QA_JELA311263_A0004_0004.pdf

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, SOLICITATION 140P2022R0061, AMENDMENT 0004

5. QUESTION: Is there any way we could get the survey data in a XYZ format?

ANSWER: Survey information for selected areas will be made available as part of Amendment 0004. See Attachment 12 - JELA Canal Backfill 2009 NPS Contract Survey Deliverables Combined.

6. QUESTION: Can you provide any historical information for a similar project that was performed at JELA around 2009 – 2010?

ANSWER: No historical information will be provided.

7. QUESTION: The amount of backfill needed on the project cannot be ascertained, as there are no cross sections given in the plans. Is there a list of estimated quantities that will be needed on this project?

ANSWER: The drawings provide dimensions (length, height, width) for spoil banks in selected areas to be used for quantity estimation. Survey information including cross sections of spoil banks in selected areas will be made available as part of Amendment 0004. See Attachment 12 - JELA Canal Backfill 2009 NPS Contract Survey Deliverables Combined.

8. QUESTION: Are there any cross sections and profiles of the areas where the fill is to be placed?

ANSWER: Survey information including cross sections of selected fill placement areas will be made available as part of Amendment 0004. See Attachment 12 - JELA Canal Backfill 2009 NPS Contract Survey Deliverables Combined.

9. QUESTION: What is 25% gapping?

ANSWER: Per Section 01 11 00 – Summary of Work in the specifications, “Gapping is a technique whereby spoil banks will be intermittently breached with gaps spaced evenly along the entire canal length…” Twenty-five percent gapping is evenly spaced degradation of 25% the spoil bank in each project location (see Contract Line Item Number (CLIN)s 10 - 14) based on length, creating regular gaps unless otherwise directed on the drawings. For example, a spoil bank 100 feet long has 25 total feet of evenly spaced gaps. See Sub Sheet No C5.3 of the drawings for additional details.

10. QUESTION: When the Government says “complete backfill” [during the virtual site visit] our assumption is that means putting all of the existing spoil banks into the canal. What happens if we run out of spoils and then still got a canal?

ANSWER: The assumption is correct. See Section 01 27 00 – Definition of Contract Line Items in the specifications. The requirement is for “complete degradation of the spoil bank into the canal” for CLINs 1 – 7 and 15. Spoil material would almost entirely be placed into canals immediately adjacent to the spoil bank being degraded. We have also requested pricing for complete backfill of CLINs 9 - 14 in the solicitation. All available spoil bank material will be used during the course of the work – no imported material will be needed.

Our expectation is that open water will remain in the canals after completion of the requirement. See the Details drawings.

11. QUESTION: There are a lot of places where you show spoil bank height and width on the drawings. Is this consistent?

ANSWER: The dimensions in the drawings represent the heights and widths at the time of survey in those locations. The spoil banks are relatively consistent in cross section, but they do vary over their length as indicated by the measurements provided. Additional survey information including cross sections of spoil banks in selected areas will be made available as part of Amendment 0004. See Attachment 12 - JELA Canal Backfill 2009 NPS Contract Survey Deliverables Combined. We encourage field verification of the information provided.

12. QUESTION: Are the spoil banks roughly trapezoidal with a flat top as shown in the typical section drawings or are they more like a slumped mound?

ANSWER: The typical sections are not representative of any particular spoil bank cross section.

Additional survey information including cross sections of spoil banks in selected areas will be made available as part of Amendment 0004. See Attachment 12 - JELA Canal Backfill 2009 NPS Contract Survey Deliverables Combined. We encourage field verification of the information provided.

13. QUESTION: Are there any locations where the contract will be required to move material laterally down the length of the canal, or is it all just rotate and place?

ANSWER: Spoil material would almost entirely be placed into canals immediately adjacent to the spoil bank being degraded. There would be little, if any, requirement to move the degraded material laterally down the length of the canal. The possible exception would be at the locations of check meanders.

14. QUESTION: Plan Sheets (Drawings)

A. Sub Sheet No. C1.2 (Sheet 12 of 37) appears to have the stop station cut-off beyond STA 85+00 on the page. Can the Government confirm the stop station for that section of CIT Tract?

ANSWER: The stop station at CIT Tract #1 on page C1.2 is at approximately 85+20.

B. Sub Sheet No. C3.6 (Sheet 28 of 37) does not provide any identification for width and height dimension of the existing spoil banks as on other sheets. Can the Government provide this information?

ANSWER: Survey data is limited in this location, however, CLIN 11 and 10 (pages C3.6 and C3.5, respectively) are similar in overall dimension. Field verification is strongly encouraged.

15. QUESTION: Section 01 11 00 – Summary of Work

Part 1.7.B states, “No work shall occur on weekend or federal holidays without prior Contracting Officer or their Local Designee’s approval (provide 72 hours notice for the request) …”

Given the relatively short 180-day period of performance to complete the entire project, can the Contracting Officer identify now if continuous weekend work, with the exception of the Federal holidays listed, will be approved under this project?

ANSWER: Continuous weekend work may be approved, with proper notification. As with all other work days, Quality Control Daily Reports will be required for weekend work.

16. QUESTION: Section 32 93 43 – Tree Planting Part 2.1 states, “Trees shall be collected from Nichols State University’s nursery then transported to the Project Site.”

a. Will the trees be packaged on skids or will they have to be hand-loaded individually?

b. Will Nichols State University’s nursery provide equipment and labor to load trucks or will that be the contractor’s responsibility?

c. How long have the trees been growing in the nursery?

d. What is the average root collar diameter and height of the seedlings?

e. Will the Nichols State University nursery have sufficient plant stock to supply the entire project for completion during one planting season (November 2022 – April 2023)?

ANSWER: SECTION 32 93 43 – Tree Planting Part 2.1.A. will be revised as follows, “Bald cypress saplings shall be sourced from coastal Louisiana genetic stock, grown in 1-gallon containers, then transported to the Project Site.” See also the drawings and Proposed Condition Notes Number 3 on Sub Sheets C1.1 – C1.5 and Number 4 on Sub Sheet C2.5.

17. QUESTION: Section 32 93 43 – Tree Planting Part 3.2.D.9. states, “Tree species shall be mixed prior to installation to avoid the planting of monotypic rows or areas. A clustering of a few trees of the same species (3-4) is allowable, but every effort must be made to provide species diversity within each area.”

The plans only identify the planting of Bald Cypress saplings on the project; therefore, all planting will be monotypic. Please clarify.

ANSWER: Correct; all planting will be monotypic – Bald Cypress.

18. QUESTION Section 32 93 43 – Tree Planting Part 3.2.E. (Guying, Staking, and Pruning) and Part

3.3 (Tree Protectors)

Since there is a requirement for installation of a tree protector, with stake, around each tree, can this serve as the satisfying the staking requirement identified in Part 3.2.E or does the Government want double stakes at each plant? Please be advised that the second stake could interfere with the proper installation of the tree protector.

ANSWER: The stake that supports the tree protector is sufficient. No second stake will be required. Section 32 93 43 – Tree Planting Part 3.2.E., including the second stake, ties, and pruning requirements, will be removed from the specifications.

19. QUESTION: Section 32 93 43 – Tree Planting Part 3.4 discusses the requirement for tree tags to be installed on the plants. If the only species of plant identified on this project is Bald Cypress, can this requirement be eliminated?

ANSWER: No tree tags will be required. Section 32 93 43 – Tree Planting Part 3.4 will be removed from the specifications.

20. QUESTION: Plans only identify a 15’ x 15’ on center spacing for planting but do not provide any total acreage figures or total stem count requirement.

a. Can the Government provide either, or both, of these figures?

ANSWER: The drawings provided contain widths for spoil banks in selected areas that should allow for acreage estimation along with the lengths provided. Survey information including cross sections of spoil banks in selected areas will be made available as part of Amendment 0004. See Attachment 12 - JELA Canal Backfill 2009 NPS Contract Survey Deliverables Combined.

b. Will the outermost row of planting terminate at the limits of the spoil bank excavation?

ANSWER: Yes, on the wetland (not canal) side.

c. Will the innermost row of planting terminate at the water’s edge or is there another defined point?

ANSWER: Yes, the water’s edge after backfilling.

21. QUESTION: Do the trees have to be un-potted (removed from container) at planting site or can they be removed and bagged prior to boat transport to the site?

ANSWER: The Government has not specified either of these approaches. Boat transport that meets the requirements of the specifications would be acceptable. It is important that the soil-root ‘ball’ be as intact as possible at planting. Plant material should be delivered to the applicable project locations in such a way that maximizes long-term longevity.

22. QUESTION: Does “removal of existing well sites” in Section 01 27 00 – Definition of Contract Line Items Part 3.1.K.1. and Note 5. on the drawings require plugging and abandonment of the wells?

ANSWER: No. On Sub Sheet Nos C1.1 through C3.6, Note 5. “THERE ARE EXISTING WELL SITES

LOCATED WITHIN BAYOU AUX CARPES. THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HAS

CONTRACTED AN INVENTORY OF THE WELLS AND UNDERSTANDS THEY ARE PROPERLY

PLUGGED AND ABANDONED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SURFACE CASING THAT

EXTENDS ABOVE THE MUDLINE CREATING HAZARDS TO NAVIGATION. THE 3 WELL

SITES WHERE SURFACE CASING AND OTHER HAZARDS TO NAVIGATION TO BE

REMOVED SHALL BE REMOVED AS FOLLOWS:”

23. QUESTION: Can we use airboats to access the site to respond to the solicitation?

ANSWER: The canals to be backfilled are in publicly accessible areas and may be accessed by any legal means in order to verify site conditions and otherwise assist in response to the solicitation. However, the use of airboats at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is prohibited by 36 CFR § 3.8(a)(1).

24. QUESTION: We are looking for more information regarding the tress coming from Nichols State Nursery. We are looking for a specific count on trees as well as size and species.

ANSWER: SECTION 32 93 43 – Tree Planting Part 2.1.A. will be revised as follows, “Bald cypress saplings shall be sourced from coastal Louisiana genetic stock, grown in 1-gallon containers, then transported to the Project Site.” See also the drawings and Proposed Condition Notes Number 3 on Sub Sheets C1.1 – C1.5 and Number 4 on Sub Sheet C2.5. The drawings provided contain widths for spoil banks in selected areas that should allow for acreage estimation along with the lengths provided. Survey information including cross sections of spoil banks in selected areas will be made available as part of Amendment 0004.

25. QUESTION: The drawings and specifications mention removal of existing oil wells located within the Bayou Aux Carpes Canals. I cannot find any drawings or specifications for this work. Is this work scope a requirement of the contract? If so, does the NPS have any information regarding these sites? In particular, well depth, size, number of pilings, etc…”

ANSWER: Yes. See Sub Sheet Nos C1.1 through C3.6, Note 5. “THERE ARE EXISTING WELL SITES

LOCATED WITHIN BAYOU AUX CARPES. THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HAS

CONTRACTED AN INVENTORY OF THE WELLS AND UNDERSTANDS THEY ARE PROPERLY

PLUGGED AND ABANDONED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SURFACE CASING THAT

EXTENDS ABOVE THE MUDLINE CREATING HAZARDS TO NAVIGATION. THE 3 WELL

SITES WHERE SURFACE CASING AND OTHER HAZARDS TO NAVIGATION TO BE

REMOVED SHALL BE REMOVED AS FOLLOWS:”

26. QUESTION: Where can I find certain Forms identified as a required part of each response?

a. Instructions for the Submission of Offers and Other Information – Competitive Source Selection, Part E, Section 3 (Contents), Factor 4 – Project Experience

Submit the attached “Project Experience” form addressing specific experience working in coastal deltaic wetland ecosystems and landscapes in the below for up to 5 relevant projects completed in the last 7 years. Submit separate forms for each project.

ANSWER: The Project Experience Questionnaire will be provided as part of Amendment 0004.

See Attachment 14.

b. Instructions for the Submission of Offers and Other Information – Competitive Source Selection, Part F, Section 3 (Contents), General References

Complete and submit the attached “General References” form.

ANSWER: The General References form will be provided as part of Amendment 0004. See Attachment 15.