Solicitation
ATCHAFALAYA RIVER BAY, BAR, AND CREWBOAT CUT CUTTERHEAD DREDGE NOS. 1-2026, OM26059
Dept of Defense · Dept of the Army · Sol. W912P826BA064
Due in 610 days
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The Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District wants one fully crewed and equipped hydraulic pipeline cutterhead dredge to remove shoal (built-up sediment) from the Atchafalaya River Bay, Bar and Crewboat Cut channels in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. It is a sealed-bid, firm-fixed-price construction job with roughly 58 to 73 days of dredging plus an equal-length option, and the notice puts the size at $10 million to $25 million. The bid opening date has not been set yet.
Watch out for
- Specialized dredge required. You must own or control a qualifying cutterhead dredge with proven production, and the low bidder is checked on it before award, which shuts out most firms without dredging equipment.
A pre-award survey will be required. Before award, the apparent low bidder
- Large bid guarantee and bonds. A bid guarantee of up to $3 million is due with the bid, plus performance and payment bonds after award, so you need strong surety backing.
The amount of the bid guarantee shall be 20 percent of the bid price or $3,000,000.00,
- Proven production rate. The dredge must have hit the required production rate for 30 days on a prior contract within three years, or the bidder is found non-responsible.
performed at, or above, the listed production rate for a minimum of 30
- Fast start after award. The dredge must be dredging within 240 hours (10 days) of Notice to Proceed, and award is expected only 5 to 7 days after bid opening, so the equipment must be free and ready.
condition in all respects, and to commence dredging no later than 240
- Incomplete bid is rejected. Missing a price on any item, or picking the wrong bid lot, makes the bid non-responsive, and prices can also be rejected if materially unbalanced.
The bidder shall select only one bid lot, determined by the class
- Bid date not set and dates look off. The bid opening is not set yet, the SAM.gov deadline field reads June 2028, and the stated question deadline (29 May 2026) has already passed, so check for amendments before planning.
***BID OPENING TO BE ESTABLISHED BY AMENDMENT***
- Government DQM data system and payment withholding. The dredge must stream certified sensor data to the Corps, and failures can lead to up to 10 percent of progress payments being withheld.
The Contractor shall have a current certification from the DQM Program for
- Wildlife area and disposal limits. Work and disposal are inside a state wildlife management area, with strict limits on where and how high dredged material can be placed.
THE DREDGING AND DISPOSAL AREAS ARE WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF THE ATCHAFALAYA DELTA WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA.
- Davis-Bacon wage rates apply. Crew must be paid at least the attached federal wage determination rates for dredging in Louisiana, with payroll reporting.
Dredging projects along the Gulf Coast Area including the Mississippi River and its
Read from the notice and 1 attachment.
- Solicitation - W912P826BA064 PACKAGE FINAL.pdf
Full brief
What they want
- Provide one complete, crewed cutterhead dredge with a discharge pipe of 27 inches or larger
- Dredge shoal material from the Bay, Bar and Crewboat Cut channels and place it at Government-directed disposal areas (islands and mound areas)
- Start dredging within 240 hours of Notice to Proceed
- Mobilize and demobilize the dredge, with optional dredge towing and optional flotation channel excavation
- Optional extra dredging hours and bird nesting prevention measures
- Run a USACE-certified Dredging Quality Management (DQM) data system on the dredge at all times
- Follow the Corps safety manual (EM 385-1-1), including its floating plant and marine rules
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price, sealed-bid (IFB) construction contract with unit prices; award as a whole to one bidder
- Period of performance
- About 58 to 73 calendar days for the base dredging hours, depending on the bid lot, plus an equal number of days if the dredging option is fully exercised
- Place of performance
- Atchafalaya River Bay, Bar and Crewboat Cut channels, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana (possibly other areas of the New Orleans District)
- Estimated value
- The notice says the magnitude of construction is between $10,000,000 and $25,000,000
- How they'll choose
- Lowest price among responsive, responsible bidders. Option prices are added to the base price for evaluation. Bidders pick one of four bid lots by dredge size (27 inch or 30 inch or larger discharge, with or without a submerged pump), and the lowest bid wins regardless of lot.
- Offers due
- Not set in the notice text. The notice says the bid opening will be set by amendment. The SAM.gov response deadline field shows 2028-06-12 10:00 (UTC-5), which looks like a placeholder.
- How to submit
- Sealed bid with the Standard Form 1442 offer. The address and delivery method are not readable in the extracted text. Questions go through ProjNet Bidder Inquiry, not email.
What they'll judge offers on
- Lowest total bid price, base items plus option items
- Responsive bid (prices on all items, correct bid lot, bid guarantee)
- Responsibility: dredge meets equipment and production-rate requirements and is available to start on time
What to include when you submit
- Bid on every item, including option items, and on only one bid lot
- Include a bid guarantee (bid bond or similar) of 20 percent of the bid price or $3,000,000, whichever is less
- Include a completed Cutterhead Dredge and Attendant Plant Data Sheet for the dredge you will use
- Include proof the dredge is available and not tied up on other work (or release paperwork from the current user)
- Include the completed Section 00600 representations and certifications, or an up-to-date SAM Online Representations and Certifications
- Sign the Certification of Nonsegregated Facilities
- If the data sheet or availability proof is missing, the apparent low bidder gets 24 hours after bid opening to provide it
- After award, performance and payment bonds are due before Notice to Proceed is issued
You must have
- Active SAM.gov registration with current representations and certifications at the time of award
Prospective contractors must register in the System for Award Management (SAM).
- A bid guarantee of 20 percent of the bid price or $3,000,000, whichever is less, submitted by bid opening
The amount of the bid guarantee shall be 20 percent of the bid price or $3,000,000.00,
- A cutterhead dredge with a discharge size of at least 27 inches inside diameter, complete with attendant plant (pipeline, boats and equipment) and crew
one fully crewed and equipped cutterhead dredge, with a dredge discharge size of 27 inches or greater
- Proof the proposed dredge has met the required production rate for at least 30 days on a single contract within three years before bid opening
performed at, or above, the listed production rate for a minimum of 30
- Dredge must be available and able to start dredging within 240 hours of Notice to Proceed
condition in all respects, and to commence dredging no later than 240
- Current certification of the dredge's instrumentation system under the USACE National Dredging Quality Management (DQM) Program
The Contractor shall have a current certification from the DQM Program for
- Performance and payment bonds after award, before Notice to Proceed
performance and payment bonds shall be submitted in accordance with the
- Open to all firms (no set-aside), though the contract's size representation lists NAICS 237990
This solicitation is issued as unrestricted.
Not in the notice text
- Bid opening date and time (to be set by amendment)
- Where and how to deliver the sealed bid (the offer form fields are blank in the text)
- The required minimum production rates for each dredging region (the dredging sections were not provided)
- The 'Size and Equipment of Dredge Plant' requirements and the Cutterhead Dredge and Attendant Plant Data Sheet form
- Details of the bid-form blanks such as the performance period in days and the performance and payment bond deadline (SF 1442 items 11 and 12)
- Environmental, surveying and Resident Management System (RMS) contractor requirements
- The exact dollar amount of the bid; no government estimate is given other than the $10 million to $25 million range
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Key facts
- Response due
- Jun 12, 2028, 3:00 PM UTC
- Posted
- Jun 15, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Solicitation
- W912P826BA064
- Agency
- Dept of Defense · Dept of the Army
- Office
- W07V Endist New Orleans
- Set-aside
- No Set aside used
- NAICS
- 237990
- Product/service code
- Y1KF
- Business type
- Construction & renovation
- Place of performance
- LA
- Contracting contact
- Francesca Deboerfrancesca.e.deboer@usace.army.mil5048621604
- Versions
- 3 (amended since first posted)
What similar contracts paid
325 contracts at this agency under the same NAICS code, in the same state, had activity in the last 5 years, according to USAspending.gov. Small businesses won 26% of the dollars in this market over the last 3 fiscal years.
Typical contract$11.4MMiddle half: $3.1M to $29.1M
Typical per year$7.9MValue divided by years of performance
Before you respond
Full notice text from SAM.gov
This solicitation is issued as unrestricted. The NAICS code for this procurement is 237990. The magnitude of construction is between $10,000,000 and $25,000,000. The work consists of furnishing one fully crewed and equipped hydraulic pipeline cutterhead dredge for the removal and satisfactory disposal of shoal material in the Atchafalaya River Bay, Bar, and Crewboat Cut Channel. ***BID OPENING TO BE ESTABLISHED BY AMENDMENT***
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