Questions and Answers for Fiber Option Network Install.pdf

Questions and Answers for Fiber Option Network Install

1. Route Design & Existing Infrastructure

1. Are GIS, CAD, survey, or utility base maps available for the proposed ring and spur routes?

The routes and the proposed ring are on the SOW page 2.

2. Will the owner provide existing underground utility records and fiber plant records?

NTIA/ITS doesn’t have underground utility records and existing fiber plant records.

3. Has subsurface utility engineering (SUE) been performed?

No.

4. Are all proposed routes located within existing road rights-of-way?

No.

5. Are there environmentally sensitive, archeological, or protected areas along the proposed alignments?

No.

6. What permit agencies are impacted by this project, and is the design-build team responsible for this work?

This is federal property and no permits are required.

7. What are the requirements for permitting directional bores crossing existing utilities, drainage features, or access roads?

There are no requirements for the roads and driveways. A utility locate will be needed for existing utilities.

8. Can existing conduit, handholes, or structures be reused anywhere on the site?

There are no existing conduit, handholes, or structures.

2. Fiber Network Architecture

1. What redundancy requirements apply to the ring design?

The only requirement is that signal goes both ways and if one side is damaged the other side will provide signal.

2. What splice loss and optical budget criteria must be met?

Each fusion splice shall not exceed the specified maximum loss, typically 0.1dB average and 0.3dB maximum per splice.

3. Are there reserved fibers required for future expansion, government use, or dark fiber leasing?

Yes

4. Is single manufacturer fiber preferred or specified?

Yes and not specified.

3. OSP Materials

1. Are specific manufacturers approved or preferred for:

• HDPE conduit

• Vaults/handholes

• Fiber enclosures

• Fiber distribution panels

• Pedestals

• Fiber cable No specific manufactures.

2. What loading and traffic rating requirements apply to vaults and handholes?

At least 200 lbs. vaults and handholes will not be in the roads they will be about 10 feet off the roads.

3. Are concrete pads required for cabinets or pedestals?

No.

4. Are MSTs specifically required, and if so what configuration is desired?

No.

5. What conduit color, tracer wire, and marker post standards must be followed?

Orange, yes tracer wire and marker posts. Just industry standard.

6. Is the contractor responsible for procurement of 432 fiber optic cable and/or all fiber optic cable for this project?

Yes.

4. Construction Drawings

1. What level of detail is expected for:

• 30% design

• Issued for Construction (IFC) drawings

• As-builts Yes on all.

2. Are GIS deliverables required in addition to PDF and CAD files?

Yes.

3. What coordinate system and survey standards must be used?

Whatever is the industry standard are. Since this is a Federal property, the survey was preformed by BLM for the property lines.

4. Is licensed PE stamping required for OSP and civil design documents?

Yes

Construction Contractor Questions

5. Trenching & Directional Boring

1. What percentage of the route is expected to be:

• HDD

• Open trench

• Shared trench The fiber will be placed in a conduit in its own trench. There will be an existing conduit for future fiber if needed.

2. Will plowing of innerduct & tracewire be allowed when practical?

Yes.

3. Are geotechnical reports available?

No.

4. Has rock been identified along the route?

Some but there is a lot of buried rocks.

5. How will rock excavation be compensated if encountered?

It should be part of your bid.

6. Are there restoration standards for roads, shoulders, gravel roads, and landscaping?

Take back to what it looked like before it was disrupted. The land is rocks, dirt and weeds. This will be mostly for the roads.

7. Is weekend work permitted with prior approval?

6. Splicing & Testing

1. What acceptance limits apply for:

• OTDR testing

• OLTS testing

• Splice loss

• Connector loss Yes to all. And what ever the industry standard is.

2. Must test results be submitted electronically?

Yes

3. What software or format is required for OTDR traces?

I don’t know

4. Are bidirectional OTDR tests required on every fiber strand?

Yes

7. Buildings & Entry Requirements

1. Are building entrance pathways already available?

Yes.

2. Are core drills required at any facilities?

Maybe depending on the building.

3. Will asbestos or hazardous material surveys be provided before penetration work?

Yes.

4. Are rack elevations and equipment room layouts available?

No, the building are open labs.

5. Who provides electrical power upgrades required for new network equipment?

NTIS/ITS

8. Cisco & Network Equipment Scope

1. Will the Government provide Cisco standards and approved configurations?

Yes

2. Is contractor responsible for:

• Switch configuration

• Turn-up

• Network migration

• Acceptance testing No NTIA/ITD will preform this.

3. Are Cisco licenses owner-furnished or contractor-furnished?

Owner

4. What cybersecurity standards apply?

NTIA/ITS IT Security team will determine.

9. Schedule & Long Lead Materials

1. Has funding been fully authorized for all phases?

Yes.

2. Which materials are considered long-lead items by the Government?

Fiber and conduit.

3. Will approved material substitutions be allowed if supply-chain delays occur?

It will depend on the substitutions.

4. Are interim milestones tied to government funding deadlines?

Risk & Contract Clarification Questions

10. Project Phasing

1. The SOW references five phases. Please define required completion criteria for each phase.

This falls under the Tasks and Deliverables on Page 7 of the SOW.

2. Are design approvals required before procurement and construction can begin?

Yes.

3. Can procurement occur concurrently with final design review?

Yes.

11. Site Access & Security

1. How long does security approval take for contractor personnel?

Depends on the background investigation being done on the contractor personnel.

2. Are escort requirements anticipated?

Yes.

3. Are material laydown and equipment staging areas available?

Yes.

4. Will site access be available during testing and cutover activities outside normal hours?

12. As-Built & Closeout Requirements

1. Are surveyed GPS coordinates required for:

• Conduit

• Handholes

• Pedestals

• Cabinets Yes.

2. What positional accuracy standards are required?

I don’t know of any.

3. Are GIS geodatabases required as a deliverable?

Optional

4. What format is required for fiber strand assignment documentation and splice records?

13. Wage Determination

1. Please confirm the applicable wage determination number, modification number, and effective date that will govern this project. See the attachments in the solicitation.

2. Please identify the anticipated labor classifications applicable to fiber optic construction activities, including directional drilling, trenching, cable placement, splicing, testing, restoration, and traffic control. The government can suggest the classifications, but it is the vendors ultimate choice.

3. If a required fiber optic or telecommunications classification is not listed in the wage determination, what conformance process will be required and who is responsible for obtaining approval? The vendor is responsible for proposing as applicable for the work to be done.

4. Historically, specific engineering services for this type of project have not been required to apply prevailing wage. Please clarify whether survey crews, inspectors, engineering technicians, GIS personnel, staking personnel, and construction management staff are subject to the wage determination requirements. Please review the applicable SCA and DBA

5. Please identify certified payroll reporting requirements, reporting frequency, approved forms, submission methods, and responsible parties. Discussed during kickoff meeting

6. In the event wage determination modifications are issued after contract award, will the owner provide equitable adjustments for wage increases and associated labor burden increases? If applicable.

7. Please confirm whether material suppliers, equipment delivery personnel, and manufacturer representatives are subject to prevailing wage requirements while on-site.

Please review the SCA applicable to this requirement

14. Completions Timeline

1. What is the required Substantial Completion Date for the project?

It will depend on the weather and ordering of the fiber, conduit, vaults, and peds.

2. What is the required Final Completion Date for the project?

See above answer.

3. Does the 120-calendar-day Base Period of Performance govern all engineering, procurement, construction, testing, and closeout activities?

Not all of it.

4. Does the 365-day duration from commencement of work supersede the 120-day period of performance for execution of the project?

No.

5. Please clarify the intent of the statement indicating completion "not more than 30 days from Notice to Proceed" for purposes of liquidated damages.

The contractor must complete the work by the agreed completion date. The date cannot be more than 30days after the Notice to Proceed was issued. If the contractor does not finish on time, the contractor must pay the government $500 for each calendar day the work is late.

6. Is the 30-day requirement applicable only to a specific mobilization, design, or construction phase rather than the entire project scope? Yes

7. What milestone dates, if any, are mandatory for:

• Design completion

• Material procurement

• OSP construction completion

• Network equipment installation

• Testing and acceptance

• As-built submission This is for the vendor to submit to the COR. However, milestones can be adjusted based weather conditions.

8. Will schedule extensions be considered for owner-directed changes, permitting delays, utility conflicts, site access restrictions, or documented material lead-time constraints?

Yes.