Government Responses to RFI Questions 36C10F22R0027 5.24.2022.pdf

RFI SUBMISSSION LOG

JEFFERSON BARRACKS NATIONAL CEMETERY PHASE 5C

SOLICITATION NUMBER 36C10F22R0027

GOVERNMENT RESPONSES TO RFI QUESTIONS

Question No.

Reference (Sect/Para/Page)

QUESTION GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

Solicitation Contractor requests the following FAR clauses be removed from this contract: 52.222-33, 52.222-34. It should be noted that this contract is under the legal threshold that requires PLAs.

The project magnitude is $20M - $50M. “Project Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects (PLAs):

Offeror(s) may submit proposals with or without a PLAs. The PLAs shall fully conform to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 22.5 - Project Labor Agreement for Federal Construction Projects. No additional points or weight will be assigned to proposals submitted with a PLAs. PLAs proposal will not be given additional weight towards their technical proposals or towards selection of a proposal for award. Offeror(s) who chose to provide a proposal including PLAs shall do so in compliance with FAR 52.222-33 and FAR 25.222-34.”

General Please confirm that the demolition contractor currently onsite will have completed his work prior to the NTP on this contract and the full project Right-of-Way will be available at

NTP.

If not, please provide the date the demolition contractor will complete his work and turnover the site.

Please confirm that NTP will not be issued until the full project Right-of- Way is available.

Current material prices are fluctuating wildly. If the issuance of the NTP is delayed, will the contractor be given an opportunity to recover material cost increases?

The demolition contractor is estimating to turn over the site on or around November 1, 2022.

NTP is expected to be issued within 60 calendar days of award.

There will be no adjustments, therefore bid appropriately. The Government requires up to 120 calendar days for acceptance of any offer.

CS103 Construction access is shown via River Road. Has access for Construction traffic via Koch Road been considered? This project involves the delivery of thousands of

No access from Koch Road.

truckloads of materials. Access for these deliveries via Koch Road would be a lot more economical (shorter hauls, less damage to roads, less damage to cemetery grounds, etc.).

01 00 00 Para 1.6.H.1

Under Early Turn Over, it lists “Project roadway A and portions of roadway B as indicated on the drawings.” Where in the plans is this shown?

Typo - should only refer to Roadway B.

CS103 and Specifications

Does the section 1ZZ In-Ground Cremains area indeed need to be Early Turnover?

As previously noted in the questions, there is a conflict between this ETO area and the identified “CONTRACTOR TRAILER

AND STAGING AREA”.

Additionally, if this In-Ground Cremains area can be turned over later in the project, it will allow the contractor to utilize that real estate for material staging (there is almost no room provided on this site to stage any materials).

Yes. 1ZZ is required to be an

Early Turn over Area.

Assume this location for Contractor Access and Staging.

CS103 Please clarify what will be required for public access to the 2 identified Early Turnover Areas. Paved roads?

Sidewalks? Turnaround areas?

Parking? Traffic control?

Public access to 1ZZ and 1XX will be required to be via paved roadway. Access to 1XX to be from extension of Road B with temporary turn around between

Sections 1XX and 1YY. Access to 1ZZ will be from Graves Drive.

CS103 As currently shown in the plans, Road B is going to be the contractor’s access to the jobsite.

Construction traffic is going to consist of thousands of tractor trailer loads. It should be expected for this section of roadway to sustain significant damage from construction traffic if it is indeed required to be partially constructed to provide public access to the ETO area.

Contractor suggests the government allow the contractor to utilize a different construction access and/or

Road B will need to be utilized for construction access. .

consider a different method for providing public access to the ETO area.

CS103 This drawing shows the “Contractor Trailer and Staging Area” and the “Early Turnover Area” within the same footprint. Please advise?

See #7

CS103 Are utilities available at the identified “Contractor Trailer and Staging Area”? Distances to connections?

Is the CFM Office Trailer to be located in this location as well? If not, where is the CFM Office Trailer to be located?

Construction trailers for the VMAC project were in a nearby location. It is assumed that utilities for the CFM / Contractor trailers will be available.

Contractor to investigate and propose best area for tie-ins.

CS103 Is the area at the intersection of Graves Dr. and Lt. Blassie Dr. that was previously used for a contractor staging area available for an alternative staging area location on this contract? Are utilities currently available at this location? Distances to connections?

Not available at this location.

CS103 Is there a location onsite for stockpiling materials, or will all excavation have to be hauled off and all fill hauled back in later?

Stockpiling would be preferable on site. Again, space is limited on this project. Contractor to work with CFM/Cemetery and A/E to locate preferable location.

L-101, L-102, L-103, and L-

These drawings identify “sod” areas as well as “slope meadow seed” areas. The “slope meadow seed” areas appear to be sloped, which is problematic for getting turf established via seed. Please confirm the cemetery wants slopes to be seeded rather than sodding all turfed areas.

This question came up on phase 5A-B. Areas were sodded instead of using slope meadow seeding.

S-504 The provided retaining wall drawings do not appear to reference any required shoring. Please confirm no shoring is required on this project for the installation of the retaining wall.

Contractor means and methods determine if shoring is required. Shoring is not anticipated so not shown on plans.

L-101, L-102, L-103, and L-

Please clarify the thickness of topsoil that will be left onsite by the contractor currently performing demolition. Please confirm that this

Due to prior development on this site, existence of and quantity of topsoil is unknown. Assume that topsoil will need to be imported.

topsoil meets the requirements of specification 32 90 00.

B-100, B-101, and B-102

Please confirm the designer has located the utilities within the project area and the project is designed to not impact existing utilities.

Existing utilities shown on Sheet V-100, V-101, and V-103 reflect site conditions on the survey date.

F7/LS501, L-

101, L-102, L- 103, and L-104

Detail F7/LS501 has a callout that says “4” TOPSOIL (HAS TO BE IMPORTED)”. Note 4 on drawings L-101, L-102, L-103, and L-104 states “ALL DISTURBED AREAS

(EXCEPT HARDSCAPE AREAS)

SHALL RECEIVE 6” MIN. OF

TOPSOIL…”

These quotes are contradictive in regard to topsoil thickness and whether or not the topsoil must be imported. Please clarify.

Topsoil should be 6” in depth.

Refer to #14. Assume topsoil to be imported.

01 00 00 Para 1.17

Please confirm whether or not all requirements of this paragraph are required.

The Resident Engineers Office will be required.

01 00 00 Para 1.25

This paragraph contains a table that appears to be out of place. Please clarify which paragraph / sub-paragraph this table applies to.

Table should be in 1.26

01 00 00 Para 1.26.B.2

Contractor has not seen this requirement before (indexing and navigation system utilizing autocad files in an on-line interface). Is there a particular service or program that this specification paragraph is based upon?

AutoCAD interface with construction documents are not required.

01 00 00 Para 1.26

Please clarify the frequency required for professional photos.

This specification has different references to “Monthly”, “Weekly”, and “Regular”.

Professional Project photos required monthly. Daily photos required for Quality Control Manager documentation.

01 00 00 Para 1.29

Please confirm whether or not TRIRIGA must be used on this contract or if a more user friendly (and industry standard) software package such as Procore may be utilized.

TRIRIGA must be used on this contract.

01 33 23 Para 1-10 and 1-12

These paragraphs appear to contradict one another. Are

Refer to 1-12- send to RE.

submittals to be sent to CFM or the A/E?

11 83 00 Para 1.1.A

Please clarify the items and quantity of items to be supplied to the cemetery. Base Station? Rover Units? Radio Antenna Facilities?

Are these items needed in addition to the previous contract onsite that installed this very system?

Base station and Radio Antenna Facilities fulfilled in the previous contract on JBNC Phase 5A & 5B. Rover unit requirements are outlined in the specification.

11 83 00 Part 2 Please clarify that the materials listed in the specification are the materials the cemetery wants delivered or if any changes are requested.

Base station and Radio Antenna Facilities fulfilled in the previous contract on JBNC Phase 5A & 5B. Rover unit requirements are outlined in the specification.

11 83 02 Assuming new GIS equipment is not required under this contract (see above questions regarding spec 11 83 00), may the contractor utilize one of the cemetery’s rovers to collect the data required for spec 11 83 02?

Base station and Radio Antenna Facilities fulfilled in the previous contract on JBNC Phase 5A & 5B. Rover unit requirements are outlined in the specification.

Contractor will not be allowed to use the cemetery’s rovers to collect data.

31 23 19 Is there an area of the site where groundwater is a concern? Is this specification applicable?

This spec is referenced in other specifications provided and is therefore applicable to this project. Areas are unknown. Reference the

Geotech Report.

32 33 00 The specification calls for 3-1/2” bronze grid markers. The plans call for 3-1/4” aluminum grid markers. All grid markers onsite are 3-1/4” aluminum. Please confirm grid markers should be 3-1/4” aluminum.

Aluminum grid markers will be acceptable.

General Does CFM intend to utilize the same general QA/RE staff for the duration of this contract or frequently change personnel?

Irrelevant to the solicitation requirement

General Has the NCA and their local representatives approved of this design?

Irrelevant to the solicitation requirement

General Please update the plans and specifications with any changes and clarifications from the PPIs received.

RFIs responses will be answered via amendment to the solicitation and will become part of the

General Will the separate contract for construction period services between CFM and the A/E be in place prior to the NTP of this contract?

There is an existing contract for

CPS.

General The currently scheduled proposal due date is a Federal holiday (Memorial Day). Contractor requests the proposal due date be rescheduled a minimum of 1 week.

Proposal due date is extended to June 10, 2022 at 4:00pm EST.

General Will the VA be providing the successful offeror a sales tax-exempt certificate?

No, the solicitation states to include taxes in the price.

General Contractor requests VAAR 852.243- 70 be removed from this contract, and instead follow the applicable FAR clauses.

No. 852.243-70 is required in all solicitations and contracts for construction that are expected to exceed the micro-purchase threshold for construction.

General Due to current material price fluctuations, will the government allow the contractor to recover material cost increases?

There will be no adjustments, therefore bid appropriately.

IR001 This sheet notes that the contractor is to utilize the existing irrigation controller for this project as well as tie into the existing irrigation mainline pipe.

Does the existing irrigation controller have the capacity for the additional connections on this project?

Does the existing irrigation mainline have the volume and pressure capacity for the additional irrigation on this project?

Please confirm the contractor is to tie-into the irrigation controller and irrigation mainline from Phase 5B and is not to make any tie-ins to existing irrigation in the vicinity of Graves Drive or behind the proposed retaining wall.

The existing controller installed under the previous contract has the capacity for this expansion, 200 valves capacity and 130 will be used at the end of this phase.

The mainline will have the capacity and pressure, the mainline was hydraulically modeled with the existing system. Flow will be 200 GPM through the 4-inch main line and at a pressure of 94PSI at the northern end and 100 PSI at the point of connection, see General

Note 1 on sheet IR001

Irrigation and Demolition Drawings

Is any existing irrigation anticipated to be encountered along the Northern project limits or in the vicinity of the proposed retaining wall?

Solicitation – Proposal Requirements

What defines a “major subcontractor”, as it relates to proposal factor 3?

This relates to the team you are building to complete the project.

Major subcontractors are the subcontractors that you will submit on the 1413s.

Solicitation, Part II – Proposal information, Section 6, Paragraph d.

This paragraph describes the list of items to be shown on the Title Page.

The last bullet point is for “Index of the sections contained in the volume”. Please Clarify if this is to serve as the Table of Contents for each Volume. Also, please clarify if only the Factor are to be shown in this index or if Sub-Factors are to be shown as well.

The title page is to have the items listed in the solicitation.

The index of the sections is to include the sub-sections.

Solicitation, Part II – Proposal information, Section 6, Paragraph d.

In regard to question 39 above, if no other Table of Contents is to be provided, we respectfully request the Title Page limit be extended to Two (2) pages.

Title Page is to be 1 page.

Solicitation, Part II – Proposal information, Section 6

Please clarify the following:

• Minimum Font Size

• Allowable Font Styles

• Allowable Page Margin dimensions

Please use a readable font, size

11. Margins are to be no less than 1/2”.

Solicitation, Part II – Proposal information, Section 6

Please Confirm there are no Sub- Factor headings required for Factor 2 – Technical Approach in Volume I.

Please see Factor 2, b Technical Approach for instructions.

Solicitation, Part II – Proposal information, Section 6

Please clarify if 11”x17” pages will be allowed and how many pages this page size will be counted as.

Please use 8-1/2” x 11” size paper, single side. 11 x 17 is not allowed.

Solicitation, Part II – Proposal information

Sub-Factor 3.3, Schedule does directly require that a Bar or Gant Chart Type schedule to be provided as part of this proposal response.

Please clarify that Sub-Factor 3.3 is a Schedule Narrative Only.

Schedule Narrative

Solicitation, Part II – Proposal information

Please clarify if there is a particular document naming convention to be utilized. Ie..36C10F22R0027 Volume I ABC Contractor.pdf

Ex: 36C10F22R0027 Volume I – Technical Factors - ABC Contractor.pdf

Solicitation, CLIN Pricing Sheet

The CLIN Pricing sheet is very constrictive for placing prices within the given columns for legibility withing a pdf document. Please consider revising layout or allowing the contractor some leeway for adjusting column and row sizing.

This has not been an issue on other solicitations.

Solicitation, Sub-Factor 1.1, Contractor requests “..and projects of their major subcontractors or other partners for which they would partner with on this project.” along with other references to subcontractors be removed.

No

Solicitation, Sub-Factor 1.2, Contractor requests the bachelor’s degree requirement for Quality Control Officer/Contractor Quality Control (CQC) System Manager be removed.

Solicitation, Sub-Factor 1.2, Contractor requests the “… within the last two (2) years” requirement for Safety Officer be removed. This certification does not expire.

Solicitation, Sub-Factor 1.2, pages 16 and

Contractor requests references to LEED and to LEED AP accreditation be removed. It does not appear that LEED is a requirement of this

Solicitation, Sub-Factor 3.1, Contractor requests “… and their key personnel.” be removed. This should not be applicable at this stage of the project.

Solicitation, Sub-Factor 3.2, Contractor requests references to subcontractors should be removed.

Contractors should be evaluated based on the prime contractor, not their subcontractors.

It is hard to do an accurate takeoff of the dirt because of the ongoing work on the site. How is that to be handled?

Contractor shall estimate appropriately to the amount of dirt to be brought in/removed from the site.

The haul route through cemetery down along the river is going to take significantly longer than using the road adjacent to the medical facility. There are going to be thousands of loads of dirt hauled

See #7 off the site and a shorter route is going to be much more economical.

If we have to use the river road what is policy with the contractor having access to the locked gates?

Contractor will coordinate with the VA to unlock gate daily.

What is the width of Bioretention Basin 1

Top Width: ~ 171.1’

Bottom Width: ~162.3’

When does the old fence have to come down and be replaced with the temporary fence

All temporary fencing must be installed prior to start of construction

Drawing Sheet

CU205

What is the bottom elevation of the 6” standpipe in Bioretention #2 on Sheet CU205?

487.55’

General Due to the holiday weekend, can you please extend the due date?

Proposal due date is extended to June 10, 2022 at 4:00pm EST.

General Is this project sales tax exempt? If the project is sales tax exempt can the government provide a sales tax exemption certificate?

We do not offer tax exemptions.

Please bid appropriately.

Can the project Superintendent also act as the QC manager?

Will the Owner or GC be responsible for commissioning and hiring a commissioning agent? If so, can this individual be part of the project team;

the superintendent or project manager?

The GC cannot commission their own project or hire the 3rd party for commissioning.

General How soon after award is NTP expected to be issued?

Contracts: NTP is expected to be issued within 60 calendar days of award.

General Due to the current economic inflation, Will the government reduce the amount of time that contractors must hold their numbers to 60 days? By reducing the inflation risk, the government will avoid escalations costs that general contractors and subcontractors must account for.

No, due to various review requirements, the government requires 120 calendar days as specified on the solicitation. This will be a firm fixed contract, not a cost reimbursement. Therefore, escalation costs will not be approved, bid appropriately.

Can the GC provide a scheduler that is a current employee of the prime contractor, provided they meet the qualifications laid out in the solicitation?

As stated in the solicitation, the scheduler must be a 3rd party, Spec section 010000-32, 1.26

Spec section 010000-32, 1.26 Photographic Documentation details the requirement for photographs with electronic indexing, navigation, storage, and remote access to the documentation. Please confirm that this is a requirement.

AutoCAD interface with construction documents not required.

TRIRIGA Can the government publish cost information for access to the TRIRIGA CPMS management and collaborative environment software?

TRIRIGA access will be provided at no cost to the contractor.

General In accordance with 13 C.F.R. § 125.8(e), please confirm that the government will accept the experience from either member of an SBA approved Joint Venture with a mentor-protégé agreement to meet the requirements of the solicitation?

Yes.

General Factor 1 – Relevant Experience specifies that prime offerors can submit projects performed by their proposed subcontractors, but the Vol. II Past Performance requirements do not make that specification. Please confirm that prime offerors may submit projects performed by a proposed subcontractor to meet the Vol. II Past Performance requirements?

Factor 1 deals with experience of the proposed team that will be working on this project, and how they worked as a team in the past. Therefore, a key subcontractor’s experience may be used. However, that key subcontractor cannot later be switched out.

Vol II - Past performance deals strictly with the prime contractor’s past performance or members of a joint venture if that joint venture is bidding on this project.

General Please confirm that the prime offeror can submit resumes for employees of a subcontractor?

Subcontractor’s employees are not Prime’s employees. Key personnel must be employees of the prime or joint venture, if applicable.

General It is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain Past Performance Questionnaires from Contracting Officers on a project-by-project basis, especially when they have already filled out a CPARS evaluation for us. In light of this, will the GSA accept completed CPARS evaluation forms in lieu of the provided PPQ?

42.1501 General.

(b) Agencies shall monitor their compliance with the past performance evaluation requirements (see 42.1502), and use the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) metric tools to measure the quality and timely reporting of past performance information. CPARS is the official source for past performance information.

The solicitation states that if CPAR is not available, to submit PPQs. Therefore, for those projects that do have a CPAR, please include a copy of it or provide the information to be able to look up that CPAR.

Solicitation, Sub-Factor 1.2, pages 15 & 16

Contractor requests references to Health and Safety qualifications in specification section 01 35 26, paragraphs 1.7-1.8 be removed from the Minimum Qualification requirements for the Project Manager, Construction Superintendent, and QCM/(CQC) System Manager. Section 1.7 and

1.8 define the minimum requirements for the dedicated SSHO and CP’s.

Section 1.7C specifically requires the SSHO, QC, and Super to be separate individuals.

Section 1.7D requires the SSHO and CP’s to be on site during construction activities. It is not feasible for the Project Manager to

The specification will remain.

be considered a CP and be onsite for a significant portion of construction.

General Can AutoCAD drawings be provided to aid in project take-offs?

The GC awarded the contract will receive AutoCAD documents

01 32 16.13 Please provide a schedule of anticipated monthly weather days to be utilized for the schedule.

Otherwise, the contractor will need to create their own.

The contractor needs to be familiar with or research the local weather patterns and what is considered to be “normal” in the local area.

01 33 23 What is the review period for RFIs and Submittals?

15 Days for Submittals and RFPs

General Please ensure required submittals are clearly identified in the proper section of each specification section.

This is a VA project not a COE Project.

Solicitation, Sub-Factor 1.2, pages 15 & 16

Key personnel requirements call out “Evidence” in regards to completed certifications and referenced specification standards.

Please define what the government is looking for when referencing “Evidence”.

Please clarify if proof of certification for specific requirements (ie..OSHA

30) is required to be made part of these resumes.. If so, please clarify if these certifications and other documents will be counted towards each resumes page limit.

Evidence means documented and verifiable experience and training certificates. Attached OSHA certificates are not part of page limit.

Drawing sheet C-101 of Add Alternate 1 plans

Drawing sheets for asphalt pavement demolition plan between buildings 1 and 25 calls for 2” Pavement mill.

Site pavement plan on this sheet calls for new asphalt pavement in accordance with detail 4 on sheet C- 100 which requires 4” asphalt and 10” aggregate base layer.

Please clarify if the roadway between buildings 1 and 25 is to be completely removed and replaced or milled and overlain.

The roadway is to be milled 2” and overlain 2”.

General The organized site visit did not include the work covered in CLIN 0003 – Add Alternate #1. Please provide pictures of the existing conditions.

Please see attachment “Photos of Option Alternate 1”.

B-100, B-101, and B-102

Please confirm contractors are to assume the site will be turned over at NTP in accordance with the conditions shown on drawings B- 100, B-101, and B-102.

Otherwise, what site conditions are contractors to assume?

Site conditions should be comparable to existing condition plans (B-100, B-101, B-102).

Existing conditions plans were developed by modifying the topographical survey to reflect the work proposed in the VMAC project (Project 657-313J).

Actual conditions may be different depending on construction progress and completion. Contractor shall verify all existing conditions prior to construction.

General Please provide the government required timeframe for processing and returning submittals and RFIs.

See question 75.

Detail 4/CG501 & 32 90 00

Detail 4/CG501 appears to contradict specification 32 90 00 as well as the scope of work outlined in the landscape drawings. Please advise.

Refer to spec section 32 90 00 for temporary seeding and permanent seeding along with landscaping plan sheets. Use Detail 4/CG501 only if anything is missing from the specs and landscape sheets that is needed to seed temp or permanent conditions.

Detail 9/CU502 Detail 9/CU502 appears to require a minimum of 6” of aggregate added to the haul roads. Adding this much aggregate will also likely require the construction of roadside ditches as shown in this detail. Please confirm whether or not contractors are required to comply with this detail.

Yes, Contractor is required to comply with Detail

9/CU502. New haul roads are required or improved to carry construction traffic.

CG102, S-101,

S-401, S-501, S-502, S-503, S-504, and S-

Please confirm all elevations and dimensions shown in the plans in relation to the retaining wall and surrounding grades are correct.

Contractor has not noticed any retaining wall elevation or dimension discrepancies on this contract however the contractor is also not responsible for design. Please confirm all elevations and dimensions shown are correct.

Engineer does not anticipate major discrepancies between plan elevations and real-world elevations. Contractor is responsible for verifying all dimension and elevations.

General Please confirm that the project limits of disturbance will be as shown in the drawings unless modified via contract modification.

Contract limits shown were made utilizing best information at time of contract document preparation. Therefore, estimate and bid appropriately.

S-502, S-503, and S-504

Some of the retaining wall details show a consistent 1’-0” concrete thickness from top to bottom, whereas other details show the concrete thicker at the bottom of the wall. For constructability purposes, contractor recommends the concrete retaining walls have a consistent thickness top to bottom and install the batter within the masonry (and not within the concrete), as was done on the previous construction phase.

Engineer concurs with contractor’s recommendation regarding thickness of concrete for retaining wall. Engineer concurs to install the batter within the masonry as was done during previous construction phase.

S-502, S-503, and 04 43 00

Drawings S-502 and S-503 indicate a dovetail anchor slot on the elevations. Specification 04 43 00/2.2/C/2/c calls for Heckmann Building Products, No. 75, Pos-I-Tie.

Please confirm the Pos-I-Tie anchors as specified are the preferred method for anchoring the masonry veneer.

Heckmann Building Products No.

75, Pos-I-Tie is adequate.

04 43 00 Please confirm masonry anchors are to be hot dip galvanized in accordance with specification 04 43 00.

Masonry anchors are to be hot dip galvanized as mentioned in

Spec 04 43 00.

General When a contradiction occurs between the plans the specifications, which dictates?

The Contractor needs to request clarification of all discrepancies from the COR/RE/A/E through a formal RFI.

Volume II – Proposal

Please clarify if CPARS or PPQ Documents/Evidence of Request for PPQ’s will be counted towards the page limitations of Volume II – Past Performance.

Please see page 19-20 of the solicitation. Contractor does not need to submit the CPAR Report, only CPAR information or PPQ if CPAR is not available.