S01 Amendment 4 Ajies Daguey Dams Site Showings QA Final.pdf

08/05/2024

No. 12FPC324B0005

Ajíes and Dagüey Dam’s Site Showings

Ques on and Answer

General Ques ons

1. What are the signage requirements in the project’s areas?

In addi on to the signs on safety instruc ons in the project area (refer to Construc on Specifica on 9—Traffic Control and Construc on Plans), both sites must have a sign with the permit informa on (Pre‐Consulta on) from the Permit Management Office (OGPe, in Spanish) and the Na onal Pollutant Elimina on System (NPDES) number from EPA (refer to Ques on 2 below).

2. What are the permit requirements for the project?

The project sponsor has a pre‐consulta on (PCL, in Spanish) from the OGPe for both sites and the Cer fica on of Compliance with the Categorical Exclusion.

Notwithstanding this, the project requires obtaining prior any construc on ac vity the United State Environmental Protec on Agency (US EPA) Na onal Pollutant Elimina on System (NPDES) Construc on General Permit (CGP) for Stormwater Discharges from Construc on Ac vi es. The contractor will be required to complete the Storm Water Pollu on Protec on Plan (SWPPP) required for each site (this is further described in Construc on Specifica on 5, “Pollu on Control”). NRCS will require the SWPPP to be submi ed for review along with the permit applica on and No ce of Intent (NOI) at least 30 days before submi ng it to the United State Environmental Protec on Agency (US EPA) for approval.

SWPPP must consider the Construc on Specifica on 5 – Pollu on Control and also the sediment and pollu on control requirements shown in the Plans.

3. Can turf rolls be considered as an alterna ve to the proposed seeding and mulching?

NRCS understand there are areas on the dams that would benefit from using Zoysia Grass Sod or Turf Rolls in sec ons where seeding and mulching is proposed. This will require a modifica on to the bid schedule, the construc on drawings (C‐8 for Dagüey Dam and sheet C‐2 for Ajíes Dam) and the Construc on Specifica on 6‐ Seeding Sprigging and Mulching. For the Dagüey Dam a total of 2.0 acres shall use sod and 0.4 acres shall use seeding and mulching. For the Ajíes Dam a total of 2.5 acres shall use sod and 0.4 acres shall use seeding and mulching.

These answers will be uploaded to Sams.gov solicita on12FPC324B0005 together with the corresponding amendment to all the following documents:

Bid package, Ajíes Dam Specifica ons (Specifica on 6‐ Seeding Sprigging and Mulching), Dagüey Dam Specifica on (Specifica on 6‐ Seeding Sprigging and Mulching), Ajies Dam Drawings (Sheet C‐2), Daguey Dam Drawings(Sheet C‐8).

4. Does the fill material, stones and concrete must be sent outside of Puerto Rico for tes ng?

Tes ng requirements for the materials are included in the Construc on Specifica on and Material Specifica on documents (Please refer to Construc on Specifica ons 6, 23, 26, 61 and 94 and Material specifica ons 523, and 592.) – test requirements must be meet in laboratories with the qualifica ons regardless of these been on Island or in the US Mainland. Contractors must submit informa on on the facili es they proposed to use for tes ng and their current cer fica ons to the CO and COR in advance for review/concurrence. At least one onsite grada on test will be made by the Contractor.

5. The contractor could visit the sites on his own to clarify doubts?

Yes – to do this the contractor will have to inform NRCS at least 24 hours prior to the visit with specific date and me they intend to visit the sites.

6. Could Allowance be an op on for the materials to be dispose (sediments, debris and vegeta ve materials)?

No allowances will be permi ed under this Firm Fixed Price Construc on Contract (FAR Part 36).

7. In the solicita on documents the Clearing & Grubbing is in acres. The contractors prefer in cubic yards (CY). Can this measurement be changed?

This is only true for Ajíes Dam. The item is based on all the areas that need to be subjected to clearing and grubbing – contractors shall make their volumetric assump ons.

The bid should be presented in the units presented in the solicita on for each dam.

8. Are there u li es such as electricity and water present on the sites?

No, there are no known of these u li es on the sites. Nonetheless the contractors need to follow call before you dig requirements for the project.

9. What insurance must be used State (Puerto Rico State Insurance Fund Corpora on (CFSE, in

Spanish)) or Federal (Work Compensa on)?

First, Contractors are all required to submit a 20% bid bond with their bid.

The successful bidder then must provide within 10 calendar days of award:

100% payment bond 100% performance bond Liability Insurance required is outlined in FAR 28.307‐2:

Regarding Worker’s compensa on

“ (a) Workers’ compensation and employer’s liability. Contractors are required to comply with applicable Federal and State workers’ compensation and occupational disease statutes. If occupational diseases are not compensable under those statutes, they shall be covered under the employer’s liability section of the insurance policy, except when contract operations are so commingled with a contractor’s commercial operations that it would not be practical to require this coverage. Employer’s liability coverage of at least $100,000 shall be required, except in States with exclusive or monopolistic funds that do not permit workers’ compensation to be written by private carriers. (See 28.305(c) for treatment of contracts subject to the Defense Base Act.)

(b) General liability.

(1) The contracting officer shall require bodily injury liability insurance coverage written on the comprehensive form of policy of at least $500,000 per occurrence.

(2) Property damage liability insurance shall be required only in special circumstances as determined by the agency.

(c) Automobile liability. The contracting officer shall require automobile liability insurance written on the comprehensive form of policy. The policy shall provide for bodily injury and property damage liability covering the operation of all automobiles used in connection with performing the contract. Policies covering automobiles operated in the United States shall provide coverage of at least $200,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence for bodily injury and $20,000 per occurrence for property damage. The amount of liability coverage on other policies shall be commensurate with any legal requirements of the locality and sufficient to meet normal and customary claims.”

10. Percentage of the patent and taxes for the Municipality of Añasco?

Municipal Patent ‐ 0.5% Municipal Taxes ‐ 10% (according to Ordenanza 9, Serie 2021‐2022)

11. What the X means in page 9 of the document package for Dagüey Dam?

The X means Lump Sum.

Dagüey Dam

12. It is possible to break down the volume of material to be removed into sediment, debris, and vegeta ve material for Dagüey site?

Each proponent will make their assump ons on the content to the obstruc on and trash to be removed in the area indicated in Figure 1. For consistency, please consider the area to be removed in Dagüey where the debris is concentrated has an approximate volume of 250 cubic yard and there is a large concentra on of metals including vehicle chassis. For requirements on material removal please refer to each site Construc on Specifica on 2 for clearing and Grubbing.

Figure 1 Approximate location requiring removal and Design Plan Note (image capture from Dagüey Plan C-2 Sheet)

13. The bamboos within the project area indica ng “Remove metal and vegeta ve debris from headcut…” need to be cut or pruned?

Bamboos on the area iden fied in Figure 2 (taken from Dagüey Dam Plan C‐2 SHEET) will be required to be cut. This to allow the work indicated in the Note (marked in yellow in Figure 2) to be properly completed. NRCS will prepare a consulta on with DNER for approval of this ac on prior to removal starts. Contractor is required to provide NRCS with a meline of when this removal is expected to happen within 10 days of contract.

Figure 2. Approximate Area requiring Bamboo removal (image capture from Daguey Plan C-2 Sheet)

14. Tree removal will require approval?

Yes, all trees including bamboo require consulta on from the Contractor with NRCS and DNER. DNER shall approve trees to be removed. This is detailed on the Construc on Specifica on 2 for Dagüey Dam for clearing and Grubbing, under part 7; items of works and construc on details, sec on a. Bid Item 1 for Tree Removal. As men oned on Ques on 13 on the specific loca on in Dagüey NRCS will work with DNER for the removal of only that loca on.

15. Will the sediments to be dispose in the receiving farm need to be tested before disposal?

Yes – tes ng of the sediment will be required. A standard elutriate test following EPA‐823‐B‐98‐004 sec on 10.1.2 shall be performed including chemical analyses and comparison with water quality standards (WQS). Note that this test shall be performed using water from the sediment removal site. This will confirm that contaminants, if any, that will be suspended in the water column during sediment removal will not exceed WQS. Test results must be shared with the Inspector and Contrac ng Officer or Designated official for approval, at least 30 days prior sediment removal from Dagüey Reservoir. If tests show there are unacceptable levels of dissolved and suspended contaminants, Contractor and CO will need to come to a wri en agreement on how to manage the situa on.

An ini al evalua on of Daguey’s watershed in EPA’s 303d list, shows that Chromium, Exavalent is a contaminant of concern thus exceeding TMDLs. Therefore Chromium, Exavalent shall be included in the metal analysis of the elutriate.

Compensa on for these tests will be subsidiary to excava on. It is the contractor's responsibility to iden fy a laboratory with the proper cer fica on to conduct these tests. NRCS has knowledge that elutriate tests have been performed by a local cer fied laboratory. Please document procedure and cer fica ons accordingly as they will be required for acceptance of the analyses.

16. The contractors indicate that the staging area is not sufficient to manage the dredging material.

Each contractor will have to provide their strategy on how to manage the material to be dredge from Dagüey Reservoir within the project area of impact. If addi onal staging area is needed the current permits will have to be re‐visited with OGPe.

17. Can addi onal me could be requested for the construc on ac vi es to be completed?

NRCS understands there is enough me assigned to these projects for successful comple on. Unforeseen events such as major Natural disaster could impact project progress – in such cases, a well‐documented me extension request shall be requested to the CO for considera on.

Ajíes Dam specific ques ons

1. Does the sediment and vegeta ve material from the project remain on the property or does it require off‐disposal?

Yes, the sediment and vegeta ve material can remain within the project area in the iden fied loca ons. Please refer to Ajíes Dam Specifica ons document, Construc on Specifica on 1 – Clearing; Items of work and construc on details; In Sec on 6, Disposal.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS RECEIVED IN WRITTING

OBRATEC

O1. DAGUEY: At the site visit mee ng, it was discussed that at the end of the Auxiliary

Spillway, there exist some cars or car chassis that can't be seen and need to be removed and disposed of properly.

Please provide an es mated volume of these metals, since the cost of disposing of them differs from the others.

Please Refer to Ques on 12 above including the loca on of the area where such materials may be encountered.

O2. DAGUEY: Confirm that the dredged sediment disposi on will be at the poten al loca on provided (18.2308, ‐67.1518). We need to ensure it's final. Who is the owner? What is the disposal fee, if any? Do we need to implement a CES Plan or SWPP at this loca on?

Should the sediment material be spread or compacted by the contractor? Can we dispose of clearing and grubbing material, including trees?

The owner is a private landowner who provided DNER with a Sworn Statement related to the disposal site availability.

There are no disposal fees.

The SWPPP Plan need to consider the mobiliza on and disposal of the material at the proposed site (finca receptora) for dredge material disposi on as indicated in Construc on Specifica on 5 – Pollu on Control .

The material will have to be spread and compacted by the contractor.

Only the dredge sediment material will be disposed at this site – vegeta ve material such as trees should be disposed on site – assump on of poten ally finding some garbage during dredging need to be made – garbage will need to be disposed in a landfilled with proper permits.

O3. DAGUEY: On Daguey Drawing C‐4, at the Principal Spillway Plan drawing, there is a note:

"REMOVE DEBRIS, WOODY VEGETATION, AND SHAPE PRINCIPAL SPILLWAY CHANNEL

PER CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATION 4". Please provide this specifica on 4, as it is not included in the Daguey Specs.

Construc on Specifica on 4 ‐ Channel Clearing and Shaping is included with the response package Dagüey Amended Specifica ons.

O4. DAGUEY: Bid Item No. 2001 ‐ Tree Removal. Since there is no study of trees, it is difficult to quote how many trees need to be removed without doing the count first. In the absence of this informa on, we suggest establishing an allowance or an es mated number of trees to be removed. Who will pay for the mi ga on through monetary compensa on, if any?

No allowance will be approved. Please refer to Construc on Specifica on 2 on how to manage trees. There is a specific requirement to remove bamboo as indicated in Ques on 13 above. No mi ga on is an cipated; if mi ga on is required the Contractor and CO will agree in wri ng how to manage this addi onal cost item.

O5. DAGUEY: On the standard form 1442 (Rev. 8/2014), Page 1 and 10 of 53, when describing the works to be done, it is men oned: "removing and installing a new gauge on the riser structure". Please provide drawings, specifica ons, and/or instruc ons for the intended works.

There is no need to install a new gauge on the riser structure – this language will be removed from 1442 in the revised bid package

O6. DAGUEY: We understand that clearing and grubbing for excava ons, earthfills, and riprap works are subsidiary to the pay item in the impacted areas. But what about the rest of the clearing and grubbing for the remaining area of the 4 acres of the jobsite?

Please consider this assump on under the lump sum item 2001 (Tree Removal) to consider the clearing and grubbing required in the 4 acres before and a er construc on work is concluded.

O7. DAGUEY: Bid Item No. 2006 has a discrepancy in the quan es between Form 1442 page 6 of 53 and Part I Bid Schedule page 9 of 53. Please clarify.

This bid Item quan ty has changed as explained in Ques on 3 – it now coincides on both Form 1442 and Part 1 Part I as 0.4 Acres.

O8. AJIES: Bid Item No. 1001 has a discrepancy in the quan es between Form 1442 page 3 of 53 and Part I Bid Schedule page 8 of 53. Please clarify.

Form 1442 page 3 of 53 should indicate 3.5 Acres – this will be reconciled in the revised bid package.

O9. On the standard form 1442 (Rev. 8/2014), where do we fill in the unit price and amounts? On Pages 3 to 7 of 53, or on pages 8 and 9 of 53 of this same form, or on both? Please clarify.

Per sec on L of the solicita on, page 52 “PUBLIC BID OPENING PROCESS” “Addi onal Bid Submission Instruc on” 1. Complete the bid schedule at Sec on B by entering a price for all line items. Sec on B of the solicita on starts on page 9.

O10. DAGUEY: On drawing C-11 , The information provided is not sufficient to make a responsible evaluation of the conditions of the soil at the Dam area. The Geothechnical Boring Note says; " Additional Geothechnical Data may be found in a separate geothechnical data report". Please provide the "Additional Geothecnical Data Report and Historical As-Built Drawings", as mentioned on this note

Designs consider the results of the geotechnical reports in the considera ons related to excava ons, and soil protec ons. We understand the plans, specifica ons, memorial contain all the required informa on to present a bid – Geotechnical Reports will not be part of the bid package.

O11. DAGUEY: Please provide the original hydraulic hydrological study utilized for the construction of this Dam.

We understand the plans, specifica ons, memorial contain all the required informa on to present a bid – H&H studies will not be part of the bid package.

O12. DAGUEY: Please provide the expected elevation of the POOL, when impacted by a

10 year storm event.

We understand the plans, specifica ons, memorial contain all the required informa on to present a bid – Pool eleva on and inunda ons maps will not be part of the bid package.

O13. DAGUEY & AJIES : Both Schedules, Ajíes Bid Item # 1021 and Dagüey Bid Item # 2020

,has “Field Office” (1 ‐ Lump Sum ).

Please confirm that a Field Office is required at each site.

Correct – both dams indicate the poten al loca on of a field office or campsite (Sheets C‐2 for Ajíes and Dagüey). Contractors are free to decide whether they need one, two or no field offices on site. If field offices where to be placed, contractor must consider there are no u li es on site. Please refer to Construc on Specifica on 96 – Field Office.

Construcciones Jose Carro, S.E.

Ajies Dam Ques ons:

C1. Ajies Dam drawing no. C‐2 – Is the proposed spoil/waste/stockpile area temporary or permanent?

This will be the temporary spoil area where sediment and vegeta ve material will be disposed. All garbage, trash and metal must be taken to a properly authorized waste dump facility.

C2. Does the owner have a permit for tree removal? See drawing C‐2, Note no. 5.

No – the contractor will need to work on tree iden fica on as explained on Ques on 14. DNER shall approve trees to be removed.

For Dagüey Dam, this is detailed on the construc on specifica on 2 for clearing and Grubbing, under part 7; items of works and construc on details, sec on a. Bid Item 1 for Tree Removal.

For Ajíes Dam please refer to Construc on Specifica on 1; please note there is a Ceiba tree on Ajíes site – Contractor is responsible to determine if reloca on is required to complete proposed repair work due to its proximity to the auxiliary spillway repair area. If reloca on is needed, please refer to Construc on Specifica on 1 for required ac ons.

Figure 3. Ajíes Dam identification of Ceiba tree location.

C3. In the document

“S01+Amendment+1+A achment+3+Daguey+Dam+Repair_Final+Specifica ons,” there is a sec on 'Construc on Specifica on 6—Seeding, Sprigging, and Mulching' in sec on 7.b (1) that says the installed TRM should be in accordance with manufacturers' instruc ons and recommenda ons. The ques on is, do you need anchors? What type of anchors, galvanized or stainless steel? Do you have a pa ern for the installa on?

Please refer to Construc on Specifica on 6. Please see the following figure for typical details; nonetheless manufacturers’ requirements must be followed.

Figure 4. Example of TRM placement typical detail for reference only

C4. Drawing C‐2 includes Note no. 8. This note calls for drawing C‐21, which is not included. Please provide it.

The note guides to Construc on Specifica on 21 – Excava on.

Dagüey Dam Questions:

C5. Dagüey Dam drawing no. C-2 – Is the proposed spoil/waste/stockpile area temporary or permanent?

This will be the temporary spoil area where sediment and vegeta ve material will be disposed. All garbage, trash and metal must be taken to a properly authorized waste dump facility.

C6. Drawing C-10 shows a chain link fence, but the proposal does not have a pay item for it.

Instead, a pay item for a barbed wire fence is included. Please clarify.

This is a typo – pay item should be considered chain link fence.

C7. In the document “S01+Amendment+1+Attachment+3+Daguey+Dam+Repair_Final+Specifications,” there is a section 'Construction Specification 6—Seeding, Sprigging, and Mulching' in section 7.b (1) that says the installed TRM should be in accordance with manufacturers' instructions and recommendations. The question is, do you need anchors? What type of anchors, galvanized or stainless steel? Do you have a pattern for the installation?

Please refer to Construc on Specifica on 6. Please see the Figure 4 for typical details; nonetheless manufacturers’ requirements must be followed.

C8. Drawing C-2 includes the following note: “Contractor to remove approximately 9,500 CY of sediment from the reservoir in the approximate location shown; see notes 4 and 5 “Could you provide information to corroborate this quantity?

Please refer to Construc on Spec 21 – Bid Item 12 ‐ In Sec on 9, Measurement and Payment, Method 3 shall apply. (a) The es mated volume of excava on required in the reservoir is 9,500 cubic yards.