Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historical Site (ALPO) - Stabilization of Staple Bend Tunnel
The Department of the Interior (DOI) on behalf of the National Park Service - Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site (ALPO) in Gallitzin, PA is seeking one (1) contractor with tunnel stabilization experience to provide all labor, supervision, materials, tools, supplies, transportation, personal protection equipment, and support equipment incidental for the stabilization of the Staple Bend Tunnel located at ALPO.
GENERAL: This is a NEW requirement. This is a PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE only and does not constitute a solicitation; accordingly, no response is due at this time. No questions nor phone call will be accepted about this pre-solicitation notice. All questions and phone calls will be addressed after the solicitation is posted through official amendments. Specific instructions on submitting proposals will be contained in the solicitation documents. It is anticipated that the solicitation will be issued sometime on or after August 20, 2026! The entire solicitation package, including all attachments, will be available electronically through SAM.gov only. Paper copies of this solicitation are not and will not be made available.
Anyone wishing to participate in this proposed procurement must obtain their copy from SAM.gov | Home. Copies will not be mailed from the Contracting Office. All amendments will be posted on SAM.gov | Home. Contractors will be solely responsible for obtaining amendments from this site to update files.
PROJECT SCOPE: The general scope of work includes:
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site (ALPO) is seeking one (1) contractor to provide all labor, supervision, materials, tools, supplies, transportation, personal protection equipment, and support equipment incidental for the stabilization of the Staple Bend Tunnel.
A. Base item work consists of:
1. Stabilization Maintenance Plan - This item consists of a rock bolting crew and a man lift to access existing rock bolts. The crew shall inspect the tunnel walls and rock bolts on the walls by foot, and use the man lift to inspect the crown and rock bolts on the crown. Documentation shall include an action plan for areas of concern, and surveyed dimensions of the tunnel.
2. Scaling - This item consists of a scaling crew and a man lift to access the tunnel crown and walls. The scaling crew shall inspect and remove excess, loose, or unstable rock that poses a hazard of falling, excluding removal of keystone blocks or material whose removal could result in loss of supporting rock behind.
3. Fossil Inventory - This item consists of a fossil identification crew including a paleontologist and an operator with a man lift. A paleontologist, meeting the professional standards set forth in Paleontological Resources Preservation Act of 2009 (PRPA) (16 U.S.C. § 470aaa 1-11), shall inspect the tunnel for fossils for preservation with help of a man lift and operator to access the crown.
4. Rock Bolt Anchors - This item consists of a rock bolting crew, rock bolting equipment, and materials to manufacture rock bolts (threaded rebar, bearing plate, nuts, washers, and grout). Rock bolting crew shall cut and assemble metal to designed rock bolt specifications and install them with equipment and grout.
5. Void Fill Concrete - This item consists of a concrete crew and equipment, concrete, and concrete forms. Concrete crew shall install forms along voids and inject concrete between the rock and form according to design plans.
6. Gunite - This item consists of a mesh installation crew, Gunite installation crew, man lift, wire mesh, and associated anchoring/bolting and shotcrete equipment. Crews shall install wire mesh using a man lift and anchoring/bolting equipment to attach the mesh to the tunnel crown or wall.
7. Drainage - This item consists of a drainage crew, French drainpipe, strip drains and equipment. Crew shall excavate and install a French drain on the floor of the tunnel near each wall along with installing strip drains in the crown and walls.
8. Signposts - This item consists of a construction crew and materials for signage. Crew shall construct or purchase signs to be installed
B. Optional/Additive Items work consists of (Subject to Availability of Funding):
1. Optional Item 1: 3D Scan - This item consists of a licensed surveying crew with an equipment rental and report submittal. Surveying crew shall use equipment to make a 3D scan of the tunnel and develop a report.
2. Optional Item 2: Bat Houses - This item consists of a pre-built house installed for bats that may occupy the tunnel.
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Approximately 190 days after Notice to Proceed. Mobilization to site is anticipated to begin sometime after October 1, 2026 at the earliest, subject to submittal approvals. Notice to Proceed will not be issued until submittals are approved, and confirmation of mobilization date.
PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historical Site (ALPO), specifically the Staple Bend Tunnel, located near the town of Mineral Point, 4-5 miles from Johnstown, PA.
PROCUREMENT TYPE: Requirement is being solicited under the Revolutionary FAR Updates (RFO) - Simplified Acquisition Procedures under RFO FAR 12 - Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services, which now includes Construction under RFO Part 36, as authorized by RFO FAR 12.200 (b). The requirement also includes original Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) that have not been implemented by the DOI under the RFO.
Evaluation of quotes/offers will be conducted in accordance with RFO FAR 12.203 and, the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable process as defined in FAR 15.101-2 shall be used in the requirement as authorized by RFO FAR 12.203 (c)(3).
The Government will issue a single firm fixed price contract in accordance with FAR 16.2.
SET-ASIDE: This acquisition will be a 100% Small Business. Offers will only be accepted from small business concerns. Offers received from concerns that are not small business concerns shall be considered nonresponsive and will be rejected.
NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE AND SMALL BUSINESS SIZE STANDARD: The NAICS code for this project is 237990 - Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction and the small business size standard is $45.0.
Pre-Proposal Meeting is Planned but not scheduled at the time of the pre-solicitation announcement; however, if one is added it will be included in the solicitation announcement and in the solicitation when it is released.
The solicitation will include detailed specifications, drawings, photos and other testing data.
NOTE 1: All prospective contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database at http://www.sam/gov/ before award of contract; failure to register in the SAM database shall cause your firm to be ineligible for the award and removed from consideration.
NOTE 2: As required by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (7 U.S.C. 8102(c)(3)), the offeror certifies, by signing this offer, that biobased products (within categories of products listed by the United States Department of Agriculture in 7 CFR part 2902, subpart B) to be used or delivered in the performance of the contract, other than biobased products that are not purchased by the offeror as a direct result of this contract, will comply with the applicable specifications or other contractual requirements.
