THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE. THIS IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. This is NOT a solicitation. This is not a Request for Bid, Proposal, or Quote. It does not constitute a solicitation and shall not be construed as a commitment to the Government. NO SOLICITATION, SPECIFICATIONS, OR DRAWINGS are available for this notice. Responses in any form are not offers and the Government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement. No funds are available to pay for preparation of responses to this announcement. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this survey. Any information submitted by respondents to this Sources Sought notice is strictly voluntary. Responses will not be returned to the responder. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future Request for Quote (RFQ), Invitation for Bid (IFB) or Request for Proposal (RFP), if any are issued. This survey is for market research purposes only. Only contractors capable of performing this type of work should respond to this notice.
Purpose: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, has a need for the fabrication and delivery of one replacement Miter Gate for the Poe Lock located at the Soo Locks Complex, St. Marys River, Sault Ste. Marie, MI. This notice seeks to identify the interest and capabilities of both small and large business entities able to perform the work. The information that is collected will be used to help determine the appropriate strategy to solicit and award a single contract for the fabrication and delivery of the Miter Gate.
BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES (IN FULL OR IN PART) OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION. All Small Business Set-Aside categories will be considered. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.
Procurement Schedule: It is anticipated that a solicitation will be issued in early calendar year 2026 and that a contract will be awarded by spring 2026. The expected period of performance is between Spring 2026 and Summer 2029.
REQUIREMENT* for the Poe Lock Gate 3 Replacement (Preliminary Scope of Work):
Provide all materials, labor, equipment, facilities, supervision, transportation, and administration as necessary to fabricate and deliver the miter gate to the delivery site in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. The miter gate consists of two fabricated gate leafs along with miscellaneous components for each leaf. Delivery will require barge transport to the Soo Locks Complex. The miter gate will be off-loaded by the Government using Government supplied cranes. Installation of the miter gate will be performed separately by others.
The gate leafs will be primarily of welded structural steel construction using various thicknesses of structural steel plates and will include some structural steel shapes. The majority of the steel items will conform to ASTM A709/A709M Grade 50F Zone 3. Portions of the gate leafs are designated fracture critical members. All welding will be in accordance with AWS D1.5 and is to be tested by applicable nondestructive testing (ultrasonic, radiographic, magnetic particle, and visual). Each gate leaf will need to be fabricated within the tolerances specified on the contract drawings. In addition, fabrication of miscellaneous gate components will include forgings, castings, bushings, stainless steel, aluminum grating and handrail, rubber seals, and other structural steel material. The gate leafs will be shop painted using USACE vinyl paint system 5-A-Z.
Each gate leaf is comprised of welded horizontal girders and diaphragms connected to a vertical skin plate. The leaf is approximately 60 feet high by 5.5 feet wide by 63 feet long and weighs approximately 225 tons. Each gate leaf is to be delivered in one piece; on‑site assembly will not be accepted.
Fabrication also includes miscellaneous items for each gate leaf such as diagonals; pintle casting assembly; gudgeon pin; walkway framing, grating and handrail; quoin and miter contact plates and blocks; fender protection; seals; miscellaneous machined parts; grease systems; turning feet, wall quoin frame and contact block, hydraulic cylinder piston rod, gate connector assembly, and associated accessories. Miscellaneous items will be shipped loose and will be delivered with the gate leafs.
The Fabricator will be responsible to develop and submit detailed shop drawings for review and approval by the Government.
All fabrication performed by the Fabricator, or a designated Sub-Fabricator, must be performed in the contiguous United States (CONUS).
The Fabricator and fabrication facility where fabrication and/or assembly will occur, regardless of acting as Prime Contractor or Subcontractor, must be certified under the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Quality Certification Program (AISC 207) and possess at least one of the following AISC certifications along with a Fracture Control Endorsement (FCE):
a. Certified Bridge Fabricator - Advanced (ABR)
b. Certified Bridge Fabricator - Intermediate (IBR)
c. Certified Hydraulic Fabricator - Advanced (HYDA)
The Fabricator or Sub-Fabricator performing painting must be a certified SSPC QP 3 (Enclosed or Covered) Painting Fabricator for all off-site surface preparation and coating applications.
*Please note the description of the requirement is subject to change.
North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 332312 – Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing, which has a small business size standard of 500 employees.
Product Service Code (PSC) is 9640 – Iron and Steel Primary and Semi-finished Products.
Both large and small businesses who are interested are encouraged to respond to this sources sought notice.
SOURCES SOUGHT RESPONSES:
If your organization has the potential capacity and capability to perform this type of work, please complete the attached questionnaire and submit via email to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer listed below no later than 2:00 PM (Eastern) on November 6, 2025. Please reference in the subject line "SOURCES SOUGHT Poe Lock Gate 3 Replacement".
All data received in response to this Sources Sought that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary will be fully protected from any release outside the Government.
The Government is not committed nor obligated to pay for the information provided, and no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought notice.
RESPONDENTS WILL NOT BE CONTACTED REGARDING THEIR SUBMISSION OR INFORMATION GATHERED AS A RESULT OF THE SOURCES SOUGHT.
