Market Survey – Industry Capabilities and Experience with Alternate Design and Delivery Methodologies (ADDM) for USACE Europe District

1. INTRODUCTION & PURPOSE

This Special Notice is for market surveying purposes only – it is not a Request for Proposal, Request for Quote, or Invitation for Bid. There is no commitment by the Government to issue solicitation, make awards, or pay for respondents’ expenditures made in response to this notice. Interested vendors are responsible for monitoring this notice for any subsequent changes. All submissions become government property and will not be returned. The purpose of this notice is to afford industry the opportunity to submit company profiles with capability statements, provide acquisition strategy feedback, and express interest.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Europe District (NAU), is pulsing the marketplace to gauge industry interest, operational understanding, proven historical experience, and execution capabilities regarding innovative strategies and alternative project delivery methods within NAU’s area of responsibilities (AOR). This information will be used to establish feasibility of implementation of different methods of delivery for projects outside of the Continental United States (OCONUS). Additionally, the information received will be used for planning a Reverse Industry Day focusing on the topics of interest specified below.

2. PLANNED REVERSE INDUSTRY DAY

The Industry Day is tentatively scheduled for 11 August 2026. More information about the event will be posted as a separate announcement.  The Government, at its sole discretion, may select up to five (5) industry partners to present a case study. Format and presentation requirements will be provided later.

FORMAT

Industry-to-USACE Roundtable Discussion

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

Industry partners with demonstrated experience in:

• Progressive Design-Build
• Design-Build to Budget
• Integrated Design and Construction
• Other Transaction Authorities
• Alternative and innovative project delivery methods

Expected USACE participation includes representatives from Europe District (NAU), North Atlantic Division (NAD), other USACE organizations involved in project delivery, engineering, construction, contracting, and program management, as well as customer representatives USACE NAU supports.

3. TOPICS OF INTEREST

USACE Europe District is seeking input, statements of capabilities and industry interest in the following topics as it relates to architect-engineer and construction projects:  

• Other Transaction Authorities (OTA) - Legally binding instruments other than standard procurement contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements. OTAs provide opportunities to structure agreements using commercial-style terms and flexible business arrangements. They may reduce barriers to entry associated with traditional procurement contracts, including certain cost accounting, intellectual property, and contract administration requirements in doing business with the Government.
• Progressive Design-Build (PDB) - A phased, collaborative design-build approach allowing for early contractor involvement and progressive pricing as design matures. An application of Other Transactions for prototype, research, and follow-on production efforts outside the traditional FAR-based framework.
• Design-Build to Budget (DB2B) -  A delivery method that fixes the budget and schedule while allowing scope and design to be optimized within those constraints.
• Integrated Design and Construction (IDAC) - Integrated project delivery concepts that align designers, builders, and the Government early to improve collaboration, risk-sharing, and outcomes.
• Early contractor involvement - Early contractor involvement (ECI) is a type of construction contract where the principal contractor is engaged at an early stage in a project to offer input into the design phase. The model allows the contractor to have an input in the design of the scheme and suggest value engineering changes.
• Collaborative project development - A team-based, integrated approach to delivering a project where all key stakeholders — such as the owner, designer, contractor, and sometimes subcontractors and suppliers — work together from the earliest stages through to completion.
• Cost and schedule certainty
• Innovation and risk-sharing approaches
• Best practices for owner-contractor collaboration
• Innovative Partnering Frameworks

The information gathered from this notice may directly shape future acquisition planning, contract structuring, risk-sharing models, and pre-solicitation parameters. The information will also be used to inform content, presentations and discussions for the upcoming Reverse Industry day.*Please see the attached Playbook - Executing PDB with OTA, which is of special interest.

4. CORE CAPABILITY & EXPERIENCE INQUIRIES ("THE PULSE")

Interested firms are requested to provide clear, concise responses to the following inquiries:

Industry Day Participation:

1. Is your firm interested in participating in the Reverse Industry Day.
2. Is your firm interested in presenting a case study focusing on topics of interest identified above. Case studies should focus on practical application of one or more acquisition strategies identified above and highlight lessons learned that may benefit future USACE NAU procurements.

 Interest & Strategic Alignment:

1.  Is your firm interested in prime contracting opportunities with USACE Europe District that utilize alternative, highly collaborative delivery methods?
2.  What is your firm’s ideal project size (in USD value) or complexity profile for executing a collaborative contract model in Europe?

General Awareness and Experience utilizing collaborative methods:

1. What is your firm's understanding of the identified collaborative project delivery methods, or local-national equivalent models?
2.  Discuss successful implementation strategies, challenges, and risk mitigation approaches.
3. What unique challenges, opportunities and risks operating in geopolitically diverse regions should the Government be aware of, considering the OCONUS area of responsibility of the District.  

Discuss budget control and target costing execution, specifically:

1. Describe your firm’s specific processes, design tools, and methodology for executing "Design-to-Budget" (DB2B) parameters. How does your firm handle design changes when the estimated construction cost exceeds the target-cost during pre-construction?
2. What collaborative project management or cost-estimating tools does your team utilize in real-time to maintain budget transparency and baseline control with the Government?
3. Under a collaborative model (like PDB or IDAC), what cost-growth or risk-sharing mechanisms (e.g., target-price contracts, shared savings pools) has your firm successfully implemented to align owner-contractor financial incentives?

Sourced Experience & Project History:

• Provide up to three (3) examples of projects executed by your firm in the last five (5) years utilizing the identified collaborative project delivery methods or local-national equivalent models). For each project, specify:
  • Delivery methodology utilized.
  • Initial contract value vs. final cost.
  • Target schedule vs. actual delivery date.
  • Key lessons learned using the identified collaborative project delivery methods.

5. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Firms possessing interest, understanding, and capability to support these methodologies are invited to submit their responses.

Response Parameters:
  • Page Limit: Not to exceed eight (8) pages total (including cover page).
  • Format: Microsoft Word (.docx) or Adobe PDF (.pdf) format.
  • Capabilities Submittal: All responses must be submitted electronically to andrew.a.cochran@usace.army.mil with ekaterina.oxley@usace.army.mil CC’d.

DISCLAIMER: All submissions will be treated as public domain information for market research purposes. Do not submit proprietary data, protected trade secrets, or sensitive IP.