TDA Tainter Valve (TV1) Repair

SYNOPSIS

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Northwestern Division, Portland District (CENWP) will be soliciting repair and rehabilitation of one Tainter Valve (TV1) at The Dalles Lock and Dam (TDA). The proposed project will be a competitive, firm-fixed price (FFP) construction contract MATOC.

Project Scope:

The following information represents the project objectives: The scope of this project is to furnish all labor, materials, and equipment to perform the comprehensive rehabilitation of the Tainter valve. The reinstallation work is to be performed inside of the navigation lock fill culverts.

The structural and weld repair scope includes the following items:

      The repair of cracks, corrosion, and cavitation damage on the skin plate, girders, and other structural members as detailed in the engineering drawings provided with this bid advertisement.

      Corroded sections of the Tainter valve, including areas where the existing paint system has failed, will need to be repaired per USACE specifications.

      All structural welds must conform to AWS D1.1 standards. Contractors must factor in time for Government inspection, testing, and potential rework for rejected welds.

      The fabricating plant and fabricator must be certified under the AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction) Quality Certification Program, and must be designated an AISC Certified Plant, Category CBR: Major Bridge Fabrication, IBR: Certified Bridge Fabricator - Intermediate, ABR: Certified Bridge Fabricator - Advanced or HYD: Certified Metal Hydraulic Fabricator with a fracture critical endorsement (FCE) at time of bid and for the duration of the contract. The fabricator or fabrication plant must possess five 5 years documented experience on projects of similar scope.

The component replacement and refurbishment scope includes:

     

Replacement of top, bottom, and side seals for the Tainter Valve being repaired as part of this scope of work. Replacement of these seals will also include the replacement of all seal plates and seal plate hardware.

The rehabilitation of the cavitated regions at the face of the downstream skin plate will require the installation of new armor’ plate sections to mitigate the potential for additional cavitation.

For TDA TV1, replacement and possible in-place machining of new, oversized self-lubricating bushings for the lifting eye and trunnion ends to correct for the warped condition of the gate. The self-lubricating bushings are of the fabric reinforced polymer type rated for use in submerged marine environments with a dynamic bearing pressure of at least 10,000 psi and must conform to the failure critical bearing requirements as per USACE specifications. 

Replacement of these bushings will require close coordination with USACE personnel using information provided from the initial as-built survey of the Tainter valve to ensure correct alignment of the valve within the fill culvert.

Background: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requires the repair and rehabilitation of at least one Tainter Valve (TV1) at The Dalles Lock and Dam (TDA). The primary scope of work will address structural issues identified in engineering drawings provided by USACE. The identified structural issues include significant weld cracking, cracking of the Tainter valve skin plates, cavitation damage at the skin plates, advanced corrosion of structural members and failure of the finish paint system in some areas. It is anticipated additional structural damage will be identified during the repair of the Tainter valve.

The rehabilitation and repair of the Tainter valves in question will include the removal and replacement of the valve seals, seal plates, seal plate hardware and the installation of a new set of armor plates overlaid on the regions of cavitation damage at the seal plate bolts.

Additional requirements for this scope of work include the removal, handling, transport and delivery of the damaged Tainter Valve from the Navigation Lock to a fabrication shop for repair of the aforementioned structural deficiencies. Upon repair, the Tainter valve in question are to be transported back to the project site for reinstallation. The responsible contractor will also need to provide as-built dimensional control survey of each valve upon a) removal, b) completion of the repair work at the fabrication shop and c) immediately prior to reinstallation of the valve at the Navigation lock fill chamber. This condition necessitates the replacement of bushings and requires as-built surveying to ensure proper fit upon reinstallation

Contract Period of Performance: The estimated Period of Performance for this contract is to be completed 150 days after Notice to Proceed (NTP).

Magnitude of Construction: The estimated magnitude of construction is between $1,000,000 to $5,000,000.

Set Asides and Codes: Full and Open Competition - Unrestricted. The North American Industrial Classification Code (NAICS) for this potential requirement would be 237990, “Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction”. The related size standard is $45M. The Product Service Code (PSC) is Z2KA - Repair or Alteration of Dams.

Selection Process: Invitation for Bids.

Discussions: The government intends to award without discussions but reserves the right to conduct discussions if deemed to be in the government’s best interest.

Anticipated Solicitation Release Date: The government anticipates releasing the solicitation around mid-August 2026. The closing date for proposals will be approximately 30 days later. Actual dates and times will be identified in the solicitation. Responses to this synopsis are not required. Additional details may be found in the solicitation when it is posted.

System for Award Management (SAM): Offerors must register in the SAM at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ prior to submission of bids and prior to receiving an award.

Point of Contact: The USACE-NWP points of contact for this action are Andrew Sprys at Andrew.J.Sprys@usace.army.mil and Justin Figueredo at Justin.F.Figueredo@usace.army.mil. Email is the only method for receiving responses to this pre-solicitation notice.

Point of Contact for small business questions or assistance is the Portland District Deputy for Small Business, Michael Stearns at 410-962-5674 or Michael.D.Stearns@usace.army.mil.

THIS PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE IS FOR THE PURPOSE OF INFORMING INDUSTRY THAT THIS SOLICITATION WILL BE POSTED ON SAM ON OR ABOUT MID AUGUST 2026. THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND PROPOSALS RECEIVED AS A RESULT OF THIS PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED OR EVALUATED.

THE GOVERNMENT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CANCEL THIS SOLICITATION EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER THE CLOSING DATE. NO REIMBURSEMENT WILL BE MADE FOR ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO THIS PRESOLICITATION NOTICE OR ANY FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION REQUEST.