S01 Amendment 02 QAs.pdf

Little Creek Church EWP (Gabions)

Solicitation Number 12FPC325Q0003

Questions and answers

1. Q: Can gabion stone be placed in the baskets in standing water?

A: No. The foundation excavation needs to remain dewatered until grade can be established, gabion basket set, and the bottom two feet of stone installed, in accordance with the drawings and specifications, prior to allowing water to enter the work area. The contract requires that after the foundation has been excavated, there is a 24-hour timeframe to have the base basket completely installed, filled with stone and backfill in accordance with the drawings and specifications.

2. Q: Are the on-site existing pipes incidental to the gabion baskets?

A: Yes. All existing pipes or drains need to be extended through and to the face of the gabion basket and on a positive drainage and these works are subsidiary to bid item #2, Wire Mesh Gabions.

3. Q: The material specification 523-Rock for Riprap states bulk specific gravity, absorption and soundness test need to be ran on all types of rock listed in the material specification.

The specifications state rock with current approval by the DOH is acceptable.

A: All rock and rock riprap used shall conform to the requirements of material specification 523 and shall be from a source with current approval with the West Virginia Department of Highways. The contractor is required to submit the approved rock source in writing within 2 days of the placement of any rock.

4. Q: Where is the nearest rock quarry?

A: Shamblin stone is the closet rock supplier located in Saint Alban West Virginia.

5. Q: What are the hours of operation, will we be able to work over the designated hours in the contract?

A: Your work schedule needs to be approved by the CO prior to work commencement, and work and non-work holidays are spelled out in the solicitation and the Contracting O icer needs to approve any work schedule changes and non-work holidays. Contractor needs to request these changes within 5 days prior to a work schedule change. The entire work needs to be completed no later than 23 days.

6. Q: Where can the extra dirt be hauled to?

A: To an approved dump site located outside the floodplain. A signed release is needed from the landowner at the completion of job.

7. Q: Will the dirt pile located in the parking lot inside of the construction limits be cleared o to allow equipment access?

A: If the church doesn’t remove the pile of dirt prior to commencement of work, the contractor is permitted to level the pile just enough to traverse over it.

8. Q: Where do we store the excavation until needed for backfill?

A: That is up to the successful bidder as long as it’s not obstructing the stream.

9. Q: Can a co er dam be constructed in the stream and pump the stream around?

A: The stream needs to always remain open, but small dikes and diversions can be installed daily to control water from entering the work area. No large stream blockages will be permitted. Equipment, materials and stream obstructions need to be removed daily.

10. Q: Can equipment be operated in the stream?

A: continuous traversing in the stream will not be permitted. Small berms need to be constructed to traverse the equipment above flow to allow the stream to pass under or around the tracks of the equipment.

11. Q: After the award of the contract, when can work start?

A: A preconstruction meeting will need to be held, all preconstruction submittals need to be submitted for approval, then work can commence 3 days after the Notice to Proceed is issued.

12. Q: Where is the obstruction removal located?

A: Most of the obstruction has been removed since the original site surveys and design process was started. There will be some smaller piles located within the stream bed located between the bridges and a low flow channel will need to be constructed through the site and the right bank looking down stream of the most downstream bridge will need shaped into a 1:1 slope minimum.

13. Q: Does the gabion stone need to be hand placed in the gabions?

A: All exposed faces (including top of steps) plus 1 foot beyond, of the gabion baskets need to have the gabion stone placed in a fashion to give a void free face as much as possible (called facing). The laborers need to use larger, flat rocks in this process to perform the facing. All layers throughout the gabion stone placement matrix will need some hand work to level out 1’ lifts of gabion stone, filling in all voids and to facilitate the required cross tying as shown in the drawings.

14. Q: Will we need to pay prevailing wage?

A: The awarded contractor will need to pay Davis Bacon wages as shown in the solicitation.

A minimum of group 2 power equipment operator will need to be paid for equipment operators, and a minimum of group 2 will be paid for laborers.

15. Q. Will rebar anchoring be required?

A: Bid Item 3, Foundation Preparation on Shallow Bedrock (Rebar Anchoring) and Bid Item 4, Riprap Foundation Protection may or may not be installed. The NRCS Engineer will determine if Bid Item 3-A or Bid Item 3-B or a combination of both, will need to be installed.

Contractors should bid these items accordingly. Any unbalance bids will be rejected.

16. Q. Can welded wire gabions be used?

A. No. Construction Specification 64- Section 7 states that twisted-mesh gabions shall be used.

17. Q. When are the bids due and where do they need to be sent?

A. The bids are due 01/31/2025. Section L, Page 43 under Quotes Submission Instructions “Quotes shall be submitted by email to Tasha Kennedy, Contract Specialist, at natasha.kennedy@usda.gov.”

18. Q. Will extra work time be given for bad weather?

A. If bad weather arises outside of what is already incorporated, more time can be given.

Additional bad weather days should be kept track of by the COR and the contractor. The awarded contractor can submit a request for additional days for bad weather.