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140P43260049, BOST Fiber backbone replacement, Amendment 0002, RFIs 1-17
| # |
| Solicitation / SOW Reference |
| Question |
| 1 |
| SOW §1.1 / §1.2; Attach. 2 |
| The SOW narrative details only Building 109 (primary Marine Barracks→109 and secondary Marine Barracks→Building 5→109) but also references "multiple campus buildings," and Attachment 2 shows existing NPS data fiber to Buildings I-1, 265, 107, 4, 5, 10, and 109. Please provide the complete list of buildings that are to receive new OS2 backbone fiber under this contract. |
| Government Response: |
| Building I |
Building G (Commandants House) Building 265 B/C/D (Fiber runs through the basement of all of Building 265) Building 5 (Fiber runs through Building 4, it is two separate buildings divided in half) Scale House Building 10 Building 109 The building Just below Building 269 (With 100ft denoted going into it)
| 2 |
| SOW §1.2 ("Each backbone route…") |
| SOW §1.2 states "Each backbone route shall include: Two (2) 24-strand OS2 single-mode fiber cable." How many backbone routes are required in total (i.e., total quantity of 24-strand cables and total system footage)? A per-route or per-building schedule would allow accurate lump-sum pricing. |
| Government Response: |
| A minimum of 12 strands of Single mode fiber shall be provided to each building. |
| 3 |
| SOW §1.1 (redundant path) |
| In the secondary redundant path (Marine Barracks→Building 5→Building 109), is Building 5 an independently served/terminated building (its own patch panel and terminations), or only a splice/pull-through point on the route to Building 109? |
| Government Response: |
| There is rack space for available patch panels in both building 5 and Building 109. |
| 4 |
| Attachment 2 (CNY Distances 2015) |
| Attachment 2 is dated 2015 and marked "Schematic only." Are the conduit routing and segment distances shown still accurate, and may offerors rely on them for pull-length/footage takeoff? If not, will the Government provide updated as-built conduit routing and lengths? |
| Government Response: |
| Schematic is reliable for distances. |
| 5 |
| CLIN 00010; SOW Item 2 / Phase 2 |
| Pricing is a single lump-sum CLIN (00010 – Fiber Cable Installation). If conduit segments are found collapsed or blocked during pull-line verification, is the "limited, as-needed conduit repair" and any associated excavation included in the lump-sum base price, or handled as separate change-order/directed work? If included, is there a defined limit (linear feet or number of repairs) offerors should carry? |
| Government Response: |
| Contractor would be responsible for repair of conduit. Area of concern is less than 100’ in length. |
| 6 |
| SOW Item 2; §1.2 |
| Is spare conduit/innerduct capacity confirmed available in every segment to accept two additional 24-strand OSP cables per route alongside the existing active cables? Are conduit sizes, types, and current occupancy documented anywhere offerors may review? |
| Government Response: |
| Conduit has spare capacity for all required new cabling. There is abandoned cabling in conduit already that may be used to be a leader for pull rope. Coordinate with onsite POC to determine those cables. |
| 7 |
| Attachment 2 (MH242, MH243) |
| Are all handholes, pull boxes, and manholes (e.g., MH242 and MH243 shown on Attachment 2) accessible and free of hazards? Will any require permit-required confined-space entry, and are dewatering or traffic-control provisions anticipated? |
| Government Response: |
| All are accessible. Some have an excess amount of soil in them upon site visit. Some minor removal of material (less than 2 wheel barrel loads per handhole, and only in 2-3 total). Work will be performed inside a closed campus area with minimal traffic impact. Contractor will be responsible for any dewatering needed. |
| 8 |
| SOW §1.2 ("Replace existing…") |
| SOW §1.2 states "Replace existing inter-building fiber optic communications cabling." Does the scope require removal (or documented abandonment-in-place) of the existing backbone fiber, or installation of new cable only? If removal is required, please identify which cables and confirm conduit congestion will still permit the new pulls. |
| Government Response: |
| Existing fiber to remain. Network hardware refresh will follow on this contract. Government will use both fiber optic networks in parallel until later full cutover. |
| 9 |
| SOW §1.2 / Item 9 / Phase 4 |
| The SOW states fiber "shall terminate at existing rack-mounted fiber patch panels," while Item 9 requires patch-panel submittals and a port-numbering plan. Are existing patch panels/enclosures being reused, or shall the contractor furnish and install new LC patch panels/cassettes and adapters at each termination? If reused, are there sufficient spare LC ports/adapters for all 24 strands per cable at each location? |
| Government Response: |
| Contractor shall supply new patch panels. Government will provide rack space. |
| 10 |
| SOW Phase 4 |
| Phase 4 specifies terminations "using LC connectors and fusion splicing where necessary." Please clarify the Government's preferred/acceptable termination method (fusion-spliced LC pigtails vs. field-installed LC connectors) and whether splice enclosures are required at building entrances. |
| Government Response: |
| Preferred: Fusion‑spliced LC pigtails into LC patch panels. |
Alternative: Field‑installed LC connectors only in retrofit/match‑existing scenarios and only if strands pass OLTS+OTDR and meet Exhibits 8–9 loss thresholds; new work uses fusion splice LC by default.
Splice enclosures: Required at building entrances/ER/TC where OSP transitions to indoor cable/panels; use rated enclosures with splice trays, service loops, and bend‑radius protection.
| 11 |
| SOW Item 9 (Submittals) |
| Item 9 requests cut sheets "for all proposed OM4 and OS2 fiber cables," but the balance of the SOW specifies OS2 single-mode only. Please confirm whether any OM4 multimode fiber is in scope, or if the OM4 reference is in error. |
| Government Response: |
| Omit OM4 references. Submit for OS2 only. |
| 12 |
| Attachment 3 (Wage Determination) |
| Please confirm the applicable labor standards. Attachment 3 is Service Contract Act wage determination WD 2015-4047 (Rev. 34). Do Davis-Bacon construction labor standards apply to any portion of the work (e.g., conduit repair or excavation), or does the SCA wage determination govern all labor on this contract? |
| Government Response: |
| SCA WD 2015‑4047 governs the contract overall. |
-Davis‑Bacon applies only if excavation or real-property conduit repair occurs, consistent with FAR 2.101 and applicable construction clauses.
-Contractors shall propose SCA labor categories for all standard fiber installation tasks, and shall include a Davis‑Bacon labor line only if excavation-based conduit repair is required after award. This contract has to meet the minimum wages and fringe benefits that contractors and subcontractors must pay certain employees working under this contract. It is significant because it establishes wage standards but is only applicable to those positions listed within the respective wage determination.
| 13 |
| SOW §1.1 / Item 3 |
| Building 109 houses law-enforcement operations. What are the security/badging, background-check, or escort requirements for contractor personnel, and are there facility-access restrictions or additional working-hour limits within law-enforcement spaces? Parking is noted as unavailable within the park — where should the contractor plan to stage vehicles and materials? |
| Government Response: |
| DOI/NPS contact onsite will escort contractor when needed in these spaces. A limited area of parking spaces is available for contractor use. The Charlestown Navy yard is a seasonal use area, with some days more vehicles parked onsite than others. No restrictions on working time in Law Enforcement spaces. There may be certain times that some spaces may be unavailable in this building. |
| 14 |
| SOW Phase 7 |
| Phase 7 requires as-built deliverables in "GIS or CAD format" with georeferenced mapping. Please specify the acceptable format (e.g., Esri file geodatabase vs. AutoCAD DWG), the required coordinate system/datum, and whether the Government will furnish existing base mapping or GIS data for the campus. |
| Government Response: |
| Format: AutoCAD DWG, georeferenced, 2018+ |
Coordinate System: NAD83 (latest) / Massachusetts State Plane Mainland / US Survey Feet Vertical Datum: NAVD88 Government Furnished: Existing CAD campus drawings where available Contractor Must Provide: Complete georeferenced CAD as‑built showing conduit, fiber routes, splice points, panels, EF/TC locations, and attribute tables
| 15 |
| SOW Phase 6 (Cutover) |
| Cutover must be coordinated with park IT staff. Are there required maintenance windows, after-hours/weekend cutover requirements, or maximum allowable outage durations per building that offerors should account for in labor pricing? |
| Government Response: |
| No. Park IT staff will coordinate cutover of campus network independently. |
| 16 |
| Site Visit / IGCE Basis |
| Will the Government share the site-visit documentation (photographs, notes, and any responses to questions raised during the walk-through) with all offerors, including those unable to attend, so that all quotes are based on equivalent site information? |
| Government Response: |
| The Government will not be providing site‑visit photographs or notes. No official Government photos or documentation were taken during the walkthrough, and all attendees were advised at the time to submit RFIs if additional clarifications were needed. |
To ensure fairness to offerors who were not present during the walkthrough, the Government has provided answers to all submitted RFIs, and those written RFI responses constitute the shared, authoritative site‑visit information for the solicitation.
Offerors should base their pricing and technical proposals on the Solicitation, SOW, posted RFI responses, and Attachment 2 distances, which the Government has confirmed are reliable for estimating purposes.
| 17 |
| General — State/Local Licensing |
| Diamond West Construction is a licensed contractor in its home state of Arizona. Massachusetts separately licenses low-voltage/telecommunications systems work through the Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Systems Contractor Class C / Systems Technician Class D). Because this work is performed on federal property within Boston National Historical Park, please confirm whether the Government requires the contractor or its personnel to hold Massachusetts state low-voltage/systems licensure, or whether work performed on this federal site is exempt from state/local licensing requirements. |
| Government Response: |
| The Government does not require Massachusetts low‑voltage/systems licensure for this project. Contractors must still comply with all applicable Federal codes, standards, and NPS cabling requirements, including ANSI/TIA‑568/569/606, NEC Article 770, NFPA fire codes, OSHA safety requirements, and all specifications detailed in the Statement of Work. |
The Government may require evidence of technical competency, manufacturer fiber‑optic certification, and compliance with testing/documentation standards, but Massachusetts Systems Contractor (Class C) and Systems Technician (Class D) licenses are not required for work performed on this Federal site.
