36C25626Q0615_RFQ_A0002.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 4 J

0002 04-30-2026

TBD

None

36C256

Department of Veterans Affairs

Network Contracting Office 16

Galleria Financial Center

5075 Westheimer Road, Suite 750

Houston TX 77056-5643

Shasta Britt, Contracting Officer shasta.britt@va.gov

36C256

Department of Veterans Affairs

Network Contracting Office 16

Galleria Financial Center

5075 Westheimer Road, Suite 750

Houston TX 77056-5643

To all Offerors/Bidders

36C25626Q0615

04-14-2026

X

X X

RFQ close date is extended from 4/30/2026 1PM (CT) to 5/4/2026 1PM (CT).

NA

X one (1)

The purpose of this amendment is to provide official Government responses to vendor questions submitted in accordance with Section E.1(g) of the solicitation and to clarify certain technical and administrative requirements contained within RFQ 36C25626Q0615. This amendment makes no changes to the Performance Work

Statement, Price/Cost Schedule, evaluation criteria, period of performance. Submission deadline extended. All clarifications issued herein are informational only and do not alter the scope of work, quantities, or specifications.

Offerors must acknowledge receipt of this amendment in accordance with Section B.1(6).

See continuation page for QAs and Drawings…

Shasta Britt

Contracting Officer

VA-VHA-RPOC-2023-0082

mailto:shasta.britt@va.gov

CONTINUATION PAGE…

Amendment 0002 – Questions and Answers

RFQ No. 36C25626Q0615

Technical Walkthrough Questions and PWS Clarifications

a) Submission deadline extended to Monday, 5/4/2026 at 1:00pm (CT).

b) The following questions were received from an interested vendor. Government responses are provided below.

1. Do you have any recent pictures, inspection reports, or documentation showing the current condition of the existing fiber and conduit?

Answer: No.

2. Has the conduit been rodded or otherwise tested to confirm whether it is intact, obstructed, or damaged?

Answer: No, it has not, did install fiber in the last couple of years with no issues including through these same manholes.

3. If existing conduit is found to be damaged or unusable, should repair or replacement be included within the base scope of work, or handled separately?

Answer: No, this will be addressed as a differing site condition.

4. Should we assume installation of new flexible inner duct liner for the full length of all four fiber runs?

Answer: Yes, the 3 single modes can be in a single inner duct, size determined by fill capacity per code. The multi-mode in a separate inner duct.

5. Are there any required standards, certifications, or approved product lists for racks, patch panels, or fiber components beyond UFC 135-11?

Answer: These are the standards to be followed.

6. Are we providing fiber patch cables for 100% fibers being installed?

Answer: Patch Cables shall be provided by the VA.

7. This is in regard to the 12-Strand Single mode fibers (3 total) and the 12-Strand

Multimode fiber (1 total).

Answer: See response to question #8.

8. Do we need to accommodate for 72 Single mode jumpers and 24 Multimode jumpers?

Answer: Patch Cables shall be provided by the VA.

9. Do we need to go through any badging procedures or classes needed for entry or to perform work onsite?

Answer: Depending on the duration, have 2 methods of badging, Safety will provide a training class that takes approx. 1 hr.

10. If so, can you provide me with details and possible time lengths for classes or training needed?

Answer: See response to question #9.

11. A0001.4 The government's answer refers to UFC 135-11. Can you please confirm that the Unified Facilities Criteria is the standard applies? 135-11 refers to a specific chapter about innerduct inside the UFC for telecom. Knowing that UFC is the standards body that applies preemptively answers implementation plan questions around installation practices, preferences, QA requirements, logging, etc. and benefits the agency by keeping things uniform to other federal facilities.

Answer: The UFC shall only apply to this new installation.

12. D.1.2.a.2 (PWS) and A0001.5 The government's answer in A0001 indicates that we should inspect and use existing rack space, while the original PWS indicates we should provide and install a new rack. Can you clarify the expectation for the RFP?

During the facilities walkthrough, the need for new racks was not observed. Per the walkthrough's observations there will be a demand for rack mounted fiber optic distribution panels at the B100 MDF room, B100 6th floor, and B108 IDF - all in existing racks. There would also be a demand for wall mounted fiber optic distribution panels in B100 MDF and B108 MDF closet.

Answer: The existing racks may be utilized as space is limited and for uniformity. The wall mounted fiber optic distribution panels shall be included as these are separate network runs from the runs into the racks.

13. A0001.6 The government's response indicates LC connectors but does not define if they want UPC or APC connectors for the single mode cable. Can you please confirm that LC/UPC connectors should be used? UPC is the most common for these types of applications, but we always want to double check since mismatched

UPC and APC connectors can cause damage. UPC was the most common but not the exclusive type of single mode connector seen at the technical walkthrough.

Answer: UPC LC Connectors shall be used.

14. D.1.2.a.2 (PWS) Please provide scale drawings of B108, B100 6th floor, and B100 basement, to include the basement mechanical space.

Answer: Drawings provided, see attached one below.

15. D.1.2.a.2 (PWS) and A0001.6 The first amendment and PWS indicates a need for innerduct. Does the innerduct need to extend from the racks, into the buried duct and manholes? During the technical walkthrough we saw multiple examples of innerduct being used in the manholes and crawlspaces. I just want to confirm this is the example to follow. Doing this would also be consistent with the UFC.

Answer: Yes, inner duct is required for the full run. See response to question #4.

16. Does the innerduct underground have to be plenum-rated?

Answer: Yes.

17. Can we utilize/pull through existing innerducts that are already in the underground?

Answer: No, new inner ducts are required.

18. Do you want slack loops left in each manhole? If so, how many feet?

Answer: Yes, slack of 5 ft at each manhole.

19. Do you have any conduit records showing how many conduits are in the underground and what is inside them?

Answer: Partial shown on drawings at attachment one below.

20. Are the conduits that we are using occupied or vacant?

Answer: Some are empty, some are occupied but still have capacity.

21. How much total fiber are we handling?

Answer: Contractor to verify, information provided in the SOW is approx.

22. Is the fiber one continuous piece, or will there be splices?

Answer: Continuous run is preferred.

23. If a new innerduct will not fit in the underground, can we use max cell?

Answer: No.

24. Submission Structure The solicitation references both a two-volume and three-volume submission format. Could you please clarify whether Past Performance should be submitted as a separate Volume III or included within Volume I

(Technical/Quality)?

Answer: Past Performance shall be submitted in Volume One. Two Volume only;

Volume One Technical and Volume Two Price.

25. Period of Performance — Start Date The PWS states 60 calendar days for completion. Does the 60-day period begin from the date of contract award, or from a separate Notice to Proceed (NTP)?

Answer: Contract award and executed.

26. Existing Infrastructure in Conduit/Manholes Are there existing fiber strands or abandoned cables in the manhole pathway that will need to be removed prior to new installation, or is this strictly new cable pulls through cleared conduit?

Answer: No, all existing to remain in place.

27. Approved Products / Manufacturer Preferences Does the VA have a preferred manufacturer or approved products list for the fiber cable, patch panels, rack enclosures, and related hardware, or is contractor's selection acceptable provided it meets the PWS specifications?

Answer: The new installation shall meet or exceed the existing cables, patch panels, enclosures, all hardware, and shall be approved by the VA.

28. Innerduct Condition Is the existing innerduct/conduit between Buildings 100 and 108 in serviceable condition for new pulls, or should contractors plan for innerduct replacement along any portion of the pathway?

Answer: New inner duct is required. See question #15, #4.

29. Work-Hour Restrictions Beyond the general requirement to maintain normal hospital operations, are there specific floors, corridors, or areas along the cable pathway with restricted work hours or additional infection-control requirements (e.g., active patient-care areas requiring after-hours work only)?

Answer: No, all work can take place during normal work hours.

30. Is there existing underground conduit between B-100 and B-108?

Answer: Yes, this area was covered on the site walk.

31. Are we required to use existing pathways, or are we expected to install new conduit?

Answer: Use existing conduit, install new inner duct.

32. Is trenching or boring included in our scope of work?

Answer: No, existing conduit and manholes will be used.

33. If existing conduits are present, are they usable and available for this project?

Answer: To the best of our knowledge, the existing are usable.

34. Who is responsible if the underground pathways are determined to be unusable?

Answer: If the pathway is unusable, this will be treated as differing site conditions.

c) Attachment One – Drawings on next page…

(End of A0002)