FOREWORD: The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the design and construction agent for the Army and most of the Air Force military construction programs. The Corps also performs work for other Department of Defense (DoD) and non-DoD agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency. When in the national interest, the Corps executes engineering and construction missions overseas and provides assistance to foreign governments.
One of the largest current programs involves the realignment and reduction of the nation’s military infrastructure which has created an important mission for supporting the affected installations with planning, real estate, engineering, and construction. Additionally, the Corps has taken on a large program of environmental protection and restoration for current and formerly used military sites.
Despite the size of the Corps’ military mission, its civil works projects are the ones that are most often in the public view. The Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) directs and supervises the civil works mission carried out by the Corps. The Corps is responsible for planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of projects for flood control, navigation, hydroelectric power, water supply for municipalities and industry, recreation, fish and wildlife management, and environmental enhancement. Along with developing our nation’s water resources, the Corps provides an important regulatory function committed to maintaining a public interest balance between environmental protection of our wetlands and commercial development in the waters of the United States.
Another important responsibility of the Corps is responding to major emergencies having an impact on our nation’s security. The Corps emergency plans for responding to major domestic emergencies includes providing support to others for dealing with civil disturbances; natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, droughts; and control of certain hazardous materials.
The majority of the Corps’ construction program is procured by using the sealed bid procedure resulting in firm-fixed-price type contracts. Negotiated, letter, cost-reimbursable and other type contracts are used when appropriate. This pamphlet describes the procedures used by USACE for the procurement of construction services. It also describes the procedures a contractor should follow in seeking a construction contract with the Corps of Engineers.
