SOURCES SOUGHT
Y -- Comments for Use of a Project Labor Agreement for the Mechanical Dredging of Material and Filling of the Lower Harbor Confined Aquatic Disposal Cell, New Bedford, Massachusetts
- Notice Date
- 4/2/2015
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 237990
— Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
- Contracting Office
- USACE District, New England, 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751
- ZIP Code
- 01742-2751
- Solicitation Number
- W912WJ-15-X-0021
- Response Due
- 4/17/2015
- Archive Date
- 6/1/2015
- Point of Contact
- Raushanah Muhammad, 9783188478
- E-Mail Address
-
USACE District, New England
(raushanah.m.muhammad@usace.army.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Corps of Engineers New England District is soliciting comments from the construction community addressing the potential use of a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for the following large scale (exceeding $25 million) construction project for the Mechanical Dredging of Material and Filling of the Lower Harbor Confined Aquatic Disposal Cell, New Bedford, Massachusetts. The proposed project consists of providing materials, equipment, and labor for environmental dredging of approximately 300,000 cubic yards (CY) of material and depositing it in the Lower Harbor Confined Aquatic Disposal Cell (LHCC). The excavation of the CAD cell will be conducted under a separate contract. During the filling of the CAD Cell, sediments will be placed into the LHCC with mechanical dredging equipment. Debris removal will be required prior to dredging. Access to the upper harbor dredge area is restricted by two low bridges. Shallow draft split hull scows are required to perform this dredging. All dredged material shall be removed with an environmental (closed) bucket. Dredging is limited to the upper 2-4 feet. The dredged sediments will be placed into split-hull scows for transport to the LHCC. The dredged sediment will not be mechanically dewatered prior to placement, although some passive dewatering will occur during material handling and transport. Free-standing water collected in the scows/hoppers shall be decanted and filtered using activated carbon. The entire dredging process requires compliance with the project-specific turbidity criterion. A silt curtain and oil boom will be placed around the perimeter of the LHCC. Water and air quality monitoring, will occur during the mechanical dredging, transportation and placement processes. Range of Magnitude: $20-$30 Million Period of Performance: Expected to begin February 2016 and will extend over a two year period. A PLA is defined as a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement with one or more labor organizations that establishes the terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project and is an agreement described in 29 U.S.C. 158(f). Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Policy: a. Project Labor Agreement (PLA) is a tool that agencies may use to promote economy and efficiency in Federal procurement. Pursuant to Executive Order 13502, agencies are encouraged to consider requiring the use of project labor agreements in connection with large-scale construction projects. b. An agency may, if appropriate, require that every contractor and subcontractor engaged in construction on the project agree, for that project, to negotiate or become a party to a project labor agreement with one or more labor organizations if the agency decides that the use of project labor agreements will; 1. Advance the Federal Governments interest in achieving economy and efficiency in Federal procurement, producing labor-management stability, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations governing safety and health, equal employment opportunity, labor and employment standards, and other matters; and 2. Be consistent with law. Reference: Provision: 52.222-33 Notice of Requirement for Project Labor Agreement Clause 52.222-34 Project Labor Agreement. Some of the factors that may be considered regarding PLA use are: a. The involvement of multiple contractors and/or subcontractors working in multiple crafts or trades. b. The complexity of the project. c. Shortage of skilled labor in the region. d. Completion of the project will require an extended period of time. e. The use of PLA's on other comparable projects in this geographic area. f. The promotion of the Governments long term programs interests such as training of skilled workforce for future projects. g. The possibility of labor disputes that threaten timely completion. h. Additional costs from use of PLAs may be cost prohibitive. In consideration of the above factors, and any others which may be deemed appropriate, the construction community is invited to comment on the use of PLAs. Of particular interest to the Government are responses to the following questions: a. Should a PLA be executed on the above described project? What benefits do you believe a PLA could achieve? What other factors should the Corps consider before deciding to include PLA provisions for this project? b. Will the use of a PLA be effective in achieving economy and efficiency? If so, how? What is the estimated relative cost impact, or any other economies or efficiencies derived by the Federal Government, if using a PLA? Will a PLA impact the cost of submitting an offer? c. Are there any concerns regarding labor-management stability related to this project? Will the use of a PLA produce labor-management stability on this project? Have labor disputes or other labor issues contributed to project delays in the local area? Are you aware of examples of labor-management conflicts in the area which could impact the efficiency of this project, which a PLA could positively impact/resolve? What market share does union labor in construction trades have in the geographic area? Which existing Collective Bargaining Agreements will expire during construction of this project? d. Will use of a PLA be conducive to ensuring compliance with laws and regulations governing safety and health, equal employment opportunity, labor and employment standards, and other relevant matters on this project? Are there instances where these standards have not been met on Federal contracts in the local area? Were PLAs used for those specific contracts? e. This project will require construction contractors and/or subcontractors employing workers in multiple crafts or trades; do you foresee any work on this project that may result in both the prime contractor and at least one subcontractor, or two or more subcontractors, employing the same trade? f. Are there concerns by prime contractors on the availability of skilled construction labor? Are there large scale construction projects in the area (over $25M, within 50 miles) which could impact availability of skilled labor for this project? What is the anticipated volatility in the labor market for the trades required for the execution of the project? Are existing apprentice programs providing sufficient numbers of skilled workers for future requirements? g. Is the proposed schedule/completion time one which would benefit from a PLA - if so, how? Will a PLA impact the completion time? Would a PLA benefit a project which contains a unique and compelling mission-critical schedule? h. Have comparable projects been undertaken by Federal, State, municipal, or private entities in the geographic area of this project? For each project, please indicate if a PLA was used, the initial and final cost, number of trades on the project, if the project was completed on time, and if there were any challenges such as labor shortages, labor related delays, safety issues, etc.. i. Will the use of PLAs impact the ability of potential Offerors and subcontractors to meet small-business utilization goals? Please provide your responses to these questions and any comments via email to Raushanah Muhammad, Contract Specialist, at Raushanah.m.muhammad@usace.army.mil no later than the close of business, 4:00pm EST on April 17, 2015.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USA/COE/DACA33/W912WJ-15-X-0021/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: USACE District, New England 696 Virginia Road, Concord MA
- Zip Code: 01742-2751
- Zip Code: 01742-2751
- Record
- SN03687408-W 20150404/150403000109-799db3c7ca761caf75db9d836e3c5f48 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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