Amd_0003_Contractor_Q_As_140P8326Q0014_0003.pdf

140P8326Q0014

MORA Tahoma Woods Fiber Optic Cable Install

Contractor Questions/Answers continued:

Q.1 Conduit Installation: The Contractor shall supply and install Electrical Metallic Tubing

(EMT)

conduit, boxes, and associated hardware from the building’s equipment rack to four (4) - Where is the equipment rack predetermined WAP locations on the outside veranda of each apartment building?

A.1 This was discussed and pointed out in person during the site visit. Each apartment building has 2 floors, each with a veranda-style deck (see drawing). At each apartment building on each floor, each WAP will be located between each two apartments on the outer part of the deck. So for example in T117 there are 8 apartments total, 4 downstairs and 4 upstairs. Two WAPs will be installed in, apartments

Q.2 Ethernet Cable Installation: "The Contractor shall supply and install an RJ-45 patch panel and pull and terminate one (1) Cat6E Ethernet cable from the patch panel to each WAP location."

Where will the patch panel be located for the WAP?

A.2This was discussed and pointed out in person during the site visit. The patch panel will be located in an existing wall-mount rackmount equipment cabinet in the storage room next to the east stairwell in both buildings T117 and T118. Photo showing the actual cabinet is below:

Q.3 Specifications: "EMT shall be installed with fittings appropriate for moisture resistance in outdoor/damp areas. At each WAP location, Contractor to supply and install 2-gang electrical boxes with no faceplate and terminated RJ-45 keystone jack coiled up inside each box."

Is the above SOW (3.) to be added to the same fiber SOW?

A.3This work is outlined in SOW section 1.2 part D. It is a separate task within the project from the fiber portion (parts A through C). Attached is a PDF showing a rough floor plan with recommended conduit runs and box locations.

Q.4 Are the existing conduits guaranteed to be usable for fiber installation? If these conduits are obstructed, collapsed, or otherwise unusable, will replacement or repair be the responsibility of the contractor or the Government?

A.4 The existing conduit (between the Admin Building and Vault #4) has active copper and old multimode fiber cables already inside, so risk of encountering an unusable conduit is relatively low. If work starts and differing site conditions exist (i.e. unable to pull fiber through existing conduit due to conduit damage), it will be the responsibility of the Government to seek an equitable adjustment and subsequent contract modification to allow the contractor to make the necessary repairs at the expense of the Government.

Q.5 The drawings indicate approximately 320 feet of trenching requiring asphalt cutting between Vault #6 and Vault #7. Please confirm the required pavement restoration specification, including asphalt thickness, base requirements, compaction requirements, and whether saw-cut and full-width restoration is required.

A.5 A directional bore may be used in lieu of trenching for any or all portions of this project. However if the contractor opts to do a road cut for the driveway between Vaults #6 and #7, the below requirements must be followed (this is expected to be added to the SOW):

REQUIREMENTS for Patching of Road Cuts:

Construction: Full grind to 3” clean and tack surface and apply 1/2” HMA in a three-inch lift. Field verify with Contracting Officer’s Representative at repair site.

All hot mix asphalt shall be placed at temperatures between two hundred and fifteen, (215) and three hundred and twenty-five, (325) degrees F with a self-propelled laydown machine.

Final surface applications shall be rolled or compacted with equipment sufficient to achieve compaction results in compliance to WSDOT standard construction specifications.

• Crack sealing of the joint is required to prevent water and debris entry in the joints.

• Longitudinal bituminous joints shall be vertical and properly tack coated if cold. Transverse joints shall always be tack coated.

• Longitudinal/Transverse Joints. Keep elevation difference at joints less than 0.25 inches.

REQUIREMENTS for Asphalt Application:

The contractor shall apply asphalt to the prepared area. Work shall be completed in a manner to create a desired slope to follow drainage patterns. The contractor shall be responsible for maintaining a smooth surface following the slope of the existing road after, compacting the road base compaction fill material to 95% -and then applying a three (3) inch compacted lift of Asphalt.

All work shall be in accordance with Standard Specifications for Construction, Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and as amended in this specification.

Special Precautions:

Contractor shall be responsible for containment and/or cleanup of any spilled materials

Q.6 Please confirm the required vault type and dimensions for the six new vault installations (Vaults #5 through #10). Are HDPE fiber handholes acceptable, or are precast concrete vaults required?

A.6 We are leaving it up to vendors to decide on the vault types and dimensions for the six new vaults for their bid proposals. None of these vaults are placed in or near any roadway and have low risk of being driven over, so HDPE fiber handholes are acceptable provided they are large enough to comfortably house a splice closure and the required amount of slack cable.

Q.7 Will traffic control be required for trenching and asphalt work along the housing loop road and 238th Ave E? If required, please provide the expected level of traffic control (flaggers, signage, lane closure plans, etc.).

A.7 Traffic control will not be required unless the main loop road is expected to be blocked (not anticipated). The affected lane may be closed during construction because an alternate route (main loop road) exists.

Q.8 Are there restrictions on trenching methods (e.g., open trench vs. directional boring) due to environmental or park requirements?

A.8 Either or both methods may be used as appropriate. There were no known stipulations in the project environmental compliance documentation restricting which trenching method should be used, but the work restriction laid out in SOW section 1.3(j) regarding preservation of natural features must be followed.

Q.9 Please confirm the required conduit material for new installations (Schedule 40 PVC, Schedule 80 PVC, or HDPE). Also confirm whether tracer wire and mule tape are required in all new conduits.

A.9 Per section 2.4(a) of the SOW:

A. All conduit installed in-ground between maintenance holes or handholes shall be 4-inch inside diameter Schedule 40 rigid PVC or approved equal, conforming to NEMA standards TC-2 and UL651.

All conduit installed above-ground shall be Schedule 40 rigid PVC sized per the drawings.

Per section 1.2(a)(2) of the SOW, "The Contractor shall ensure the use of tracer wire and pull-tapes with linear length markers in all installed segments.". While using standard mule tape and pulling a small copper wire through the conduits is acceptable, use of "detectable" mule tape (wire is woven into the tape) is preferred.

Q.10 The SOW requires storing approximately 50–75 feet of slack fiber in each vault. Please confirm whether slack storage hardware or fiber racking systems are required inside each vault.

A.10 There is no specific requirement for fiber racking systems and slack storage hardware in vaults. However contractors are welcome to include vault organization hardware in their bid proposal. Contractor selection will be made based on the best value to the Government and not by the lowest bidder, so addition of any proposed materials contractors believe is necessary that would result in a more professional installation is encouraged.

Q.11 The specifications indicate installation of a new underground conduit for fiber optic cable but do not mention the use of innerduct or sub-duct within the conduits. Please confirm whether the contractor is required to install innerduct within the new underground conduits, or if the fiber optic cables are to be installed directly within the conduits with pull tape as specified

A.11 The use of innerduct will not be required for this project. Cost outweighs the benefit in this case.

Q.12 Please confirm whether there are preferred manufacturers and specification for fiber optic cable, copper cabling, and associated components.

A.12 Per Part 4.1(a) of the SOW:

The following manufacturer’s warranted systems are approved unless otherwise specified:

1. Corning, Inc.

2. Prysmian Group (General Cable)

3. CommScope

4. AFL Global (Fujikura)

5. OFS Optics (Furukawa Electric)

6. Superior Essex Communications

7. Eaton (Tripp-Lite)

8. Panduit

For Cat 6/6A copper cabling, preferred manufacturers are Prysmian Group (General Cable) and Superior Essex Communications.

Specs of fiber cable is defined in SOW section 4.2. Specs of copper cable for the apartments is defined in SOW section 1.2(d), but the Cat 6E spec shown is a typo, should be Cat6A. However standard Cat 6 will also be acceptable since the runs are relatively short and the WAPs will not be using an ethernet connection speed over 2.5Gbps.

Q.13 What is the anticipated project schedule, including the expected start date and substantial completion date?

A.13 Per SOW section 1.3(d):

4. Period of Performance: Timing of work shall be coordinated with the Contracting Officer and follow the approved Contractor’s work schedule. Anticipated contract award time frame is early to mid-April, 2026. Work is expected to start within ten (10) days after notice to proceed and be completed within 45 days of starting work.

Q.14 Please clarify the approved work hours and days for construction activities.

A.14 Per SOW section 1.3(e):

E. Work Hours: Work hours are from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Friday. Weekend and holiday work will normally not be allowed. Special requests may be made through the Contracting Officer / Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

Q.15 Are the furnishing and/or installation of patch cables included within the contractor’s scope of work?

A.15 No. The contractor is responsible for installing and testing up to the jacks on the NIDs, ODF, and patch panels.

Q.16 Would the government consider allowing a 144-strand fiber cable in lieu of the specified 120-strand cable, provided pricing and lead times are comparable? (The 120-strand configuration is typically a custom-order item with extended lead times and higher cost; a 144-strand cable would also allow for future capacity expansion.)

A.16 Yes. We now understand the supplier stock limitations of 120-strand cable, so a 144-strand cable would be acceptable. This was discussed during the onsite pre-bid meeting. Fibers 121 through 144 would be left unterminated inside the ODF splice tray and binders left unterminated in the splice case at Vault #9.

Q.17 Please confirm the required slack loop length at each building entrance. (Industry standard is typically 10 feet unless otherwise specified.)

A.17 For the houses that will have outdoor NIDs installed, a slack loop coiled up as small as possible, 10 feet maximum, attached to the side of the house underneath each NID is acceptable. For the apartment buildings, a slack loop coiled up as small as possible may be attached to the wall underneath each existing wall-mount equipment cabinet located in each apartment building's storage room.

Q.18 Please clarify the extent of fiber penetration into each building, including ceiling types encountered and the pathways to be utilized.

A.18 This project does not involve penetrating fiber into the individual houses, termination of fiber at the houses is into exterior NID boxes only (interior work is being done in-house). However for the apartment buildings, it will be up to the contractor to provide a plan in their bid proposals as to how to accomplish building penetration for the conduit. During the onsite pre-bid site visit, it was identified that conduit could be trenched/dug or bored underneath the foundation, a hole core-drilled into the foundation for the conduit to pass through, or enter the side exterior of each storage room above floor level with an LB directly into the room.

Q.19 Using industry standard labeling, is there specific labeling scheme required for this project so we can keep consistent labeling with any existing you may have?

A.19 We are leaving it up to contractors to use their own preferred labelling scheme using industry standard methods. Our labelling goals would be to ensure that the fiber count at each endpoint where fiber strands are landed are labelled accordingly.

Q.20 Are the equipment rack(s) where the fiber terminates wall-mounted or floor-mounted and with any size/type specifications?

A.20 The equipment racks where fiber terminates only applies to the apartment buildings, where there is one existing wall-mounted Eaton/Tripp-Lite SRW10US enclosure in the storage room of each building. The enclosure is mounted at chest level and conduit may stub up from the floor directly below the cabinet. There is crawl space access via a hatch in an adjacent stairwell.

Q.21 Is the contractor responsible for furnishing and/or installing equipment racks?

A.21 No. The equipment racks in the apartment buildings identified in question #9 are already installed and existing. In the Admin Building an existing freestanding 19" rack (with available rack space) is already installed and existing. Exact rack equipment placement will be defined at the time of install.

Q.22 Within the buildings, is the contractor to splice on fiber pigtails or to install connectors?

A.22 For the houses the 6-strand fiber cables shall land into NID boxes mounted on the exterior of each house, so splice-on connectors would make more sense in that case since there would be little room for pigtail slack and splice sleeves.

However for the apartment buildings, per SOW 1.2(b)(1):

1. Apartment Buildings: For each 8-unit apartment building, the Contractor shall supply and install all necessary PVC building entrance conduit through the floor and 12-strand SMFO riser/lateral cable terminating to LC/UPC connectors in a low-count fiber patch panel supplied and installed by the contractor within an existing wall-mount equipment rack/cabinet located in the storage room of each building, adjacent to the mechanical room.

For the ODF side in the Admin Building, either splice-on connectors or pigtails would be acceptable depending on the manufacturer specifications and installation instructions of ODF supplied by the contractor.

Q.23 At the main building, should the contractor splice into existing fiber or install connectors at the termination point? (If terminate, the scope refers to 120 connectors instead of the total needed

240. **120 per start locations and 120 per end locations**

A.23 Per the SOW section 1.2(a)(1) regarding the cable:

1. Feeder Cable Installation: The Contractor shall procure and pull a 120-strand single-mode fiber optic feeder cable from the designated Optical Distribution Frame (ODF) located in the server room of the Administration Building, through existing and new vaults/conduit to the furthest vault in the housing area for mid-span cable distribution.

Regarding the ODF, SOW section 1.2(b)(1):

1. Optical Distribution Frame (ODF): The Contractor shall supply and install one

(1) high-density rackmount ODF sufficient for 120 fibers total and provide patching capability for future electronics. ODF shall be installed in an existing rack at a predetermined position within the server room of the Headquarters/Administration Building and fully spliced to the 120-fiber feeder cable entering the building. The ODF shall be fully populated with 120 LC/UPC connectors and include cable management hardware.

The contractor shall supply, install, and splice the new 120-strand fiber cable (144 is acceptable) to the ODF, and the ODF must have a minimum total of 120 LC/UPC connectors if individual simplex LC connectors are used. 60 connectors total if duplex connectors are used. Fibers 1 through 120 on this end will all be terminated to connectors in the ODF. Most of our lit connections will be bidirectional on single fibers, so use of duplex fibers for both TX and RX won't be very common, but it's understandable if it's harder to source an ODF with individual simplex LC/UPC connectors as opposed to more common duplex connectors.