Attachment_4c_Clarifications_117_-_160_140P2123R0005_0003.pdf

NTCRA under CERCLA at El Capitan former waste dump Yosemite National Park Attachment 4c: Clarifications 117 - 160

Clarifications 117 – 160 for Solicitation #140P2123R0005

This document provides clarifications based on submitted queries.

Responses 1 – 69 are in Attachment 4a, posted with Amendment 1 on 6/20/23.

Responses 70 – 116 are in Attachment 4b, posted with Amendment 2 on 7/6/23.

25 update: SOW 7.2: What considerations will the NPS restoration ecologist, hydrologist, and geologist use to determine grading/restoration requirements?

A. Some of the waste was originally deposited in overflow channels of the Merced River that were several feet deep relative to the adjacent floodplain surface. A hydrologist will consult in the field on the regrading of these channels, using a 1-foot contour topographic from 1919 as a guide.

NPS would like to restore the site topography to match the original topography of the area prior to disturbance. USGS maps from 1919 show that depressions already existed at the sites of DU6-12 and DU15 that were part of a network of overflow channels. Grading following excavation would attempt to restore continuity within these channel networks by using existing or past channel dimensions as a template to extend channels back into their former footprint. DU1-5 will be graded to match elevations surrounding these units.

DU16 will be graded to match surrounding elevations.

63 update: Due to the high volume of questions generated during the site visit, the solicitation due date and time are moved to August 17, 2023, at 11:00 am PT.

117. Relating to the update to Q&A 25 above, will the NPS provide a new grading plan? Or is the contractor required to prepare one as part of this contract? Or will the contractor need to provide surveying assistance to complete this task?

A. Contractor should prepare a grading plan as part of this contact with assistance from a surveyor. Grading plan will be submitted to YOSE Park Hydrogeologist for approval.

118. In order to estimate the labor and transportation costs associated with obtaining borrow source material needed from the East Valley Upper Rivers can the NPS provide an estimated amount of borrow soil needed to meet the 1919 topographic guide?

A. Use 3,220 CY to estimate the labor and transportation costs associated with obtaining borrow source material needed from the East Valley Upper Rivers

119. Please provide a copy of the Consent Agreement with the DTSC (portions relevant to El Capitan).

A. The agreement is located here.

120. Please provide a copy of the El Capitan Action Memorandum for the NTCRA.

A. The El Capitan Action Memorandum is located here.

121. Regarding the scoped porewater sampling, are there designated locations and depths for these samples, and is there a SOP that can be provided to ensure the collection of consistent, representative samples?

A. The contractor-prepared PDI will designate the locations and depths for porewater sampling.

B. The PDI will develop the SOP to ensure the collection of consistent, representative samples.

122. Are historic soil, groundwater and porewater analytical data available in electronic format (i.e. MS Excel or Access)?

A. No.

123. Is the quarterly groundwater and porewater sampling and analysis to include typical MNA parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, dissolved iron and manganese, sulfate, nitrate (or ammonium), and dissolved hydrocarbons such as methane, ethene and ethane?

A. No. See Table 4 in WP Section 4.5.2 for the list of groundwater analysis.

124. Numerous DUs had fallen trees and limbs across the excavation areas; will the NPS remove the trees and limbs prior to clearing actions by the contractor?

A. No.

125. Tree Clearing: If NPS uses a local tree clearing contractor, can their name and point of contact be provided?

A. No, providing the name(s) of companies NPS has hired could be considered an endorsement of their services.

https://doimspp.sharepoint.com/sites/nps-NPS_ECCD_External_Communications/YOSE%20CERCLA%20El%20Capitan/Forms/AllItems.aspx https://doimspp.sharepoint.com/sites/nps-NPS_ECCD_External_Communications/YOSE%20CERCLA%20El%20Capitan/Forms/AllItems.aspx

126. Where heavy vegetation (i.e. multiple young trees; larger older trees) is present within or immediately adjacent to a DU, will VER likely instruct the contractor to avoid removal in those areas, or will the priority be for removal of soil within the DU versus preservation of the trees? If protection of the trees is the priority, should the contractor plan that no soil disturbance will happen within the critical root zone identified by VER?

A. The Black Oak tree is the one tree species that we cannot allow to be negatively impacted by the removal action. Other tree species are likely able to be removed, though trees larger than 8” DBH should be consulted with by VER. In particular DU 11-12 are adjacent to a grove of mature Black Oak trees. This area will require consultation with VER prior to excavation.

127. Also, if preservation of the trees in the area is a priority, would the abandonment of well MW-2 be necessary?

A. To be determined as part of the PDI.

128. Will surveyors be required to have the 40-hour HAZWOPER training?

A. No.

129. Will tree clearing crews be required to have the 40-hour HAZWOPER training?

A. No.

130. During the walk it was noticed that there were some sections of old, chunked, and broken asphalt on the Valley Loop Trail. Will the contractor be required to remove asphalt from the project site?

A. No, existing trail asphalt will remain on site.

131. How does NPS plan to accommodate the winning contractor for fuel, freight, trucking, etc.

and other commodities that are being priced out now but won’t be utilized until late summer 2024 and could have significant increases (or decreases) in cost? If winning contractor can show that costs have changed, can the contractor seek an equitable adjustment?

A. No, NPS will not process an adjustment to the contract’s lump sum or unit prices if the contractor’s input prices vary up or down. The Government relies on the contractor to properly price the contract, with the known risk that some input costs may vary in the future.

The risks for each offeror must be factored into their proposed prices.

132. How does NPS plan to accommodate winning contractor for CA state, county fees and surcharges that could increase from what they are now for disposal services at landfills?

A. Same response as above.

133. In addition to tarping trucks, is lining of truck beds required?

A. Contractor must comply with statutory requirements governing hazardous waste transportation in California contained in Division 20, Chapter 6.5, Article 6.5, Article 6.6, and Article 13 of the California Health and Safety Code (Health & Safety Code). Regulations adopted pursuant to these statutes are found in, Division 4.5, Chapter 13, and Chapter 29 of the California Code of Regulations, title 22. (CA Code Regulations, title 22). See DTSC https://dtsc.ca.gov/hazardous-waste-transporter-requirements-fact-sheet/#Transporter%20Requirement

Hazardous Waste Transporter Requirements Fact Sheet | Department of Toxic Substances Control (ca.gov)

134. Does the contractor need to clear the identified backfill source (borrow) area to get sufficient access for loading the trucks?

A. No, the backfill source will be accessible by the time the project commences.

135. Will the NPS be responsible for restoration of the borrow area?

A. Yes, NPS will restore the borrow area.

136. Please confirm that the stockpiled borrow site soil in Option D will all come from the East Valley Upper River (EVUR) site.

A. Yes, if Option D is exercised, all material will come from EVUR. If there is not enough material, NPS will exercise Option A for imported soil.

137. Will NPS personnel barricade and restrict access to hiking trail from the general public during contractor’s operations, or will this be responsibility of the contractor?

A. NPS will restrict visitor access to the Valley Loop trail during contractor’s operations.

138. Will NPS allow the Contractor to designate parking spaces in picnic area, similar to site visit?

A. Yes, a small number of parking spaces at the picnic area could be designated.

139. Elevations within DU areas vary. Which elevation should the contractor use as the controlled elevation for establishing a 4 ft. excavation depth?

A. Contractor should establish the 4-foot depth prior to excavation with assistance from a surveyor to establish DU-specific elevations. This work should occur in conjunction with preparation of the grading plan (for NPS approval). See also #117.

140. Can the area at Northside Drive and project access be used as an equipment and materials staging location?

A. Yes, there will need to be some planning involved pre-construction, but it will be feasible to restrict Northside Drive down to one lane during construction for the purpose of truck staging. A Material staging area will need to be agreed upon with the park on the ground adjacent to this section of Northside drive.

141. Will the NPS layout DUs or will contractor layout with NPS final layout approval?

A. Contractor layout with NPS final layout approval.

142. Will contractor be required to perform a preactivity survey on the trail, for reconstruction use, or does the NPS have a layout that can be provided?

A. NPS has accurate surveys and GIS files of the Valley Loop trail that will be provided after contract award.

143. For access from Highway 140, are the current bypass bridges anticipated to still be in use during the summer/fall of 2024? If so, please confirm the vehicle weight and length limitations for the bypass section.

A. These bridges are outside of Yosemite National Park; consult with CalTrans for weight limits and length limitations. It is expected that these bridges will still be in place in the summer/fall of 2024.

144. Since sidewall samples are to be collected per questions 20, and 112, will an addendum to the work plan need to be submitted to NPS and DTSC?

A. No.

145. It was noted during the site walk that there has been forest cutting and burning being conducted on the south side of the Merced River in the valley. Are there any plans to conduct these types of projects in the vicinity of the El Capitan Landfill in the next year?

A. No, not in the immediate vicinity of the site.

146. Monitoring well MW-4 could not be found during the site walk. The NTCRA Work Plan states that the well will be sampled prior to excavation as baseline results. Should we assume NPS will locate the well, and that it is intact, or should we include costs to replace this well prior to excavation?

A. Include costs to replace this well prior to excavation.

147. Section 4.4 of the SOW states SHASP, SWPPP, PFAS work plan and Pre-Design Investigation work plan shall be submitted within 60 days of award. Is this the due date is for the draft or final versions of these documents?

A. Draft versions.

148. We are still unclear about the sidewall sampling approach as it is not described in the SAP.

Will the sidewall samples be discrete samples or ISM samples? If discrete, how many per excavation area? If ISM, are sidewalls included in the one ISM sample per DU (i.e., a single composite sample consisting of both floor and sidewall aliquots), or should sidewalls be sampled separately from the floors (i.e., 2 or more ISM samples per DU).

A. Sidewalls will be sampled via the ISM method IAW ITRC guidance.

B. No need to sample the floors since excavation will stop at 4 feet.

149. For the Regulatory Specialist, would an engineering degree be considered another relevant field?

A. Yes.

150. Section 10.10.3 of the NTCRA Work Plan states that zero-valent iron (ZVI) is assumed to be used for in-situ treatment of PAHs. Will alternative in-situ treatment products recommended by contractors be considered?

A. Yes, but you must first propose the use of ZVI. NPS will consider a second alternative in-situ treatment products IAW the evaluation factors.

151. The existing monitoring wells are completed with exposed PVC casing and slip cap. Please clarify if new monitoring wells are to be installed in kind, or whether new wells should be installed with protective surface completions (flush mount well box or monument style well box). In light of the recent rise of the Merced River are there any height requirements above flood stage for the five new wells? Should wells be completed with a lockable surface completion? Or should the surface completion of the five new groundwater wells be similar to the existing wells?

A. New monitoring wells are to be installed with protective surface completions.

B. New monitoring wells are to be flush mount well box.

C. New monitoring wells do not need lockable.

152. Some, if not all, existing groundwater monitoring wells were under water due to the rise of the Merced River. It is possible that surface water entered the groundwater monitoring wells.

Should any of the existing groundwater wells be redeveloped prior to the 1st round of groundwater sampling?

A. Yes.

153. In the event groundwater infiltrates an excavation, will the contractor be required to dewater the excavation? If so, what are the anticipated infiltration rates? Can the water be discharged onsite? If so, what are the discharge requirements?

A. Contractor shall stop excavation if groundwater is encountered.

B. NPS does not know what the infiltration rate would be.

C. N/A since contractor will stop excavation if groundwater is encountered.

154. Several clarifications issued with Amendments 0001 and 0002 referenced changes to the solicitation documents, but the solicitation documents weren’t amended. Please confirm that clarifications issued by the government in writing effectively modify the language in the solicitation.

A. Yes, clarifications in Attachment 4 effectively change the referenced sections of the Statement of Work and solicitation.

155. Please clarify what information should be provided on Form 5 under “Performance Remarks.”

A. Refer to the second paragraph of instructions at the top of the form. This area may also be left blank.

156. Would the NPS like CPARS or Past Performance Questionnaires included with proposal submittals to help support an evaluation of past performance?

A. No.

157. RFP: FAR clause 52.228-15 is updated to JUN 2020 (DEVIATION MAY 2023) version, which removes the requirement for seals. The full text is viewable at CAACLetter2020- 04Suppl1-5.12.2023.pdf (acquisition.gov).

158. RFP: The offer guarantee (bid bond) on SF24 need not have corporate seals; see new text for 28.106-1 in the CAAC letter linked above.

https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/page_file_uploads/CAACLetter2020-04Suppl1-5.12.2023.pdf https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/page_file_uploads/CAACLetter2020-04Suppl1-5.12.2023.pdf

159. In CLIN #2 on Form 7, there’s an item titled “Transport and place NPS-furnished soil (~9,520 cubic yards)”. Table 10.2 of the Final-NTCRA Work Plan states that only 3,219 CY of fill will be required in total. Please clarify this discrepancy in volumes.

A. Form 7 is updated to ~3,220 CY in CLIN 2. See also #118.

160. RFP L.4: Is it acceptable to use 11x17 pages? Will 11x17 pages count as 1 page or 2 pages?

Can we use one 11x17 page in the two-page summary to Part 1, Section 1, Relevant Experience?

A. No; use 8½ x 11” pages.

Responses to approximately 30 additional questions received before the 7/13/23 deadline will be provided as soon as possible. NPS will not accept or answer additional questions.

The roster of site visit attendees is on the following pages.