Due to prior performance for the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Oregon at the Almeda mine project, for the Formosa underground the funding agency, BLM, requested the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to direct a sole- sourced contract to MES for the underground rehabilitation and design and construction of a high pressure underground bulkhead seal, at this remote mine site which is being managed under the Superfund program.

MES was asked by USACE to team with an 8(A) prime to facilitate the contracting process. MES teamed with Northwind Site Services, an American Indian Tribal corporation, for the design and execution of this project. The project included planning, submittal of a geotechnical report and ground support design, development of a detailed design and specifications package for construction of the high pressure bulkhead.

Construction phase activity included opening the collapsed Formosa mine portal, re-supporting the portal with MES- designed steel sets, removal of muck and other materials from the adit tunnel, rockbolting and meshing, and construction of a bulkhead seal and associated instrumentation and piping. This project is an example of:

• Repeat use of MES requested by project sponsoring agency due to past performance

• Execution of both Design and construction work on the project

• Remote site logistics • Safe underground work in adverse conditions