Sources Sought: The Dalles Tailrace Crane Rail Replacement

General:  This is a sources sought for market research purposes only and does not constitute a commitment by the Government.  All information submitted in response to this sources sought is voluntary, and the Government will not pay for the information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government in response to this sources sought notice. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Porltand District (NWP) invites industry to share their capabilities and interest in this project.  All interested parties, regardless of business size, are encouraged to provide documentation demonstrating their capability to meet the project requirements. Prior experience with Government contracts is not a prerequisite for responding to this notice. 

Solicitation Timeframe:  NWP intends to issue a solicitation for this work in late January of 2026. 

Anticipated Contract Type:  NWP contemplates awarding one firm-fixed-price construction contract.

NAICS:  The North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS) for this requirement is:  237990; Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction. The related size standard is:  $45M.

Magnitude of Construction:  The estimated magnitude of construction is between $5M and $10M.

Project Background:  The Dalles Lock and Dam is one of the ten largest hydropower dams in the United States. Since its completion in 1957, it has provided the Pacific Northwest with a reliable water source for hydropower, navigation, recreation, fish passage, irrigation, and flood mitigation. The dam spans Washington and Oregon and is 192 miles upriver from the mouth of the Columbia River and two miles east of the city of The Dalles in Oregon.  All work for this project is in Klickitat County, Washington. 

The Dalles Dam powerhouse tailrace deck houses a 40-ton gantry crane responsible for lifting maintenance bulkheads in and out of the bulkhead slots used to hold back the river for maintenance purposes. While the gantry crane was refurbished in 2017, the crane rails have never been replaced. In addition to crane rail wear and tear, the tailrace deck has numerous concrete spalls and cracks due to decades of use and inclement weather.

Summary Scope of Work:  The purpose of this project is to refurbish the tailrace deck’s crane rail system. Work includes rehabbing the crane rail system, repairing concrete cracks and a monolith crack, repairing concrete spalls, and removing an estimated 450 feet of remaining railroad rails.

Rehab the crane rail system:

• Jack hammer/remove the grout surrounding the crane rail
• Remove grout from the threading the anchors
• Remove anchors
• Drill and install new epoxy anchors
• Saw cut a 7” deep cut into concrete
• Install and adjust the new crane rail system to CMAA 70 standards and requirements
• Fill rail pocket with grout

Repair concrete cracks and monolith crack:

• Drill epoxy injection points into concrete and fill cracks

Repair concrete spalls:

• Saw cut 1.5” deep into concrete
• Chip concrete
• Place form and repair with mortar

Remove the remaining railroad rails

• Jack hammer out the grout surrounding the railroad rail
• Cutt steel anchors
• Saw cut 7” deep into concrete
• Fill rail pocket with repair mortar

Project Constraints:  This project is constrained by an In-Water Work Window (IWWW) due to its proximity to fish passage. The IWWW dictates when construction can take place within 50’ of fish passage and 100’ of any opening to or from the fish passage. All work for this project is within 50’ of the fish passage channel under the tailrace deck or within 100’ of an opening.  The IWWW for The Dalles is from 1 December to 28 February annually. Day work will only be authorized during the IWWW each year. Night work will be authorized all year round.  Construction requires working in severe winter weather which will likely affect curing of concrete products.  This work must be completed on schedule without interrupting dam operations.  The Government anticipates constructions spanning 2 or 3 seasons from 01 December to 28 February.  Night work is anticipated from November through March for at least the first 2 seasons. Coordination to adjust the IWWW to increase the amount of day work allowed is ongoing but not guaranteed. Expect scheduling work around the IWWW to be challenging.

Questions for Industry:

How would best-value tradeoff selection affect your likelihood of submitting an offer?

Would your firm be more likely to bid this project if it is issued as an Invitation for Bids (IFB)? 

Submission Instructions:  Responses to this Sources Sought notice are limited to 6 pages and must be submitted via email to Aragon Liebzeit, Contract Specialist, at Aragon.N.Liebzeit@usace.army.mil by 3:00 pm Pacific Time on 31 October 2025.

Please include the following:

• Firm's name, address, contact, phone, e-mail, and System for Award Management (SAM) Unique Entity ID.

• Business classification:  Large Business, Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone), Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small business (SDVOSB) or Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB).

• Relevant capabilities, qualifications, special certifications/equipment, and proposed subcontractors if known. 

• Up to 3 similar projects that required day and night shifts within a strict construction timeframe during winter. Submitted projects should be similar in size, scope and complexity to the work described above.  For each project, please provide a project description, contract number and value, the work performed by your firm as either a prime or subcontractor, and customer point of contact information. 

• Please provide answers to the 2 questions above. 

• Please state your firm’s bonding capability.    

• Level of interest in bidding this project, and any additional information relative to the Government. 

Disclaimer/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 SAM at https://www.sam.gov to have size status considered.