Attachment_5_Clarifications_to_Contract_Documents__1_-_7_140P8322Q0021_1.pdf

RFQ #140P8322Q0021, Construct Mound Drainfield at Quinault Rain Forest Ranger Station Olympic NP Attachment 5: Clarifications to Contract Documents

Site Visit Notes and Clarifications for Solicitation #140P8322Q0021

Site visit notes and Clarifications 1 – 7 were posted with Amendment 1 on 4/1/22.

Site Visit

Kerri Cook, design engineer and Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for this project, conducted a site visit on 3/31/22. She told the participants: “I hope you have had a chance to review the solicitation, construction documents and drawings, and additional reports and notices;

all of these documents are hyperlinked from the solicitation posted at SAM.gov. The purpose of today’s meeting is to show you the existing facilities and site. We do not intend to review the plans or specifications and will take only limited questions related to the site and the solicitation.” The group toured the existing comfort station utility room with electrical panel, the existing septic and drainfield site, the future mound site, and the project staging area. A roster of attendees is at the end of this document.

Reminders about the solicitation:

• Nothing said today changes the terms, conditions, requirements, or specifications of the solicitation and eventual contract. All changes will be formalized and incorporated by formal written amendment(s) to the RFQ and posted at SAM.gov.

• The solicitation (SF1442 with associated clauses and provisions) is the file named “sol_140P8322Q0021” which is the bottom file hyperlinked at SAM. All amendments will be posted here; it is your responsibility to monitor the site. You can also register at SAM and use the “follow” feature.

• This acquisition is set aside for small businesses. I encourage you to review pertinent sections of the solicitation and regulations.

• As previously mentioned, we will take only limited questions during this site visit.

Submit all questions to the Contracting Officer, Sarah Welch, ideally referencing the particular section of the specifications or drawings. We will answer all questions submitted up to seven days prior to the closing date in amendments to the solicitation.

• Send quote and supporting documents, etc. to Sarah’s email address (which is at the bottom of the announcement at SAM and in the solicitation sections G.3 and L.5). Due to system and bandwidth capacities, we recommend sending the quote at least an hour prior to the time it is due.

• Remember to review the information in Sections L (Instructions, Conditions, and Notices) and M (Evaluation Factors for Award) before submitting the quote. Forms to be completed and returned with your quote are hyperlinked from the solicitation notice at

SAM.

• Due date is currently April 21 at 11:00 am PDT unless extended by amendment.

Ms. Cook then provided a little background for the project: “The Quinault comfort station septic drainfield was originally installed by NPS day labor in the early 2000s. The drainfield was not designed in accordance with engineering design principles and turned out to be significantly undersized given peak flows. In August 2021, effluent backed up into the septic tank and surfaced at one of the risers, spilling untreated sewage effluent onto the ground adjacent to the comfort station. Investigation into the condition of the drainfield revealed that the infiltrative area was significantly undersized given current flows. In November, we dug three soil test pits out by the Quinault Fire / Rescue Cache and classified the soils as a Soil Type 5 silt loam, very consistent, with a seasonally high groundwater table approximately 32” below ground surface. I sized the new septic tank, pump tank, and pressurized mound disposal site to accommodate a design flow of 625 gpd, which is about the largest capacity we can meet given the existing space.”

The rest of this document provides clarifications based on questions asked during the site visit.

1. How did you size the 2000-gallon septic tank, and does it need to be that large?

The 2000-gallon septic tank was sized to accommodate at least three days (72 hours) of hydraulic retention time at the peak design flow of 625 gpd. The pump tank was similarly sized to provide additional storage capacity during power outages. Both tanks need to provide a minimum of at least 1875 gallons of capacity each.

2. Would you accept tanks that are not pre-cast concrete, e.g. fiberglass, plastic, or other?

Concrete tanks are the park’s preferred material. Fiberglass tanks may be accepted as an alternative if contractor provides anti-flotation calculations for NPS review/approval and contractor follows all design criteria, including anti-buoyancy measures, and installation instructions from the tank manufacturer. Plastic tanks will not be accepted as equal. As noted in Specifications 2.1 A. 1. and 2.2 A. 1., both septic and pump tanks shall be listed on the Washington State Department of Health’s current List of Registered Sewage Tanks.

3. Can the septic and pump tanks be installed side-by-side rather than in-line? If so, can they be installed on the west side of the gravity drain line coming from the comfort station rather than on the east side of that lines (as currently designed)?

It is likely that the NPS would approve installation of the septic and pump tanks side-by-side rather than in-line. It is also likely that the NPS would approve installation of the tanks on the west side of the gravity drain line, potentially with a requirement for placement of boulders, bollards, or other means of protecting underground tanks from vehicular traffic. However, proposed changes to the design footprint will need to be reviewed and approved through the park’s compliance process. If there are no archaeological or resource concerns, this approval could happen quickly, i.e. within days of proposal. Any proposal to deviate significantly from the drawings or specifications should be described in a brief narrative and submitted with the quote.

4. The spruce tree across from the Quinault Fire / Rescue Cache is noted on the drawings to be protected in place, but it likely has shallow roots that will be impacted when trying to level and scarify the ground for mound construction. Damaging those roots could lead to tree failure, and it’s leaning over the future mound site. How should the roots and this tree be handled during construction?

Any roots 3” in diameter or larger that are encountered during the mound construction should be cleanly cut with a saw. The NPS will be monitoring this tree annually for potential hazards and will remove the tree in the future if it is deemed to pose a risk to the new mound drainfield.

5. Does all of the debris (i.e., rotten logs, downed trees, vegetation, etc.) within the mound footprint need to be removed from the area, or can it be disposed of onsite?

Non-mineral organic debris should be scattered, not piled, across the open space east of the drain field site while minimizing any equipment impacts to this area. Scattering may require hand work to minimize equipment impacts. Excess mineral material should be removed from the park unless it can be used elsewhere as part of the overall project construction.

6. Do I need to sleeve the existing water line feeding the comfort station if there’s less than 10 feet horizontal separation or less than 18 inches vertical separation between the existing water and sewer lines, per the Washington State Pipeline Separation Design and Installation Reference Guide?

The contractor is not responsible for sleeving the existing water line based on the location of the existing sewer line and would only need to provide sleeving if proposed modifications to the existing design result in crossing of the water and sewer lines. The existing water line is located on the south side of the existing sidewalk that extends from the parking lot to the comfort station building.

7. There’s a discrepancy in the specifications where 1.1 D. requires placement of portable toilets and hand sanitizing station starting June 15, 2022 while 1.3 D. 1. requires just the toilets (no hand sanitizing station) starting June 12, 2022. Can you clarify the requirements?

This contract requires placement of a hand sanitizing station, two standard portable toilets, and one Americans with Disabilities (ADA) compliant unit starting Wednesday, June 15, 2022. Units shall be serviced a minimum of weekly and shall remain onsite until the new septic system has been inspected, tested, and approved by the NPS design engineer for use.