In compliance with FAR Subpart 13.106-1(b) & 13.501(a)(1)(i) coupled with the providsion set forth by FAR Subpart 5.101(a)(1), this Notice is hereby published to inform of the following:

The Louisville District intends to award a sole source contract to Marquette Transportation Company, LLC, for the aquisition of a towboat for Olmsted L&D, USACE-Louisville District. This applicable Size Standard is North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 532411, with a Small Business size standard of 500 employees.

This requirement is to purchase a Motor Vessel (MV) to service the dam at Olmsted. Marquette Transportation Company, LLC is currently under charter at Olmsted. The chartered MV St. James is the only means of pushing the wicket lifter barges to raise the dam at Olmsted Dam. The MV Jackie Lee Anderson which is being procured under contract W912QR20C0002, will replace the MV St. James. When the MV St. James was first procured, the crew underwent an extensive training period to become familiar with the operation of this vessel. This vessel turnover was included in the contract with Marquette Transportation, and additional training was performed afterwards to bolster confidence with the vessel. Moving the wicket lifter barges is a unique operation to the towing industry. The vessel must operate in close proximately to the wicket dam at Olmsted without damaging the dam or floating plant equipment. This requires working in shallow draft and perpendicular to the current, both of which are generally avoided in normal towboat work. Each towing vessel operates uniquely. Even the sister vessels from Marquette transportation would require some learning curve to operate. Changing vessels at this late stage would be a severe detriment to the crew as they would have to learn a new interim vessel for a short period while trying to learn the new permanent vessel.

Based on the following foregoing reasons, it is in the best interest of the government to sole source the required to Marquette Transportation Company, LLC. This notice does not constitute a solicitation for offers, proposals, etc. Howver, interested firms must send a capabilities statement NO LATER THAN 10:00AM EST on 07 April 2023.

Statements should be sent to the attention of Adyson Medley at adyson.medley@usace.army.mil.

Please ensure that the subject line of your email includes "Towboat at Olmsted L&D".

Award is anticipated on or about 28 April 2023. This announcement is in accordance with FAR Part 5.101(a)(1).