The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) is seeking offerors with specific experience to support the Coast Guard's Inland AtoN mission. Support will involve: maintenance support for fixed aids to navigation on the Western Rivers and associated waterways of the United States; Construction, repair, and rebuild support for fixed aids to navigation on the associated inland waterways of the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States; and lease of a towboat and crew for performing floating aids to navigation (AtoN) maintenance on the navigable waters of the Western Rivers.For purposes of this notice, 'East and Gulf Coasts' include the Intracoastal Waterway and associated inland waterways from Manasquan Inlet, NJ to and including Brownsville Channel, TX. 'Western Rivers' are defined as the Mississippi River, its tributaries, from Upper Mississippi River Mile 857 to Lower Mississippi River Mile 155. In addition, the Western Rivers include either in whole or portions of the Alabama, Arkansas, Black Warrior, Green, Missouri, Monongahela, Ohio, and Tennessee Rivers, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, and various other associated rivers and waterways.Interested offerors must submit a capabilities package demonstrating their experience. The offerors must include in the package that they demonstrate sustained abilities and how they have applied them specifically in the inland marine environment for each of the following areas: (1) the capability to maintain and service fixed aids to navigation on the Western Rivers and associated waterways of the United States. This capability includes the periodic inspection and maintenance on the day and night signals of terrestrial and aquatic fixed AtoN, periodic inspections on the structure and foundation of terrestrial and aquatic fixed AtoN, installing the appropriate Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) AtoN signal equipment, periodic vegetation clearing operations (commonly referred to as 'brushing') that either obscures the AtoN's intended signal to the mariner or that threatens the integrity of the structure/foundation, responding to and effecting repairs to AtoN that have been reported discrepant, discovered discrepant during inspections, or observed discrepant in passing. Discrepancy correction may require repairing/rebuilding the structure, replacing the day signal (dayboard), battery, solar panel, or other lighting equipment component, and executing temporary repairs to AtoN structures, complying with federal, state, and local safety and environmental laws and regulations, to restore the visual AtoN signal as advertised. (2) The capability to perform construction, repair, and rebuild of fixed aids to navigation on the associated inland waterways of the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States; This includes installing the appropriate GFE AtoN signal equipment. (3) The capability to lease to the Government on a time charter basis a suitable towboat and crew for use on the navigable waters of the Western Rivers. Work will consist of transiting personnel to maintain the floating aids to navigation system (buoys) in navigable waters with a Government provided buoy barge in tow. This capability includes finding best water; and to deploy, relocate, replace, recover, and otherwise maintain federal buoys (including their moorings).All capability information shall include: Contract number; Customer (Government agency, private industry); Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) name, telephone and fax numbers; contract value and type of contract; period of performance; and description of product/services. Information provided should be detailed in the area(s) above so the Government can assess the ability of the company to provide the described services in each of the work areas described. All of the information sought should be conveyed in no more than eight pages. Page size is set at 8 X 11 and text should be doubled spaced. Each response must reference the Sources Sought title. Interested parties must respond to this announcement in writing within 15 days of publication. Telephonic requests will not be honored. All responses must be sent to Cathryn Oliva-Simmons Contract Specialist, RTV-6D1, United States Department of Transportation, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, 55 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02142. Email responses are also acceptable (email:
[email protected]).THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. This notice is for informational and planning purposes only, and is a market research tool to determine the availability and adequacy of potential business sources prior to determining the method of acquisition and possible issuance of a Request for Proposal including the use of any non-profit organization or small business programs. The Government is not obligated to and will not pay for any information received from potential sources as a result of response to this Special Notice. This notice does not constitute a solicitation for bids and proposals, and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit for or award a competitive contract. Unless otherwise stated herein, no solicitation regarding this announcement is available. Requests for the same will be disregarded. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized in the FedBizOpps. Please be aware that all information submitted in response to this request, whether written, oral, electronic, graphic, or any other medium, is considered public information under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. The Government will not pay for any materials provided in response to this synopsis and submittals will not be returned to the sender. For information about the Volpe Center refer to the Volpe Center website at http://www.volpe.dot.gov