TITLE 33 - US CODE - SUBCHAPTER V - PROSECUTION OF WORK GENERALLY

33 USC 621 - By what methods river and harbor work may be authorized to be prosecuted

Any public work on canals, rivers, and harbors adopted by Congress may be prosecuted by direct appropriations, by continuing contracts, or by both direct appropriations and continuing contracts.

33 USC 622 - Contracts, etc., with private industry for implementation of projects for improvements and dredging; reduction of federally owned fleet

(a) Contracts for dredging and related work
The Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers (hereinafter referred to as the Secretary), in carrying out projects for improvement of rivers and harbors (other than surveys, estimates, and gagings) shall, by contract or otherwise, carry out such work in the manner most economical and advantageous to the United States. The Secretary shall have dredging and related work done by contract if he determines private industry has the capability to do such work and it can be done at reasonable prices and in a timely manner. During the four-year period which begins on April 26, 1978, the Secretary may limit the application of the second sentence of this subsection for work for which the federally owned fleet is available to achieve an orderly transition to full implementation of this subsection.

(b) Reduction of federally owned fleet
As private industry reasonably demonstrates its capability under subsection (a) of this section to perform the work done by the federally owned fleet, at reasonable prices and in a timely manner, the federally owned fleet shall be reduced in an orderly manner, as determined by the Secretary, by retirement of plant. To carry out emergency and national defense work the Secretary shall retain only the minimum federally owned fleet capable of performing such work and he may exempt from the provisions of this section such amount of work as he determines to be reasonably necessary to keep such fleet fully operational, as determined by the Secretary, after the minimum fleet requirements have been determined. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, in carrying out the reduction of the federally owned fleet, the Secretary may retain so much of the federally owned fleet as he determines necessary, for so long as he determines necessary, to insure the capability of the Federal Government and private industry together to carry out projects for improvements of rivers and harbors. For the purpose of making the determination required by the preceding sentence the Secretary shall not exempt any work from the requirements of this section. The minimum federally owned fleet shall be maintained to technologically modern and efficient standards, including replacement as necessary. The Secretary is authorized and directed to undertake a study to determine the minimum federally owned fleet required to perform emergency and national defense work. The study, which shall be submitted to Congress within two years after April 26, 1978, shall also include preservation of employee rights of persons presently employed on the existing federally owned fleet.

(1) Initiation
The Secretary shall initiate a program to increase the use of private-industry hopper dredges for the construction and maintenance of Federal navigation channels.

(2) Ready reserve status for hopper dredge Wheeler
In order to carry out this subsection, the Secretary shall place the Federal hopper dredge Wheeler in a ready reserve status not later than the earlier of 90 days after the date of completion of the rehabilitation of the hopper dredge McFarland pursuant to section 563 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 or October 1, 1997.

(3) Testing and use of ready reserve hopper dredge
The Secretary may periodically perform routine tests of the equipment of the vessel placed in a ready reserve status under paragraph (2) to ensure the vessels ability to perform emergency work. The Secretary shall not assign any scheduled hopper dredging work to such vessel but shall perform any repairs needed to maintain the vessel in a fully operational condition. The Secretary may place the vessel in active status in order to perform any dredging work only if the Secretary determines that private industry has failed to submit a responsive and responsible bid for work advertised by the Secretary or to carry out the project as required pursuant to a contract with the Secretary.

(4) Repair and rehabilitation
The Secretary may undertake any repair and rehabilitation of any Federal hopper dredge, including the vessel placed in ready reserve status under paragraph (2) to allow the vessel to be placed in active status as provided in paragraph (3).

(5) Procedures
The Secretary shall develop and implement procedures to ensure that, to the maximum extent practicable, private industry hopper dredge capacity is available to meet both routine and time-sensitive dredging needs. Such procedures shall include

(A) scheduling of contract solicitations to effectively distribute dredging work throughout the dredging season; and

(B) use of expedited contracting procedures to allow dredges performing routine work to be made available to meet time-sensitive, urgent, or emergency dredging needs.

(6) Report
Not later than 2 years after October 12, 1996, the Secretary shall report to Congress on whether the vessel placed in ready reserve status under paragraph (2) is needed to be returned to active status or continued in a ready reserve status or whether another Federal hopper dredge should be placed in a ready reserve status.

(7) Limitations

(A) Reductions in status
The Secretary may not further reduce the readiness status of any Federal hopper dredge below a ready reserve status except any vessel placed in such status for not less than 5 years that the Secretary determines has not been used sufficiently to justify retaining the vessel in such status.

(B) Increase in assignments of dredging work
For each fiscal year beginning after October 12, 1996, the Secretary shall not assign any greater quantity of dredging work to any Federal hopper dredge in active status than was assigned to that vessel in the average of the 3 prior fiscal years. This subparagraph shall not apply to the Federal hopper dredges Essayons and Yaquina of the Corps of Engineers.

(C) Remaining dredges
In carrying out the program under this section, the Secretary shall not reduce the availability and utilization of Federal hopper dredge vessels stationed on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts below that which occurred in fiscal year 1996 to meet the navigation dredging needs of the ports on those coasts.

(8) Contracts; payment of capital costs
The Secretary may enter into a contract for the maintenance and crewing of any Federal hopper dredge retained in a ready reserve status. The capital costs (including depreciation costs) of any dredge retained in such status shall be paid for out of funds made available from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and shall not be charged against the Corps of Engineers Revolving Fund Account or any individual project cost unless the dredge is specifically used in connection with that project.

33 USC 623 - Repealed. Oct. 31, 1951, ch. 654, 1(57), 65 Stat. 703

Section, act Aug. 11, 1888, ch. 860, 3, 25 Stat. 423, related to letting of contracts to lowest responsible bidder.

33 USC 624 - Limitation on improvement work by private contract

(a) Determinations respecting comparison of private contract price with estimation of cost of performance of work by Government plant or by well-equipped contractor
No works of river and harbor improvement shall be done by private contract

(1) if the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, determines that Government plant is reasonably available to perform the subject work and the contract price for doing the work is more than 25 per centum in excess of the estimated comparable cost of doing the work by Government plant; or

(2) in any other circumstance where the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, determines that the contract price is more than 25 per centum in excess of what he determines to be a fair and reasonable estimated cost of a well-equipped contractor doing the work.

(b) Considerations involved in determinations of estimation of cost of performance of work by Government plant
In estimating the comparable cost of doing the work under subsection (a)(1) of this section by Government plant the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers shall, in addition to the cost of labor and materials, take into account proper charges for depreciation of plant, all supervising and overhead expenses, interest on the capital invested in the Government plant (but the rate of interest shall not exceed the maximum prevailing rate being paid by the United States on current issues of bonds or other evidences of indebtedness) and such other Government expenses and charges as the Chief of Engineers determines to be appropriate.

(c) Considerations involved in determinations of estimation of cost of performance of work by well-equipped contractor
In determining a fair and reasonable estimated cost of doing work by private contract under subsection (a)(2) of this section, the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, shall, in addition to the cost of labor and materials, take into account proper charges for depreciation of plant, all expenses for supervision, overhead, workmens compensation, general liability insurance, taxes (State and local), interest on capital invested in plant, and such other expenses and charges the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, determines to be appropriate.

33 USC 625 - Repealed. Oct. 31, 1951, ch. 654, 1(58), 65 Stat. 703

Section, acts Sept. 19, 1890, ch. 907, 2, 26 Stat. 452; July 25, 1912, ch. 253, 8, 37 Stat. 233, related to combining several projects in one contract.

33 USC 626 - Prosecution of work when appropriation insufficient

Whenever the appropriations made, or authorized to be made, for the completion of any river and harbor work shall prove insufficient therefor, the Secretary of the Army may, in his discretion, on the recommendation of the Chief of Engineers, apply the funds so appropriated or authorized to the prosecution of such work.

33 USC 627 - Application of appropriation when separate works are included therein

Where separate works or items are consolidated in River and Harbor Acts and an aggregate amount is appropriated therefor, any balances remaining to the credit of the separate works or items may be transferred to the credit of the corresponding aggregate amounts appropriated for the consolidated items, and the amounts appropriated or transferred shall, unless otherwise expressed, be expended in securing maintenance and improvement according to the respective projects adopted by Congress, after giving due regard to the respective needs of traffic. The allotments to the respective works consolidated shall be made by the Secretary of the Army upon recommendations by the Chief of Engineers. In case such works or items are consolidated and separate amounts are given with each project, the amounts so named shall be expended upon such separate projects unless, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Army, another allotment or division should be made of the same. Any balances remaining to the credit of the consolidated items shall be carried to the credit of the respective aggregate amounts appropriated for the consolidated items.

33 USC 628 - Expenditure for dredging within harbor lines

No money appropriated for the improvement of rivers and harbors shall be expended for dredging inside of harbor lines duly established.

33 USC 629 - Contract for hire of dredging plant

Whenever it shall become, in the opinion of the Secretary of the Army, necessary or desirable to hire a dredging plant or plants for the performance of any of the public work carried on under his direction the said Secretary may, in his discretion, agree for the same, either in the manner customary on March 2, 1907, or on the basis of an equitable reimbursement for deterioration of plant when in use by the Government, and a reasonable percentage of the total cost of the work.

33 USC 630 - Limitation on expenditure for purchase of dredges

No money authorized to be expended for the acquirement of any dredge or dredges shall be so expended for the purchase of any dredge or dredges from private contractors, which at the time of the proposed purchase can be manufactured at any navy yard or other government-owned factory for a sum less than it can be purchased for from such private contractor.

33 USC 631 - Transfer of property between projects

The Secretary of the Army may direct a temporary transfer of any property employed in the improvement of rivers and harbors whenever, in his judgment, such transfer would secure efficient or economical results, and such adjustment in the way of charges and credits shall be made between the projects affected as may be equitable.

33 USC 632 - Omitted

33 USC 633 - Protection, alteration, reconstruction, relocation, or replacement of structures and facilities; contract standards; reasonable costs

Whenever, during the construction or reconstruction of any navigation, flood control, or related water development project under the direction of the Secretary of the Army, the Chief of Engineers determines that any structure or facility owned by an agency of government and utilized in the performance of a governmental function should be protected, altered, reconstructed, relocated, or replaced to meet the requirements of navigation or flood control, or both; or to preserve the safety or integrity of such facility when its safety or usefulness is determined by the Chief of Engineers to be adversely affected or threatened by the project, the Chief of Engineers may, if he deems such action to be in the public interest, enter into a contract providing for

(1) the payment from appropriations made for the construction or maintenance of such project, of the reasonable cost of replacing, relocating, or reconstructing such facility to such standard as he deems reasonable but not to exceed the minimum standard of the State or political subdivision for the same type of facility involved, except that if the existing facility exceeds the minimum standard of the State or political subdivision, the Chief of Engineers may provide a facility of comparable standard, or

(2) the payment of a lump sum representing the estimated reasonable cost thereof. This section shall not be construed as modifying any existing or future requirement of local cooperation, or as indicating a policy that local interests shall not hereafter be required to assume costs of modifying such facilities. The provisions of this section may be applied to projects hereafter authorized and to those heretofore authorized but not completed as of July 3, 1958, and notwithstanding the navigation servitude vested in the United States, they may be applied to such structures or facilities occupying the beds of navigable waters of the United States.