Questions 072925.pdf

1. In section 1.4.1 the SOW mentions fire door/vertical and rolling doors. Can you confirm that these items are to be tested? can you provide the quantity of Fire Doors to be inspected? Can you provide the number of Vertical and Rolling Fire Doors to be inspected? THE FIRE DOOR VERTICAL/HORIZONTAL DOORS WILL BE TESTED IN

THIS CONTRACT. THE FIRE DOOR RELEASE MECHANISMS ARE TO BE TESTED. I

CAN PROVIDE A POINTS LIST OF ALL DEVICES. I CAN PROVIDE THE NUMBER OF

VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL FIRE DOORS TO BE INSPECTED: 16

2. Can audio/visuals be tested during normal working hours? AUDIO AND VISUALS

NEED TO BE CONDUCTED AFTER NORMAL WORKING HOURS

3. Can door holders be tested during normal working hours? DOOR HOLDERS ARE

TESTED AFETR NORMAL WORKING HOURS BUT CAN BE WORKED AROUND IF IT

DOES NOT AFFECT NORMAL HOURS

4. Do elevators need to be tested on the weekend? ELEVATORS ARE TESTED DURING

THE WEEKEND

5. When are the kitchen hood suppression systems tested? after hours or normal working hours? THEY ARE USUALLY TESTED AFTER 200PM FOR THE MAIN

KITCHENS BUT THERE ARE SOME THAT CAN BE TESTED DURING NORMAL

BUSINESS HOURS

6. Will the VA provide an escort? YES, VA WILL PROVIDE AN ESCORT

7. Will the VA issue keys? NO, VA WILL NOT ISSUE KEYS THE ESCORT WILL HAVE

ACCESS TO THE AREAS

8. What is the size of the fm200 system? AGENT WEIGHT IS 344LBS

9. How many smoke detectors, pull stations can be tested during normal hours? THEY

ARE TESTED DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS WHEN THE SYSTEM IS IN TEST

MODE

10. Are there any dry drinker systems? If so, how many systems? YES, FOUR THAT ARE

IN THE SHOTGUN HOUSES

11. The end of Section 1.4.1 of the PWS includes “…other related equipment.”. Can you clarify if there is other equipment requiring to be inspected and tested outside of what is described elsewhere within the PWS? If so, can you please provide additional information on what that equipment is and details pertaining to quantity, size, location, etc.? THIS MEANS RELATED EQUIPMENT FOR THE SYSTEM. I DON’T

HAVE THAT INFORMATIONA T THE MOMENT

12. Section 1.4.3.1 and 1.4.3.2 of the PWS state the total number of devices and include a +/- of 20%. This is quite a large variance that could result in overpriced bids. To ensure accurate and cost competitive pricing is received, can you please provide the most recent annual inspection reports to allow offerors to derive a more accurate device population? ANNUAL INSPECTION REPORTS CANNOT BE PROVIDED.

13. Section 1.1.7.1 (and 3.6.1.1) of the PWS states all work must be completed by a NICET Level III fire alarm certified technician. This is common for programming and repairs but is not the industry norm for inspection and testing. Typically, NICET Level III fire alarm technicians are supervisors and managers of NICET Level II technicians, or perform more complex tasks, while NICET Level II fire alarm technicians are the ones who perform the inspection and testing work. NICET Level II fire alarm technician work is generally overseen by the higher level (Level III and IV) technicians. By requiring NICET Level III technicians to perform the inspection and testing this will significantly reduce the level of competition and certainly increase the cost to the government to procure services for this solicitation. Would the government consider revising this requirement so that the technician performing the work is required to hold NICET Level II and be supervised and/or managed by a NICET Level III or IV technician? YES

14. Section 1.7.1.1 (and 3.6.1.1) of the PWS also states that technicians completing the work are to be certified from the manufacturer of the equipment. This is typically only required for maintenance and repairs as it requires a developer level of knowledge of the systems. For the purposes of this solicitation, inspection and testing only, any fire alarm technician with sufficient experience and training should be allowed to perform the basic inspection and testing functions without being specifically certified from the manufacturer. Would the government consider removing this requirement to allow for more competitive pricing options? YES

15. Section 1.7.2.1.1 (and 3.6.2.1) of the PWS for the fire suppression systems does not appear to specifically require a NICET technician, it just states fire suppression certifications. To ensure qualified technicians are inspecting and testing these systems, would the government consider clarifying this must be a NICET Level II certification in water-based systems like the requirement for fire alarm systems?YES

16. We will coordinate the scheduled fire alarm testing dates and times with the elevator contractor, but can you please confirm the VA will provide the elevator technician/contractor to support the fire alarm technician when testing the elevator recall function to ensure the elevators can be serviced if any issues arise? YES

17. Section 3.11.1.2 of the PWS references several procedures and requirements specified in the tables found within NFPA 25. The referenced tables in NFPA 25 include inspection requirements to be performed on a daily, weekly, monthly, etc.

basis, however the PWS states only quarterly, semi-annual, and annual. Can you please clarify the inspection frequency is based on what is stated in the PWS (Section 3.11.2) and not all requirements in NFPA 25? THE CONTRACT STATES:

QUARTERLY, SEMI-ANNUAL, AND ANNUAL, THIS IS WHAT THE VA IS REQUIRING

18. Section 3.11.1.2.1.46 of the PWS references fire tank inspections. Can you please verify what type of fire tanks are on site and provide additional information regarding these tanks such as size, type, location, etc.? INSPECTION REPORTS CANNOT BE

PROVIDED. THE TANK HOLDS 120,000 GALLONS AND IS MADE OUT OF

CONCRETE AND IT IS LOCATED IN THE CENTRAL ENERGY PLANT BUILDING

#7.

19. Is there a grace period for quarterly inspections like the semi-annual and annual inspections? The Joint Commission typically provides a 10-day grace period for quarterly inspections. 10 DAYS WILL BE SUFFICEINT

20. Does the VA have a barcoding/QR code system or other electronic inspection reporting system that must be utilized for documentation of inspection and testing results? Or are we only required to provide written/electronic PDF reports containing the information outlined in Section 3.12 of the PWS? THE VA DOES NOT HAVE BAR

CODING/ QR CODE OR OTHER ELECTRONIC INSPECTION REPORTING SYSTEMS;

THE CONTRACT REQUIRES ELECTRONIC PDF REPORTS.

21. To support the requirements of Section 2.2 of the PWS, can you please provide all previous annual inspection reports to ensure we have a sufficient understanding of the systems and issues we may expect to encounter? INSPECTION REPORTS

CANNOT BE PROVIDED.

22. Can you please clarify if Section 3.16 of the PWS is intended to be included in the price for the inspection and testing contract, or should battery replacements be recommended based on inspections and the cost to replace these is covered under the maintenance and repair contract? If battery replacements are required to be priced into the inspection and testing contract, can you please provide a list of the battery expiration dates, or installation dates, battery sizes, and manufacturer so we can allocate these costs appropriately into our price? BATTERY REPLACEMENTS

SHOULD BE RECOMMENDED AND THESE ARE COVBERED BY THE MAINTENANCE

AND REPAIR CONTRACT.

23. Can you please clarify the intent of Section 3.22 of the PWS? Typically, annual inspection and testing will be performed on 100% of the devices. Is the intent that annual inspection and testing activities are to be conducted quarterly on 25% of the devices each quarter so after four quarters worth of inspection and testing that 100% of the devices have been verified? YES, THIS IS CORRECT

24. Can you please confirm the total number of fire and smoke door assemblies requiring inspection as referenced in Section 3.27 of the PWS? YES 800 FIRE AND

SMOKE DOORS

1. Can you please provide a separate line item in the Price/Cost Schedule for fire and smoke door inspections similar to the fire and smoke damper inspections? YES, VA CAN PROVIDE A SEPARATE LINE ITEM IN THE

PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

25. Can you please provide additional information regarding the size of the FM 200 systems? YES Can you share as-built drawings so we can get a better idea of the extent of inspection and testing that will be required? AS BUILT FILES CANNOT BE

PROVIDED.

26. Can you please confirm which contract years require the two-year sensitivity testing of all building smoke alarms as required by Section 3.24 of the PWS? 25-26, 28-29

27. Section 4.13 and 4.27of the PWS requires full trip testing and piping pitch verification of the dry pipe systems. In accordance with NFPA 25, this test is required once every 3 years. Can you please confirm which contract year(s) this is required?

2028-2029

28. Section 4.15, 4.23, and 4.28 of the PWS requires 5-year hydro testing on the dry pipe systems and 5-year internal sprinkler and standpipe inspections and flow testing are to be performed. Can you please confirm which year of the contract this is required?

2028-2029

29. Are infection containment units required for any of the work to be performed under this contract? If so, will the VA provide an infection containment unit or will that be the responsibility of the contractor to provide their own unit? NOT TO MY

KNOWLEDGE. THIS VA HAS NOT USED INFECTION CONTAINMENT UNITS DURING

INSPECTION

1. Can you please clarify which areas of each building would require infection containment units?

30. Section 16.1 of the PWS states when testing and inspecting will interfere with building operations it shall be performed after normal working hours. To ensure we budget overtime accordingly, can you please identify which areas in which buildings this applies to? THIS APPLIES TO ALL BUILDINGS ON THE FACILITY CAMPUS:

BUILDING 1 INPATIENT, BLDG 2 DIAGNOSTICS AND TREATMENT, BLDG 3

OUTPATIENT, BLDG 4 STAFF PARKING, BLDG 5 PATIENT PARKING, BLDG 6

TRANSITIONAL LIVING, BLDG 7 CENTRAL ENERGY PLANR, BLDG 8 RESEARCH,

BLDG 9 PAN AM ADMINISTRATION, AND BLDG 10 FISHER HOUSE

31. Fire and smoke damper inspection is required once every 6 years, however the Price/Cost Schedule has a line item every year for this service. Can you please clarify the intent, or revise the Price/Cost Schedule to include this line item only in the contract year it is required? YES, WE CAN REVISE THE PRICE COST SCHEDULE FOR

THIS LINE ITEM ONLY FOR THE YEAR IT IS CONDUCTED

32. An RFI response to the maintenance and repair solicitation stated there are approximately 815 fire and smoke dampers, however Section 20 of the PWS for the inspection and testing PWS show several more fire and smoke dampers. For example, Buildings D, E, F, G on page 40 identify 1,045, plus all other buildings identify additional quantities. Can you please confirm the correct number of dampers is identified in Section 20 of the PWS for the inspection and testing PWS?

THERE ARE 1622 FIRE/SMOKE DAMPERS FOR ALL BUILDING LOCATIONS

33. Can you please confirm if backflow preventers are required to be inspected as part of this contract? The RFI responses from the maintenance and repair solicitation had conflicting responses, question 9 stated they were part of a separate contract, but question 28 stated if they are part of a sprinkler system then yes they are part of the contract. BACKFLOW INSPECTIONS ARE PART OF SEPARATE CONTRACT

34. Can you please provide additional information on the ansul kitchen systems such as previous inspection reports or as-built drawings so we can determine the size and scope of the inspections required for these systems? CANNOT PROVIDE

INSPECTION REPORTS OF THE ANSUL SYSTEM

35. Three-year audibility testing to measure the decibel output of the speakers and horns is required by NFPA 72. This is beyond the inspection and testing typically performed on speakers and horns during the annual inspection. Can you please clarify if decibel output testing is required to be performed, and if so, which contract year(s) is this testing required? IT IS NOT REQUIRED ON THIS CONTRACT.