Inland Waterway Towing Services for Maritime Administration Vessels

The purpose of this Announcement is to notify industry that the Maritime Administration (MARAD) has a requirement to obtain services for the inland waterway towing of non-retention vessels from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet (SBRF) to San Francisco Ship Repair (SFSR), where the vessels will be dry-docked upon arrival. These services will encompass all tasks necessary to complete the inland waterway tow, inclusive of tow preparation services. Contractors will be required to comply with all applicable regulations and maintain appropriate levels of insurance. MARAD anticipates issuing a formal Request for Quotations (RFQ) for these services on or about 31 July 2009. Offerors will be asked, as a minimum, to provide information regarding technical approach/experience, tug resources, mobilization/response time, and generic pricing. All responsible sources may submit a quotation which will be considered by MARAD. It is MARAD's intent to issue a two-year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to one or more successful vendors that is/are evaluated as qualified in accordance with the RFQ. Once specific vessels are identified for towing services, MARAD plans to solicit specific pricing from BPA awardees, and issue a contract for each requirement on a best value basis. Disclaimer. It is not the Maritime Administration's intent to publicly disclose vendor proprietary information obtained during this Solicitation. To the full extent that it is protected pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and other laws and regulations, information identified by a respondent as "Proprietary" or "Confidential" will be kept confidential. It is emphasized that this Announcement is for planning and information purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contractual agreement. This procurement will be set aside for Small Businesses only. The NAICS is 483113 and the size standard is $25,000,000.