How about a glass of water…

Because the nearest available drinking water is 10 miles away, in Oro Grande, NM, the Border Patrol’s checkpoint on Highway 54 -- which sits about 55 miles north of El Paso, TX – wants to hire a contractor to deliver potable water to this remote checkpoint on a regular basis.

“Deliveries will occur year-round with a heavier delivery schedule anticipated during the summer months,” says a solicitation issued by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Border Patrol’s parent organization, on February 5.

Installing a 10-mile pipeline from Oro Grande would be “cost-prohibitive,” says the solicitation, so instead it will require delivery of approximately 2,600 gallons of water per week, a volume that could vary depending on “the time of year, agent staffing, traffic volume, and the presence of canine operational support.”

CBP envisions a one-year, fixed-price base contract plus four one-year options. Deliveries will be required within 24 hours of a border patrol request, says the solicitation. Responses from prospective contractors are required by February 22.

Further information is available from Russell Brehm, of the El Paso contracting office, at russell.brehm@dhs.gov or 915-834-8610.