Inactive

General. This is a SOURCES SOUGHT and is for informational/market research purposes only. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, QUOTATION OR BID, NOR A SYNOPSIS OF A PROPOSED CONTRACT ACTION UNDER FAR S... General. This is a SOURCES SOUGHT and is for informational/market research purposes only. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, QUOTATION OR BID, NOR A SYNOPSIS OF A PROPOSED CONTRACT ACTION UNDER FAR SUBPART 5.2. This Sources Sought is to gain knowledge of the interest, capabilities, and qualifications of industry so the government can make informed business decisions. We are seeking responses from both large and small business members of industry to include: Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Businesses to include 8(a) firms, Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone), Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) to include Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small business (SDVOSB) and Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB). All interested parties are highly encouraged to respond. Reponses to this Sources Sought announcement will be used by the Government to make business decisions and to inform potential future solicitations. The North American Industrial Classification Code (NAICS) for this requirement is: 541380, Testing Laboratories and Services. The related size standard is: $19 million in average annual receipts. Formal Sources Sought Response Due – 24 October 2025 at 3:00 PM Project Background. This potential solicitation is for verification, inspection, and witnessing services of dimensional, non-destructive examination (NDE), operational verification, and electrical testing at shops/facilities on behalf of the USACE. There are multiple ongoing USACE contracts that are focused on the rehabilitation and replacement of components associated with hydroelectric turbine-generator units/powerhouses including, but not limited to, generator guide bearings, generator thrust bearings, turbine guide bearings, generator shafts, turbine shafts, head covers, bottom rings, wicket gates, Francis turbine runners, propeller turbine runners, adjustable blade turbine runners, cranes, generators, exciters, and transformers. These components may be from the existing units that are refurbished or may be entirely new that are worked on at shops/facilities located around the world. These inspections would include travel to the shops/facilities, observation of the inspections, and reporting. Inspector cannot provide actions or direct the shops/facilities based on these observations and will only be under contract with USACE. The feedback provided from this Sources Sought request will be used to inform the Government during the development of this potential solicitation. Project Scope. Verification, inspection, and witnessing of dimensional, NDE, operational, and electrical testing on behalf of USACE at shops/facilities completing rehabilitation and/or replacement work. The following information provides a high level of scope objectives for a potential solicitation related to inspection witnessing: ~1 hour coordination call between a USACE point of contact familiar with the component(s) being inspected and the inspector attending the inspection to go over applicable drawings, items to focus on, requirements during the inspection, and any other questions. Travel to/from the facility location where an inspection is being completed (location to be provided ahead of time). A list of cities/countries of common facilities is provided in Attachment A. An inspection may include verification, inspection, and witnessing of dimensional, NDE, operational, or electrical testing, as defined below. The role of the inspector is to be a third-party witness for observation only. The inspector cannot provide engineering feedback or action items for correction to the facility completing work. If issues arise during the inspection, the inspector can contact one of the pre-identified USACE point of contacts. Verification - Verifying manufacturer process, including insulating materials, coil, core, and active assemblies, material certifications, and interpreting plans and bill of materials for intended complete assemblies. This will require inspectors be familiar with the hydropower component assemblies and the standard terms associated with those components. Dimensional – Verifying dimensions associated with the components such as, but not limited to, hydraulic profile checks, diameters, lengths, runouts, perpendicularity, flatness, and surface finish that would be provided in final machining drawings and check sheets. Non-Destructive Examination – Verifying results for visual (VT), liquid dye penetrant (PT), ultrasonic (UT), and/or magnetic (MT) testing that is being completed for castings or welded fabrications. Operational – Verifying performance or functional results of items or assemblies according to manufacturer drawings and specifications, including verification of test setup, expected outcome, and results. Electrical Testing – Verifying manufacturer test setups, test equipment, and industry standards referenced in specifications, and expected outcomes for electrical equipment such as crane drives, generators, exciters, transformers, and their associated metering and control systems. It is anticipated that the inspections would be paid for based on time increments that are determined ahead of the inspection such as 4 hours, 8 hours, or multiples of those for multiple days of up to 12 hours per day. Following travel and witnessing the inspection, submit a report that summarizes what dimensional and NDE checks or electrical tests were witnessed by the inspector and the recorded results. ~1 hour debrief between the previous USACE point of contact and the inspector who attended the inspection to go over the results, important observations, and questions. Number and Type of Contracts: NWP is contemplating a single or multiple BPA. The acquisition strategy decision has not yet been determined. Maximum Small business participation is being sought at both the Prime and subcontracting levels. Anticipated Source Selection Process: The expected method to determine the best value to the government is to evaluate price and past performance. Project Specific Constraints and Challenges: Existing component refurbishment and new component supply work is happening at shops/facilities located all around the world. Therefore, travel to these shops/facilities would be expected if a potential solicitation was created. Inspectors located closest to a given shop/facility should be used if available. The exact number of inspections can be estimated but is highly dependent on the manufacturing schedule associated with other ongoing contracts, which often changes. Shifts in schedule for inspections is expected and is seen as a challenge for this potential solicitation. Inspectors would be required to be able to write and speak in English for coordination calls and reporting. Submission Instructions. Formal responses to this Sources Sought notice must be submitted electronically (via email) with SUBJECT: Sources Sought – USACE International Quality Inspections. Please email to Andrew Sprys, Contracting Specialist, at Andrew.J.Sprys@usace.army.mil .before the date noted on this release. Interested parties’ responses to this Sources Sought are asked to limit their submissions to ten (10) pages and include the following information (responses to questions below is Section 6 do not count towards a page count): Firm's name, address, point of contact, phone number, e-mail address, CAGE and Unique Entity ID. Firm's business category and size: Large Business (include summary of small business participation metrics), Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Businesses to include 8(a) firms, Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone), Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) to include Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small business (SDVOSB) and at the subcontracting level, Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB). An explanation of the prime firm’s capabilities, special qualifications/certifications and equipment as it pertains to the proposed work outlined in the Project Scope. A description of work that has been performed by the prime firm that is similar to scope described in Paragraph 3 and was completed under similar constraints and challenges listed under Paragraph 4. Please include as many of the following topics within the description: Scheduling Travel Types of inspections Reporting Qualifications Coordination. Firm's Joint Venture information if applicable - existing and potential. Firm's interest and the likelihood in bidding on a potential solicitation related to the scope described above, if advertised. (Refer to planned advertise and performance dates) Responses to the government’s questions in paragraph 5 and any other information the Firm feels the government needs to be aware of. Questions for Industry (these are not mandatory but will greatly help in developing a scope and award that aligns with industry practices): Is there anything in our project scope that would discourage you from bidding? Is there anything in our project scope that would cause enhanced pricing uncertainty? Are there any market conditions or industry practices that you feel the government needs to be aware of? If a solicitation was developed, would the cities/countries of anticipated inspection locations be necessary for pricing? What is your company’s capability to travel to the locations listed in Attachment A? If not all, please identify which ones would be possible. How much notice would be required to schedule an inspector after providing the location of the shop/facility and the expected scope of the inspection? The schedules associated with existing component refurbishment and new component supply typically shift around, sometimes happening within the week prior to a planned inspection. How are shifts in inspection schedules typically handled on other efforts within your company? For example, is there a minimum amount of notice required for the inspector and if a shift happens in less time than that, are partial payments typically required for travel expenses if already completed? USACE will not know the length of all inspections at the time of a potential solicitation. To prepare for this, one idea is to develop options for inspections of different time lengths. See Attachment B as an example. Is this type of set up typical for inspections of unknown length? Are there other approaches that would be recommended? Would it be preferred that there are different items per type of inspector? Are single source BPAs, multiple source BPAs both feasible options for a potential solicitation? Are there preferences and if so, why? The following are questions related to NDE qualifications to inform us on typical industry standards for inspectors. Please provide input typical to your company. Are most inspectors trained to support both dimensional and NDE type of inspections? For inspectors with NDE qualifications, are there typical groupings of qualifications? For example, is it common for someone to have PT, UT, and MT qualifications? Or is it more common to have 2 of the 3 and if so, what are the most common pairings? Are inspectors qualified for both ASNT (CP-189, SNT-TC-1A) and ISO (9712) standards? Is one or the other more typical? Are inspectors also qualified as CWIs in accordance with AWS QC1? For the qualification standard that is used, what is the typical availability of Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 inspectors? The following are questions related to electrical inspection qualifications. Please provide input typical to your company. Are NETA qualified inspectors available? Are inspectors available that are familiar with IEEE standards for transformer testing? Are inspectors available that are familiar with NFPA70? Disclaimer and Important Notes. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this Sources Sought or any follow up information. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's capabilities to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or to provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. All interested firms must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov to have size status considered. You must remain current for the duration of the source selection process to be eligible for award of a Government contract. Attachments: Attachment A – Anticipated Locations for Inspection Facilities Attachment B – Draft Performance Elements