Lowest bidder for emergency dredging of San Jacinto River announced

Published June 22, 2018

UPDATED: JUNE 22, 2018 6:15 P.M.

GALVESTON, Texas (June 22, 2018) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District announced today that RLB Contracting, Inc., was the apparent low bidder in the amount of $33,988,050.00 for emergency dredging of the West Fork of the San Jacinto River.

"This emergency project funded by FEMA involves the removal of 1.8 million cubic yards of material within 270 days,” said Curtis Cole, a contracting official with the USACE Galveston District's Contracting Division. Cole said there will be a bid and pre-award verification phase with the awardee prior to officially awarding the contract.

"Pre-award verification allows us to exercise due diligence to verify awardees can meet the scheduling, production and resource requirements,” said Don Carelock, a USACE Galveston District Chief of Construction. “Once we perform our analysis, a recommendation will be announced to our contracting officials.”  Carelock said this process is expected to take between 10-14 days.

During the public opening, three bids were received: CrowderGulf submitted a bid in the amount of $108,887,733.33 and Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company bid totaled $69,814,060. RLB Contracting, Inc. was announced as the apparent lowest bid of $33,988,050.00.

Under provisions of the Stafford Disaster Relief Act of 1988, FEMA responded to a request from the State of Texas and directed the Corps to begin the initial assessment for the Emergency Project.

Corps officials have stated the FEMA funding scope of the project allows for debris and dredge activity that restores the area to its pre-Harvey flood conditions. The project is limited in scope and does not include operations beyond the West Fork of the San Jacinto River area.

Corps survey teams from the New Orleans District began collecting data in April to determine the level of shoaling and silt accumulation within the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. A six-phase value engineering study was completed in May.

The USACE Galveston District was established in 1880 as the first engineer district in Texas to oversee river and harbor improvements. The district is directly responsible for maintaining more than 1,000 miles of channel, including 250 miles of deep draft and 750 miles of shallow draft as well as the Colorado River Locks and Brazos River Floodgates.

For more news and information, visit www.swg.usace.army.mil. Find us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/GalvestonDistrict or follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/USACEgalveston

 

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Contact
Lt. Col. Mark T. WIlliford
409-766-3005
Galveston.TX.PublicAffairs@usace.army.mil

Release no. 18-040