1305M323RNRMA0015 - Attachment 8 - Solicitation Questions and Answers 2.pdf

1305M323RNRMA0015 Attachment 8 – Solicitation Questions and Answers #2

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH

PHASED ARRAY RADAR (PAR) TEST ARTICLE

SOLICITATION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS #2

SOLICITATION # 1305M323RNRMA0015

ATTACHMENT 8

Technical Questions:

Q1. Does this project include fiber optic cables?

A1. The use of fiber optic cables is dependent upon the design proposed by the vendor, which must satisfy all PWS requirements.

Q2. Should the environmentally controlled space for local operation of the RTA (within the RTF) include a restroom?

(PWS 5.2.6)

A2. No, see PWS section 5.2.

Q3. PWS § 5.2.7 requires that the RTF complies with UFC 1-200-01 DoD Building Code. UFC 1-200-01 § 1-3 states "this UFC applies to the planning, design, construction, sustainment, restoration, and modernization of DoD-owned facilities..." UFC 1-200-01 establishes a building code for DoD-owned facilities and includes references to hundreds of additional UFCs. UFC 1-200-01 replaces International Building Code (IBC) requirements with many UFCs, NFPA 101, and other criteria. UFCs are organized by discipline-specific criteria (3-series) and facility-specific criteria (4-series).Please clarify the applicability of UFC per below.

Q3.1. Please confirm which discipline-specific (3-series) UFC are applicable.

A3.1. The vendor’s proposed design satisfying all PWS requirements will determine which discipline-specific (3-series) UFCs within the UFC 1-200-01 (as referenced in PWS section 5.2.7) are applicable.

Q3.2. Please confirm which facility-specific (4-series) UFC are applicable.

A3.2. The vendor’s proposed design satisfying all PWS requirements will determine which discipline-specific (4-series) UFCs within the UFC 1-200-01 (as referenced in PWS section 5.2.7) are applicable.

Q3.3. Within many UFCs, requirements are included based on specific facility types based on their ownership, use, and importance. For example, would this facility be defined as an "Electronic Equipment Area" per UFC 3- 600-01 paragraph 2-1.8?

A3.3. The vendor’s proposed design satisfying all PWS requirements will determine if this facility (or a portion of this facility) is defined as an “Electronic Equipment Area” per UFC 3-600-01 paragraph 2-1.8.

See revised PWS section 5.2.12.

Q3.4. Within many UFCs, requirements are included based on the military branch which owns or uses the facility.

Where branch-specific criteria are provided, which branch criteria must be applied?

A3.4. No branch-specific criteria is required. See PWS section 5.2.7.

Q4. PWS § 5.2.7 requires that the RTF complies with UFC 1-200-01 which could be interpreted as requiring compliance with the Unified Facilities Guide Specifications (UFGS). Many governmental agencies require UFGS compliance and some prohibit editing UFGS content which is not bracketed; this can lead to significant cost and complication beyond codes adopted in the State of Oklahoma.

Q4.1. Please clarify the extent to which UFGS are applicable.

A4.1. Per the UFC 1-200-01 DoD Building Code, section 1-6.3.3, the Unified Facilities Guide Specifications (UFGS) is required. See PWS section 5.2.7.

Q4.2. Please clarify any unique system or facility-specific UFGS which are applicable.

A4.2. The vendor’s proposed design satisfying all PWS requirements will determine which facility-specific UFGS sections are applicable. See PWS section 5.2.7.

Q4.3. Within many UFGS, requirements are included based on the military branch which owns or uses the facility. Where branch-specific criteria are provided, which branch criteria must be applied?

A4.3. No branch-specific criteria is required. See PWS section 5.2.7.

Q5. PWS § 5.2.12 requires a fire suppression system which does not damage the radar equipment. Many fire protection systems can be specified which do not damage sensitive electronics. However, without a more rigorous analysis and solicitation of owner and operator feedback on system selection priorities, the best system cannot be determined. Please provide any additional guidance regarding fire suppression system priorities considering topics such as environmental impact, agent storage real estate, whether protected compartment(s) will achieve room integrity, whether protected compartment(s) will be occupied during agent discharge, agents used in other similar applications for maintenance consistency, expectations for agent refill time, desire for agent connected reserve, and related criteria.

A5. See revised PWS section 5.2.12.

Q6. PWS § 5.2.12 requires a fire suppression system to protect the radar equipment. Please list the radar equipment rooms and spaces which must be provided with fire suppression (all rooms could be interpreted as housing or using radar equipment).

A6. See revised PWS section 5.2.12.

Q7. PWS § 5.2.12 requires a fire suppression system to protect the radar equipment but does not provide criteria for fire suppression in rooms which do not house radar equipment. Is any fire suppression above code minimum in rooms which do not house radar equipment? Due to facility importance and cost, it seems that provision of a wet pipe fire sprinkler system in non-radar equipment rooms would provide meaningful fire risk reduction.

A7. The vendor’s proposed design satisfying all PWS requirements will determine which type(s) of fire suppression agent(s) may be used. See revised PWS section 5.2.12.

Q8. PWS § 5.2.12 requires a fire suppression system to protect the radar equipment but does not provide criteria for the associated releasing detection and notification system. Please provide as much criteria as possible. The fire protection engineer can make recommendations but requests owner feedback to ensure alignment with sensitivity goals, nuisance alarm risk tolerance, and occupant notification priorities.

A8. See revised PWS section 5.2.12.

Q9. Regarding the type and design of fire suppression, fire detection, and fire notification systems, please confirm the applicable codes and standards. Facilities such as these are frequently subject to insurance- and owner-specific criteria beyond the adopted code minimum.

A9. See revised PWS section 5.2.12.

Site Visit Questions:

Q1. Are office spaces or restrooms required in the RTF?

A1. No, see PWS section 5.2.

Q2. Appendix B to the PWS shows trees on the leased area that may be in the way for the access road. Is it permissible to remove the trees and stumps to create space for the access road?

A2. Yes. See PWS section 5.2.22.

Q3. What is the required height of the radar?

A3. See PWS section 5.2.4.

Acquisition Questions:

Q1. The RFP states that only submissions by email are allowed. How should proposals too large for email be submitted?

Dropbox, Google Drive, other cloud storage?

A1. The Solicitation requirements remain unchanged. Submissions using zip files and multiple emails are acceptable; submissions using links will not be accepted.