Sources Sought: The Dalles Dam Gate Repair Pit Fire Protection and Life Safety Upgrades

General. This is a Sources Sought and is for informational/market research purposes only. This is not a Request for Proposals, Quotations, or an Invitation for Bids. 

The purpose of this Sources Sought is to obtain information regarding the interest, capabilities, capacity, and qualifications of industry so the Government can make informed business decisions. We are seeking responses from both large and small businesses, including Small Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, 8(a) participants, Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) firms, Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) concerns, Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) firms, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) concerns and Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) entities. All interested parties are encouraged to respond.

Project Background. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Portland District (NWP) is seeking interested and capable sources with the technical expertise, personnel, and equipment necessary to perform electrical, life-safety, and fire-protection system modifications within the Powerhouse Gate Repair Pit at The Dalles Lock and Dam.

The Gate Repair Pit is currently classified as a space that is not normally occupied. This requirement will modify the area to support its classification as a normally occupied space by correcting identified deficiencies in the existing fire-protection and life-safety systems and bringing the facility into compliance with applicable fire and safety codes.

Project Scope.  The work consists of three primary areas: electrical, life-safety, and fire-protection improvements. Incidental and supporting work is anticipated to include concrete penetrations; conduit, cable, and piping removal and installation; demolition and replacement or modification of wall-mounted electrical panels and doors; and integration of new fire-protection components with the Powerhouse’s existing fire-detection system.

Electrical work includes general electrical repairs and modifications, including relocation of terminal boxes; rewiring of the welder control panel; modification of electrical enclosures and wall plates; relocation and modification of existing welding receptacles, including associated cable installation and minor cover-plate fabrication; and evaluation, replacement, rewiring, and reconfiguration of the blower electrical switch.

The life-safety work includes furnishing and installing fire extinguishers, eyewash stations, gas-cylinder storage-limit markings, floor-level identification markings, and retractable doorway caution barriers, necessary to achieve compliance with applicable OSHA and NFPA requirements. The work also includes furnishing and installing protective plates for the existing oxygen and acetylene cylinders.

The fire-protection work includes removal of the existing Gate Repair Pit entry door and installation of NFPA-rated fire doors; installation of siren/strobe notification appliances; repair, replacement, or reinforcement of firestopping at wall penetrations; and installation of fiber-optic heat-detection systems along the interior walls of the pit. The work also includes programming and integrating the fire-detection system to initiate damper closure and blower-motor shutdown upon fire detection, including all required cable, conduit, relays, controls, and associated devices.

Project Location.  The construction work will be performed at the Dalles Lock and Dam near The Dalles, Oregon, in Klickitat County Washington.  Contractor access to the work site is on the Oregon side of the Columbia River from exit 88 on I-84.

Project Purpose. The purpose of this project is to correct identified life-safety and fire-protection deficiencies within the Powerhouse Gate Repair Pit at The Dalles Lock and Dam, allowing the space to be safely classified and operated as normally occupied and bringing the facility into compliance with applicable OSHA, NFPA, fire, and life-safety requirements.

Project Objectives.

1. Construct the required electrical, life-safety, and fire-protection improvements in accordance with the contract documents and applicable codes.
2. Test, integrate, and commission the completed systems to verify safe and reliable operation.
3. Complete the work safely and within the established project schedule while minimizing impacts to Powerhouse operations.

NAICS.  The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code for this requirement is 237990; Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction with a small business size standard of $45M.

Anticipated Construction Schedule.  NWP anticipates issuing an Invitation for Bids (IFB) in approximately March of 2027, with contract award anticipated in July 2027. Construction is expected to commence in September 2027 and be completed by January 2028.

CMMC.  Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). The solicitation is anticipated to require the contractor and/or subcontractor(s) information system to process, store, or transmit Federal Contract Information (FCI) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and will require the contractor and/or subcontractor(s) to comply with CMMC requirements.  The CMMC level anticipated for the solicitation is: CMMC Level 2 (Self).

Magnitude of Construction.  The magnitude of construction is anticipated to be between $1M and $5M.

Project Specific Constraints and Challenges. Construction activities should be planned with the expectation that the Gate Repair Pit may remain occupied during performance of this contract. The Government intends to post occupancy notifications in a prominent location within or near the work area to inform personnel of ongoing occupancy.

Submission Instructions. Submit your response to this notice via email to Aragon Liebzeit at Aragon.N.Liebzeit@usace.army.mil before 3:00 pm PT on 15 October 2026. 

Submission Content.  Responses to this Sources Sought are limited to 8 pages and should include the following information:

• Firm name, physical address, point of contact, telephone number, email address, CAGE code, and Unique Entity ID (UEI).
• Applicable socioeconomic business classification(s).
• A description of the prime contractor’s relevant capabilities; specialized qualifications, licenses, certifications, and equipment; and the portion(s) of the anticipated work the firm intends to self-perform.
• The firm’s current CMMC level and anticipated date for achieving CMMC Level 2 Self-Assessment certification, if applicable.
• Joint-venture information, if applicable, including existing joint ventures and any potential joint-venture arrangements contemplated for this requirement.
• Bonding capacity, supported by a letter from the firm’s surety.
• A statement of the firm’s interest in the requirement and likelihood of submitting a bid in response to the future solicitation.
• Between 1 and 3 examples of completed projects that are similar in size, scope, and complexity to the requirement described in this Sources Sought notice. For joint ventures, identify projects completed by the joint-venture entity, if applicable.
• Please provide any additional information, recommendations, or concerns that you believe the Government should consider in developing its acquisition strategy for this requirement.

For each submitted relevant project example, please include the following information:

• Project Title
• Contract Number
• Contract Award Date
• Customer name, phone number and email address
• Indicate if your firm was the prime contractor or a subcontractor.  Please provide the prime contract number if your firm was a subcontractor. 
• The construction work your firm completed for the project.  
• Award value
• Final contract value
• Initial contract completion date
• Final contract completion date
• Please indicate the client’s satisfaction with the completed project

Disclaimer and Important Notes.  This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this Sources Sought or any follow up information. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's capabilities to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or to provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

All interested firms must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov and have the applicable NAICS code listed in SAM with their corresponding business size to have their business status considered.