The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District intends to issue an Invitation For Bid (IFB) for the award of a firm fixed contract for The project consists of deepening of the existing 47 feet (MLW) Federal Navigation Channel System to a depth of 52 feet (plus 1.5) (MLW).  The project area is located along the Westside of Newark Bay.  The Project consists of the dredging and placement of non-rock and the drilling, blasting, dredging and placement of rock. The scope of work also includes the sampling and testing of subsurface materials if needed.  The non-rock materials unsuitable for the HARS placement will be placed at an Upland Placement Facility.  The procurement involves the use of clamshell dredge with an environmental bucket, an excavator dredge, and possibly a drill blast barge. These dredges must be able to operate in a minimum of 52ft of water.  The estimated cost range for this project is $25,000,000.00 to $50,000,000.00. The selected contractor must complete the work no later than 330 calendar days after receipt of Notice to Proceed. This project is being solicited as an UNRESTRICTED procurement. The applicable NAICS code is 237990 with a size standard of $18.5 million. Plans and specifications for solicitation W912DS-09-B-0001 will be available on or about 14 October 2008. Bid opening date is on or about 13 November 2008 at 2:00 P.M. Bid opening will be held at 26 Federal Plaza, New York, New York 10278 in room 1841. Small Business Goals: If a large business, the prime contractor shall provide its small business subcontracting plan conforming to the requirements of FAR 19.704 and DFARS 219.7. The small business goals are as follows: Small Business (including ANCs and Indian Tribes) 70%, Small Disadvantaged Business (including ANCs and Indian Tribes) 6.5%, Women-Owned Small Business 7.5%, HubZone Small Business 9.8%, Veteran-Owned Small Business 4.0%, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business 2.0%. A subcontracting plan reflecting goals less than indicated, shall provide, as part of the subcontracting plan submission, those extenuating circumstances of why the goal cannot be met. You may contact the District, Deputy Small Business advocate or your local SBA for assistance. A contract will not be awarded until the Contracting Officer has determined that the subcontracting plan provides maximum practicable opportunities for Small, Veteran-Owned Small Business, Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Hubzone Small Business and Small Disadvantaged and Women-Owned Small Business program concerns to participate in contract performance. The media selected for the issuance of this solicitation and amendments shall solely be at the discretion of the Government; accordingly, the media utilized for this project are the Internet and CD-ROM. Paper copies of this solicitation, and amendments, if any, will not be available or issued. Interested parties may download and print the solicitation, at no charge at www.fedbizopps.gov. All vendors who want to access solicitations will be required to register with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) at www.ccr.gov and www.fedbizopps.gov. Business opportunities can be located on www.fedbizopps.gov or the Army single Face to Industry (ASFI) Acquisition Business Web Site (https://acquisition.army.mil/asfi). There will be automated email notification of amendments. To keep informed of changes check www.fedbizopps.gov frequently. Contractors are encouraged to use the following tools: 1. Register to receive Notification and 2. Subscribe to the Mailing List for the specific solicitation at www.fedbizopps.gov or utilize the Vendor Notification Service in ASFI (https://acquisition.army.mil/asfi). A hyperlink posted in FedBizOps will direct vendors download Solicitations, Plans, Specifications and Amendments. Project specification files and drawings are portable document files (PDF) and can be viewed, navigated, or printed using Internet Explorer 6.0 the recommended Browser. However, Internet Explorer 4.x, Internet Explorer 5.5 or greater, Netscape 4.x (except 4.7) and Netscape 5.x are also compatible with fedbizopps. Utilization of the Internet is the preferred method, however CDs will be available upon written request stating the solicitation number, or project name, complete company name and street address (we will not deliver to P.O. Boxes), telephone number and facsimile number (including area codes). Make check or money order payable in the amount of $15.00 to USACE, NY. DFARS 252.204-7004 Required Central Contractor Registration (CCR) applies to this procurement. Prospective contractors must be registered in the Department of Defense (CCR) Database prior to award. Lack of registration in the CCR will make an bidder ineligible to download the solicitation and for award. Information on CCR registration and annual confirmation requirements may be obtained by calling 1-888-227-2423 or via the Internet at http://www.ccr.gov. ACASS Requirements: CPARS - The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) requires that Past Performance Information (PPI) be collected on DoD contracts. ACASS is a web-enabled application that supports the completion, distribution, and retrieval of Architect-Engineer (A-E) contract performance evaluations (DD Form 2631). Contractor Representatives are responsible for reviewing and commenting on evaluations submitted by Government Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) website at http://cpars.navy.mil/. To access reference material, training information, and a practice session, click on ACASS underneath Web Applications on the weblink listed above. Point of Contact is Albert Rumph, Contract Specialist, US Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, 26 Federal Plaza, Room 1843, New York, 10278-0090, Phone: 917-790-8078. Fax: (212) 264-3013 or via email albert.c.rumph@usace.army.mil.