Questions and Answer from the Pre-Bid Meeting.pdf

Questions and Answer from the Pre-Bid Site Visit MCFP Springfield – Held May 4th 9:00

AM

Solicitation 15B41421B00000001 - REPAIR BLDG-10 MASONRY FACADE

MCFP SPRINGFIELD

Project 4D3D

Q1: As per Drawing #1, Sheet A2.01, - Rebuild top 8 feet of wall. Is this to assume that only the outer wythe is to be rebuilt, or multiple wythe of brick? Is there an elevation drawing for the East elevation on this wall section?

A: The design intent is to demo the top 8 feet wall in its entirety (all wythes) and rebuild all back (all wythes). As-built drawings indicate this courtyard wall is 1’5” thick (multiple wythes). Amendment 0002 will provide a revised drawing, 8/A2.00, of the courtyard wall east elevation; to accompany the current courtyard wall west elevation 1/A2.01

Q2: As per the specifications, the security razor wire is to be removed and replaced daily in the work areas. Is this to be performed by the contractor? Will it be removed prior to 7am (by us or FBOP) or do we wait for it to removed after we get on site and do we have to wait for them to replace at the end of each day, or do we need to add hours into each work day for this?

A: Razor wire attached to the face of 10 building, and deemed an obstruction to the scope of work will be allowed to be moved and permanently affixed to the top of the parapet wall allowing for continuous work while maintaining Institution security. Razor wire attached to any structure other than 10 building itself will need to be removed and re-hung at the start and end of every work day. Please refer to General Note G for additional details and a breakdown of responsibilities. It is up to the Institution’s discretion to determine if the temporary placement of razor wire is sufficient to meet the Institution’s security needs.

Q3: Is there an existing materials environmental report regarding the caulking and paint on the building? Has the paint or caulking been determined to be hazardous?

A: There is currently no environmental report for the materials on the outside of the building. Building 10 was built in the 1940s so the possibility of hazardous materials is probable. Ultimately it is the responsibility of the Contractor to ensure that their workers are wearing proper PPE at all times. As with all construction/renovation projects on Federal grounds, if you feel you have encountered a hazardous material it is the responsibility of the Contractor to cease work and inform the Government.

Q4: Please verify the means and methods for the removal of the window grates. It is the government’s intention to remove the grates prior to the caulking work being performed?

A: Expanded metal window grates are to be removed to allow for completion of the scope of work. Any window grill removed at the start of a day must be permanently reaffixed before the end of the same work day. This is the Contractor’s responsibility and as such it is up to the Contractor’s discretion to choose the number of windows that can be worked on during a day’s time and limit such activities to those windows. The Bureau suggests removing the grills of no more than 5 windows at a time, with the intent of securing their respective grills once work has been completed for the day.

Q5: While reviewing Specification Section 01270-2, it was noted that this section lists multiple unit prices that are needed as part of the project. When reviewing the document SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES, page 4 of the offer, we cannot see a location to note these unit prices as part of the bid. Will the bid form be updated to include the unit prices found in Specification Section 01270-2?

A: Unit pricing is not accepted as part of this bid as it is an Invitation For Bid, not a Request for Quote or Request for Proposal. The Section 01270-2 and 01270-3 shall be removed via Amendment 0002.

Q6: Lintel repair-It shows only the exterior wythe being replaced. Is this correct? What if the inner wythe is bad?

A: After award of the project the architect and contractor are to conduct a pre-construction survey, see the pre-construction notes on sheets A2.00 through A2.03.

Adjustments to work quantities will be handled as a change order after allowance quantities are reached. Refer to the note on sheet A5.00, that indicates details are conceptual in nature and any significant modifications to the details will be handled as a modification.

Q7: Wall rebuild areas-Is this only one wythe or the complete 2-foot-thick wall?

A: See Question-1 (Q1) response.

Q8: Access- If lifts are used for the project can they be left in place and disabled by removing the control box or battery or must they be removed daily?

A: Any and all lifting equipment brought inside the Institution’s secure perimeter to perform a day’s work will be removed from the Institution’s secure perimeter by the end of the day. The same is true for any and all Contractor vehicles, trailers, construction equipment and materials. All equipment required to be removed from the Institution’s secure perimeter may be parked overnight in the supplied Contractor staging area. The lone exception to these requirements is outlined in the response to question #9.

Q9: Access- Can swing stages be used? If so can they be disabled nightly by cutting or locking out the power and left at the top of the wall?

A: Swing stages will be allowed to be used during phases 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 & 17. These swing stages will be allow to be permanently installed for the duration of their respective phases and will not be required to leave the secure perimeter at night. Requirements to be left inside the secure perimeter overnight are as follows: The swing stage must be moved to its upper most position, with no cables or ropes hanging below the bottom edge of the platform. The swing stage must be disabled and it must have a continuous row of razor wire temporarily affixed along the bottom edge of its perimeter. It is up to the Institution’s discretion to determine if the permanent placement of swing stages meets the Institution’s security needs and this allowance can be revoked at any time in order to meet Institution security needs.

Q10: At Phase One, 10W it notes to remove the top 8’ ft of brick masonry wall and rebuild with new brick masonry. Qs What temporary security measures are required during this phase of work?

A: The Contractor will need to install a continuous row of razor wire the full width of the wall in question. This row of razor wire will be install below the 8’-0” section being rebuilt and will not need to move until the 8’-0” section of wall has been completely rebuilt, at which time it will be re-installed in its original location at the top cap. Two small vertical sections of razor wire will also need to be installed to ensure continuous coverage from the top corner of one building, down to below the 8’-0” level, completely across the wall in question and then back up to the top corner of the other building.

Q11: At phase One, 10W top 8’ ft of wall removal and rebuild, Qs, how many wyths of brick is the wall? Qs2, is the wall to be reconstructed with brick masonry thru out or can a cmu be placed in the center of the wall and brick veneer be applied to both sides of the cmu? If yes can the design team provide a detail of repairs?

A: See Question-1 (Q1) response.

Q12: How many prison guards will be provided for this project and what is the ratio of employees to guards?

A: The Institution will provide 2 Government escorts for the duration of this project. The ratio of Contract staff to Government escorts is set at 5:1. It is the general intent of the Government to limit Contract staff allowed inside the Institution’s secure perimeter to ten

(10) at any point during this project. However, under special circumstances additional staff may be allowed in. It is up to the Institution to determine if additional staff may be let in at any given point.

Q13: How many construction vehicles i.e., man lifts, scissor lift and or other construction vehicle equipment will be allowed in the facility at one time. Qs2 if the ratio of guards to contractor employees is 5 to 1 and the FBOP provides 2 guards and the contractor has 10 employees, can the contractor bring in 10 equipment vehicles?

A: The Contractor will be limited to the use of two (2) pieces of lifting equipment and two

(2) truck/trailer combos inside the Institutions secure perimeter at any given time. This limitation can be raised on an as need basis if it is deemed required to perform the scope of work at hand.

Q14: Can the courtyards be lockdown the duration of the construction time, per phase as needed to complete the phase?

A: Interior courtyards of phases 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 & 17 will be locked down and void of inmate access for the duration of their respective phase. For additional information please refer to the answer to question #9.

Q15: If the courtyards are allowed to be lockdown can steel frame scaffold be left in place the duration of the phase construction time. Especially in phase 16 & 17 as the only access to the courtyards are threw the building.

A: Steel frame scaffolding is not allowed to be left overnight at any point during this construction project. If a Contractor chooses to use scaffolding it must be erected at the start of work and torn down at the end of work. It must also be removed from the Institution’s secure perimeter each night. Please refer to the answers to questions #14 & #9 for additional information.

Q16: At phases 13,14, & 15 there are metal security screens coving the exiting windows, thus covering the metal lintels and perimeter sealant joints. Qs will the metal window screens need to be removed and reinstalled on a daily basis?

A: Please refer to the answer to question #4.

Q17: Can the FBOP provide an elevation drawings of phase 8 east elevation and the west elevation drawings of phase 16 and 17?

A: Phase 16 and Phase 17 wall elevations have been added to drawings sheets A2.01, A2.02 and A2.03. Amendment 0002 will provide these drawing sheets.

Q18: Can the design team please provide pre cast stone specifications for the new cast stone coping stones?

A: The existing coping is pre-cast concrete. Design intent (Base Bid) is to replace with new pre-cast concrete, not cast stone copings. A cast stone alternative is not allowable per the current design intent.

Q19: Tuckpointing note left corner of plan sheet A2.01 states tuckpoint ALL brick in this location. All other notes for these locations just say to tuckpoint, are we to figure 100% tuckpointing of all these locations. If not what % percentage of tuckpointing do we assume for these locations.

A: Tuckpointing of the facades, as indicated per note H, are for localized façade areas where cracks or other visible failures are seen; and these areas are to be considered a part of the allowance quantities indicated on the sheet and deducted from these quantities. This is Base Bid work. Where entire portions of facades are circled and noted for tuckpointing, these areas are not part of the allowance quantities and are in addition to the tuckpointing quantities. This is also Base Bid work. The combination of allowance quantities and circled façade areas is the total Base Bid work. Option #1 is to tuckpoint the remaining façade areas not covered by the previously mentioned base bid tuckpointing. The Option #1 cost shall be 100% tuckpointing repair of all Building-10 facades minus the two base bid areas (allowance quantities + circled areas).

Q20: Repair Keynote Q metal expansion joints, Can the design team provide a specification and drawing detail of the metal expansion joints?

A: The expansion joint shall be a prefinished sheet metal; and cover the entire joint between the cmu addition and the masonry building (walls parapet and roof). Color to match existing dark bronze color, approved by Architect and COR.

Q21: Which type of security will be required for this project the long form 60+ pages? Will it require fingerprinting?

A: The security packets will be the long version (60+ Pages) . Fingerprinting and background checks will be required for all workers wishing to enter the secure perimeter of the institution.

Q22: Please confirm that there will be 4 tool checks per day, 1st in the morning at gate, 2nd, at lunch time, 3rd prior to leaving work site and 4th at exit gate. How much time should be allotted for tool checkins/outs?

A: Yes, All tools will be visually counted and logged on a tool inventory sheet, every day, prior to the Contractor beginning work or entering the secure perimeter. All tools will be visually counted and verified against the tool inventory sheet at lunch and again before travel back to the entry gate takes place. Once back to the Entry gate the all tools will be visually counted and verified against the tool inventory sheet prior to the Contractor leaving the secure perimeter. If at any time a tool is found to be missing work will stop and will not continue until the tool is found and accounted for.

Q23: Please confirm that all scaffolding, ladders, lifts must be brought in and removed daily and are not allowed to be staged inside the work areas overnight.

A: All tools, vehicles, materials and scaffolds must be packed and removed from the Institution’s secure perimeter at the end of each work day. Please refer to the answers to questions #14 & #9 for additional information. Please refer to the answer to question #22 for additional information regarding tool checking procedures.

Q24: Please confirm work hours are 7am to 3pm (out the gate).

A: Yes, The Contractor may begin entering the secure perimeter at 7:00AM and will be required to be out of the secure perimeter by 3:00PM.

Q25: Does any ground protection used, plywood, mats etc. have to be removed daily?

A: Yes, any and all ground protection will be treated as a tool and will be removed from the Institution’s secure perimeter at the end of each work day.

Q26: At site visit it was discussed that a maximum of 10 workers will be allowed on site Please confirm? We would like to submit and have approved up to 25 people as back up at beginning of the project, so if we would need them we wouldn’t have to wait 3 or 4 weeks to clear them, would that be acceptable?

A: The Contractor may submit as many names as he or she wishes to get approval for, however only ten (10) Contractor staff will be allowed inside the secure perimeter at any given time. Please refer to the answer to question #12 for additional information.

Q27: From experience on past FBOP masonry and window projects, weather has been a factor hence lost work time. Either we don’t start due to forecast, or worse we mobilize and 2 hrs. into the job we have to shut down and spend an hour or two taking scaffold/equipment out. Would you consider additional 6 months for this project? Or make up time for every day not worked due to weather?

A: Average inclement weather time has been accounted for and added into the project time frame. Modifications to the project to add additional time will be handled on an as need basis.

Q28: For option #1, Please consider an additional 180 days, the time allocated for option #1 is not feasible with the limit of 10 men on site.

A: The project Completion Date will be 420 calendar days from the date of the Notice to Proceed. If Option #1 is awarded in conjunction with the Notice to Proceed, an additional 238 days will be added for completing the 100% Tuckpointing in each work area. In round numbers, this is approximately 14 additional calendar days per each of the 17 work areas;

but the actual distribution of the 238 calendar days per work area is left to the discretion of the Contractor. The Contractor is responsible for accounting for all calendar days in their construction schedule, to meet their contractual obligations. If Government decides to award Option #1 at a date after the Notice to Proceed, the Government will negotiate additional calendar days with the Contractor. This will be dependent on how many of the 17 work areas have been completed prior to the Option #1 award; and the nature of the completed work areas the Contractor must revisit to perform the Option #1 work.

Q29: Please confirm the liquidated damages are $1,513.80 per calendar day.

A: Yes, Liquidated Damages will be exercised at $1,513.80 per calendar day for each day of delay for project completion.

Q30: If you were to exercise option #1 would that be at award or at a later date?

A: Please refer to the answer to question #28

Q31: There are many locations where conduit and or wire has to be moved in order to complete task (especially if option #1 is exercised) will the institution do that in-house or is that the contractors responsibility/liability?

A: See General Note H on the A0.00 sheet, “Contractor shall note exposed cables and conduits attached to the project work area. Cables and conduits shall not be removed or relocated without the approval and direction of the COR. Cables and conduits shall be reinstalled to "as-before" condition as directed by the COR”.

Q32: Please confirm that each phase must be 100% completed and accepted prior to moving to the next phase.

A: Correct, It is the intent of this project to entirely complete one phase of construction before proceeding to the next.

Q33: Please confirm that you will not allow any temporary modifications to gates and or fences, even at contractor’s expense.

A: No modifications to Institution fencing or gates will be allowed at any point during this construction project. The modification and temporary removal of razor wire will be allowed, please refer to the answer to question #2 for additional information.

Q34: Repair keynote D remove and replace window sealant is this to be done to all the windows?

A: Repair keynote D is noted as typical. Yes, sealant replacement work is to be done at all windows.

Q35: On previous FBOP projects we have encountered similar materials and they have tested positive for asbestos/PCB’s. Has this material been tested? If positive, it would require a licensed contractor to abate and dispose.

A: Please refer to the answer of question #3.

Q36: Please confirm that certified payrolls will be required for this project on a weekly basis and that the wage to be used as per the Davis Bacon wages included in the bid package is Bricklayer Base $29.69 plus fringes $17.89 for a total of $47.58 per man hour.

A: Yes, Weekly payrolls shall be due to the Contracting Officer weekly. As in the Solicitation the wage rates will be followed per MO20210043 dated 2/21/2021. If the wage rates are updated or changed prior to award, the Contracting Officer will amended the new rates as into the contract.

Q37: Are you able to provide drawings with building dimensions for bidding purposes?

A: Contractor shall provide bid from the scalable drawings presented.

Q39: Can you provide the approximate square footage of brick tuck-pointing excluding allowances for base bid scope of work? For option #1 can you provide the square footage of brick to be tuck pointed?

A: Contractor shall provide bid from scalable drawings presented. No additional information will be provided. See Q19 response for clarification on tuckpointing Base Bid and Option #1 work.

Q40: Can you provide the amount of linear feet of capstone/precast that needs to be replaced, this would also help us with option #2.

A: Contractor shall provide bid from scalable drawings presented. No additional information will be provided.

Q41: Will the contractor provided benchmarks be acceptable or is it a requirement for professional survey company to provide benchmarks?

A: Contractor provided benchmarks are acceptable, however, contractor proposed benchmarks shall be discuss with Architect and COR for agreement/acceptance.

Q42: How many visits will the A/E firm allot per week or month? As stated in Quality assurance we are required to not move our scaffolding until A/E has been proper notice to review/inspect.

A: In general, the A/E site visits will occur at the discretion of the Bureau of Prisons as needed; with the general intent of A/E visits occurring in conjunction with the monthly progress meetings and during the Pre-Construction Survey process with the Contractor.

Q43: Please confirm that per 04061-1.4 Quality control and testing that each day the mortar is used that an onsite agency is to provide a test and give approval before applying mortar.

A: Yes, each daily batch of mortar shall be tested for conformance with the project specifications.

Q44: Please clarify that RFI’s can be sent from the contractor directly to the A/E per 01035E.

A: The entire Section E #1, A-F, 1035-2, shall be removed from the Specifications per Amendment 0002. Please refer to page 6 of the solicitation, FAO 0005 – Submittals for all submission instructions. The Awardee SHALL NOT send any correspondence directly to the A&E Firm at any time. Any submittals that need A&E review shall be forwarded if warranted by the COR or the Contracting Officer to the A&E firm.

Q45: What is the existing substrate behind the brick to be removed and replaced?

A: The walls of this building are typically of multi-wythe (brick) construction. In most cases the material behind the exposed brick will be brick. The building does have concrete structural elements in some locations of the walls and in a few instances the concrete structural element may be behind the exposed brick.