Attachment 10 Final Clarifications_0003.pdf

Attachment 10: Final clarifications Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Hazardous Materials Abatement, Selective Demolition, and Minor Repairs of Historic Buildings

Final Clarifications for Solicitation #140P8320R0008 Posted with Amendment #3

Questions 1-17 and their answers are in Attachment 9.

18. Attachment 1, Statement of Work (SOW), includes the demolition of interior walls in certain buildings. Can the contractor assume that an engineering survey has been performed and that none of the proposed walls for demolition are loadbearing walls?

A. An engineering survey has not been conducted of the walls proposed for demolition.

Most of the walls noted to be removed were added in later years as adjustments to layouts by DOD as non-structural partition walls. Some walls are known to contain historic structural pillars, and the NPS has attempted to note “protect pillars” when historic pillars are documented as significant to the historic character (see also the Historic Structure Reports, available upon request). It is possible that some partition walls proposed for removal conceal structural elements, and the structural elements should be protected when the wall is removed. The Contractor should proceed with caution as these are historic structures built with historic practices, and it is unknown if any DOD changes in the past have had an impact on load distribution and pathways. For employee safety and protection of the historic structure, use shoring as deemed necessary during selective demolition and if needed consult with a structural engineer. Any costs associated with consultation by a structural engineer (or other relevant professional) should be included in the firm fixed price.

19. In building 991, Attachment 2 calls for the removal of drop ceilings “in association” with walls to be removed. Can you please clarify “in association”? Does this mean all the drop ceiling in those rooms where the walls are being removed or just enough of the drop ceiling to perform the removal of the walls? Also, does this include the ceiling grid as well?

A. The contractor shall completely remove all the drop ceilings in areas where walls are being removed. The finished condition should be an open room with a continuous historic ceiling. Yes, this includes the ceiling grid and any superstructure and supports.

20. Many of the buildings have materials/equipment stored or currently being used. Is the contractor to assume that these materials will require removal and replacement? Is the contractor to assume that this materials/equipment require abatement?

A. Except where noted in the SOW or Task List, the NPS will remove materials and equipment stored in the buildings (e.g., the desks in the southwest office of Building 410 must be protected in place or securely stored by the Contractor and some materials stored in Building 786 will be disposed by the Contractor). As noted in Attachments 1 and/or 2, some equipment inside buildings requires abatement through disposal, reuse, or recycling (e.g., some non-functioning HVAC equipment) or removal and replacement (e.g., remove ACM duct tape from Building 746 and replace with non-ACM that provides a similar function). The survey for Building 402 will have to be conducted around the current use of the building.

21. Some buildings have large appliances that appear to be no longer in use, such as industrial kitchen equipment. Is the contractor required to remove and dispose of such equipment?

A. The commercial kitchen in Building 721 will be removed by the Contractor, including all of the equipment, walls, floors, ceiling, and HVAC equipment. The SOW/Task List does call for the removal of some other appliances (e.g., drinking fountains), fixtures (e.g., sinks and toilets), and mechanical equipment (e.g., HVAC equipment), or similar, in other buildings. Generally, items removed will be disposed of, recycled, or reused by the contractor outside of the park in a proper facility; there are a few exceptions noted in Attachments 1 and 2 where items need to be protected, carefully removed and provided to the historic site (e.g., the historic drinking fountain in 746 must be protected, packaged, and provided to the NPS). The Contractor is encouraged to sell for reuse or send to recycle any materials being disposed of by the NPS to minimize the amount of waste generated by the project, this may include, for example, selling the commercial kitchen equipment, donating doors from partition walls to charitable organizations, or recycling scrap metal.

22. Are any materials/equipment within the building subject to SHPO oversight and management? If so, can the government provide an SOP for working with the SHPO; identifying which items are considered historically significant, require abatement, and/or require removal and replacement at the end of abatement activities?

A. The NPS and the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation have completed compliance on the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Master Plan and this project. The historic site will manage compliance issues should any arise. The Historic Structure Reports, available upon request, provide further details on items or building elements considered historically significant. Prior to beginning work in each building, a walk through with NPS Cultural Resources and others is required to ensure the work plan is consistent with historic preservation goals, and to help identify any historic objects that need to be preserved. See VI C in Attachment 1.

23. Please identify if there is a location at FOVA for the storage of materials/equipment that the government requests be removed during abatement and then returned to the building location. If there is not a location, is the contractor to assume storage of such materials/equipment?

A. The buildings within the contract can be used for any storage during the course of the contract work. Buildings that have had abatement concluded may be used to store materials from a building that will undergo abatement later. Few items need to be stored or worked around by the Contractor.

24. There are several locations that have stored furniture etc. Who is responsible for moving these items?

A. In general, the NPS will remove objects and materials stored in buildings that it will retain, and will leave behind items to be disposed, reused, or recycled. Some objects that are installed in the buildings are historic and must be removed and delivered to the NPS.

Offerors should review Attachments 1 and 2.

25. Who is determining the level of patch and repair needed when it comes to the flooring?

A. Ultimately, the CO will make a determination after an inspection when each building is substantially complete if the work is satisfactory; see, for example, Attachment 1 Section XXIV, “safe condition.” The Contractor, with review by the CIH, will be expected to identify flooring in Building 991 that is damaged and producing friable asbestos, and then make the flooring non-friable through patching, filling, or similar work.

26. Will there be someone inspecting “sound substrate” before Ecobond is applied?

A. Yes, Attachment 1 Paragraph XXII B describes the requirement to present mock-ups of painting. The NPS or CIH may verify any requirement presented in Attachment 1 Section XXII during the project.

27. There are several notes about replacing underlayment if required. Any VCT that is removed will most likely require the removal of the underlayment due to the mastic. Do you want new underlayment installed or leave the bare subfloor exposed? It is not typical to just install underlayment without new flooring.

A. Except where the floor is to be finished as noted in Attachments 1 and/or 2, the floor must be left in a safe condition, which may include repairing or replacing underlayment or subfloor. VCT and mastic have been found applied to historic wood floors that had to be restored or encapsulated according to historic preservation standards. In other locations underlayment has needed to be removed, repaired, or has had virtually no impact from poorly adhered mastic. Regardless of preservation of historic floors or repair or replacement of underlayment or subfloor, the floors must be in a safe condition at substantial completion, see Attachment 1 Section XXIV “Safe Condition.” Stairs must remain functional and safe for use, but do not necessarily need to be modernized for compliance with modern building codes.

28. Are there specifications on where the floor drains are to be capped? What type of cap?

A. No. The goal is to prevent effluent from entering the drains and prevent the drains from being a conduit for gases to enter the buildings. The Contractor should use their expertise to select the best cap for each drain and submit product details to the CO following the submittal procedures documented in Attachment 1 Section VII.

29. Will the project follow the EPA Renovation, Repair & Paint standards?

A. The EPA Renovation, Repair, and Paint standards typically apply to homes, childcare facilities, and pre-schools built prior to 1978, so they are not expected to apply to this project. The NPS intends to conduct Lead Abatement activities that also preserve character-defining historic features. The CIH will review the certification of the Contractor’s business, as well as the training, qualifications, medical monitoring, etc. of the Contractor’s staff to ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and standards.

30. Please clarify the painting and stripping requirements for building 748. The statement of work for this building states to strip paint to natural wood above approximately 11 feet in the central garage area. It also states not to paint the exposed wood. Please clarify that the intent is to strip the paint from the wood surfaces including walls, ceiling and rafters above this 11’ line and the painted wood surfaces (walls) below this 11’ line are to be painted with Ecobond?

A. Correct: above about 11 feet, the walls, ceilings, and rafters should be stripped of paint exposing the natural wood. Below about 11 feet, the paint is in better condition, and should be prepared and painted with Ecobond according to Attachment 1 Section XXII.

Regardless if the wood was exposed in this project by stripping (i.e., above about 11 feet), or has never been painted, natural wood should not be painted.

31. Please clarify the extent of painting. The statement of work for most buildings state to repaint LBP surfaces. Is the intent to repaint all interior surfaces with Ecobond including walls, trim and ceiling that are currently painted?

A. Some buildings have had lead surveys completed. Where a lead survey has been completed paint that is not lead-based need not be painted with Ecobond. In buildings without a lead survey, all paint is assumed to be lead-based.

32. If we are using a portable generator for power, can we use construction work lights (i.e. string lights) if the bulbs illuminate more than the required 5 Foot-Candles?

A. During the project, the Contractor may illuminate the buildings according to their needs and applicable safety laws, regulations, and standards. Lighting to remain after the project must, at a minimum, meet the standards described in Attachment 1 Section XXIII.

NPS prefers that lighting to remain is powered through the building’s electrical system (i.e., connected to the mains).

33. Please clarify the requirement for construction lighting described in Attachment 2 under Preventive Measures Item C for Building 725 and Item B for Building 748. Is this lighting to execute the work or is the NPS looking for lighting after the work is done?

A. The NPS requires lighting to be installed in some buildings. The examples provided in the question refer to buildings where construction lighting, as described in Attachment 1 Paragraph (A)(a), is to remain.

34. In a couple of different buildings (under preventive measures in the task list for buildings 410, 786 and 991) it states contractor is to install lighting per GSA P100 with wiring and conduit. What exactly does that mean? Can we please get an electrical diagram showing pathways and lighting of what the NPS is anticipating as part of this RFP pricing. Extremely vague with no way of quantifying the work or costs associated with this item.

A. See Attachment 1 Section XXIII for further descriptions of lighting. Please also review GSA P100. Lighting required per GSA P100 must be fully functional for an occupied building, including meeting light levels, building codes, and applicable laws and regulations. An electrical diagram is not available and cannot be provided; the Contractor will need to determine routing and layout for each building after selective demolition is complete for the spaces that remain.

35. Are there any other specifications (in addition to being LED) on the type of lighting to be reinstalled throughout the buildings?

A. Lighting installation should follow the guidelines presented in the GSA P100 manual and the requirements presented in Attachment 1 Section XXIII.

36. Base Item 2 is for the abatement survey for Building 402. Option A is to abate hazardous materials for building 402. We will not know what materials and the quantity to abate until the survey is complete. How do you want us to price option A?

A. No price is required for Option A. The editable price schedule included in “forms to return with offer – revised” is pre-filled with “To be priced upon completion of Item 2.”

for Option A and the task list for Item 2 includes Task D, “Prepare firm fixed price proposal to abate hazardous materials in the building based on survey results.”

37. The RFP requests a firm fixed price for the abatement of hazardous materials of Building 402 founded on Item 2, Hazardous Material Survey for Building 402. Is the contractor to assume conditions similar to the other 12 Buildings included in the base and optional tasks will be identified in Building 402? Further, is the contractor to assume only abatement will be required in Building 402 and no soft demo of existing features that do not require abatement?

A. No, since Building 402 was built in 1983, the NPS assumes that Building 402 has less hazardous materials than the historic buildings at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, and the Contractor should make the same assumption. Most environmental laws relevant to hazardous materials in buildings had been enacted by 1983. There is no planned demolition for Building 402, so the Contractor should assume only abatement would be included if the option were awarded. The roof was replaced by the NPS, and no sampling or abatement is anticipated on the roof to preserve the warranty of that work.

38. Building 405 survey is mentioned in SOW VII-C, is this an item to include in proposal?

A. No. A survey for Building 405 was removed from this project during the NPS planning stages. Any editing errors that still mention work in Building 405 should be disregarded.

39. SECTION H.6 DESIGNATION AND SUBSTITUTIONS OF KEY PERSONNEL - What is the expectation of the CIH with regards to actual time spent on site that the NPS is willing to accept in the performance of this project besides verifying and signing off on pre-work information? CIH’s are expensive and the offerors need to know how many hours to set aside/plan on, for a CIH time requirement on site.

A. The CIH is required to complete some inspections (including inside containment areas), attend some meetings, and review some submittals, as described in Attachment 1. The NPS anticipates that the Offeror will be able to estimate this time in concert with the CIH they select. Time requirements for a CIH are anticipated to vary by factors outside of the control of the NPS, including, but not limited to, CIH subordinate staff, CIH distance to the historic site, efficiency of the Contractor in scheduling multiple inspections in the same visit, and quality of submittals and work provided by the Contractor. Offerors should review Attachment 1 Paragraph III C when selecting a CIH.

40. Per Section III D of the statement of work, can the Project (site) Superintendent, safety officer and Quality Control officer be the same person?

A. No, specifically the Project Superintendent and the Safety Officer must not be the same person (Attachment 1 Paragraph III (D)(d)).

41. Since building 754 is an occupied building, are we required to change the locks and set up temporary fencing?

A. No, the tenant will occupy the building while the project occurs. The Contractor will be required to work with the tenant to schedule and execute the work in a manner that minimizes the impact on the tenant’s operations.

42. Can we perform work in multiple buildings at a time, or do we have to complete one at a time?

A. Yes, you may perform work in multiple buildings at once. If you plan to do so, you should clearly indicate this on the schedule you include with your proposal. However, the NPS did not anticipate that the Contractor would seek to undertake work in all of the buildings at the same time during planning. Should a contractor be able to accomplish work in all of the buildings at once, coordination with the NPS would be necessary regarding the storage of some items.

43. Contractor task list for buildings (SOW) varies from what is shown on the drawings (conflicting information), an example would be building 410. Item F under LPB and LCM abatement calls out for 2 window grates & mounting hardware. Drawing shows 17 window grates (note 1) under window symbol. Please clarify which document offers should follow with regards to quantification & pricing.

A. Where conflicts exist, Attachment 1: Statement of Work takes precedent to Attachment 2:

Task List which takes precedent to Attachment 6: Floor Plans.

44. It is noted that in RFP Section K, Part 52.204-8 this procurement is a small business set-aside with the size standard of $22M, average annual gross receipts for the past five years. Is the government willing to consider revising this requirement to the SB-set aside size standard of 750 employees per Section 56 of the SBA NAICS Code assignments (2017) as this procurement includes Environmental Remediation Services?

A. No. The size standard of 750 employees is only for environmental remediation, per Footnote 14 of the Table of Small Business Size Standards, which states, in part, “For purposes of classifying a Government procurement as Environmental Remediation Services, the general purpose of the procurement must be to restore or directly support the restoration of a contaminated environment.” “Contaminated environment” generally applies to contaminated soils, gravels, or water; not buildings or structures.

45. Per Section M.2, Part 2, and Section L.3, may both Prime and Teammate/Subcontractor Past Performance be submitted for the minimum of three past performed projects for evaluation?

A. As stated in M.2, “(t)he past performance of the offeror, the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) Consultant, and proposed subcontractors on projects similar in scope and complexity (i.e. relevant to the current project) will be evaluated in the areas of quality, timeliness, and business relations.” Therefore, you may submit projects performed by any team members and we will get past performance information from the contacts listed therein.

46. Please clarify Section M.1, Part C. Will Optional pricing be part of the initial evaluation to award the base tasks? As worded, it is confusing as to whether the pricing will be evaluated for the base award or only for the award of optional tasks.

A. Paragraph M1. C states “Except when it is determined not to be in the Government’s best interests, the Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement.” NPS intends to initially evaluate the total price for all base and all option items added together. However, we may exclude some optional items from later analyses if it is in our best interest to do so prior to selecting the best value proposal.

47. Please confirm the maximum page count for proposal Part 1 – Technical and Part 2 – Offeror and Business Information.

A. We did not establish a maximum page count.

48. Please identify font or font size requirements for Part 1 – Technical and Part 2 – Offeror and Business Information.

A. There is no requirement for font or font size. However, since there is no page limit, offerors are encouraged to use 10pt font or larger for readability.

49. SECTION H.1 WAGE DETERMINATION. Please clarify which labor group hazardous material handlers will fall under for laborers for this project. There is no designation for this work under the laborer classifications in section J.

A. If a necessary wage classification is not included in the wage determination, we will initiate a Request for Authorization of Additional Classification and Rate with the Department of Labor using the procedures in FAR clause 52.222-6(c) and FAR Subpart 22.406-3 after award. The offeror should indicate in their price proposal the job classification, hourly wage, and fringe benefits for employees who will perform unclassified work, along with how many hours of each type of work was included in the price calculation for the base items. This will be used in the analysis for equitable adjustment If the conformed wage rate is different than the proposed rate.

50. SECTION H.5 SUBCONTRACTING REQUIREMENTS. Under the CAAC letter associated with FAR clause 52.219-14 (Deviation), there are percentage goals that the offeror needs to meet for both General Construction (GC) and Specialty work. Please verify the offeror’s minimum financial percentage goals for completing this work. Is it 15% of direct costs (GC) or 25% of direct costs (special trade)?

A. Included in the definition for NAICS code 236220, Commercial and Institutional Building Construction, which is general construction, is the statement “Performing specialized construction work on commercial and institutional buildings, generally on a subcontract basis--are classified in Subsector 238, Specialty Trade Contractors”. This project is similar in that most of the construction work is specialized, will likely be subcontracted, and falls under the relevant NAICS codes for specialty trades. Therefore, the prime contractor must agree that it will not pay more than 75 percent of the amount paid by the Government for contract performance, excluding the cost of materials, to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities.

https://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/sssd/naics/naicsrch?code=238&search=2017