Market Research and Sources Sought Notice for information on the capability and availability of potential contractors interested in proposing on a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract to grow and install vegetative plantings on Cat Island located south of Harrison County Mississippi Sound for the Planting Phase of the Mississippi River Island Restoration, Cat Island, Mississippi. All qualified concerns may submit capability statements for consideration. Capability statements will be reviewed to determine the quantity and availability of contractors who have the technical level of expertise, administrative and management capability to perform the effort described below. The capability statements will be used to determine the overall procurement strategy. ---DISREGARD THE ABOVE DESCRIPTION AND REPLACE WITH THE FOLLOWING--- Market Research and Sources Sought Notice for information on the capability and availability of potential contractors interested in proposing on a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract to grow vegetative plantings and install on Cat Island located south of Harrison County Mississippi Sound for the Planting Phase of the Barrier Island Restoration Project under the Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program. All qualified concerns may submit capability statements for consideration. Capability statements will be reviewed to determine the quantity and availability of contractors who have the technical level of expertise, administrative, management capability, and plant stock availability to perform the effort described below. The capability statements will be used to determine the overall procurement strategy. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District is seeking sources with expertise to grow and install the following specific types of plants in the total quantity: Bitter Panicum - 40,000 plants Sea Oats - 55,000 plants Gulf Bluestem - 25,000 plants Performance is not anticipated to being until August 2016 and could run for a 2 year period thru 2018. This is a Market Research and Sources Sought Notice only. No award will result from this Sources Sought Notice. There is no solicitation available at this time; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation and its supplements. It is the contractor's responsibility to monitor the Government's Point of Entry for the release of any solicitation. This Sources Sought Notice is not to be construed as a commitment by the USACE, Mobile District to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Neither unsolicited proposals nor other kinds of offers will be considered in response to this Sources Sought Notice. This Sources Sought Notice does not create an obligation on behalf of the Government to make an award of any contract pursuant to this announcement. The purpose of this sources sought notice is to determine the availability of contractors to supply and install vegetative plantings and to determine socioeconomic classifications (Large Business, Small Business, HUBZone, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses, Women Owned Small Businesses, etc.) associated with this effort. The primary North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code applicable to this requirement is 111421, the small business standard for which is a concern, including its affiliates whose average annual gross revenue does not exceed $750,000.00. METEOROLOGICAL BACKGROUND: Coastal Mississippi is characterized by a mild and humid climate. Coastal areas of Mississippi typically experience mild temperatures. The coldest air temperatures occur in January, and the warmest occur in July or August. Based on monitoring records of the Southeast Regional Climate Center (SRCC), the average maximum temperature in July varies from 89.6 to 90.9ºF, and the average minimum temperature in January varies from 41.2 to 43.3ºF. Localized variations in temperature occur due to the varied influences of proximity to the land/water interface. Long-term rainfall records maintained by SRCC for Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula document that the region receives in excess of 65 inches of rainfall annually, with monthly averages generally ranging from 5 to 6 inches. The highest monthly rainfall totals typically occur during July and August. The relatively even distribution of rainfall accumulations may be attributed to the occurrence and frequency of winter frontal storms balanced against thunderstorm events during the wetter, summer months. Prior characterizations of wind conditions in the project area indicate that prevailing near shore surface winds are from the south from March to July, gradually shifting to more easterly in August and September. During the winter months, prevailing winds are from the north and are associated with frontal systems (USEPA, 1986). SPECIFIC PLANTING REQUIREMENTS: The geographic location that these plants originate from is very important for long term plant survivability and vigor. The geographic origin of the plant stock supplied for this project should be Mississippi, Alabama, the northwest panhandle of Florida, and/or southeast Louisiana. Plant stock originating outside of this geographical region may be considered for use if it has a proven track record of survivability and performance on projects with conditions similar to those that exist on Cat Island, MS. Sea Oats should have at least five (5) stems and an installed minimum root ball size of four (4) inches. Gulf Bluestem plants should have a 12-24 inch stem and may be container grown or bareroot propagules. Bitter Panicum potted plants should have a six (6) inch stem length with a minimum of two (2) nodes. Rooted cuttings (runners or tillers) with an upper shoot are also acceptable. All efforts should be made to utilize releases developed by the USDA-NRCS Plant Materials Program. If a sufficient quantity of USDA-NRCS releases cannot be located to meet the requirements of this project, an equivalently performing plant adapted to Mississippi Gulf Coast conditions should be utilized. USDA-NRCS tested plant material releases identified for this project are ‘Caminada' Germplasm Sea Oats, ‘Fourchon' Germplasm Bitter Panicum, and ‘Timbalier' Germplasm Gulf Bluestem. Plants growing within the fill template of the project may be harvested by the contractor prior to construction for the purpose of increasing the availability of plant stock. The harvesting of native plants for future use should in no way increase the cost of the project to the Government. Plants must also be temporarily stockpiled and successfully installed in a barrier island environment that is void of a controlled water supply; however, plants will need to be watered immediately after installation. A slow release gel type fertilizer or appropriate soil treatment to be determined by the project delivery team will be required at the time of planting. The installation of temporary sand fencing may be required. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS. Responses are requested with the following information: 1. Provide a cover page that includes: a) Contractor's name, address, points of contact with telephone numbers and e-mail address; b) Business size/classification (to include any designation such as Large Business, Small Business, HUBZone, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses, Women Owned Small Businesses, etc.); and c) Contractor shall identify the percentage of product provided in the commercial marketplace and the percentage of product provided to government agencies. 2. Firms believing that can successfully fulfill the above requirements must provide capability statements/supporting evidence to that effect in sufficient detail to demonstrate their abilities as follows: a. Please provide your current inventory of plant stock that meet the SPECIFIC PLANTING REQUIREMENTS listed above as well as the growth/production rate of stock that will meet the REQUIREMENTS by the time of planting. b. Documentation of the origin of each plants' stock and whether it originates from a USDA-NRCS release, native plant harvest, or some other previously referenced source. c. Documentation will be required to show that plants originate from a USDA-NRCS tested plant material release identified for this project (‘Caminada' Germplasm Sea Oats, ‘Fourchon' Germplasm Bitter Panicum, and ‘Timbalier' Germplasm Gulf Bluestem) or an equivalently performing plant adapted to Mississippi, Alabama, the northwest panhandle of Florida, and/or southeast Louisiana conditions, if the contractor posits that they are such. d. Documentation demonstrating plant survivability and performance to include the rate of survival on similar projects, the length of time over which the plants obtained that survival rate, as well as any relevant factors that may have contributed to the plants' success (or failure). e. Documentation related to plant stock installation and harvesting methods, if applicable. f. Provide evidence of past performance/experience on 2-3 projects that are at least 50% complete within the last 5 years of this notice posting. Please include project title, location, and your role in the project. The requested information shall not exceed a total of 20 pages on 8.5 x 11 printed pages. Please do not provide standard marketing brochures or catalog pages. Responses will be reviewed on the basis of demonstrated functional capability. Responses are due no later than April 29, 2016, 2:00pm central time. Responses received after this date and time may not be reviewed. Responses shall be submitted via email to Helene Mitchell, Contract Specialist at
[email protected]. No responses will be accepted by telephone, mail or fax. Submission information will not be returned.