAICS, including small business category as applicable (e.g. woman-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, etc.).

3. Narrative of a maximum of five relevant construction projects within the past ten years. Describe work performed as a prime or subcontractor, dollar value of the projects, and customer names. The following are considered relevant to this project.

a. Ability to obtain all necessary project permits for this type of work; specifically related to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (PADEP NPDES) Permit.

b. Experience in the design of Erosion and Sediment Control Plans for the project in accordance with the PADEP Erosion and Sediment Control Program Manual 363-2134-008 and the preparation of the PAG-02 General Permit for Discharges of Stormwater Associated with Construction Activities NOI including a completed Stormwater Pollution Prevision Plan (SWPPP).

c. Professional Engineer, licensed in the State of Pennsylvania, with experience in the submissions of the NPDES General Permit NOI with completed Erosion and Sediment Control Plans and the (SWPPP) package to the Clinton County Conservation District, PA.

d. Experience with line drilling for rock excavation in preparation of the rock face for concrete placement, as well as general earth moving activities related to the excavation of rock materials.

e. Experience with installation of the new concrete wall structural anchoring systems and the expertise in drilling, grouting, and tensioning said anchors.

f. Experience with construction of large concrete walls including formwork, reinforcing, concrete mixing and placement in congested spaces, curing and finishing.

g. Experience with coordination with PennDOT and experience in traffic control and the use of traffic control devices.

Email capabilities statement to Ms. Trahon Battle, Contract Specialist at trahon.d.battle@usace.army.mil and Mr. Ryan Fernandez, Contracting Officer at ryandale.r.fernandez@usace.army.mil no later than 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, February 9, 2023; reference Sources Sought W912DR-23-X-0TAP. Submissions will be shared with the Government project delivery team, but otherwise will be held in strict confidence. No feedback or evaluations will be provided to respondents regarding their submissions. If you have any questions, contact Ms. Trahon Battle by email.

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