Deadlines-SoOn Watchlist: USACE dredging/dike work (NC), DLA containers, and GSA seismic courthouse work (PR)

Executive takeaway

If you’re a small business in marine construction/dredging, the USACE Wilmington District DMPF improvements requirement (NC) is the most clearly defined construction scope in this batch, including clearing, raising/stabilizing dikes (up to 20’ NAVD88), and full spillway replacements across multiple upland placement areas. If you manufacture or can supply to a military spec, DLA Land’s shipping/storage container buy is a straightforward small-business set-aside, but expect drawing-controlled requirements and a quantity structure you’ll want to model carefully. For larger GC firms with courthouse/occupied-facility experience, the GSA industry day in San Juan is a strong early positioning play for complex, multi-phase seismic work performed after-hours.

What the buyer is trying to do

FY26 AIWW Dredge Material Placement Facility (DMPF) Improvements 2 (USACE Wilmington District)

The Corps is looking to repair and improve multiple upland dredged material placement areas in coastal North Carolina (plus one Camp Lejeune placement area). The intent is to ensure these sites can reliably receive future dredged material by improving dike integrity and replacing spillway systems used to drain water.

SHIPPING AND STORAGE CONTAINER (DLA Land)

DLA is buying a specific shipping and storage container (NSN and part number referenced in the notice) under a total small business set-aside, delivered FOB destination. The solicitation indicates drawings are required and will be provided through the process described in the solicitation.

Industry Day: Construction projects at Degetau Federal Building & Nazario U.S. Courthouse complex (GSA PBS)

GSA is running an industry day to generate interest and explain two highly complex projects on the Hato Rey Federal Campus in San Juan. One described effort is non-structural seismic mitigation at the Nazario Courthouse, including modifications/replacement of certain wall systems and installation of fiber reinforced polymer around columns. The work is planned as general construction, multi-phased, and performed after-hours to keep the facility operational.

What work is implied (bullets)

• USACE DMPF improvements (NC):
  • Clearing upland placement areas
  • Raising and stabilizing perimeter dikes (varying elevations, not to exceed 20’ NAVD88)
  • Complete replacement of spillway systems (platform structure, stoplogs, and pipe system)
  • Replacing a total of six spillway systems across five placement areas
  • Planning around stated bat-related environmental windows that affect tree clearing
  • Executing a firm-fixed-price construction delivery with electronic-only solicitation access
• DLA shipping/storage containers:
  • Manufacture/assemble and deliver containers meeting the cited NSN/part number requirements
  • Manage drawing-controlled requirements (drawings obtained per solicitation instructions)
  • Fulfill destination delivery requirements (FOB destination)
• GSA non-structural seismic courthouse work (industry day notice):
  • Replace/modify existing non-structural unreinforced concrete masonry unit walls (as described)
  • Install fiber reinforced polymer material around columns (as described)
  • Plan multi-phase execution in an occupied/operational federal judicial facility, performed after-hours
  • Coordinate within a campus environment where multiple buildings remain operational during construction
• Milford Haven Federal Navigation project (USACE Norfolk) — sources sought:
  • Jetty maintenance: remove existing stone on ~330 linear feet; drive vinyl sheet piles to -14.0 feet MLLW; install new bedding/armor stone; raise jetty to +6.0 feet MLLW
  • Maintenance dredging of shoaled areas: ~25,000 CY sandy material; channel depth -10.0 feet MLLW with allowable overdepth (total project depth -11.0 feet MLLW in pay prism)
  • Dredging method: hydraulic pipeline or mechanical dredging (either may be acceptable per notice)
  • Beneficial reuse: beach placement at two sites with stated approximate capacities
  • Base bid includes mobilization/demobilization

Who should bid / who should pass (bullets)

• Bid (good fit):
  • Small businesses with coastal civil/marine construction capability for dike work, clearing, and structural drainage/spillway replacement (USACE Wilmington DMPF)
  • Firms with experience managing environmental work windows that constrain clearing operations (USACE Wilmington DMPF)
  • Small businesses that can produce to a drawing-controlled configuration and manage government QA expectations for containers (DLA Land)
  • Large or well-resourced GCs with occupied-facility phasing and after-hours execution experience, especially judicial facilities and multi-building campuses (GSA San Juan industry day)
  • Marine contractors/dredgers and jetty specialists interested in shaping an upcoming buy via sources sought feedback (USACE Norfolk Milford Haven)
• Pass (or be very cautious):
  • Contractors without local/regional field capacity to cover multiple NC counties and multiple placement areas (USACE Wilmington DMPF)
  • Firms without sheet piling / stone placement / dredging capability should treat Milford Haven as a market-intel item only (sources sought), not a near-term bid
  • Suppliers that cannot obtain/comply with solicitation drawings or cannot support FOB destination logistics for a government item buy (DLA Land)
  • Contractors without a mature after-hours safety/security/tenant-coordination playbook should be cautious on the GSA courthouse seismic effort

Response package checklist (bullets; if unknown say 'verify in attachments')

• USACE Wilmington DMPF (W912PM26BA002):
  • Completed bid/proposal forms (verify in attachments once posted)
  • Price schedule for firm-fixed-price construction (verify in attachments)
  • Technical approach for clearing, dike work, and spillway replacement (verify in attachments)
  • Schedule narrative showing how you will work within the stated bat-related clearing windows (verify in attachments)
  • Evidence of active SAM registration (explicitly stated as required for award eligibility)
  • Acknowledgement of amendments (verify in attachments)
• DLA container solicitation (SPRDL1-25-R-0230):
  • Completed offer per solicitation instructions from SAM (verify in attachments)
  • Confirmation of small business eligibility (set-aside is stated)
  • Compliance matrix against drawings/specs (drawings provided per solicitation instructions; verify in attachments)
  • Delivery/packing plan consistent with FOB destination (verify in attachments)
• GSA industry day notice:
  • Registration/RSVP package and participation instructions (verify in attachments/notice details)
  • Capability statement tailored to occupied courthouse work and multi-phase after-hours construction (content you control; confirm any requested format in attachments)
• USACE Norfolk Milford Haven (sources sought):
  • Sources sought response package (capability, relevant projects, equipment approach) (verify in attachments/notice instructions)

Pricing & strategy notes (how to research pricing; do not invent pricing numbers)

• Anchor to the buyer’s magnitude/structure when provided. The USACE Wilmington DMPF notice states a construction magnitude range and identifies firm-fixed-price; use that to sanity-check whether your internal estimate is in-family once the full solicitation is available.
• Model mobilization and multi-site logistics explicitly. For multi-county site work (DMPF improvements), pricing errors often come from underestimating moves, access constraints, and production impacts across dispersed locations—build a location-by-location production plan from the drawings once released.
• For DLA item buys, start from the drawings and QA expectations. Since drawings are referenced and must be obtained through the solicitation, treat the drawing package as the baseline for: materials, fabrication steps, inspection points, packaging, and acceptance. Price risk is highest when suppliers assume “commercial equivalent” without confirming drawing compliance.
• Use BidPulsar history + SAM.gov documents for comparable awards. Research similar NAICS/PSC opportunities and prior award abstracts where available (e.g., the VA HVAC notice indicates a bid abstract/amendment). Avoid guessing—pull actual line items and quantities from posted documents.
• For the GSA courthouse seismic work, bid strategy starts at the industry day. Your near-term “price strategy” is really a positioning strategy: understand phasing constraints, after-hours requirements, and how GSA plans to package the acquisition before you build a cost model.

Subcontracting / teaming ideas (bullets)

• USACE Wilmington DMPF:
  • Team with a specialty spillway/industrial drainage installer for platform/stoplogs/pipe system replacement
  • Use clearing/earthwork subs with proven environmental compliance discipline given the stated bat-related clearing windows
  • Engage a geotechnical/compaction testing firm to support dike stabilization quality control (as required by specs once released)
• USACE Norfolk Milford Haven (sources sought):
  • Dredging contractor + beach placement specialist partnership for beneficial reuse execution
  • Jetty stone and sheet pile specialty teaming (vinyl sheet piles, armor/bedding stone placement)
• GSA courthouse seismic effort:
  • Specialty contractor with fiber reinforced polymer installation experience (as described) under a GC lead
  • After-hours logistics/temporary protection subcontractors for occupied facility constraints

Risks & watch-outs (bullets)

• USACE Wilmington DMPF:
  • Tree clearing constraints: the notice states bat-related environmental windows (plan schedule accordingly)
  • Electronic-only solicitation: ensure your team can access/download the package when issued and track amendments
  • Multi-site execution risk: dispersed counties and multiple placement areas can create schedule and cost creep
• DLA containers:
  • Drawing-controlled product: do not assume interchangeability without the drawing package
  • Quantity structure (min/max) requires careful capacity and cash-flow planning (use the solicitation for exact terms)
  • Due date language: the notice signals a due date “on or about” a date—confirm the exact deadline in the solicitation
• GSA industry day / future courthouse work:
  • Occupied judicial facility constraints: after-hours work and keeping operations running can drive hidden premium time and coordination overhead
  • Multi-building campus interface: anticipate access restrictions and sequencing impacts (details should be clarified at/after industry day)
• Milford Haven sources sought:
  • Not a solicitation: no specs/drawings yet per notice; treat any estimating as preliminary market sizing only

Related opportunities

• FY26 AIWW Dredge Material Placement Facility (DMPF) Improvements 2
• Milford Haven Federal Navigation project (Sources Sought)
• SHIPPING AND STORAGE CONTAINER
• Industry Day for Construction Projects (San Juan, PR)
• Replace Bldg 16 HVAC (VA) – notice with amendment/bid abstract reference

How to act on this

1. Open the BidPulsar record and download/verify all attachments (or confirm they are not yet posted) for the opportunity you’re targeting.
2. For USACE Wilmington DMPF: build a site-by-site execution plan, then map it to the clearing windows stated in the notice; turn that into a schedule and risk list before you price.
3. For DLA containers: pull the solicitation and follow the instructions to obtain drawings; confirm compliance and inspection/acceptance steps before submitting an offer.
4. For GSA: treat the industry day as your gate—capture phasing/after-hours constraints and acquisition strategy, then decide whether to pursue prime or as a specialty sub.

If you want a second set of eyes on bid/no-bid, compliance gaps, or a fast-turn checklist built directly from the solicitation package, consider working with Federal Bid Partners LLC.