McNary Lock & Dam Spillway Infrastructure Upgrades

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Contract Opportunity

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Walla Walla District is seeking business sources for a construction project entitled: McNary Lock & Dam Spillway Infrastructure Upgrades.

The work is located at McNary Dam project footprint located in Umatilla/Benton Counties, Oregon. 100% performance and payment bonds will be required. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this project is 237990 and the associated small business size standard is $45,000,000.

This sources-sought announcement is a tool to identify concerns with the capability to accomplish the work. This is not a solicitation. Only those companies which respond to this announcement by submitting the following information (items one through five) will be used in determining whether to set aside this requirement.

1. Provide a Capability Statement expressing interest in this requirement, capability of performing a contract of this magnitude and complexity, list any special qualifications and certifications held by the company, as well as any in-house personnel capabilities related to accomplishing the summary scope of work for this requirement.

1. Provide a list of your company’s technical experience similar to or the same as the summary scope of work for this requirement. Include a brief description of the project scope, schedule, dollar value and the firm’s role in the project.

1. Provide a statement of your company’s bonding capacity.

1. Provide a statement of your company’s business size and type (HUBZone, Service Disabled Veteran Owned, 8(a), woman-owned).

Submit this information to Chandra Crow, Contract Specialist, 201 North 3rd Avenue, Walla Walla, Washington 99362 or via email to Chandra.D.Crow@usace.army.mil. Your response to this notice must be received on or before 3:00PM on April 24th, 2026.

Summary of Scope of Work:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is undertaking a comprehensive electrical and structural upgrade of the spillway at the McNary Lock and Dam. The primary driver for this project is the critical need to replace aging infrastructure to support the installation of new, heavier spillway gantry cranes and gate hoists.

The existing electrical system, largely in place since 1953, and the control systems, in use since 1974, are obsolete, failing, and incapable of supporting the increased power and control demands of modern equipment. Reports have found that current lifting systems are operating beyond their rated capacity, posing a significant operational and safety risk. This project aims to modernize the facility, improve system safety and reliability, and ensure compliance with current engineering and safety regulations.

Structural Upgrades

The installation of new, heavier gantry cranes necessitates significant reinforcement of the existing spillway bridge and support structures. The scope of work includes:

Spillway Bridge Strengthening

• Demolition of portions of the existing concrete pedestals and installation of new, anchored steel pedestals.


• Installation of new steel sections bolted to the bottom of the existing main steel girders (G1 and G4) to increase mid-span flexural capacity.


• Complete demolition and replacement of the existing rail support plates on top of the G1 and G4.


• North Non-Overflow Beam Strengthening:


• Strengthening of the downstream reinforced concrete beam in the north non-overflow section to handle increased loads. This will involve demolition of a portion of the top of the concrete beams, and placement of additional reinforcing steel doweled into the existing concrete beam, and externally bonded FRP systems.

Power System Modernization

• Primary Voltage Upgrade: The main power feed to the spillway will be upgraded from 4.16kV to 13.8kV. New interlocked feeder switchgear will be installed for better control over how the spillway is powered.


• Transformer Replacement: The primary transformers (DPT1 and DPT2) will be replaced with new, larger capacity units (1500 kVA and 500 kVA respectively) and reconfigured to a delta-wye High Resistance Grounding (HRG) system.


• Equipment Replacement: Both DS1 and DS2 switchgear, hoist feeder cables, gate hoist receptacles, and the emergency diesel generator will be replaced and upsized.


• Redundancy and Reliability: An automated feeder transfer system will be implemented, and new dedicated 480V ties between the DS1 and DS2 substations as well as between DS1 and the navigation lock will be installed to improve system resilience.

Hoists Control System Upgrades

• New Control Network: A modern, networked control system will be installed, utilizing OPTO 22 Edge Programmable Industrial Controllers (EPICs) and Cisco industrial switches at each hoist.


• Replace existing hoist control cabinets which house equipment for 480V motor control and 120V logic controls.


• Install audible horns and visual strobe lights at each hoist, with a verification interlock system to confirm warnings are active before allowing remote gate movement, as required by safety regulations.

Control Modes

• The new system will feature two modes of operation: local hardwired mode and a remote (Network Control) mode. In remote mode the gate position can be adjusted by an external control network GDACS via discrete and analog signals. Additionally, the spillway control system can be set to manual mode, which blocks GDACS and allows an operator in the control room the ability to manually adjust gates from a HMI or pistol grip inputs.

Control Room Upgrades:

• The existing SC9 control panel will be completely overhauled with two new HMIs (one for annunciation only and the other for spillway control), and new pistol-grip controls for manual remote operation.

Navigation lock

• Install annunciation panel in the Navigation lock building to pass back alarm signals to the control room over the new spillway network. These alarms will be displayed on the new annunciation HMI in SC9.

Other Work:

• Verify control cables in the spillway gallery. Existing fiber cables for other systems to remain.


• Install new phone cable and phone line junction boxes in the spillway gallery.

Requirements during construction include the presence of a Site Safety and Health Officer (SSHO), who must be assigned no other duties during the duration of this construction contract, and a Contractor Quality Control Manager (CQC) on site at all times when work is performed. The SSHO is required to have 30-hour OSHA training and the CQC will be required to have taken the Corps of Engineers course entitled Construction Quality Management for Contractors. The Contractor will be required to develop and maintain a network analysis system (NAS) schedule for this project. A scheduler will be required to develop and maintain the required schedule. All on-site work will be subject to the Corps of Engineers Safety and Health Requirements Manual (EM 385-1-1). The Contractor will be required to utilize the Corps of Engineers electronic system (Quality Control System) to manage and transmit certain records to the Government.

PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT INQUIRIES:

Please also submit responses to the following with your statement of interest:

1. Are you willing to enter into and submit a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) prior to any potential contract award if your firm is determined to be the apparent successful offeror? If not, please explain in detail why your firm is unwilling to participate in a PLA.


2. Do you have knowledge that a PLA has been used in the local area on projects of this kind? If so, please provide supporting documentation.


3. Have PLAs been used on similar projects undertaken by Federal, State, municipal, or private entities in the geographic area where this work will be performed? If so, please provide contract number(s) and points of contact.


4. If you have previously been party to a PLA, approximately how long did it take to negotiate the terms of the PLA? Did PLA negotiation delay the construction start? If so, by how long?


5. Do you believe requiring a PLA will increase contract costs or contribute to cost savings? Why or why not? And how?


6. To what extent will this requirement impact interest in the project, and do you anticipate this requirement will translate to an insignificant or substantial increase in project cost? If so, what percentage of increase can we expect as a result of requiring a PLA?


7. Do you believe the project can only be completed by a limited pool of contractors or subcontractors? Please explain in detail.


8. Do you think requiring a PLA will increase contract risk? Why or why not? And how?


9. Identify specific reasons why or how you believe a PLA would advance the Federal Government's interest in achieving economy and efficiency in Federal procurement.


10. Identify specific reasons why you do not believe a PLA would advance the Federal Government's interest in achieving economy and efficiency in Federal procurement.


11. Are you aware of any skilled labor shortages in the area for the crafts that will be needed to complete the referenced project? If so, please elaborate and provide supporting documentation where possible.


12. Please provide any information about the availability of relevant unions, as well as unionized and non-unionized contractors in the project area.


13. Is it difficult to recruit or retain a skilled workforce in the anticipated work location?


14. Are you aware of any time-sensitive issues or scheduling requirements that would affect the rate at which the referenced project should be completed? If so, please elaborate and provide supporting documentation where possible.


15. Do you think the completion of the project will require an extended period of time?

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