Att9_25R0012_QuesAns_AM05_0005.pdf

140L0625R0012 Request for Information

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Page Question Government Response endment 05 (AM05)

1 52.225-10 Solicitation

Will the Government allow a variance for the Buy America clause for Outlet works components including cast iron slide gates, stems, operators and appurtenances? Recent pricing and Procurement/Fabrication times show both a significant cost increast for Domestic supply and likely double the duration for delivery. Allowing Foreign components will reduce the bid pricing and allow for flexibility on the project schedule.

The Buy American Act applies to this solicitation. The completion time has been revised to have project completed by December 10, 2027.

2 52.236-27 Solicitation

Is the Site Visit Mandatory for bidders to attend and be able to submit a proposal?

Site Visit is encourage, but not mandatory.

3 01060 1.04A.1.b 01060-2 Can you provide copies of all Government obtained Permits? Attached BLM's Melstone Decision Record and the ACOE Nationwide Permit.

4 02600 3.01D Is there an Elevation Limit to how low the reservoir can be lowered to during construction?

There is no requirement to retain water in the reservoir.

5 Geotechnical Report 5.4 The report states "a seepage analysis has been comnpleted as part of the geotechnical analysis report". Can you provide this seepage analysis?

AM05 adds the Seepage Analysis as an Attachment.

6 SF30 Do the previous Amendments still apply to this solicitation? All amendments issued for Solicitation 140L0625R0012 are applicable and must be acknowledged.

7 SF1442 Can you confirm the bid date is 2/18/26? The proposal due date is identified in SAM.gov and will be identified in the SF30 as well.

8 SF30 Are you providing a SF30 to reflect the updated dates? The proposal due date is identified in SAM.gov and will be identified in the SF30 as well.

9 Is there an Engineers Estimate for this work? Engineer Estimates will not be provided.

10 Do you have an engineer's estimate for the GAOA Melstone

Dam Reconstruction?

Engineer Estimates will not be provided.

11 SF30 Amendment 2 stated the NTP would be no later than 3/9/26. That amendment was prior to the government postponement of this procurement. Is this NTP still accurate?

The assumed NTP date has been updated in AM05.

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Page Question Government Response 12 SF30 Amendment 2 changed the contract duration to 300 days. Is this still accurate?

AM05 removes reference to days after NTP and revises 52.211-10 Completion date to no later than December 10, 2027. Note, construction activity and surface disturbance is prohibited from March 15 to July 15 annually to protect sage grouse strutting activities and migratory birds.

13 On the site visit, the BLM representative stated it was a two season project, but if NTP is early March 2026, and there is only 300 cd to complete the work, the project would only be a one season project from 3/9/26 to 1/3/27. In addition there is a NO WORK window for Sage Grouse between March 15 to July 15, essentially leaving only 5.5 months from July 15 to January 3 to complete the project. Is this the timeline BLM provides for this contract?

AM05 removes reference to days after NTP and revises 52.211-10 Completion date to no later than December 10, 2027. Note, construction activity and surface disturbance is prohibited from March 15 to July 15 annually to protect sage grouse strutting activities and migratory birds.

14 On the site visit, there was staking along the access road and it was mentioned another contractor would be placing buried HDPE along the road. This will impede project deliveries and access, it will have an impact on the conditions of the access road. What is the schedule for the other contract and what do bidders need to address in our proposals/estimate to account for 3rd parties? Also, does the Melstone contractor need to include road improvements due to damage caused by the other contractors in our proposals?

Central Montana Regional Water Authority - Musselshell Judith Rural Water System is currently under construction.

The Project Administrator communicated to the BLM that the pipeline and fiber optics line construction work would be finished by end of March 2026. The BLM does not anticipate any construction conflicts with the Musselshell Judith Rural Water System.

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Page Question Government Response 15 01010 1.02 The specs refer to designated waste areas a few times for getting rid of unsuitable materials. I don’t see these called out in the plans – do you know where these areas are located?

See Specifications 01010, Section 1.02 Contractor Use of Premises, "Obtain advance approval from the GOVERNMENT of all staging areas, excavated soil stockpile, waste areas, and camping areas."

Muck excavation material that cannot be reused may be wasted on-site at a reasonable nearby location approved by the Government. Concrete waste will be buried on-site at a reasonable nearby location. The steel pipe conduit must be hauled off and disposed of properly.

16 Is there CAD that you can provide to assist with bidding?

The BLM has created CAD surfaces for the contractors to review. AM05 adds CAD Surfaces as an Attachment.

However, that file type cannot be uploaded to SAM.gov.

Contact the Contracting Officer to request those files be emailed directly to the requester.

17 01010 1.02, 1.06 In the Geotech report, Test Pits 5 & 7 are considered the most viable borrow sources for compacted embankment. However, the plans designate potential borrow areas in locations that are near test pits with less suitable material. Can compacted embankment borrow be sourced from other locations than what is called out in the plans (within the construction limits), or will additional embankment outside of designated borrow areas need to sourced from an offsite source?

Additional Borrow areas will be approved. Additional borrow areas may be selected on BLM Land and potentially approved on Private Land within the designated areas shown on the Construction Work Spaces map.

See Specifications 01010, Section 1.02 Contractor Use of Premises & Section 1.06 – Site Access

Borrow areas are listed, but any plan for borrow should be submitted with these Submittals and will need to be updated if more borrow areas are needed. Borrow may be approved on areas designated in the Construction Work Spaces drawing.

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Page Question Government Response 18 Drawings C4 The M&P for Item 16 and Item 18 both state that geotextile fabric is incidental, although I do not see where the fabric is relevant to both items. I see in the plans that there is geotextile called out beneath the riprap bedding, but I don’t see any geotextile that would be associated with the riprap slope protection. Is there intended to be geotextile that is incidental to the riprap slope protection, or is this an error in the M&P?

Install per the drawings.

For most of the installation of the riprap and riprap bedding the geotextile fabric would only be under the riprap bedding, but on Sheet C4, Detail 2, the riprap key is shown to sit directly on the geotextile fabric.

19 Drawings OW4 The 5” vent pipe called out in Detail 1 Sheet OW4 calls for the vent to be stainless. The specs refer to the vent pipe as galvanized. Please advise.

The 5" vent pipe is stainless steel as Detail 1 Sheet OW4 states.

20 There appears to be no detail for the drain weeps called out on Sheet SB1. What is the pipe size and material intended for this item?

AM05 adds Typical Detail as an Attachment.

21 Drawings OW6 The plan view detail of the inlet structure shown on Sheet OW6 called for an 18” stainless or galvanized blind flange. The specs state that the blind flange is to be stainless. Is there an option as the plans state, or is this flange to be stainless steel?

Specifications supercede the drawings in this case.

Flange to be stainless steel.

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Page Question Government Response 22 1010 1.02, 1.06 What are the limits to construction spaces (equipment staging areas, material stockpile and processing areas, water storage, borrow limits, haul roads, etc.)?

AM05 adds Construction Work Spaces drawings as an Attachment. These work spaces have been agreed upon for work on Private Lands prior to this solicitation. Haul roads between these work spaces are allowed but subject to Government approval (See Site Access and Contractor Use of Premises Plans). These are the only negotiated work spaces outside of BLM Land. Additional work spaces on BLM Land may be Government approved on the Land Use Plan.

See Specifications 01010, Section 1.02 Contractor Use of Premises & Section 1.06 – Site Access

Commentary: An area has been reviewed (environmental, wildlife, archeological, landowner concerns, etc.) around the dam with nothing anticipated to be in conflict with the construction activities (date restrictions still apply for migratory bird and Sage-Grouse). The Submittals will be provided to the Government and approved prior to start of construction. The Submittals will be reviewed internally to ensure that no environmental, wildlife, archeological, private landowner concerns, or other conflicts might exist, and the Submittals seem reasonable for the project.

Commentary: Borrow areas are listed, but any plan for borrow should be submitted with these Submittals and will need to be updated if more borrow areas are needed.

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Page Question Government Response 23 Migratory bird and sage grouse restriction, “Construction activity and surface disturbance would be prohibited from March 15 to July 15 to protect sage grouse strutting activities and migratory birds.” Will the restriction be in place if construction is paused from 2026 to 2027 for the winter? Or if all construction areas have been cleared and topsoiled?

Must the contractor wait until July 16 to resume work?

The March 15 to July 15 restriction would still apply, as the issue is not limited to habitat removal but also construction-related noises that can cause temporary displacement of birds in the area. So, no construction during March 15-July 15 in 2026 or 2027. Additionally, the Contractor shall have sole responsibility and liability for maintaining, monitoring, and operating all flood control and protection measures during any seasonal shutdowns or suspension of work. These measures shall account for potential spring storm events, including rain-on-snow conditions, and shall prevent adverse downstream impacts. All flood control and protection measures implemented and/or maintained shall be subject to Government approval.

24 01010 1.06 Will the contractor be able to blade or improve the access road?

See Specifications 01010, Section 1.06 – Site Access “Determine the adequacy of all roads, culverts, cattle guards, and bridges used in moving or gaining access for equipment and materials to the construction site. Provide alternative methods of access, such as a temporary crossing for any equipment that exceeds the structural limits of existing facilities. Improvements for road access including fill, culverts, and fencing to remain after project completion as approved by GOVERNMENT.”

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Page Question Government Response 25 02275 2.02.C Any requirements on locations for placing the salvaged riprap? Will the salvaged riprap need to be tested the same as imported riprap?

The salvaged riprap should “reasonably” meet Specification 02275, Section 2.02.C. The salvaged riprap is unlikely to meet other testing requirements, so there is no requirement to perform those tests. The salvaged riprap will be approved by the Government on-site during construction. The intent is to have large rock used as riprap, not broken small parts that would not serve to function as riprap. The intent is also to approve the intact salvaged riprap to reduce the cost of importing additional riprap and provide a good final location for this material removed from the existing dam.

The salvaged riprap should be placed in locations that would be the most practical and not reduce the effectiveness of the design. So, locations that would see the least amount of hydraulic forces and intermixing with imported riprap would be the best practice, such as layering with the imported riprap.

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Page Question Government Response 26 01400, 02300, 03300 Who performs the quality control testing and construction survey staking?

Refer to Specifications Section 01400 – Quality Control/Quality Assurance, Section 02300 – Earth Dam, and Section 03300 – Cast-In-Place Concrete for specific requirements. Third-party testing is required per the specifications. The contractor must retain an independent laboratory to perform on-site and laboratory tests for quality control.

The contractor is responsible for all construction staking necessary to complete the work in accordance with the contract documents. The contractor may use any staking method or color-coding system they prefer, including machine-operated equipment with survey-grade capabilities, as long as it enables them to meet the requirements of the drawings and specifications.

The Government will coordinate with the contractor to perform the Quality Assurance testing. If Quality Control is properly conducted, there will be no foreseeable costs associated with Quality Assurance testing. Keep good communication with the Contracting Officer Representative for the lifts of compacted soil and concrete placement (and any other installations and testing) so that proper Quality Assurance may be performed by the Government.

27 What is the expectation of the time from award to the beginning of the construction after the restriction dates (March 15-July 15)?

The Government expects to conduct the submittal process as soon as practical after award of the contract.

The Government also expects the contractor would be obtaining materials during this time to be ready for July 16 construction begin.

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Page Question Government Response 28 01150, 02300, 01010 What are the requirements for dewatering the reservoir and dewatering ground water?

The contractor must manage dewatering and stormwater in accordance with their SWPPP for the Montana DEQ permit. Temporary water storage (temporary ponds) is assumed to be necessary for soil moisture conditioning.

Means and methods are up to the contractor. The BLM would expect the contractor to safely breach the dam to facilitate dewatering the reservoir, keep in mind that safely breaching the dam is a concern due to residential properties and the highway downstream.

Refer to Specifications Section 01150 – Measurement and Payment, Item 19 Control/Dewatering and Section 02300

– Earth Dam, Part 1.03.C for submittal requirements related to temporary dewatering and drainage.

Section 01010 –Protection of Existing Structures, Part 1.04: “Structures located downstream of the dam shall also be protected during reservoir dewatering activities.”

29 02910 Anything special for reclamation and seeding? Is the reclamation and seeding standard?

See Specifications Section 02910.

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Page Question Government Response 30 02300 2.01.A Will the existing embankment material be reused? Or is all material to be taken from the borrow locations?

The existing embankment material will be reused.

Refer to Specifications 02300, Section 2.01.A, “Obtain embankment materials from required excavations, existing stockpiles, designated borrow areas, or approved off-site sources. Materials from required excavations, stockpiles, and designated borrow areas are lean clay (CL), fat clay (CH), and clayey sand (SC). Some regions in the required excavation contain beds, layers, and lenses of silt, sand, clay, gravel, and cobbles that may require sorting, blending, and processing to be suitable for use.

31 The toe drain pipe is specified as ADS HP Storm perforated pipe, but this product is no longer made. Alternatives could be SDR35 or ADS N-12. Please clarify what material you would like as an alternative to the discontinued perforated HP Storm pipe.

Use ADS N-12 pipe.

32 The Royer locking well cap that is specified for the toe drain cleanout is not made in a size that will fit. Is there an alternative that is recommended?

Royer and others do not make one large enough. The contractor will have to custom fabricate a lockable cover for the toe-drain cleanout.