SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Hoover Dam - Commercial Visitor Services
- Notice Date
- 12/15/2004
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region Contracting Office P.O. Box 61470 Boulder City NV 89006
- ZIP Code
- 89006
- Solicitation Number
- 05SP308041
- Response Due
- 1/13/2005
- Archive Date
- 12/15/2005
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) manages all of the operations, engineering, maintenance, and public visitor services activities directly related to Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam is located on the Colorado River 30 miles south east of Las Vegas, Nevada. Reclamation intends to issue a 'Concessions Prospectus' for an individual or company to provide management services for the visitor services portion of the Hoover Dam activities. Hoover Dam is perhaps the most historically significant dam within the United States. Hoover Dam sits across the Colorado River (Nevada/Arizona boundary) and forms Lake Mead. The Dam which was built during the depression and completed in 1935 provides downstream flood protection, water for agriculture and human consumption, and power generation. A major highway presently crosses the dam providing the main route between Southern Nevada (Las Vegas) and Northern Arizona. Over 1,000,000 people per year pay to tour Hoover Dam, an equal number just stop and look around the top of the dam. Reclamation operates a large tour/visitor services center and provides a multi-story parking structure on the Nevada side of the dam. A parking fee is charged. Reclamation provides exhibits related to the construction of the dam and conducts tours inside the plant as well as giving interpretive talks on top the dam. There are retail outlets, run by the State of Nevada under the authority of the Randolph Shepard Act (blind vendors), providing souvenirs and food and beverage to the public. Reclamation has two contracts, not concessions, with companies to provide ticket sales for dam tours, parking management and some associated retail sales. Reclamation has recently developed National Concessions Management Policies and Guidelines, and Hoover Dam intends to transition most of the existing contracts, visitor services management and support to a single concessionaire. The scope of work would include ticket reservations and sales, marketing, parking management, development and merchandising of souvenirs and interpretation services, visitor security, facility general maintenance, and retail operations. The overall management and administration would be expected to assure that all operations run efficiently and provide good value and service to the public, by one company. No subcontracts will be allowed. Visitor services are conducted everyday, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas, with spring and summer receiving the most visitation. Tours conducted in the interior portions of the dam will continue to be conducted by federal Reclamation staff. There may be an increased opportunity for interpretative services in several languages, and concessions on top of the dam. In Fiscal Year 2004 the above activities generated approximately $11.6 million in sales. The initial opportunities will not require significant investment as all the facilities are government owned and fully functional. The concessionaire would be expected to enhance the historic Hoover Dam experience while maintaining the dignity of the area. Reclamation is in the process of investing more than 1.5 million dollars to refurbish and upgrade exhibits in the visitor center. There is also an existing site plan to expand the visitor experience and still maintain a high level of security. The timing for implementing the new plan is tied closely to completing the new bridge across the Colorado River just below Hoover Dam. The new bridge will remove the traffic from Hoover Dam and allow the visiting public to enjoy the dam without the disruption of passing cars and trucks. The bridge is scheduled to open in the first months of 2008. Studies show the dam will not decrease visitation to Hoover Dam, and it may provide the opportunity to explore new options on top of the dam. The highway relocation and bridge may allow Hoover Dam to develop public orientation and staging facilities in the future offsite. The concession contract will be for a base period of 3 years with the opportunity of up to 5 one- year extensions (total of from 3 to 8 years). The extensions will be dependent upon concessionaire's performance and Reclamation's needs upon completion of the bridge project. The PROSPECTUS will identify all criteria for operations. Reclamation intends to issue the subject PROSPECTUS and in the Spring of 2005 with the intent of implementing the new concessions contract sometime between October 1, 2005, and March 1, 2006. Firms interested in receiving a copy of the Prospectus are invited to submit a response to this request. Responses should clearly state the firm's name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address. The firm's knowledge, skills, and experience that would qualify them for this work should be stated in the form of a resume and/or curriculum vitae. Information received through this notice may be used by the Government, and does not constitute a Request for Proposal, and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. No claim to the Government will be considered for the use of any information submitted. Interested parties responding to this notice shall bear all risk and expense of any resources used to provide the information. The information collected is considered market research and will not be returned. Responses should be provided to Rita Guilbert at rguilbert@lc.usbr.gov or fax at 702-293-8499 no later than Thursday, January 13, 2005.
- Web Link
-
Please click here to view more details.
(http://ideasec.nbc.gov/j2ee/announcementdetail.jsp?serverId=BR142534&objId=129988)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Hoover Dam, NV
- Zip Code: 89005
- Country: United States
- Zip Code: 89005
- Record
- SN00722037-W 20041217/041215212047 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |