Project CA RFI Log - Tuskegee FA.pdf

GOVERNMENT RESPONSES TO RFI'S

Project Number: 619A4-23-103 Project Description: Replace Fire Alarm System for Bldgs. 15,65,68,88,90&93 Project Location: Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System

COR: Bertram Jones

CO Joyce Powers

CC: Joseph Osborn

Updated:

RFI # QUESTION RESPONSE

001 Please advise if the pricing listed in Attachment 7 Customer Project Manual, are true and accurate and should be used in our pricing proposal.

This document was meant for the VA's reference only. Bidders should develop pricing for all contract items independent of pricing data within Attachment 7.

002 "OWNER’S PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

OWNER AND USER REQUIREMENTS

The primary purpose of this project is to replace aging fire alarm systems in buildings

14, 15, 65, 68, 88, 90, 93 and 97. This work will include replacing fire alarm panels, devices and wiring.

For buildings 2, 3, 3A, 4, 4A, 5, 68, 83, 120, and 129, existing annunciators and associated cabling only will be replaced. The existing devices will remain to be replaced under a separate project.

It is anticipated that the construction for this project will take approximately 860 days."

- From project manual

1. The work listed for “Bldgs. 2,3,3A, 4, 4A, 5, 68, 83, 120 and 129” is to be included in this solicitation?

2. The POP listed there is 860 days, while the POP listed in the SF 1442 is 365 days.

Which one is correct?

3. Also, a request, if we have a due date extension for this project.

4. Could it be possible, if/when we have a time extension, that the due date could be anything but a Monday?

1. Scope is as described in the solicitation documents.

2. 30 months or 912.5 days

3. Please see Amendment 2 Continuation Page

4. Please see Amendment 2 Continuation Page

003 Who the Cx firm is that has been or is going to be contracted by the VA?

The SPECS provide conflicting information regarding who hires the commissioning agent. (page 149):

Members Appointed by VA:

1. Commissioning Agent: The designated person, company, or entity that plans, schedules, and coordinates the commissioning team to implement the commissioning process. The A/E Team will engage the

CxA as part of the A/E contract on behalf of the VA.

VA'S COMMISSIONING RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Appoint an individual, company or firm to act as the Commissioning Agent.

FFE Heapy JV is the commissioning agent.

004 Does the Electrician rate apply to the Fire Alarm Technician running conduit and pulling wire? Fire Alarm wiring is all low voltage, not covered by the electrical code, and the Fire Alarm Installer is called a Fire Alarm Tech.

For this specific case where the Fire Alarm Technician is running conduit and pulling wire solely for the fire alarm system, it is likely appropriate to apply the Fire Alarm Technician rates.

However, if their work overlaps with general electrical tasks, the Electrician rate might apply.

005 For this past performance write up, will the government take into consideration that inflation has greatly driven up costs over the last few years. For example, we would like to use a project that was awarded in 2019 (completed in 2022). That project’s total magnitude was a little over $8 million. Today, that project would likely be well over the

$10 million threshold for relevant projects due to inflation.

Would the government consider taking inflation into account and giving a project such as this equal relevancy as one that is $10 million?

Thank you for any consideration. We have been building federal construction projects for 17 years, and this project is 10 minutes from our home office. We have built several projects there and are extremely interested in winning this project

Good afternoon. Thank you for your inquiry regarding the consideration of inflation on past performance evaluations. We understand your concerns about the impact of inflation on project costs over time.

While the FAR and VAAR do not explicitly address adjustments for inflation, the intent is to assess past performance based on the relevance, quality, and similarity of previous projects to our current requirements. We acknowledge that inflation may have influenced project costs significantly since 2019.

Given the comprehensive nature of our evaluation process, we will consider market conditions and inflation as part of our overall assessment. Projects completed in the past will be evaluated on their merits, scope, complexity, and the quality of performance outcomes rather than solely on their cost figures.

Please ensure that your submission includes detailed information on the project's scope, complexity, and performance outcomes to enable a fair comparison.

Thank you for your understanding and continued interest in working on this project.”

006 Fire Alarm System Manufacturer

Will the Government accept a Kidde Fire Alarm System in place of the Simplex systems that are currently installed?

No, not unless JCI/Simplex is requiring the use of these.

007 Infection Control Measures

Are we required to provide infection control measures in areas where work is currently being performed by other contractors, or only within the areas directly impacted by this project?

ICRA required in areas directly impacted by this project.

008 Acquisition Strategy

Could you please advise whether the Government is considering this requirement as a potential 8(a) award? AMF is an 8(a) SDVOSB, and we wanted to confirm if this approach is being evaluated.

The VA follows the "Rule of Two," which mandates that we prioritize Service-Disabled Veteran- Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) and Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs) for contracting opportunities. Specifically, if we identify at least two eligible SDVOSBs or VOSBs capable of performing the work at a fair and reasonable price, we will set aside the contract exclusively for these businesses..

009 Can we use STARC Panels or Temporary Wall System’s Panels for the ICRA barriers? Prefabricated temporary construction barriers are acceptable for use

010 The specs say that the immediate areas of alterations will be vacated during work (Spec

Section 010000 Paragraph J). Who is responsible for removing equipment and furniture from the areas?

See 010000 J for details. Additionally, after hours work will be required to not hinder Medical Center operations..

011 Are there any liquidated damages connected to this job? No liquidated damage clauses will be contained in this contract.

012 The Solicitation has that this project must be completed in 365 days, Attachment 7

(Customer Project Manual) shows that the construction should take 860 days. Can you verify how many days we have to complete this project?

This document was meant for the VA's reference only. Bidders should develop schedules for all contract items independent of data within Attachment 7.

013 Please provide CAD (.dwg) files for this design. Some of the sheets are not able to be printed larger than 8.5 x 11

Please see Amendment 2 Continuation Page

014 Please confirm JCI (Johnson Controls) responsibility. Per Mr. Goodmon they are only responsible for Parts and Smarts.

Contractor will be responsible for scope as described in the solicitation documents.

INCOMING

RFI # QUESTION RESPONSE

015 Will the existing fire alarm systems be shut down and removed in order for the existing conduit systems to be reused?

In buildings where devices are replaced, the project requires new pipe and wire.

016 Are as builts available for all buildings within the SOW NO 017 Is it possible to occupy more than one building at a time? Refer to sequence of construction.

018 Is nighttime, weekend, and after hours work allowed? Yes, when approved in advance byt he COR.

019 If the existing conduit system is a class B system, can we reuse the existing system? Can we install a class A wiring system in a class B conduit system?

In buildings where devices are replaced, the project requires new pipe and wire.

020 The project specifications identify Abetment requirements. Has a Hazardous Material

Survey been completed for the buildings within the SOW? Can this be shared?

A limited hazardous materials survey has been completed for asbestos and lead paint.

021 Would the government consider a time extension to the project duration of 365 days?

From past FA/Fiber projects from lead time to install this is not a sufficient amount of time do to the number of building in the SOW

See RFI #2

022 Can you please issue scaled drawings, the drawings that we have are not to scale, according to the pdf properties they are on a standard 11 x 8.5

Please see Amendment 2 Continuation Page

023 The drawings and specifications appear to be scanned images saved in PDF format. This makes it very difficult for all parties to conduct word searches and navigate either file.

It also makes it difficult to scale and make annotations for quantity takeoffs.

Question: Can the VA provide a working set of drawings and specs that are true PDF's IE printed to PDF not scanned as a PDF?

Please see Amendment 2 Continuation Page