QA - Fire Protection FINAL.pdf

1. Regarding the annual maintenance scope, will the replacement of consumable items such as batteries and smoke detector chambers be included, or should those be addressed through the $30,000 repair contingency fund?

The station will have some of these items in stock. Do not include the replacement of consumables in the final price.

2. Can you confirm if the CLSS Gateway monitoring licenses are provided by the government, or if they should be included as contractor-supplied items in the pricing?

The station has three gateways. The contractor should include licenses/new gateways as a precaution.

3. For emergency response requirements, does the three-hour arrival timeframe apply strictly during regular business hours, or is it expected to cover 24/7/365 situations?

Yes, the three-hour response time will be required 24/7/365.

4. The Contract states - The contractor must be able to perform all duties defined within this scope. Services may not be subcontracted, is this correct?

Services may be subcontracted. Please see updated SOW

5. Could you request and/or provide the past inspection reports of an overall asset list that the VA keeps for this campus/scope? Some details in the document are limited, which might affect our ability to provide a price or could result in increased pricing due to assumptions.

We are not able to provide an existing FA inspection at this time. Feel free to ask specific questions if needed to get a better idea of the size/complexity of the campus fire alarm system

6. Any updates or expansions to the Honeywell Notifier system since the last inspection.

No updates or upgrades since the last inspection.

7. Is there an option to perform site visit?

No site visit.

8. Are there update-to-date drawings that will be made available upon award?

Drawings will be provided. It has been noted by other contractors that there are discrepancies with the as-builts.

9. Are all the buildings at the same address with individual building numbers/names?

Yes, all buildings are located at the same address.

10. Is there an existing contract or is this a new opportunity?

There is an existing contract.

11. Has there been any corrective maintenance actions within the current contract?

No, they only inspected and provided reports. Any repairs are done by a certified notifier contractor.

. Any differences between work requirement of current contract and this RFQ?

Yes, there are several notable differences.

12. Are there any current construction projects that have an impact on the fire alarm system and its devices or programming?

Yes, there will be ongoing construction projects. We have several total renovations that will replace the fire alarm system in certain areas as a part of a total gut and renovation.

13. Are there any existing deficiencies, repairs, or maintenance that have an impact on the contractor’s requirements in this solicitation?

Discrepancies with drawings and programming issues. Currently have a one-time contract in place to correct programming deficiencies.

14. RFQ mentions “repair contingency”. Will there be a CLIN for the NTE amount added to the price schedule? If no, how will this be tracked/billed against the contract.

A Clin will be made.

15. How is it determined whether a repair qualifies for funding under the $30,000 repair contingency?

The CO will decide if an item/service will be covered under the contingency fund.

16. RFQ does mention Fire and Smoke Dampers, will 6-year inspections requirements fall within any of the contract option years?

Contractor will be required to provide inspection on fire and smoke dampers.

17. With enough advance notice for scheduling, will the contractor have the support of the HVAC shop technicians when testing the shutdown devices?

Yes, a member of the HVAC shop will escort personnel.

18. Does the existing inspection schedule follow the TJC requirements January/April/July/October?

Yes, we are requiring all JC requirements to be met.

19. Please confirm that this is only fire alarm equipment testing/inspection/maintenance, and there are no requirements to test any of the following:

a.) Wet Pipe Fire Sprinkler Systems b.) Dry Pipe Fire Sprinkler Systems c.) Kitchen Hood Suppression Systems d.) Fire Extinguishers e.) Fire Pump(s) f.) Stored Emergency Power System f.) Fire Doors:

i. Sliding & Rolling Doors

ii. Fire Door Assemblies

Correct, none of these items are to be included.

20. Are there any badging requirements?

Flash badges will be required. PIV badges are not required but may be beneficial for onsite contractors.

21. Do you require a technician to be at the panel during testing?

We do not determine means and methods.

22. Are there any before/after-hours testing requirements?

a.) Cath lab, OR, Endo, Pharmacy, etc b.) Notification devices

Yes, after hours testing may be required for certain areas such as pharmacy, SPS, Endo, etc.

23. Can these devices be tested in small groups/area with advance notice and scheduling?

Yes, for quarterly inspections.

24. Statement of work lists 86 buildings but only 19 control panels is this accurate?

Site map to be provided. Our building nomenclature is a bit confusing. Each wing of the main building is considered its own building. This count also separates floors.

25. Statement of work states 19 panels and 890 devices but is not limited to that, do you know the Actual number of panels and devices?

This is an accurate count of the panels. Current gateway shows 890 devices.

There are some that are disabled.

26. Is there a current preventive maintenance plan for power supplies, batteries, annunciators, and other panel components?

We replace as needed.

27. Any requirements/preferences for testing schedule for semiannual and or annual services?

Latest annual inspection will be complete mid-November. We except the contractor to have another completed annual inspection around this time next year.

28. For replacement parts are OEM Notifier components or fully compatible equivalents required/preferred?

ONLY Notifier. NO exceptions.

29. How do you prioritize and track Red Tag (72 hours) and Yellow Tag (2 weeks) deficiency corrections?

Priority is Red flag and yellow flags are secondary. The station would like to have both taken care of immediately and within required time frames

30. Provide past examples of red tag and yellow tag corrections?

Not pertinent to the current contract bid.

31. What common spare parts will the facility maintain on-hand to ensure timely repair completion?

Smoke detectors, pull stations, wall speak strobes, ceiling strobes, Network cards, power supplies, etc.

32. What systems or software do you use for log management and audit tracking?

We monitor via the notifier gateway system.

33. Information on VA performance standards?

No specific information to add here.

34. A. Per the government’s response to posted Q&A # 12; are the projects current or what is the tentative start? Will the awarded contractor have knowledge of progress/updates of the construction project so that documentation can be updated and there are no issues that cause delays for either contract? Example:

If programing changes being made while inspectors on site testing, there could be devices added/deleted that would cause reason for additional time spent trying to locate.

Yes, the contractor would have ample warning of any construction projects.

Tentative start dates vary. Most of the construction projects referred to will be starting in 2027.

35. Per the government’s response to posted Q&A #13 and above question “A”; is the contractor responsible for the one-time reprogram involved with the construction project if currently in process?

No, the contractor over the construction will be for responsible for integrating the new devices.

36. Per the government’s response to the above questions; will the construction projects require the addition of devices or will it be one-for-one replacements?

We cannot guarantee all will be a one for one swap. These projects are all complete gut renovations. No new square footage is being added.

37. Are all 21 (sounds like possibly 19) fire alarm control panels NFS2-3030? If not, can you please provide a list by building for each fire alarm control panel model?

All of the 19 panels are NSF2-3030

38. Can you please provide specific tasks or a description of work associated with CLIN X009, fire alarm pressure differential testing? Pressure differential is typically associated with a smoke control/evacuation system, which is activated by the fire alarm system. However, pressure differential testing is not typically performed as part of the annual fire alarm inspection contract since that would be part of the inspection and testing contract for those specific systems. Please advise.

This is related to pressure-type flow switches within the wet and dry fire alarm systems. This item is not related to smoke control or the evacuation system

39. Per the government’s response to posted Q&A # 5 and #25; are you able to provide any additional information on the device counts? A breakdown of how many of each device make up the 890 showing in the gateway (disabled or not).

This would be beneficial to the labor hours required to provide a more accurate proposal. Example: How many pull stations? How many smokes? How many horns/strobes? Etc.

Approximate device counts:

247 Smoke detectors 132 Pull Station 124 Relays 72 track Supervisory 68 Sup L 58 Power Monitors 50 Sup L(duct) 48 Others 46 Controls 45 Water flow

40. Per the government’s response to posted Q&A #18 and #27; please clarify what months the inspections are required or currently being performed so that the awarded contractor can keep the VA compliant with TJC.

Example: Annual, Semi-annual, etc.

Annual due in October Semi-Annual due in March

41. Do any devices require tall ladders or lifts? If so, is there an option to have the electric shop (or other in-house trade) available to operate government lift for testing?

No lifts or tall ladders needed.

42. Per the government’s response to posted Q&A #8; do the discrepancies include relabeling of the facilities hallways and rooms that are not reflected in the drawings?

No, discrepancies are related to device location and exact count in some areas.

This will not be responsibility of the selected contractor to fix on the system.