Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
St. Marks NWR Aucilla Tram Road Bridge DB
Department of the Interior · US Fish and Wildlife Service · Sol. 140FC126Q0044
Due in 8 daysSmall business
AI summary Beta
Some details weren't available to this summary, so it may miss requirements. Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants a small business to design and build changes to the Aucilla Tram Road Bridge and its water control structure at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Wakulla County, Florida, so refuge staff can operate the stop logs from above instead of crawling under the bridge. It is a firm-fixed-price, total small business set-aside awarded on lowest price among technically acceptable quotes. The work has 460 calendar days from the first notice to proceed, and quotes are due by email on October 16, 2026.
Watch out for
- Design-build with a concept needed up front. Your quote must already show a workable design approach, and a quote that leaves the solution to the 35% design phase can be rejected as unacceptable.
that merely states that the final solution will be determined after award or during the 35% design phase,
- Fixed price covers design and construction. The price is locked at award, so you carry the risk if the design turns out to cost more than your price.
Firm-Fixed Price and Cost Control: The total design-build price, including
- Bonds required after award. Performance and payment bonds must be in place after award, which can strain a small business's bonding capacity even though no bid bond is needed.
payment bonds will be required after award;
- Contractor pays for and obtains permits. You must get and pay for permits for in-water and wetland work, and the government only helps with NEPA, so permit delays and cost land on you.
The Design-Builder shall obtain and pay for
- Weather and environmental shutdowns without extra pay. The government can halt work for weather, fire danger or winter, and normal weather delays do not earn extra money or time.
Contractor will not be entitled to additional monetary compensation for such suspensions
- Limit on time the water control structure can be out of service. Water levels between two habitat impoundments must stay controlled, so temporary water-control measures may be needed to keep outages within seven days.
shall not exceed seven consecutive calendar
- Possible asbestos in project areas. Unexpected asbestos-containing material could add testing and protection work, though price changes are possible only through an equitable adjustment.
friable and/or non-friable asbestos-containing material may be encountered in project areas.
- Due date and answers may change. Government answers were expected around October 5 and DOI system maintenance may delay amendments, so the due date can move and you should check SAM.gov for amendments before submitting.
may be shortened or extended by solicitation
Read from the notice and 10 attachments. 2 not read in full.
- Sol_140FC126Q0044.pdf
- B08_Solicitation_Attachment_1_Scope_of_Work_(SOW__PWS__SOO)_St__Marks_Tram_Rd_Bridge_DB_9_3_26_(19_pgs).pdf
- B08_Solicitation_Attachment_8_Conceptual_Design_Illustrations_8_18_26_(3_pgs).pdf
- B08_Solicitation_Attachment_7_Bid_Sheet__8_17_26_(1_pg).pdf
- B08_Solicitation_Attachment_11_Aucilla_Tram_Bridge_Field_Notes_and_Sketch_8_26_26_4_pgs.pdf
- B08_Solicitation_Attachment_4_Drawings_Specifications_C_41640-00116__2023_INSPECTION_FULL_REPORT_7_18_26_(37_pgs).pdf
- B08_Solicitation_Attachment_3_Drawings_Specifications_B_Existing_Photos_5_12_26_(6_pages).pdf
- B08_Solicitation_Attachment_2_Drawings_Specifications_A_Project_Location_5_12_26_(1_page).pdf
- B08_Solicitation_Attachment_6_DOL_Wage_Determination__FL20250278___dated_5_18_26_(4pgs).pdf
- B08_Solicitation_Attachment_9_Photographs_of_Site_9_3_26_3_pgs.pdf
- B08_Solicitation_Attachment_10_WHIPPS_Water_Control_Gates_9_3_26__2_pgs.pdf: scanned PDF: no text to read
- B08_Solicitation_Attachment_5_Drawings_Specifications_D_41640-00116__1999_Plans_6_14_99_(3_pgs).pdf: scanned PDF: no text to read
Full brief
What they want
- Design the work in stages (35%, 65%, 95% and 100%) and get the permits needed for the chosen approach
- Provide permanent access from the bridge deck or an integral platform to every stop-log board and retaining device, operable by no more than two trained staff without entering the water
- Modify the north-side cantilevered bridge deck and/or extend the water control structure operating face as needed
- Replace the timber stop logs with heavy-duty aluminum stop logs and replace wood wedges with a corrosion-resistant retention system operable from above
- Replace the bridge guardrails on both sides with a durable corrosion-resistant system and install four object markers
- Trim vegetation blocking the west-approach load-limit sign
- Test and demonstrate operation, train refuge staff, and deliver tools, spare parts, O&M manuals and as-built drawings
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price design-build, using simplified acquisition procedures (FAR Part 13) with construction procedures (FAR Part 36); request for quotation
- Period of performance
- 460 calendar days after the first notice to proceed (schedule shows 11/02/2026 to 02/15/2028). Design starts within 10 days of the Design NTP; 100% design is due 190 days after Design NTP; after the Construction NTP, substantial completion is due in 240 days and final completion in 270 days.
- Place of performance
- Aucilla Tram Road Bridge, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Wakulla County, Florida
- How they'll choose
- Lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA). Quotes are rated acceptable or unacceptable on each technical factor, then the lowest evaluated price among acceptable quotes wins. No tradeoffs and no credit for exceeding the minimums.
- Offers due
- October 16, 2026 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time (SAM.gov lists 2026-10-16T11:00:00-04:00); the notice says the date may be shortened or extended by amendment
- How to submit
- Email to adam_graham@ios.doi.gov
- Page limits
- Volume I (Technical Quote): maximum 15 pages, excluding the preliminary schedule and required forms. Volume II (Price Quote): no page limit.
What they'll judge offers on
- Factor A: Technical Approach and Proposed Design Concept (acceptable/unacceptable)
- Factor B: Preliminary Project Schedule (acceptable/unacceptable)
- Factor C: Relevant Experience, at least two qualifying projects in the past five years (acceptable/unacceptable)
- Price: lowest evaluated price that is fair and reasonable among technically acceptable quotes
What to include when you submit
- Volume I Technical Quote: technical narrative and project understanding, preliminary project schedule, and relevant project experience (at least 2 projects in the past 5 years)
- Volume II Price Quote: completed Section B bid schedule with a firm-fixed price for every line item (enter $0.00 and say where the cost is included if an item is not separately priced) and cost element breakdowns
- Include a completed SF 1442 (blocks 14 through 20C) and signed SF 30 amendments, if any
- Include representations and certifications, or state that they are already in SAM.gov
- Format: PDF with searchable text, 8.5 x 11 pages, minimum 11-point Arial or Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, single spaced, pages numbered within each volume
- Questions were due September 25, 2026 at 11:00 AM ET, with answers expected around October 5, 2026 by solicitation amendment
- Site visit was held September 22, 2026 (9 AM to 12 PM ET, St. Marks NWR Visitor Center); attendance was strongly encouraged but not required
You must have
- Must be a small business; this is a total small business set-aside (NAICS 237310, $45M size standard)
This acquisition is a Total 100% Small Business
- Performance and payment bonds and liability insurance will be required after award, so bond and insurance costs must be in the price; no bid guarantee is needed with the quote
payment bonds will be required after award;
- Representations and certifications must be current in SAM.gov
certifications shall be submitted to the System for Award Management (www.sam.gov)
- Experience: at least two relevant projects completed in the past five years (bridge rehabilitation or alteration, hydraulic or water control structures, or similar heavy civil work in environmentally sensitive or operationally constrained settings)
Quoters shall submit information for at least two (2) relevant projects completed within the past five (5)
- Davis-Bacon wage rates apply (Wage Determination FL20250278); certified payrolls are required with invoices
Attachment 6 DOL Wage Determination #FL20250278 dated 18 May 2026 (4 pages)
- Structural deck work must be detailed and sealed by a Florida-licensed structural engineer, and final design calculations must be PE stamped
Submit final PE stamped calculations supporting all
Not in the notice text
- Estimated contract value or budget is not stated
- Middle parts of the main solicitation (some clauses, including parts of the Buy American clause) and of the Statement of Work (65%, 95% and 100% design deliverables and the start of the construction requirements) were cut off and not read
- Wage determination FL20250278 text was unreadable, so wage rates are unknown
- Attachment 5 (1999 plans) and Attachment 10 (WHIPPS water control gates) are scanned PDFs with no readable text
- Government answers to questions (expected around October 5, 2026) and any amendments are not included in the files provided
- Bond amounts, insurance minimums and the deadline to deliver bonds after award are not visible in the text provided
- Names or minimum qualifications of required key personnel are not visible, although the Statement of Work refers to key personnel specified in the contract
- Scour-protection repairs are stated to be outside this project's scope
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Key facts
- Response due
- Oct 16, 2026, 3:00 PM UTC
- Posted
- Sep 8, 2026
- Notice type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- Solicitation
- 140FC126Q0044
- Agency
- Department of the Interior · US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Office
- FWS Construction & a/E - Bil/Disaster
- Set-aside
- Small Business Set Aside - Total
- NAICS
- 237310
- Product/service code
- Z2LB
- Business type
- Construction & renovation
- Contracting contact
- Graham, Adamadam_graham@fws.gov7623250609
Full notice text from SAM.gov
St. Marks NWR Aucilla Tram Road Bridge Design-Build
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