Pre-Bid Tour Notes.pdf

Prepared by Steven & Marcos 7/27/21 Page 1 of 3

Castle Fire Roads Rehabilitation Project

July 22, 2021 Pre-Bid Tour @ 10:00am

10:00-10:30 AM – Introductions and a brief overview of the project area.

• Representatives for five contractors attended the pre-bid tour; COR Steven Ray and Marcos Rios represented the Sequoia NF. See attached sign in roster.

• The COR reviewed the following items:

o The project is a post fire rehabilitation project, so there are hazards in the area. The contract does not include removal of roadside hazard trees, but if trees fall in the roads they must be removed under spec 303. Any roadside hazard trees the contractor chooses to cut down to eliminate a potential hazard to workers is incidental to other pay items.

o There may be other projects or contracts in the project area, including a hazard tree removal contract on roads 21S50, 20S71, and 20S71A starting in September. Contractors must coordinate and cooperate with other contracts.

o Reviewed the schedule of items showing total contract quantities, the quantities sheets

(drawings 9-11) showing work quantities on each road, the work item listings (drawings

12-16) showing the work items by milepost on each road, and the general notes (sheet 2).

• The driving tour through the project area included the following roads (or portions thereof):

21S50, 20S79, 20S53, 20S64 (all in the North road area); 22S04; 22S82 and 22S54 (Lloyd

Meadow road area).

Questions & Answers

Q: Water sources are not going to keep up given the grading requirements; Is there a contingency plan if there is not enough water on the sources?

A: A detailed schedule will be key to make sure we are not depleting the water sources. Also, there are different line items in the contract that the contractor can perform (not just grading). Moreover, there are different locations throughout the project area that will have different water sources.

Two additional water sources will be available as follows. The pond at the Quaker Meadow Camp near Ponderosa at the end of road 21S78 will be available for the duration of the project. The potable water system at Quaking Aspen Campground (on Highway 190 near the junction with the

North road) will be available after the campground closes on October 10.

Q: Are the 120 days calendar days or working days?

A: Contract time is specified in calendar days. However, days do not count when work is suspended such as during a winter shut down (which must be requested in writing by the contractor).

Q: Most roads are very rocky; Where are we getting the dirt from? Is there a designated site?

A: Section 303 provides specifications on how to address “rocky roads”. No, there is not a designated site for borrow; the contractor should first pull berm material back on to the travel way, and may also pull material from adjacent cut banks to use on the road.

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Q: On the asphalt work, the contract calls for hot-mix; can we use cold mix for the work? The haul time will be a factor for the hot-mix. Also the cold mix will go farther in quantities.

A: The contract specifies hot-mix asphalt. The contractor will need to make sure the temperatures coming out of the plant will meet placement temperatures.

Q: Is there a location specified for the contractor to camp? A location to draft potable water?

A: Section C provides the requirements for on-site camping. Quaking Aspen Campground may be available for camping and a water source after it closes on Oct 10. Other locations for camping may be approved, generally without water available.

Q: Some areas are very powdery and will need lots of water. The road will not hold even after grading and compacting. This is a concern for the contractor; when is the Forest Service going to final the road for ownership?

A: The contractor will need to submit a request to final the roads completed. The Forest Service will not perform finals on individual roads. Partial final inspections may be requested when all the roads in a geographic area have been completed (for example, all the roads on the Kern Plateau).

Q: Some roads don’t have enough width to meet the width requirement of 12-14 ft. How to address these areas?

A: The Forest Service acknowledges that some sections are narrow and don’t have room to work with.

The contractor will grade as much width as possible on those areas. The project Inspector will provide additional guidance on those areas.

Q: Some roads have down trees and limbs, is there a pay item to address these areas?

A: Under the General Notes (Clearing and Grubbing and Slash Treatment) the contract provides specifications on how treat those sections and how it will be paid for.

Q: Road 22S54 calls for Full Depth Reclamation, existing pavement depth 2”. Does the Forest Service want 3” of grindings on the road?

A: Pulverize the existing pavement on road 22S54, shape, and compact per the specifications. Import of additional grindings is not required.

Q: After going through the major work items and the amount of water that will be needed for grading, rock placement, and asphalt grindings, the contract time is too tight to complete the work. Moreover the water sources may have limitations. Can there be an adjustment in the contract time?

A: The COR will need to consult with the CO and final determination will be provided about the contract time. The recommendation is to increase contract time from 120 to 180 calendar days.

Q: Looking at the roads that call for placing aggregate base; can there be a designated location nearby to stockpile and mix the rock?

A: The Forest Service can accommodate such locations to stockpile and mix the rock prior to placing on roadbed. This is a common practice that has been used in the past.

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Q: After driving road 22S82 Lloyd Mdw, the areas that call for full depth patch with grind-out don’t have enough asphalt to be ground-out. Those areas are more suitable for overlays vs full depth patch.

A: The COR will need to consult with the CO to determine if such modification can be done. The anticipation is that the full depth patch quantity will shift to overlay and perhaps add a patch pave pay item.

Q: What to do if water is not used for the project?

A: Watering is a separate pay item and will be paid for by the mile of roads actually watered. Unused funds may pay for additional quantities of other pay items with CO approval.

Q: Where will the government furnished property (a road closure gate) be available?

A: The gate will be available for pickup at the Porterville Work Center. A forklift for loading may be available with prior coordination.

Q: What about centerline striping where paving repairs eliminate the existing stripe?

A: See General Notes on drawing sheet 2 about Asphalt. Repainting existing markings is incidental to paving.

3:10pm Pre-Bid Completed.