RECOVERY--M--PROJECT NUMBER 111562, MODIFICATION NOTICE TO UPGRADE LOCK CONTROL COMPONENTS, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF GOVERNMENT-OWNED FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT, BWT/ALABAMA COOSA PROJECT, TUSCALOOSA, ALABMA

RECOVERY THIS NOTICE IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. The Mobile District Corps of Engineers intends to issue a modification to contract number W91278-06-C-0038, a competitively awarded Cost-Reimbursable Plus Award-Fee contract for the Operation and Maintenance of Government-Owned Facilities and Equipment, Black Warrior and Tombigbee Waterway and Alabama River System, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, awarded to R&D Maintenance Services, Inc., P.O. Box 815, Hennessey, Oklahoma. Utilizing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, the modification will increase the level of effort originally contracted for, to add the following work: Upgrade the lock control components in lock operating booths and at miter gate & emptying/filling valve machinery. The upgraded system will include PLC based system with touch-screen panels for operation. This work is within the scope of the original contract technical provisions and the contractor is already responsible for maintaining and repairing the existing lock controls and operating equipment at these locks. Contract clauses required for projects involving Recovery Act funds have been incorporated into the existing contract. This existing contract must be used because: 1) A detailed scope of work can not be prepared. The extent of the work and the needed resources can not be fully determined prior to starting the work because conditions are different at each lock. 2) The contractor is already responsible for maintaining and repairing the existing controls and operating equipment at these locks. 3) The required work could be extensive and require specialized expertise and equipment. Since this contractor is already working on the controls at these sites, they have necessary equipment and expertise on site. 4) This contract enables work to begin immediately without a detailed scope of work. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) contains specific acquisition requirements that must be met when using funds appropriated by the Act. Acquisitions must comply with FAR, and to the maximum extent practicable, be awarded under competitive procedures as fixed-price (FP) contracts. The Mobile District intends to use the current CPAF contract to meet it requirements. Though not a FP contract, it was awarded competitively as a small business set aside. The contract type was selected to provide the contractor with the greatest incentive for efficient and economical performance, given the types of services to be performed. Furthermore, the existing Operation and Maintenance contractor has experienced personnel that are already on site and ready to perform the work. Accordingly, it is deemed to be in the best interest of the government and in compliance with the goals of the Recovery Act to use the existing Operation and Maintenance contract to accomplish the requirements listed above.