Site work for a water / sewer project in La Porte, Texas. Conceptual plans call for site work for a water / sewer project.

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2024/03/27/baltimore-bridge-collapse-spotlight-houston-bridge.html The devastating ship collision in Baltimore that sent the Francis Scott Key Bridge tumbling into the Patapsco River on March 26, leaving six people presumed dead, has led many Houstonians to wonder, could it happen here Houston's own shipping channel is home to the Sidney Sherman Bridge, a 600-foot strutted girder bridge that is, in many ways, similar to the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The Sidney Sherman Bridge is sometimes referred to as the Loop 610 Bridge or the Ship Channel Bridge. Both the Sidney Sherman Bridge and the Francis Scott Key Bridge are long steel structures that allow a major interstate to cross a heavily trafficked waterway. The also opened around the same time, with the Sidney Sherman Bridge opening in 1973 and the Francis Scott Key Bridge opening four years later, meaning both bridges are about 50 years old. Similarly, should something ever happen to the Sidney Sherman Bridge, it likely would have far-reaching consequences for the Houston region and beyond. In a March 26 statement, Port Houston officials expressed sympathy for the families and others affected by the tragic Baltimore harbor accident. "We have communicated with Port Baltimore and conveyed our condolences and offered our assistance," the statement said. "Ensuring the safe navigation of our waterway remains paramount. The Houston Ship Channel, recognized as the busiest waterway in the nation, demands unwavering diligence through efforts such as Project 11 to keep it deepened and widened for continued safe navigation. Ports and maritime trades are unique and vital industries, and we stand prepared to provide support should it be requested." While the Francis Scott Key Bridge was much longer than the Sidney Sherman Bridge -- 8,636 feet compared with 600 feet -- the Houston Ship Channel is far busier than the Baltimore Shipping Channel. The Maryland Port Administration reported that a total of 90,427 20-foot-equivalent units passed through the Port of Baltimore in January, a mere fraction of the 332,961 TEUs that passed through Port Houston the same month. And Port Houston recently approved a $745 million capital plan to, in part, expand its container capacity. Last year, the Sidney Sherman Bridge saw about 1,029 deep-draft transits pass beneath it, including inbound, outbound and shifts from other docks, according to data provided by the Greater Houston Port Bureau. The GHPB did not have data on the number of shallow-draft transits. That said, Baltimore ranks first in the United States for the volume of automobiles and light trucks it handles, according to a statement Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland made last month. The Port of Baltimore has suspended all vessel traffic into and out of the port indefinitely in the wake of the bridge collapse as investigators continue to look into the cause of the crash and crews work to clear the shipping channel. That forced many cargo carriers to look for alternate destinations and upended a major part of Baltimore's economy. A similar collapse of the Sidney Sherman Bridge would almost certainly halt much, if not all, shipping activity at Port Houston. It also would cause severe disruptions to traffic in the area. The Texas Department of Transportation said more than 170,000 vehicles cross the Sidney Sherman Bridge via Interstate 610 each day. Sidney Sherman Bridge's safety measures Fortunately, TxDOT said, the Sidney Sherman Bridge has safety measures in place that make a catastrophic ship collision less likely. The Sidney Sherman Bridge is outfitted with fenders along and in front of its piers, which are designed to prevent damage to the structure. A TxDOT spokesperson said the agency also inspects the bridge annually and continually monitors its performance and capacity. However, the latest inspection report for the Sidney Sherman Bridge was not made immediately available. While the investigation into the cause of the Francis Scott Key Bridge's collapse is ongoing, preliminary findings suggest the ship struck one of the bridge's piers, knocking out a key support structure. The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore did not have an obvious fender system in place, which has led some to speculate that the bridge's collapse might have been avoided. Even with the fenders in place, the Sidney Sherman Bridge is no stranger to ship collisions. In 2001, a freighter's cargo boom struck the northbound side of the 135-foot-tall bridge, bending an outside support beam and sending chunks of concrete into the ship channel. Just a few months earlier, three people were injured when the crane on a freighter punched a 10-foot-wide hole in the bottom of the bridge. As Houston police officer T.L. Burnett put it at the time, "It caused a huge hole, enough to swallow a whole vehicle." The TxDOT spokesperson said one of the agency's primary goals is to prevent such incidents. "TxDOT works closely with local and regional partners, including the U.S. Coast Guard and Port of Houston, to help prevent ships and barges from colliding with bridges," the spokesperson said. ___________ https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2024/03/20/world-energy-houston-ship-channel-clean-fuel-loan.html A developer is seeking a $2 billion federal loan to turn a long-serving biodiesel facility on the Houston Ship Channel into a plant that can produce 250 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel annually. Boston-based World Energy was invited this week to apply for the Department of Energy's Title 17 Clean Energy Financing program to fund the project. World Energy CEO Gene Gebolys told the Houston Business Journal that the company expects to reach a final investment decision for the project by the end of the year. Construction is expected to begin next year, and the facility is expected to go online in 2027. Gebolys said the company's strategy involves selling decarbonization as a service through aviation fuel -- an approach that allows World Energy to reach sustainable aviation fuel customers outside of airlines and upset what he describes as a status quo of aviation. "Airlines will be an important part of this ecosystem -- but not the only part," Gebolys told the Houston Business Journal. "The most important part is the customer that's got people in those airplanes, moving people and products, that enables us to do what we do." The company could not disclose the footprint of its Galena Park site but said the plant had been producing biodiesel since World Energy acquired it in 2016. The conversion project would be World Energy's second SAF facility, after the company acquired the former Paramount Petroleum Corp. facility in Paramount, California, and converted that site into an SAF facility. Part of World Energy's value calculations also include the capacity to physically move SAF to airports outside of Houston and Texas, including Kansas City International Airport, Denver International Airport and Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, through its connection to a Magellan Midstream Partners pipeline. Gebolys highlighted some of World Energy's recent customers as examples of potential customers for the converted local facility. The company had already counted companies like Arlington, Virginia-based aircraft giant Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) and Chicago-based United Airlines Inc. (NYSE: UAL) by 2022, but last October, technology giant Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) signed a 10-year agreement intended to replace 43.7 million gallons of standard jet fuel with SAF. "Once we demonstrate the business works, that brings in more investment that enables us to scale up," Gebolys said. "It's important that we demonstrate that this is a viable alternative to the status quo of aviation." The Microsoft contract will take its fuel from the Paramount facility. Gebolys said customer announcements for the Ship Channel facility would come closer to construction. Texas soars in sustainable aviation fuel production World Energy is the second developer building in Texas to receive an invitation to the Title 17 program. Scottsdale, Arizona-based USA BioEnergy said that its Texas Renewable Fuels subsidiary, which is building a sustainable fuels plant in Bon Wier on Texas' eastern border, received the Title 17 invite in January. Last week, the Energy Department's Loan Programs Office, which oversees the Title 17 program, released its budget request that included $55 million for the Title 17 program, to be offset by $240 million in collected fees. Over $138 billion in Title 17 applications had been received by the end of last year, the LPO said. "I don't care whether it's pharmaceuticals or technology, if you go back to the origins of any important industry you'll see government involvement," Gebolys said. "This bucket of money is not specifically for SAF, but it includes our kind of projects." One recent federal policy that does incentivize SAF development is the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which includes an SAF blenders tax credit to help address the price gap between conventional jet fuel and SAF. The U.S. departments of Energy, Transportation and Agriculture have collaborated to establish the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge, which targets the production of 3 billion gallons of SAF by 2030 and 35 billion gallons by 2050. A 2023 report from the Sustainable Aviation Futures North America Congress highlighted several companies building Texas SAF projects expected to go online in the coming years. Chile-based HIF Global, which has its U.S. headquarters in Houston, and Sacramento, California-based Infinium both announced multiple projects in the Lone Star State. __________________ Package #8 Segment 4 Boggy Bayou to Sims Bayou Turning Basin East E2 Clinton DMPA & Beltway 8 DMPA The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District Has a Requirement for the Above Subject. This is a Notice for Sources Sought Only. This Announcement Seeks Information From Industry, Which Will Be Used for Preliminary Planning Purposes. This is Not a Request for Proposal or Invitation for Bid. There is No Bid Package, Solicitation, Specification or Drawings Available With This Announcement. It Does Not Constitute a Procurement Commitment by the Us Army Corps of Engineers, Implied or Otherwise. No Contract Will Be Awarded From This Sources Sought Announcement. Reponse is Strictly Voluntary; No Reimbursement Will Be Made for Any Costs Associated With Providing Information in Response to This Sources Sought Announcement or Any Follow-up Information Requests. Respondents Will Not Be Notified of the Results of the Evaluation. The purpose of this synopsis is to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities, and qualifications of various members of industry, to include the Small Business Community: Small Business, Section 8(a), Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUB-Zone), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Economically Disadvantaged (ED/Woman Owned (WO), Woman Owned (WO) and Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB). The Government must ensure there is adequate competition of responsible firms. Project Information: The work consists of earthwork on Port of Houston Property to build dredge management placement area (DMPA's). These sites are referred to as "East (E2) Clinton" and "BW-8" and are 76 acres and 385 acres respectively. The work entails raise grade to construct dikes and upland Placement Area. The earthwork DMPA improvements will be made ready for when material will be placed in interior at a future date. Contractor should demonstrate construction experience as a prime contractor working on Dredging Material Placement Areas. Contractor Should observe the typical wet conditions associated with Dredging Material Placement Areas. Contractor should expect to use equipment with low ground pressure due to the soft/wet material in which the equipment will be operating. Contractor should demonstrate experience conducting dike raises on dredge material placement areas. Contractor should demonstrate experience with replacement of drop outlet structures and/or weir structures at dredging material placement areas. Period of performance: Complete the entire work ready for use not later than 365 calendar days after the date the Contractor receives the Notice to Proceed. In accordance with FAR 36/DFARs 236, the estimated construction price range for this project is: Between $25,000,000 and $100,000,000. All construction performance must comply with the USACE Safety and Health Requirements Manual, (EM 385-1-1, and must also comply with all Federal, State and local laws, ordinances, codes and/or regulations. The North American Industry Classification System code for this procurement is 237990, Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Constructions, which has a small business size standard of $45 million. The Product Service Code is Z1KF - Maintenance of Dredging Facilities. Small Businesses are reminded under FAR 52.219-14, (Deviation 2019-O0003), Limitations on Subcontracting. Firm will not pay more than 85% of the amount paid by the Government for contract performance, excluding the cost of materials, to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities. Any work that a similarly situated entity further subcontracts will count toward the 85% subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. Prior Government contract work is not required for submitting a response to this announcement. Contractor should be experienced with Earthwork for Placement Area. Contractor should provide examples of being a prime contractor conducting Earthwork for Placement Area. Bonding Requirements: Performance and Payment Bonds are required within 5 calendar days after award and the contractor shall begin work within 10 calendar days after receipt of the Notice to Proceed. If the contractor fails to complete the work within the time specified, the contractor shall pay liquidated damages to the Government in the amount of $5,235.00 for each calendar day of delay until the work is completed or accepted. FIRMS RESPONSE SHALL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: 1. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) & Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) (This information can be obtained from your System for Award Management (SAM) Registration at www.sam.gov ). 2. Name of firm with address, phone, fax, e-mail address, and point of contact. 3. Indicate whether your firm will submit a bid for this project if set-aside for Small Business (SB), 8(a) Small Business Development Program, Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUB-Zone), Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Economically Disadvantaged (ED/Woman Owned (WO), Woman Owned (WO) Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB). 4. Firm's Joint Ventures (existing), including Mentor Proteges and teaming arrangement information is acceptable. Qualifications: Responses to this source sought announcement shall indicate specialized experience and technical competence in: a. Contractor must be experience in completing work outlined under the paragraph above for "Project Information" Firm's capability to perform the magnitude and complexity outlined in the Scope of Work above or comparable work performed within the past 5 years): Brief description of each project, customer name, and dollar value of the project)- provide at least 3 examples. Firm's Bonding Capacity (Bid Bond (20% of total bid amount), Performance and Payment Bond (100% of the contract amount) bonding level per contract and aggregate construction bonding level, both expressed in dollars Firms responding to this announcement, who fail to provide ALL required information requested and outlined above, may be excluded from further consideration in the review and analysis for acquisition strategy determination. Anticipated solicitation issuance date is on or about November 2023, and the estimated proposal due date will be on or about December 2023. Estimated award on or about date is February 2024. The official synopsis citing the solicitation number will be issued on Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) https://piee.eb.mil/ inviting firms to register electronically to receive a copy of the solicitation when it is issued. Interested Firm's shall respond to this announcement no later than August 11, 2023, at 10:00 AM (Central Time). All interested firms must be registered in SAM.gov to be eligible for award of Government contracts. Email your response to Ms. Jaclyn Yocum at: Jaclyn.C.Yocum@usace.army.mil *The value for this project is based on a financial range. The value is listed as the highest possible cost from the range provided by a stakeholder or official project document.