Background
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded an $8.8 million contract on Jan. 25 to DS3 Enterprises Inc. of
Central Islip, N.Y. for the removal of an estimated 82,500 cubic yards of debris from Fire Island. The debris resulted from Hurricane Sandy, which struck the island Oct. 29. The Corps of Engineers received a protest on Jan. 30 from another company that also bid on the contract.
Current Actions
The Corps found that selection criteria weren’t consistently applied to all proposals during the evaluation process. As a result, the Corps convened a new selection panel to re-evaluate the original work proposals of each of the nine companies. The Corps awarded the contract on Feb. 7 to Custom Earth Recycling of Bay Shore, N.Y. for $ 10.5 million.
The Corps conducted an extensive review of the initial contract award and evaluation. Lessons learned from that experience were applied as part of the re-evaluation. The Corps is confident that selection criteria were appropriately applied for this solicitation.
The Corps is now working with Custom Earth Recycling to begin work as quickly as possible. Cleanup activities will begin by mid-February if no additional challenges are filed. There is a 10-day limit that any additional protests to be filed.
The Corps remains committed to working through this issue to find a solution to clean up the Sandy debris on Fire Island. Staff is involved with this issue from the field up to headquarters. We recognize the debris continues to pose a health and safety threat, and we understand the urgency of resolving this issue as quickly as possible.
Release no. 13-003