36C24620R0144 0003.pdf

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

CODE 7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER 3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED

PAGE OF PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED

BPA NO. 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

FACILITY CODE CODE

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 11/2016)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office. is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

STANDARD FORM 30 PREVIOUS EDITION NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

(Type or print) (Type or print)

(Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code)

(If other than Item 6)

(Specify type of modification and authority)

(such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X)

CHECK

ONE

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

1 17

0003 01-16-2021

558-19-211

Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 6 2300 Ramsey Street, Bldg. 4 - 006 Fayetteville NC 28301

Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 6 2300 Ramsey Street, Bldg. 4 - 006 Fayetteville NC 28301

To all Offerors/Bidders

36C24620R0144

12-11-2020

X

X

** HOUR & DATE for Receipt of Offers is EXTENDED to: 02-02-2021 4:00 PM

X 1

The purpose of this amendment is to extend the date specified for receipt of proposals, incorporate responses to request for information, and revised drawing 01T-101A.

OFFICE ISSUING THIS REQUEST:

Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office (NCO) 6 2300 Ramsey Street, Bldg. 4 - 006 Fayetteville, NC 28301

Point of Contact: Wayne H. Goodmond Email: wayne.goodmond@va.gov

SUBMISSION OF BIDS

All references to “Bid” or “Bidder” shall be understood to mean “Offer” or “Offeror”.

The bidder shall submit the following in response to this Request for Proposal per the following:

(a) GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

1. All proposal preparation cost will be the sole responsibility of the Offeror. The Government will not reimburse any firm for their proposal preparation cost.

2. The price, technical response and past performance of each offeror will be evaluated independently. Offerors shall separately document each of the three factors. Each of the three offer sections shall therefore be labeled with the offerors name, business address, and VA Solicitation Number.

3. To assure timely and equitable evaluation of proposals, Offerors must follow the instructions contained herein. Offerors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, including these instructions, the terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical and past performance requirements. Failure to meet a requirement may result in an offer being ineligible for award. Offerors must clearly identify any exception to the solicitation terms and conditions and provide complete accompanying rationale.

The offer shall consist of three (3) separate volumes:

• VOLUME I – TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

• VOLUME II – PAST PERFORMANCE PROPOSAL

• VOLUME III – PRICE PROPOSAL

(b) SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

1. VOLUME I - TECHNICAL PROPOSAL – Submit electronic PDF document(s) by email.

The technical proposal shall be limited to no more than twenty (20) pages total.

Format as follows:

mailto:wayne.goodmond@va.gov

TAB A: General Information

a. Cover page with Solicitation Number and Project Title

b. Table of Contents

c. Company information to include: DUNS Number, Cage Code, Tax ID Number, General Contractor’s License number and State of Licensure, principle points of contact with addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.

TAB B: TECHNICAL FACTOR

a. General Qualifications – Technical Subfactor 1

i. The offerors narrative should reflect the general qualifications as identified in Specification Section 27 51 16, AV for Public Address and Mass Notification Systems.

b. Corporate Experience – Technical Subfactor 2

i. The offeror’s narrative should include a list of projects completed or in progress of like work performed.

ii. This information can include PPQ (Past Performance

Questionnaires) obtained from those responsible for monitoring contract performance.

c. Key Personnel Qualifications – Technical Subfactor 3

i. The offeror shall provide resumes for all designated Key

Personnel illustrating their qualification for the position they will be utilized in the performance of contract requirements.

d. Subcontractor List and Qualifications – Technical Subfactor 4

i. The offeror shall provide a listing of contractors, their scope, and qualifications in accordance with the appropriate specification.

e. Project Management Plan – Technical Subfactor 5

i. The offeror shall provide project management plan demonstrating their understanding of the scope of the proposed contract. As minimum, the plan should define the project scope, work breakdown structure, sequence of project activities and estimated durations.

2. VOLUME II – PAST PERFORMANCE - Submit electronic PDF document(s) by email.

TAB A: General Information

a. Cover page with Solicitation Number and Project Title

b. Table of Contents

c. Company information to include: DUNS Number, Cage Code, Tax ID Number, General Contractor’s License number and State of Licensure, principle points of contact with addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.

TAB B: PAST PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

a. Information provided under Technical Subfactor 2, Corporate Experience, will be used to evaluate past performance. Please resubmit the same experience information under the heading, “Volume II – Past Performance, TAB B – Past Performance Information”.

3. VOLUME III - PRICE PROPOSAL - Submit electronic PDF document(s) by email.

TAB A: General Information

a. Cover page with Solicitation Number and Project Title

b. Table of Contents

c. Company information to include: DUNS Number, Cage Code, Tax ID Number, General Contractor’s License number and State of Licensure, principle points of contact with addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.

TAB B: Contractor Responsibility Items: Contractor required to provide information necessary for the Contracting Officer to make a determination of responsibility in accordance with the requirements outlined below.

Prior to award, the contractor will need to be found responsible with regard to the following items, in addition to evaluation of the offeror’s proposal. The Contracting Officer will request any additional information, where necessary, to make a determination, which may require entering into discussions.

1. Has adequate financial resources to perform the contract, or the ability to obtain them (see FAR 9.104-3(a)).

2. Is able to comply with the required or proposed delivery or performance schedule, taking into consideration all existing commercial and governmental business commitments.

3. Has a satisfactory performance record (see FAR 9.104-3(b), FAR 9.104-6 and FAR subpart 42.15). Where performance ratings less than satisfactory have been identified, the circumstances of those ratings may be requested during discussions, or the offeror may be eliminated from the competition.

4. Has a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics (see FAR 9.104- 6 and FAR subpart 42.15).

5. Has the necessary organization, experience, accounting and operational controls, and technical skills, or the ability to obtain them (including, as appropriate, such elements as production control procedures, property control systems, quality assurance measures, and safety programs applicable to materials to be produced or services to be performed by the prospective contractor and subcontractors) to perform this contract (see FAR 9.104-3(a)).

6. Has the necessary production, construction, and technical equipment and facilities, or the ability to obtain them, to perform this contract (see FAR 9.104-3(a)).

7. Is otherwise qualified and eligible to receive an award under applicable laws and regulations (see below and FAR 9.104-6).

a. In accordance with (IAW) FAR 4.1102(a) and FAR 9.405(a), the vendor is registered in SAM and they do not have any active exclusions. (www.sam.gov)

b. IAW FAR 4.1201 the vendor has completed an electronic annual representations and certifications in SAM (formerly ORCA) (www.sam.gov)

c. The prime contractor has a Duns & Bradstreet Supplier Evaluation Risk Rating of 6 or less. Agency policy requires additional due diligence to award to an offeror with a rating higher than 6.

d. The prime contractor has no more than three serious, or one repeat, or one willful Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violation(s) in the past 3 years and has an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of equal to or less than 1.0.

TAB C: Offer, Guarantee, and Certifications

a. Complete the SF 1442, Blocks 14, 15, 17, 19, 20A, 20B, 20C and 30. An official having the authority to bind your company contractually must sign and date the SF 1442 Block 30b. One copy of the SF 1442 must bear an original, authorized signature. In doing so, the Offeror accedes to the contract terms and conditions as written in the RFP. All sections of the RFP, excluding Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Procedures Sections, constitute the model contract.

b. Complete the PROPOSAL ITEM LIST on page 6. Provide an estimate showing major trades and equipment items. A Construction Takeoff estimate may be requested, if necessary.

c. Complete 52.204-8 Annual Representations and Certifications (Page 21), paragraph (d) (page24) applies to this contract. 52.209-5 (page 29) – complete sections (a) (1) and (2), and 52.209-7 (page 30) paragraph (b).

Print out these provisions in their entirety and submit it with the proposal.

Offerors shall submit only those pages that require fill-in.

d. Bid Bond/Offer Guarantee (electronic pdf. file) and Surety point of contact information.

e. Acknowledgement of Amendments

f. Provide a printout of your company’s VetBiz (www.vetbiz.gov) registration, showing your firm as a CVE-verified SDVOSB.

g. SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RECORD: In order to be eligible for consideration and award, the contractor shall have no more than three serious, or one repeat, or one willful OSHA or EPA violation(s) in the past 3 years and have an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of equal to or less than 1.0.

All Bidders/Offerors shall submit the following information pertaining to their past Safety and Environmental record with their bid.

1) A self-certification on company letterhead that the bidder has no more than three (3) serious, or one (1) repeat or one (1) willful OSHA or any EPA violation(s) in the past three years.

Bidders shall submit copies of their OSHA logs (OSHA Form 300A) for the past three (3) years with their bid. If the firm has been in business for less than three years, they shall submit copies of their OSHA logs for the period of time they have been in business.

2) Information regarding their current Experience Modification Rate (EMR) equal to or less than

1.0. This information shall be obtained from the bidder’s/offeror’s insurance company and be furnished on the insurance carrier’s letterhead.

Self-insured contractors or other contractors that cannot provide their EMR rating on insurance letterhead must obtain a rating from the National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc.

(NCCI) by completing/submitting form ERM-6 and providing the rating on letterhead from NCCI.

Note: Self-insured contractors or other contractors that cannot provide EMR rating on insurance letterhead from the states or territories of CA, DE, MI, NJ, ND, OH, PA, WA, WY, and PR shall obtain their EMR rating from their state-run worker’s compensation insurance rating bureau.

(c) GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Pages exceeding the page limitations set forth will not be read or evaluated and will be removed from the proposal.

Format for proposal Volumes I & II shall be as follows:

• A page is defined as one face of an 8 ½” x 11” sheet of paper containing information.

• Typing shall not be less than font size 11.

2. Offers shall be submitted via email to the Contracting Officer, Wayne H.

Goodmond, at wayne.goodmond@va.gov, prior to the due date and time identified in the solicitation. Multiple emails will likely be required to submit all attachments. Server capacity is 10MB for all file attachments, per email.

3. Each response shall address each factor in the sequence listed and clearly identify which factor is being addressed.

4. There shall be no mention of costs in the Technical Proposal.

5. FEDERAL HOLIDAYS: The following Federal Legal Holidays are observed by the Contracting Office and Hampton VA Medical Center:

• New Year’s Day – 1 January

• Martin Luther King’s Birthday – Third Monday in January

• Presidents Day – Third Monday in February

• Memorial Day – Last Monday in May

• Independence Day – 4 July

• Labor Day – First Monday in September

• Columbus Day – Second Monday in October

• Veterans Day – 11 November

• Thanksgiving Day – Fourth Thursday in November

• November Christmas Day – 25 December

• Any other Federal Holiday granted by the President of the United States

6. DESCRIPTION OF WORK: See SCOPE OF WORK and PROPOSAL ITEM

LIST.

7. COST RANGE: $2,000,000.00 - $5,000,000.00 (VAAR 836.204, Disclosure of the magnitude of construction projects).

8. OFFER ACCEPTANCE PERIOD: Offers providing less than one-hundred and twenty (120) calendar days for Government acceptance after the date offers are due will not be considered and will be rejected.

9. NAICS: The NAICS Code for this procurement is 236220, Commercial and Institutional Construction, with a maximum small business size standard of $39.5 million.

10. COMPLETION TIME: See BID ITEM LIST for completion times for the Base Bid and for each Deduct Alternate bid item.

11. SDVOSB SET-ASIDE: Effective June 20, 2007, Public Law 109-461, the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 allow procurements to be set-aside for SDVOSBs and VOSBs. This procurement is 100% set-aside for Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). Bids are solicited only from SDVOSB concerns and bids received from concerns that are not SDVOSB concerns shall be rejected. In order to be considered, the firm must be shown in the Center for Business Enterprise (VetBiz) website as verified at the time of submission of their bid. No award can be made unless the vendor is registered.

12. PRE-BID CONFERENCE: A pre-bid conference has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. (EST) at the Durham VAMC (Bldg. 6, Lobby), located at 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC 27705. This pre-bid conference will be the only opportunity for potential bidders to visit the site.

All potential bidders, subcontractors, and suppliers are strongly encouraged to attend this pre-bid conference.

NOTE: There will be no further responses to RFI on this project

BID RESPONSES: Due Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. (EST), at the Network Contracting Office 6, 2300 Ramsey Street, Bldg. 4 - 006, ATTN: Wayne H. Goodmond, Fayetteville, NC 28301.

All proposals must be delivered to arrive not later than Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. (EST), at the following address:

Network Contracting Office 6 C/O Wayne H. Goodmond, Contracting Officer 2300 Ramsey Street, Bldg. 4 - 006 Fayetteville, NC 28301

Electronic Copies must be received not later than the date and time specified for receipt of Hard copies and should be submitted to wayne.goodmond@va.gov

13. SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM): Federal Acquisition Regulations require that federal contractors register in the System for Award Management (SAM) database at http://www.sam.gov and enter all mandatory information into the system. Award cannot be made until the contractor has registered. Bidders are encouraged to ensure that they are registered in SAM prior to submitting their bid.

14. Plans/Drawings/Specifications: Drawings and specifications are attached in electronic format to this solicitation. Offerors are responsible for downloading and printing their own bid sets. The VA will not provide hard copies of the drawings and specifications to any offeror. Contractors are responsible for ensuring that mailto:wayne.goodmond@va.gov any construction document package used for bidding or construction is complete and up to date.

15. LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING (Reference Contract Clause FAR 52.219-14 for further information): By submission of an offer and execution of a contract, the Offeror agrees that in performance of the contract, the concern will perform at least fifteen (15) percent of the cost of the contract, not including the cost of materials, with its own employees.

LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING-- MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE (JUN

2011)

This solicitation includes VAAR 852.219-74 VA Notice of Total Service- Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside. Accordingly, any contract resulting from this solicitation will include this clause. The contractor is advised in performing contract administration functions, the CO may use the services of a support contractor(s) retained by VA to assist in assessing the contractor's compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirements specified in the clause.

To that end, the support contractor(s) may require access to contractor's offices where the contractor's business records or other proprietary data are retained and to review such business records regarding the contractor's compliance with this requirement. All support contractors conducting this review on behalf of VA will be required to sign an “Information Protection and Non-Disclosure and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Agreement” to ensure the contractor's business records or other proprietary data reviewed or obtained in the course of assisting the CO in assessing the contractor for compliance are protected to ensure information or data is not improperly disclosed or other impropriety occurs. Furthermore, if VA determines any services the support contractor(s) will perform in assessing compliance are advisory and assistance services as defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions, the support contractor(s) must also enter into an agreement with the contractor to protect proprietary information as required by FAR 9.505-4, obtaining access to proprietary information, paragraph (b). The contractor is required to cooperate fully and make available any records as may be required to enable the CO to assess the contractor's compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirement.

(End of Provision)

16. RESIDENT PROJECT ENGINEER: All reference to "Resident Project Engineer" in the solicitation will be changed to "Contracting Officer’s Representative" or

“COR.”

17. LIQUIDATED DAMAGES: No

18. GENDER: Wherever masculine gender is used in the solicitation and contract documents, it shall be considered to include both masculine and feminine.

19. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS: All reference to "Veteran's Administration" or "VA" in the solicitation will be changed to Department of Veterans Affairs".

20. METRIC PRODUCTS: Products manufactured to metric dimensions will be considered on an equal basis with those manufactured using inch-pound units, providing they fall within the tolerances specified using conversion tables and contained in the latest revision of Federal Standard No. 376, and all other requirements of this document are met.

If a product is manufactured to metric dimensions and those dimensions exceed the tolerances specified in inch-pound units, a request should be made to the Contracting Officer, in writing, to determine if the product is acceptable. The Contracting Officer, in concert with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), will accept or reject the product.

21. CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITY: Contractor shall be required to complete all contract work and schedule a final inspection within the specified contract performance period. Should the Contractor fail to complete the contract work (including scheduling of the final inspection), and it is determined by the Government to be a Contractor-caused delay, the Contractor shall be in default status. If the Government determines it to be in the best interest of the Government to allow the Contractor to continue to perform contract work, the Contractor shall provide equitable consideration to the Government for additional time granted for completion of contract work. Such agreement shall not be deemed a waiver of the Government’s right to terminate this contract in the event the Contractor fails to complete the contract work (including scheduling of the final inspection) on or before the completion date.

22. TRAINING: Effective July 1, 2005, all employees of the general contractor and subcontractors shall have the 10-hour OSHA certified construction safety course and/or other relevant competency training, as determined by the COTR with input from the ICRA (Infection Control Risk Assessment) team. The General Contractor’s competent person shall have completed the 30-hour OSHA certified construction safety course. Documentation of training shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer for review and approval prior to any work being performed.

No ID badge will be issued to an employee who does not provide this documentation. There shall be no exceptions to this requirement.

23. TB TESTING: It is the responsibility of the contractor to provide TB training annually and a PPD test annually for any employee(s) providing services at VAMC, Durham, North Carolina. The Government reserves the right to review the contractor’s records.

24. KEYS: All keys provided the Contractor for use during the project shall be returned to the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) at completion of the work or upon request. No keys shall be reproduced by the Contractor. There shall be a minimum charge of $25.00 for each key that is lost or not returned to the COR. In addition, there will be additional cost for replacement of lock set.

Payment shall be made to the VA Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina upon receipt of a Bill of Collection.

25. PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY: Contractors to the Department of Veteran Affairs may be unintentionally exposed to sensitive information. Information may be overheard, seen on documents or electronic devices, or observed that could potentially violate the privacy and confidentiality of our veterans, employees, volunteers, and their families. Regulations such as, but not limited to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act of 1974 have been enacted to protect sensitive information from being improperly disclosed. Information should not be divulged or released to anyone unless specifically authorized by this contract or its’ attached documents in accordance with the contracted services. Failure to comply with applicable statutes and regulation can result in the termination of this contract and civil and criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment. All suspected or actual breeches of privacy and confidentiality should be reported immediately to the Contracting Officer, Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or the Facility Privacy Officer.

The C&A requirements do not apply and a Security Accreditation Package is not required. If the contractor opts to use a computer or computer system for processing contract documents, the requirements of FIPS 140-2 for encryption of contract documents must be met.

26. VETS 100: Title 38, USC Section 4212(d) and Public Law 105-339, requires that federal contractors report, at least annually, the number and category of veterans who are within their workforce. Submission of the VETS 100 reporting information can be done electronically at: http://vets100.cudenver.edu. Award cannot be made unless the awardee has filed their VETS 100 report; therefore, all bidders/offerors are encouraged to file every year.

27. FUNDS: Funding is presently available for this acquisition. No contract award will be made until appropriated funds are made available.

28. WAGE DETERMINATION: Wages for all contractors and subcontractors must comply with Davis Bacon Wage Determinations. The current determination is General Decision NC20200028 dated 08/14/2020. Be advised the determination that is current at the time of the Contract award is the determination that will apply for the project. Current determinations are always available at:

https://beta.sam.gov/.

36C24620R0144 Questions and Answers

Question 1: Please clarify the maximum Sq ft of ceiling tile that can be removed at any given time.

Answer: 120 Square Feet total.

Question 2: Can the superintendent, SSHO and QC manger be the same individual?

Answer: No, The SSHO and QC Manager are to be separate individuals dedicated to this contract performance and cannot be utilized in the performance of any other contract should the successful offeror be performing work at this location or any other location.

Question 3: Page 12 Section (B) Specific instructions - The technical proposal requires the following information be provided by the contractor but no detailed requirements were outlined. Please provide the requirements for each subfactor.

TAB B: TECHNICAL FACTOR

a. General Qualifications – Technical Subfactor 1

b. Corporate Experience – Technical Subfactor 2

c. Key Personnel Qualifications – Technical Subfactor 3

d. Contractor Responsibility Items – Technical Subfactor 4

e. Subcontractor List and Qualifications – Technical Subfactor 5

f. Project Management Plan – Technical Subfactor 6

Answer: Please see the revised Special Instructions attached hereto. Please ensure you are submitting proposals in accordance with this revision!

Question 4: Pages 11-13 of the solicitation (Instructions/Conditions/Other Statements to Bidders) appear to specify email delivery for proposals. Page 16 indicates that proposals must be delivered to the Contracting Officer at the Ramsey Street address in Fayetteville. Please confirm the delivery method offerors are to use.

Answer: Hard Copies of the proposals are required to be mailed to the location indicated within the solicitation. Individual PDF documents for Volumes I, II, and III should also be sub

Question 5: Page 13 of solicitation requests a PDF copy of the offer guarantee. Please confirm if offerors should also mail the original bid bond.

Answer: Hard Copies of the original bid bond shall be provided with the offer mailed to the Contracting Office at 2300 Ramsey Street Bldg.4 - 006, Fayetteville NC 28301. Failure to submit hard copy may result in the Offer being determined non-responsive.

Question 6: The specifications for the project list two methods of cable installation. One being plenum cable installed in J Hooks above ceiling and the other method is plenum cable installed in conduit raceway above ceiling. It was mentioned in the site walk through that conduit in blue color is to be utilized throughout the entire project for the overhead paging system. Can we get clarification as to which method is preferred above the accessible ceiling tile locations?

Answer: Conduit shall be utilized. J Hooks shall not be used.

Question 7: Would the AtlasIED GlobalCom product line be an acceptable substitute to the Biamp Vocia product line mentioned in the specifications? The AtlasIED GlobalCom system is currently installed in multiple VA Hospitals across the nation.

Answer: AtlasIED GlobalCom is an approved equal subject to meeting all requirements in the specifications. These requirements include at a minimum:

a. UL listed to meet this requirement of a life safety system

b. supervised wiring and provides indication of issues to a monitor station

c. interfaced with Responder V for automatic annunciation of code blue activations

Question 8: In regards to connecting to the existing Nurse Call System, the drawings show one central location for connection to the nurse call system via a relay interface. Would there need to be multiple connections to the nurse call system at each panel located throughout the hospital? Would a 3rd party software solution be required for this interface (example: Emergin) to distinguish which nurse call calls are placed on the system and as to which nurse call message to play in the required zone?

Answer: If contactor chooses to utilize BiAmp Vocia system, contractor is responsible for providing appropriate interfaces with fire life safety nurse call and Cisco VOIP system. Contractor responsible for interfacing if utilizing alternate system. These requirements include at a minimum:

a. Nurse call interface was not intended to be just relay interface. This was to be a server-to-server interface that would allow for the automatic annunciation of code blue calls without operator interface. Vocia and Responder V have been installed at other VA installations without a third-party interface. One complication might be the interface of a virtual server (Vocia) and physical server (Responder V).

Question 9: Specification Section 23-09-23, Part 1.1 F States: This facility’s existing direct-digital control system is manufactured by Siemens, and its ECC is located in the Maintenance Shop. The existing system’s top-end communications is via existing network. The contractor administered by this Section of the technical specifications shall observe the capabilities, communication network, services, spare capacity of the existing control system and its ECC prior to beginning work.

Answer: Delete specification section 23 09 23. There is not supposed to be any interface to the Siemens system (HVAC).

Question 10: In the project specification and riser diagram, it asked that ambient microphones be installed in the project, but there is no locations shown on the drawings and as to which zones require ambient microphones. Is the placement of the ambient microphones at the discretion of the contractor or are there certain locations that the owner would prefer that the ambient microphones be installed?

Answer: Ambient noise cancellation was removed from base project.

Question 11: In Building 23 it states to relocate the existing PA system equipment into the new overhead paging system rack. Is it known how much rack space is required for the existing PA system equipment?

Answer: Existing equipment is contained in wall mount rack will fit in empty space provided in new 84 unit rack (See T-501 detail 4).

Question 12: The Specification states -The PA system is NFPA listed as Emergency / Public Safety Communication system which requires the entire system to be installed in a separate conduit system.

Equally the VA Physical Security Design Manual states “the PA system should adhere to all appropriate national, federal, and life safety and support codes, the more stringent of which shall govern.”

a. Compliance with NFPA 72 requires the system to be UL 2572 listed – Should the Head end and the PA System meet this code and standard?

b. A UL 2572 certification allows for the PA system to fully integrate with the FACU, is this a requirement? Complete integration with the FACU allows for the PA system to be monitored by the FACU, is this integration desired?

c. A UL 2572 certification allows for the Emergency / Public Safety system to shut down the Fire Alarm in the event of a shooter on campus – is this integration desired?

d. If a system offers DRMNS (Distributed Recipient Mass Notification System) as part of their integrated Public Safety communication system is this desired?

i. DRMNS would deliver messages in real time to occupants via, text, tweet, digital signage display, desktop display for faster response.

Answer: a. Yes, system is to be UL 2572 listed.

b. No, only require a relay interface that activates when the fire alarm speakers are active, resets on fire alarm system silence or reset. This prevents the overhead announcements from interfering with fire alarm audio. “Complete integration with the Fire Alarm Control Unit” is not what is needed. No audio integration. Full integration requires that the overhead paging would need to meet all fire alarm requirements.

c. Yes.

d. Yes.

Question 13: On the Website description, it states the Nurse call system to interface with the in-building mass notification system. What does the Nurse call system provide for integration and what is the use case for the nurse call station as it relates to the PAMNS system?

system and its EEC prior to beginning work.

Answer: Provide integration as defined in specification. Integration to be defined after award.

Question 14: On the Website in the description, it states, ‘the existing system in the addition made to building 23 will be connected to the new system to be installed as part of this project’. Is the Overhead Paging system in the specification going to tie into this system?

Answer: Yes. Existing system in building 23 addition shall be connected to new system.

Question 15: On drawing number 01T-101A sheet keynote 1 it is noted ‘location of PAMNS headend equipment. Utilize existing racks at this location to hold new PAMNS equipment’, does the new PAMNS equipment need to integrate with the existing PAMNS equipment, and if so how?

Answer: There is no existing overall PAMNS system at this campus. Contractor to utilize existing racks in building 1 server room to hold equipment as indicated on detail & riser diagrams. Existing equipment in building 23 to remain at current location and moved from wall racks onto new 84-unit racks installed as part of this project.

Question 16: Are building 1 and building 23 only connected via fiber or are there pathways to run copper between them?

Answer: Fiber as indicated on drawings.

Question 17: Specification Page 27 51 18-12 section 5: Are ambient noise microphones that monitor local noise levels required for this specification? There were no microphones on the drawings. If the system meets the intelligibility requirements for NFPA72 is this compliant? Answer: Ambient noise cancellation was removed from base project.

Question 18: Specification Page 27 51 18-12 section 9. How many audio inputs from the FACP to page specific zones are provided? Where is the FACP?

Answer: FACP did not print on plan. Existing FACP is located in room FG116 (plan south of server room FG104.) See drawing 01T-101A revision 1 dated 12/17/2020 which supersedes previous version. There is not to be a full integration of audio between systems. Only relay interface. Main fire alarm control panel is on 1st floor, this is where the audio originates for building one. Verify relay interface requirements per building.

Question 19: Specification Page 27 51 18-12 section 11 and 12. How many microphones are required?

Answer: See plans for locations of paging stations.

Question 20: Specification Page 27 51 18-12 section 13 states ‘This station shall have the same functionality as the fireman’s microphone and paging capability.’ What is that functionality and paging capability?

Answer: Functionality to be determined after award as part of programming.

Question 21: Specification page 27 51 18-12 section 14. It states ‘When the FACP activates a relay, the PAMN shall respond and open a paging circuit for the corresponding PAMN zone.’ How many zones total?

Answer: See plans for paging zones. The relay is not supposed to open paging circuits, it is to prevent them from going active. The fire alarm is supposed to take precedence over the overhead paging. The input is to prevent the overhead from making announcements.

QUESTION 22: Specification page 27 51 18-12 section 16. The controller was not found on the system flow diagram (t-602), is the priority control for the 6 inputs a requirement for the specification?

Answer: System shall have priority control regardless of system chosen. Plans indicate BiAmp Vocia as Basis of Design. Contractor shall be responsible for providing plans prior to beginning work indicating system installation if alternate system is chosen.

Question 23: Specification page 27 51 18-3 Section 17. It states ‘There will be a dedicated output controller to allow for line-level output from the PAMN system to other system inputs or existing equipment needing line level interface. The output controller will be able to control’ how many line-level outputs from the PAMN system are required? What will the output controller be able to control?

Answer: Functionality to be determined after award as part of programming. Coordinate with VA COR.

Provide at minimum interfaces indicated on plans.

Question 24: Specification page 27 51 18-13 states ‘Each PAMN device shall be connected to the network switch via a category patch cable.’ Is it possible to offer an alternative where all devices don’t have to connect to a network switch?

Answer: Network switches required for BiAmp Vocia System. Contractor shall meet PoE requirements as specified.

Question 25: Specification page 27 51 16-20 section F. Volume control. It states ‘Volume control shall be wired that when a page comes in, it shall override the volume control if it is off or on a low setting’ What audio feed or source is the volume dial adjusting if when the page comes in the adjustment does not affect the volume? Are there only specific pages to have volume override by the volume control when in an off or a low setting? If so what pages?

Answer: Functionality to be determined after award as part of programming. FYI-These are normally the all call pages and code blue pages. Non-life safety announcements would not disturb conference rooms or other locations with this function.

Question 26: Which positions are considered “Key Personnel” and require resumes?

Answer: At a minimum, Superintendent, SSHO, QC Manger, and designated Competent Person for each feature of work.

Question 27: Are there any Electrical Drawings included in the Bid Package? The paging drawings have some references to them.

Answer: There are no “E” sheets in the drawings package. Contract documents are as listed on the General drawing sheet which lists the 28 sheets in the package.

Question 28: Is this contract Tax Exempt?

Answer: No, Taxes, and reporting requirements associated therewith, are the responsibility of the successful offeror and included in the contract price.

See attached document: 01T-101A, Building 1 Ground Floor New Work - Area A- RFI Revisions 1, 12-17-2020.