SAM #W912DW27R1CXH

USACE industry day on Chief Joseph Dam breaker-disconnect modernization

USACE Seattle District is inviting industry to a site visit and discussion about modernization options for the 15.5 kV main-unit breaker disconnects at Chief Joseph Dam. - Opportunity: Industry feedback and site inspection; this notice does not request quotes or bids. - Event: December 3, 2026, at Chief Joseph Dam. Activities include a project overview, supervised powerhouse walkthrough, visual inspection of selected breaker cabinets and nearby areas, and technical discussion of vendors’ capabilities and interest. Information exchanged is designated Public Domain. - Existing equipment: Original BBC (Brown Boveri Corporation) disconnects serve Units 1–16; original GE disconnects serve Units 17–27. These are installed-equipment manufacturers, not named replacement vendors. Existing equipment is 15.5 kV. - Options under consideration: Refurbish disconnects, add motorized remote operation, and overhaul and test existing breakers; replace disconnects while refurbishing breakers; replace both disconnects and breakers; or replace the complete switchgear assembly, including enclosures, disconnects, breakers, controls, protection, and buswork. - Feedback sought: Vendor capability and experience, technical approaches, rough cost estimates, constructability, outage and other risks, and small-business participation potential. Space constraints at the dam are an important limitation. - Participation: Open to interested small and large businesses. Attendance is limited to two U.S. citizens per company and requires advance registration. - Notice information: NAICS 237990; stated size standard $45 million. No quantities, replacement OEM, contract value, or implementation schedule are specified.

Description

EVENT DETAILS:

Date: 3 December 2026

Time: 0930-1430 PT  

Format: Presentation & Site walk

Registration Due Date: 23 November 2026, 1200 PT; Please register by returning completed Request for Visit Authority (RVA) by email to:

Sarah Malowicki, Project Manager, at sarah.m.malowicki@usace.army.mil, AND Londres Medranda, Contract Specialist, at londres.medranda@usace.army.mil.

Confirmation email will be sent upon receipt of completed RVA.

Who Should Attend: Interested vendors, including small businesses, large businesses, and other industry partners. Attendance is limited to 2 personnel per company. Attendance is limited to United States Citizens. Attendance at this event is not mandatory. Pre-registration is required.

DESCRIPTION:

In accordance with the Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul (RFO) 15.101(a) Early exchanges with industry, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Seattle District (NWS) is hosting an Industry Day on 3 December 2026 at Chief Joseph Dam in Bridgeport, Washington. This Industry Day provides an opportunity for interested parties to inspect the existing 15.5KV Main Unit XJ Breaker disconnects first-hand. By hosting this first-hand inspection, the government aims to gather technical feedback and explore industry alternatives for modernizing this equipment. We are seeking input from qualified, experienced sources, capable of performing this modernization work.

PROJECT BACKGROUND:

At Chief Joseph Dam the current Unit 1-16 XJ Breaker disconnects are original BBC (Brown Boveri Corporation) equipment and rated 6000A according to the BBC shop drawings. The switch operators are pneumatically driven, and are actuated by operation of a complex key interlocking scheme with the circuit breaker. The load side and source side disconnects are mechanically linked and simultaneously operated by a single shared pneumatic actuating system.  

The current Units 17-27 breaker disconnects are original GE equipment. The load side and source side disconnects are mechanically linked and simultaneously controlled by mechanically operated hand crank.

USACE is evaluating options to improve reliability, maintainability, remote-operating capability, and overall generating-unit availability.

• Option 1: Refurbish and restore existing disconnect switches to an approved condition equivalent to original design intent, as technically feasible. Integrate motorized mechanisms on the switch arms to enable remote operation, and comprehensively overhaul and test the existing main unit breakers to ensure optimal system protection.

• Option 2: Replace the disconnect switches with new electrically operated units and refurbish the existing breakers.

• Option 3: Replace both the disconnect switches (with new electrically operated units) and the main unit circuit breakers.

• Option 4: Replace the entire switchgear assembly with new enclosures, modern electrically operated disconnect switches, and new circuit breakers (includes associated controls, protection, buswork and new enclosure).

Chief Joseph Dam has several critical limitations that affect this project, primarily related to space constraints.

This Industry day will present the options under consideration, obtain industry feedback on technical feasibility and constructability, and identify potential risks, constraints and cost drivers.

USACE is requesting feedback on the following questions and relevant, non-binding information:

Does your company have the ability, capacity, interest and willingness to perform  the proposed options? Does your company have experience with comparable medium-voltage/high-current generation-station disconnect and breaker modernization projects? We are not currently requiring quotes or bids, however rough estimates would be greatly appreciated. Recommended technical approaches or alternatives Major schedule outage, access, safety, supply-chain or constructability risks. Do you believe all aspects of this requirement could be successfully performed by the small business sector under NAICS 237990 (Size standard $45M)? (Yes/No). If No, what estimated percentage do you think can be subcontracted out to small business? Small Business (SB)   ___% Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) __% Woman-Owned SB (WOSB) _% Veteran Owned SB (VOSB) _% Service Disabled VOSB (SDVOSB) _% Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) ____%

Important Notice: Attendance and participation is not required for consideration on future contracts related to this work. The U.S. Government is not obligated to pay for any information, documentation, demonstrations, or data provided, nor will it reimburse any costs incurred by your organization in preparing responses, traveling to, or participating in this Industry Day and physical equipment inspection. All costs associated with attending this event and participating in this information exchange are solely at the responding party’s expense.

Small Business Program Inquiries:

Enshane Hill-Nomoto: Enshane.Nomoto@usace.army.mil

https://www.nws.usace.army.mil/Business-With-Us/Small-Business/

Thank you for your interest in this USACE project.

View original listing