B08_Attachment_9_140P8423Q0023_Site_Visit_Notes-Q-A_0004.pdf

SOLICITATION NO. 140P8423Q0023

G‐6‐1 ROAD REMOVAL 2023

REDWOOD NATIONAL AND STATE PARKS

HUMBOLDT COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

SITE VISIT – MARCH 31, 2023

SITE VISIT SUMMARY:

A site visit was conducted on March 31, 2023. Participants met at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) at South Operations Center (SOC) of Redwood National and State Parks at 121200 US Highway 101, Orick, CA 95555. The project scope was reviewed at SOC, then the NPS team and interested parties caravanned to the project area. There was a stop at the A‐9 Deck to view the rock stockpile and then we parked at the beginning of the Access Road (see Work Items Map in Solicitation Drawings document).

We walked from there to work item #9, stopping to look at each stream crossing as well as a potential spoil site. The site visit concluded at approximately 12:30 p.m. PDT.

PROJECT QUESTIONS FROM SITE VISIT, 03/31/23:

1. Question: Will there be pumping to dewater at crossings? Answer: Yes. Pumping will be required as defined in Section 310000, 3.3C and 3.4E as necessary, to meet the requirements of the project’s Regional Waterboard Discharge Waiver. The amount of dewatering required is anticipated to be relatively small and generally limited to crossings. For bidding purposes, dewatering shall be limited to no more than 40 hours, and dewatering shall be considered incidental to Mobilization. A 3‐inch trash pump and 300‐feet of hose onsite will be adequate to meet the dewatering needs. Flex pipe will be utilized for overnight dewatering of active excavations, if necessary.

2. Question: Can we add an additional Haul Truck to improve efficiency? What about a second excavator? Answer: Yes, if agreed to be beneficial by both the contractor and project inspector.

If additional equipment is added, there will be no additional compensation for mobilization.

Work time will be paid at the contract unit rate for the type of equipment provided. The

Government cannot guarantee that we will have adequate staffing to fully utilize and direct additional equipment. Additional pieces not in use will be considered idle time as defined in

Section 012901, 1.06 with no expense to the Government. Coordinate with the project inspector prior to bringing additional equipment.

3. Question: Will culvert(s) be provided to site for temporary stream crossing? Answer: Yes. NPS will furnish and deliver pipe to the project site. Contractor will be responsible for installation of culvert. NPS anticipates providing 60 feet of culvert for crossing #14. Culvert installation will be part of crossing rebuilds and paid at contract equipment unit rate.

4. Question: Is the A‐9 deck the equipment drop‐off location? Answer: Yes, this is the closest viable lowboy access. Equipment will be walked to worksite from here.

5. Question: What if lowboy won’t haul past gate or switchbacks? Answer: The park will work with the selected contractor to identify the most feasible equipment drop off point. Our intent is not

Solicitation No. 140P8423Q0023, Site Visit Notes‐Q&A to require specialized transport equipment. Equipment walking hours will begin from the point of unloading.

6. Question: What are limited operating hours? Answer: Limited operating hours means work starts 2 hours after sunrise and stops 2 hours before sunset. Limited hours are lifted after

September 15th, and we may still be working at that date.

7. Question: Are logs being sold? Answer: No. logs are used for mulch on finished slopes.

8. Question: Are tourists an issue? Answer: In general, no. There are very few tourists and no public vehicle access on this side of Redwood Creek. An occasional hiker may be on our access roads, but nobody should be in our road removal project area. There is an endurance horse ride on some of our access road, but that takes place on a weekend.

9. Question: How long is the haul, where is the nearest disposal? Answer: At the site visit, NPS representative Greg Gibbs identified one potential area for a fill site just north of work item #15

(see page 2 of Drawings), outboard of the road. Trees will have to be cleared from this area and stockpiled for mulching. Fill site opening, and management will be paid at contract equipment unit rate.

10. Question: If the job is finished in less operating hours than budgeted, will we lose those hours?

Answer: No. This project is part of a multi‐year effort and there is enough work to use all budgeted hours. We have enough access road rock to apply during the walk out to utilize all budgeted hours.

11. Question: At the armored fill crossing (labeled DD on page 2 of Drawings): is this where we will be applying rock from A‐9 deck? Answer: Yes, this is one place. Also using rock in the rolling dips along this road and the access road we walked to get here.

12. Question: Will this road become part of trail system? Answer: The access road portion of the G‐

6‐1 will, but not the removed road portion. Plans are being considered for a horse camp where the access road meets the removed road – likely at the ridge at the end of work item #15.

13. Question: Is there cell service here? Are CB radios viable on the project for communications between equipment? Answer: No cell service here. Yes, handheld walkie talkies were utilized on this site in the past. Although, on that reach of road they were only effective to a certain distance, but the road reaches for this phase should be close enough (line of sight) to have radio communication on the entire project.

14. Question: At crossing #14: is there access to bigger rock to stabilize the small slide at right hinge line? Answer: No larger rock, but the slide is stable since the NPS did some work to address the issue. If needed, the project may enhance this area to improve drainage. Any work done to this area would be paid as equipment time.

15. Question: Will all material (excavated dirt) need to be hauled to disposal site? Answer: Yes.

There are some small areas where a minor amount of excavated soil can be stored proximal to excavation but effectively all soil will be hauled to a fill site.

16. Question: At crossing #12: Is there a specific channel width requirement? Answer: The project goal is to find natural channel width indicators – which is sometimes difficult or not possible. We also want to minimize stream bank steepness. We will likely try to match existing channel width above and below our excavation. We estimate this channel will be 8 – 10 feet wide.

17. Question: Will you (Greg) be out in the field during excavations? Answer: Yes, Greg will be onsite for all equipment operations. He will track hours of each piece and confirm hours with

Contractor representative at end of each day.

18. Question: Can I haul a 55‐gallon drum of gasoline in a side‐by‐side UTV? Answer: No. Transfer of fuel from primary fuel storage containers (tanker or 55‐gallon drum) will be via sealed transfer tanks secured in a pick‐up truck. Fueling considerations are covered in the Regional Waterboard Discharge Waiver and NOAA fisheries compliance requirements. All equipment will be stored, serviced, and fueled at least 150 feet from any stream channel and 50 feet outside of riparian areas and away from unstable slopes. All primary fuel storage containers will be required to have secondary containment and would be stored outside of riparian areas.

19. Question: What about a having a fuel trailer? Answer: Yes, a trailer could be located at top of access road or at intersection of C‐12 and G‐6‐1 road depending on access feasibility. Fuel trailers will require the installation of a secondary containment pit that is large enough in volume to contain 1.5 times the capacity of the trailer. All equipment will be stored, serviced, and fueled at least 150 feet from any stream channel and 50 feet outside of riparian areas and away from unstable slopes. All primary fuel storage containers will be required to have secondary containment and would be stored outside of riparian areas. For transfer of fuel from trailer see response to Question 18.

20. Question: What if fuel prices increase dramatically between bid and purchase (equipment season)? Answer: This is structured as a firm‐fixed‐price contract, which means the contract award price is not subject to any adjustment based on the contractor's cost experience in performing the contract. Note: This is not to be confused with the fact that the contract may allow for equitable adjustments as needed under the changes and changed conditions clause

(such as if the Government makes a change, or if an unforeseen site condition is encountered).

21. Question: When is the normal operating season? Answer: August 7, 2023 to October 15, 2023.

We expect the project to take 7 to 8 weeks.

22. Question: Can we use an excavator larger than the required 60K‐72K lb model? 330 class excavators weigh 80‐100K Lbs. Answer: We have used 330 class Excavators in the past, and those will be acceptable.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS RECEIVED/ANSWERED BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER TO DATE:

23. Question: We recently submitted experience documents for the GPC project awarded last month. Can those project experience documents be used for this solicitation? Or is it required to have the people that submitted experience references to submit new forms for this project?

Answer: Submit new forms, but they can be copied/pasted from previous submittals. In short, if the information is identical simply make sure that the current solicitation number of

140P8423Q0023 is referenced on what is submitted (pen and ink change is acceptable).

24. Question: During the onsite walk through, it was mentioned that the lowbeds could get to a certain point/landing for mobilization of equipment. It is our previous experience getting equipment to this location that it may require either specialized truck/trailer combinations or unloading at a lower point on the access road and walking the equipment for a longer period of time/distance. Where is the point of delivery that is deemed mobilization? And at what point does it then become a part of the hourly to walk the equipment in? Answer: See response to

Question 5. The park will work with the selected contractor to identify the most feasible equipment drop off point. Our intent is not to require specialized transport equipment.

Equipment walking hours will begin from the point of unloading.

25. Question: Can we put in an offer to the solicitation without a contractor’s license? Answer:

Where appropriate, we have evaluated the effect of State issuance of a contractor’s license on any resultant purchase order award and have concluded it will not unreasonably interfere with

Federal functions, and is beneficial to the Government in providing a verifiable and consistent level of technical certification by the State for this specific project. With that said, we understand that companies may have different configurations and relationships that don’t fit a pass/fail model for the issue of possessing a contractor’s license. Therefore, Section L.10 –

Responsibility Determination (page 51 of the solicitation) is revised to read as follows:

Special standards for performing the work:

(1) Prior to award, the possession of a current valid applicable California Contractor State License such as “A” (General Engineering Contractor) and/or similar applicable license to this project by the quoter, and/or any proposed subcontractor(s) will be reviewed as a special aspect of the quoter’s responsibility determination.

26. Question: What amount do we submit for our bid bond? Answer: The amount of the bid bond guarantee shall be 20% percent of the total quoted price. This is a firm‐fixed‐price contract so when you complete your pricing on the bid schedule for the fixed quantity of hours listed, you would go off your total proposed amount to determine the 20% amount of the bid bond guarantee required with your quotation.

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