RFIs and Responses (002).docx

RFIs and Responses

1. What are the quantities for the following:

- Excavation and riprap

- Length of fiber roll

- Total areas for live stakes, branchpacking, and erosion control blankets CAD files are being provided to assist with takeoff of materials. Quantities will be contractors’ responsibility to provide as shown on plans. Please contact Ms Trisha Vigil, trisha.vigil@usda.gov. She will set up a Box for you to retrieve the large CAD files extronically.

2. Drawing C-701 – Erosion & Sediment Pollution Control Plan. Please provide clarification and revise Drawing C-701, as necessary, to identify the required locations, extents, and installation limits for all compost filter socks within the project area.

The location and extents of the filter socks will change as the project progresses. The intent is to protect and maintain a barrier between the stream and the disturbance of work. Reference note 8 (Construction Sequence) on drawing C-704, and temporary cofferdam & pump bypass in work areas detail on C-703. The project should advance in 50-foot increments and filter socks should be in place at these work areas adjacent to the stream (parallel to the base of slope). Filter socks should remain in place for a particular area until the work has moved away and disturbed area has been stabilized.

3. The contract documents do not appear to include any geotechnical or subsurface investigation data.

Please advise whether any geotechnical information is available for this project, including but not limited to:

• Test pit logs

• Soil boring logs

• Rock core boring data

• Geotechnical reports

• Groundwater observations

• Laboratory soil testing results If such information is available, please provide the reports and associated data for bidder review. If no subsurface information exists, please confirm that bidders are responsible for making their own assumptions regarding subsurface conditions Please see attached for Geotechnical Report (provided by American Geotechnical & Environmental Services, Inc.) dated August 26, 2020. This report focuses on pavement improvements and is not specific to the creek. This is the only geotechnical data available. Bidders should make reasonable assumptions that are needed for the project.

4. Soil Testing and Contaminated Materials Please advise whether any environmental assessments, soil testing, or hazardous material investigations have been performed within the project limits.

If available, please provide copies of any reports, including but not limited to:

• Environmental Site Assessments (Phase I or Phase II)

• Soil sampling and laboratory testing results

• Contaminated soil evaluations

• Hazardous material reports

• Groundwater testing results

• Waste characterization reports Additionally, please clarify whether any known contaminated, hazardous, regulated, or unsuitable materials are present within the project area.

In the event contaminated or hazardous materials are encountered during construction, please confirm:

1. Whether the Owner is aware of any existing contaminated or hazardous materials within the project limits.

1. Whether removal, handling, transportation, testing, and disposal of contaminated materials is included in the Contractor's scope of work.

1. If included, identify the applicable bid item(s) and specifications governing such work.

1. If not included, whether such work will be addressed through a contract modification or separate compensation.

See Environmental Assessment prepared by (EOR) STV Incorporated dated February 8, 2019. There is no known contaminated/hazardous materials on site. If such item is encountered, a contract modification would be necessary to handle addition scope.

5. Relocated Spigot

There is a discrepancy between the sheets that should be formally clarified:

· Drawing C-102 indicates removal and relocation of one (1) existing spigot.

· Drawing C-111 indicates relocation of three (3) spigots, referenced in keynote item 5.

These two quantities are not consistent and may reflect either:

1. A revision where additional spigots were added but not updated across all sheets, or

1. A typographical/keynote error on one of the drawings.

Request for clarification:

Confirm whether the correct scope is:

· One (1) relocated spigot, or

· Three (3) relocated spigots and identify which drawing governs the final quantity.

There is one (1) spigot to be relocated. Drawing C-111 is not correct.

6. Permits and Code Compliance In the SOW, Item 2.1 states that the Contractor is responsible for obtaining all City and State permits. To assist the Contractor in preparing its estimate, please provide:

· A list of anticipated City and State permits required for the project.

· Clarification on whether the Owner has already applied for, or obtained, any NPDES permits associated with the project.

Please identify all permits currently anticipated to be required, including but not limited to:

· Building permits

· Demolition permits

· Grading or excavation permits

· Stormwater or erosion and sediment control permits

· Utility permits

· Roadway or right-of-way permits

· Environmental permits

· Any other City, County, State, or Federal permits applicable to the work

NPDES Permit Status Please confirm:

· Whether an NPDES permit is required for this project.

· Whether the Owner has already applied for or obtained the NPDES permit.

· If not, whether the Contractor is expected to prepare, submit, obtain, and maintain the permit as part of the contract scope.

This information is necessary for contractors to accurately account for permitting responsibilities, associated fees, schedules, and compliance requirements in their bids.

Building permits are not anticipated to be required. Project site does not contain wetlands, rare species/habitats, or historic properties that would require such permitting.

The following at a minimum should be anticipated for the project:

Demolition (fencing and culvert) & Utility (backflow/Hydrant install) permits should be anticipated.

State Erosion & Sedimentation Control (NPDES / Ch. 102) – PA DEP/Montgomery County Conservation District State Water Quality Certification Section 401 – PA DEP Chapter 105 PA DEP permit is not required due to being on Federal Land; However, waiver 16 may apply.

SP GP-6 – USACE – Pennsylvania State Programmatic General Permit-6 PECO ROW (encroachment / access approval) – coordinate access, staging, etc. per PECO guidelines.

USDA has not applied for the NPDES permit. This will be required due to total land disturbance exceeding 1.0 acre. The Contractor is expected to prepare, submit, obtain, and maintain the permit.

7. Fence Removal & Replacement Please clarify whether the new fence must be installed and fully operational prior to removal of the existing fence, or if temporary removal of the existing fence is permitted during construction. If temporary removal is permitted, please identify any requirements for temporary fencing, site security, or access control during the transition period.

New fencing should be installed and fully operation prior to removal of existing fence to ensure security and safety of the property.

8. Existing Pavement Protection and Restoration Reference:

Specification Section 31 1000, Paragraph 3.1C – Restoration of Existing Site Improvements The specification requires the Contractor to restore existing site improvements if damaged during construction. Due to the significant volume of imported and exported materials anticipated for this project, the Contractor has concerns that the existing asphalt access drive may not be capable of withstanding repeated heavy truck traffic and construction vehicle loading without deterioration.

To ensure consistent bidding and avoid disputes regarding pavement damage attribution, please consider including a defined pavement restoration allowance within the contract documents. Specifically, we request that the Owner establish a predetermined quantity for asphalt pavement restoration, such as square yards of milling and overlay, to address impacts associated with construction traffic.

Please clarify whether:

1. The Contractor will be solely responsible for all pavement repairs resulting from construction activities regardless of existing pavement condition; or

1. The Owner will provide a designated quantity and scope for pavement restoration, including milling and overlay, to be included in all bids.

An allowance of 100 Square yards for mill and overlay can be included in bid pricing to account for likely damage that will occur off paved path adjacent to where construction entrance is shown on C-701.

9. 2018 Survey The survey was completed in 2018, and as with all topographical surveying in a creekbed in heavy woods it is unlikely that the exact creek was 100% located plus now 8 years later additional erosion has occured. It is going to be impossible to have a PA Licensed Surveyor stake this out cost efficiently and timely. As it is likely each section of work will be required to be " tweaked " to fit existing conditions and still meet the proposed cross sections. Each section when the trees are cleared will need to be resurveyed and then the proposed template redrawn to best fit the actual ground conditions otherwise your volumes will be all over the place. This new neat surface template will then be entered into the GPS machine control system for the equipment therefore avoiding costly stakeout. You would need a licensed survey nearly every day. In the contract it switches from Licensed Surveyor to Land Surveyor. I am a licensed land surveyor in three states not PA and I would request that the survey work should be completed by contractor surveyors with sufficient experience as none of this work requires state licensure. Maybe have the licensed surveyor re-establish the bench marks and control points only? This is not construction stakeout or boundary line type work/ 1 - request the Cadd Files 2 - request competent surveyor to be allowed 3 - additional site access prior to bid

1. CAD files are provided as a convenience only. The sealed Contract Drawings remain the official governing document of record. The Contractor is solely responsible for verifying digital surface data against approved plan callouts prior to performing earthwork.

1. A Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) must recover, verify, and re-establish the primary horizontal and vertical survey control points and benchmarks on-site prior to any land disturbance. For routine machine control setup, grading layout, and field adjustments, the Contractor may utilize qualified, competent field surveyors.

A Licensed Land Surveyor must perform the final As-Built survey to certify that final grading, stream cross-sections, and structure locations comply with the permitted engineering design.

1. Additional site access prior to bid would need to be arranged and confirmed with location.