C05_Response to Questions_12C0BA26Q0010.pdf

RFQ No. 12C0BA26Q0010 – Underground Utility Locating Services Response to Questions

Question 1: To assist with developing accurate and responsive pricing, could the Government please advise whether any of the following may be made available to prospective offerors prior to quotation submission:

• Representative utility drawings or historical utility maps

• Site plans or CAD base files

• Sample areas of interest or representative work locations

• Existing underground utility records or other documentation that may help demonstrate anticipated utility density and site complexity.

• If the complete archive cannot be released during the solicitation period, representative samples would still be helpful for estimating purposes.

Answer: Drawings, Plans, and existing GIS and CAD information are Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). They are only distributed on a need to know basis. See response to Question #12 on format, coordinate system, and datum for CAD deliverable information.

Question 2: Please advise whether a pre-quotation site visit, walkthrough, or site inspection is available at BARC and/or USNA. If so, please provide the available dates, scheduling procedures, required advance notice, attendee requirements, and any cutoff date for requesting attendance.

Answer: A site visit is not scheduled for this solicitation.

Question 3: Will BARC and USNA provide existing CAD files/base drawings for the areas of interest that the contractor will update with the utility locations identified in the field, or is the contractor expected to create entirely new CAD drawings/base maps for each requested area from the field data collected during the utility locate?

Answer: Existing CAD files/base drawings will be provided for requested areas where available. ArcGIS files are also available with existing survey data. New data may be required for areas that have not previously been surveyed.

Question 4: Cell B17 ("Contract Total (Base + Four Option Periods)") sums only cells F11, H11, J11, L11 and N11 — the extended prices for Line Item 1. The extended prices for the second line item (additional square footage, row 12) are not included in either B17 or B20. Will the Government's total evaluated price include the second line item? If so, may the Government issue a corrected workbook so that all offerors' totals are computed on the same basis?

Answer: Please disregard Row 12 of Attachment 4 – Pricing Schedule. A revised Attachment 4 is included in the response to questions.

Question 5: Row 12 (additional square footage) contains no unit price cell for the FAR 52.217-8 six-month extension period, while row 11 does (cell O11). Should offerors propose an additional-square-footage rate for the extension period, and if so, where should it be entered?

Answer: No – Disregard Row 12 of Attachment 4 – Pricing Schedule. A revised Attachment 4 is included in the response to questions.

Question 6: Both row 11 and row 12 are labeled "Item Number 1." Please confirm the intended line item numbering.

Answer: There is only one line item across base and option periods. Disregard Row 12 of Attachment 4 – Pricing Schedule. A revised Attachment 4 is included in the response to questions.

Question 7: The Line Item 1 description references "PWS paragraph 2 (Requirement)" and "PWS Paragraph 3 (Digital files)." Attachment 1 is styled a Statement of Work, in which paragraph 2.0 is Background, paragraph 3.0 is Technical Requirements/Tasks, and paragraph 5.0 is Deliverables/Schedule. Please confirm that the Line Item 1 unit price is intended to cover the tasks at SOW paragraph 3.0 and the deliverables at SOW paragraph 5.0.

Answer: Row 11’s (Line Item 1) unit price is intended to include all sections of the SOW. A revised Attachment 4 – Pricing Schedule is included in the response to questions.

Question 8: How does the Government define the 5,000 square feet included in the Line Item 1 unit price — the gross area of the work limit designated by the COR, or the area actually marked? Is the measurement applied per service request or per site visit?

Answer: The area will be provided by the Government for the contractor. The COR will typically provide an annotated figure on a reference aerial or drawing for the contractor.

Question 9: Where a request covers a linear corridor (for example, a roadway or utility easement of a stated length), how should square footage be computed for purposes of Line Item 2?

Answer: Disregard Row 12/Line Item 2 on Attachment 4 - Pricing Schedule. Total area of survey is requested by the Government. See response to Question #8 on typical information provided by COR and SOW Section 3.0 A.

Question 10: The estimated quantity for Line Item 2 is five 5,000-square-foot increments per year against 100 annual service visits, which implies that nearly every request falls within the base 5,000 square feet. Based on the Government's historical data, what percentage of requests exceeded 5,000 square feet, and what was the average area per request?

Answer: Disregard Line Item 2 or Row 2 of Attachment 4 – Pricing Schedule. A revised Attachment 4 is included in the response to questions. A typical service request (or “job”) is anticipated to be up to 5,000 square feet. Note that a service request (i.e. “job”) can include multiple survey areas that total up to the 5,000 square feet of the service unit price during the scheduled site visit(s). Note also that the provisions in the SOW Section 6.0 regarding notice of site visit(s) expected to last longer than 4 hours is for site coordination purposes and is not a unit for pricing. Surveys over 5,000 square feet will be billed as multiple units (or “jobs”) per each 5,000 additional square feet in total and invoiced at completion of the requested services.

Question 11: Is this a follow-on to an existing contract? If so, please provide the incumbent contract number and the actual quantities ordered during the most recent 12 to 24 months of performance.

Answer: No current contract exists. The last contract for this requirement expired two years ago (12305B24F0041).

Question 12: For the CAD deliverable required by SOW paragraph 5.0, please specify the required file format and version, the coordinate system and datum and whether BARC and USNA maintain an existing CAD standard, layer convention, or base map template that the Contractor must follow.

Answer: Deliverables are to be in PDF and DWG format, conforming to industry‑standard AutoCAD releases (e.g., versions from AutoCAD 2018 and newer). Use State Plane Coordinates or UTM, commonly in NAD 83 datum or equivalent DoD reference systems, with vertical data referenced to NAVD 88. Include units (e.g., US Survey Feet or meters), projection zone, datum details, and any grid convergence or scale factors in the drawing’s title block or metadata. BARC will provide prior base-map templates that incorporate standard title blocks, layer structure, text styles, and annotation standards. Otherwise, follow ASTM formats such as the US National CAD Standard (NCS) version 6, which specifies standardized layer naming conventions like SURV-BOUND-LINE_PROP and structures layers by discipline-major-minor-status groups (e.g., V-SITE-TOPO-EXC_TERR).

Question 13: Will the Government furnish existing base mapping or georeferenced site plans for the areas of interest, or is the Contractor responsible for establishing horizontal control?

Answer: Government will furnish existing information, but the UFC requires a professionally established horizontal control network performed under the authority and oversight of a licensed surveyor and extensible to project-level topographic and boundary control.

Question 14: Wage Determination 2015-4281, Revision 39 does not contain a classification for utility locating technician. Which classification does the Government consider applicable to the personnel performing the locating and CAD work under this requirement? If the Government does not identify an applicable classification, please confirm that a conformance action under FAR 52.222-41(c) and Standard Form 1444 is anticipated after award.

Answer: USDA considers the following occupational categories from WD 2015-4281 as most applicable: 99830 SURVEY PARTY CHIEF (Chief Of Party); 99831 SURVEYING AIDE; and

99832 SURVEYING TECHNICIAN.

Question 15: SOW paragraph 3.0.C provides that where a utility line is mismarked and struck outside the 18-inch tolerance, the Contractor is responsible for all resulting damage and repair costs. Does this provision apply where the utility is undetectable by conventional electromagnetic, ground penetrating radar and sonde methods, is unenergized or abandoned, or does not appear in the archived records furnished by the Government? Will the Government's determination consider the professional standard of care reflected in ASCE 38-22?

Answer: Please see FAR 52.237-2, Protection of Government Buildings, Equipment, and Vegetation, which is included in the RFQ by reference. The clause states that the contractor must use reasonable care.

Question 16: SOW paragraph 5.0 requires service within two working days after the Government's request. Does that period begin upon issuance of the COR's request or upon the Contractor's acknowledgment? Are emergency or after-hours locates anticipated, and if so, are they priced at the same unit price as a scheduled visit?

Answer: The period begins after Government’s request. Per SOW Section 6.0, site visits made during other than normal working hours may occur. This could include Government requested emergency after-hours locates and Contractor requested work outside normal duty hours (See Attachment 2 – BARC Special Conditions, Section 2-18). All are considered a service “job” included in the provisions of the solicitation (i.e. same unit price).

Question 17: Are HSPD-12 / PIV credentials, background investigations, vehicle registration or any other site access requirements applicable to Contractor personnel at BARC or USNA? Please describe the process and typical lead time.

Answer: All security provisions of the solicitation are required. HSPD-12 / PIV credentials, background investigations, and vehicle registration credentials are not required when a contractor is escorted by cleared personnel, such as the COR or other authorized individual. For this contract, site access is coordinated by and through the COR. For example - At BARC, the Security Services Unit issues Temporary Facilities visitor badges at the Visitor’s Desk at Building 003 at 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705-2325 during normal business hours. Per Special Conditions, All Beltsville Area (BA) policies or procedures referenced can be provided by request after award.