SPECIAL NOTICE
Y -- Project Labor Agreement - Muddy River Phase II, Boston
- Notice Date
- 11/3/2017
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 237990
— Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USACE District, New England, 696 Virginia Road, Concord, Massachusetts, 01742-2751, United States
- ZIP Code
- 01742-2751
- Solicitation Number
- W912WJ18X0004
- Point of Contact
- Alysha MacDonald, Phone: 9783188715
- E-Mail Address
-
Alysha.MacDonald@usace.army.mil
(Alysha.MacDonald@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 (the estimated construction magnitude is between $25,000,000.00 and $35,000,000.00) construction project: The location of the work to be performed under this contract shall be in and along the Muddy River from Leverett Pond to Boylston Street in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts. The project scope of work consists of dredging 1 to 5 feet of sediment from the bottom of the river to construct the Flood Risk Management channel, stabilizing the material for transport, and trucking the material for disposal in landfills. The estimated total quantity of material removal is about 100,000 cy. To accomplish this construction, it will require dewatering sections of the Muddy River using sheet pile cofferdams; pump systems to divert the river's flow; construction of temporary access roads along the river bank; removal and control of phragmites along the river edges; and dredging of and stabilizing the material for transport. Some of the dredging may be possible without dewatering. Included as part of this work is the construction of a flood protection wall and subsurface pumping station at the Boston Fire Department Building. To avoid impacts to aquatic resources, environmental windows of 1 April to 15 June and 15 September to 1 November of any year has been set for the project. The management of anadromous fish (blueback herring), such that the adults are allowed to migrate upstream to spawn during the spring environmental window and the juveniles to migrate downstream to mature in the ocean during the fall environmental window, is required. Due to the urban setting of the project location, extensive management of pedestrian and vehicular traffic at construction access points and at each work areas is required to minimize impacts to the roadways and parkland system and to ensure the safety of the public. The Contractor will have limited work area with very limited access. The project is set within and part of the Historic Frederick Law Olmsted's "Emerald Necklace" park system and is listed in National Register of Historic Places. Part of the work to construct the deepened channel in the Muddy River is to restore and stabilize the banks after the removal of sediment. The restoration consists of stone protection, turf reinforcement mattress (TRM), and plantings consistent with the historic standards of the park. Range of Magnitude: Between $25M and $35M. 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 Construction Project? What benefits do you believe a PLA could achieve? What other factors should the Corps consider before deciding to include PLA provisions for the construction 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 Alysha MacDonald, Contract Specialist, at Alysha.MacDonald@usace.army.mil no later than the close of business, 5pm EST on November 24, 2017.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USA/COE/DACA33/W912WJ18X0004/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: US Army Engineer District, New England, 696 Virginia Road, Concord, Massachusetts, 01742-2751, United States
- Zip Code: 01742-2751
- Zip Code: 01742-2751
- Record
- SN04731700-W 20171105/171103231120-0e94d9f7db5837a9adeb9c6fc815c82e (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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