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Solicitation No. 36C25626R0113 Prebid Requests For Information
FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM REPAIRS - HOUSTON VAMC
ITEM #
QUESTIONS
VA RESPONSES
| SOW, Repair of Fire Suppression System. This paragraph references NFPA 72 and 90A and “Repair and Modifications/Installations of Existing Fire Alarm/Sprinkler Systems,” while the title, PSC J042, and the remainder of the SOW address fire suppression. Please confirm whether fire alarm system repairs are within the scope of this contract in addition to water-based and special hazard suppression systems. |
| Both fire alarm devices and wiring and fire suppression a water based and special hazard suppression system will be addressed in this contract. |
| 2 |
| SOW, Licensing Requirement, and CLIN x001. The SOW requires “one (1) person per applicable task” who is Honeywell Notifier licensed and NICET Level 2 qualified, while the CLIN description specifies “two certified fire suppression system technicians.” Please confirm whether both technicians must hold these credentials, or whether one qualified technician per applicable task satisfies the requirement. |
| 2 certified technicians are needed. |
| 3 |
| SOW, Repair of Fire Suppression System. The SOW requires work to be completed within three working days once the COR gives approval. Please confirm that the three-working-day period begins upon written COR approval of the cost estimate, and that the period will be extended for documented long-lead-time or non-stock parts |
| Each task order will have a specified period of performance. |
| 4 |
| SOW, Work Hours, and Section B.3. Offerors are directed to propose a single blended hourly rate and no premium-time or after-hours line item is provided. Please confirm that all work ordered under this contract will be performed within the stated Monday through Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. window |
All work is anticipated to occur during normal work hours. Any Task orders requiring after hours work would be determined as such prior to award
| 5 |
| Section B.3 and Section C.4 (FAR 52.216-22). FAR 52.216-22(b) states the Government shall order at least the quantity designated in the Schedule as the “minimum,” but no guaranteed minimum is designated in Section B.3. Please state the guaranteed minimum for this IDIQ. |
| See Section C.3. The guaranteed minimum is $2,500.00 |
| 6 |
| Section B.3, CLIN 0001 and option CLINs. Please confirm that the 1,800 hours shown for each ordering period is an estimated quantity for evaluation purposes only, and is neither a guaranteed quantity nor a ceiling on hours that may be ordered. |
| Confirmed an estimate. Each task order will include the actual hours needed. |
| 7 |
| Section B.3, CLINs x001 and x002, and SOW, Work Included. The hourly CLIN states the contractor shall furnish “parts, and materials” within the blended rate, while CLIN x002 establishes a separate NTE $18,000 Parts Rider and the SOW states “Contractor shall supply all devices and parts.” Please confirm the process to be followed when the $18,000 of parts per year is exhausted. Will a modification be provided, or is this a hard ceiling and once reached there will be no more repairs authorized for the year? |
We expect the $18,000 not to be exceeded. Each task order will include the labor and materials for specific repairs required at that time.
| 8 |
| Section B.3, CLIN x002. If the parts required to correct identified deficiencies exceed the $18,000 not-to-exceed amount within an ordering period, how will the Government fund the balance of the work; by modification, or is this a hard ceiling and once reached there will be no more repairs authorized for the ordering period? |
| If this is the case a quote will be requested to the contractor for parts and or labor as required. |
| 9 |
| Section B.3, CLINs x001 and x002. Neither CLIN provides for equipment rental. Where repairs require lifts, scaffolding, or similar rented equipment, should those costs be invoiced against the Parts Rider, or addressed by separate modification? |
| If needed, Rental equipment can be included in estimates and agreed upon as needed for each task order. |
| 10 |
| Section B.3, CLIN x001. Is contractor time spent on VA-required access and life-safety activities; system impairment permits, Interim Life Safety Measures, and fire watch; billable under the hourly CLIN? |
| ILSM’s are provided from the facility. If there is a need for access someone from the facility will provide that. System impairment permits are not required. If there is work that will exceed the system being down beyond the NFPA limit and the contractor is required to provide proper communication and a work plan on just cause. |
| 11 |
| Description, paragraph (i), and Section B. The solicitation states that “this RFQ shall be completed in its entirety and signed and dated” and that failure to do so will result in the quotation not being considered, and Section B is titled “Continuation of SF 1449 Blocks.” No SF 1449 or other signature page is included and Section D contains no attachments. Please identify the specific document or pages the offeror must sign, date, and return with its quote. |
| Document has been corrected; the 1449 will be completed upon award. |
| 12 |
| Is there a current deficiency list of outstanding repairs to be made under the resulting contract? |
| Not available at this time |
| 13 |
| If additional work is need will a change order be issued for more labor hours? |
| See #7 |
| 14 |
| If additional parts are needed will a change order be issued for additional costs above the $18,000 being carried? |
| See #7 |
| 15 |
| Is there a minimum timeframe the work needs to be performed once identified? |
| The work should be performed within the time allotted on the task order. |
| 16 |
| Will all the 1,800 hours of work be performed during normal working days/hours? |
| See #4 |
| 17 |
| Does the work included any wet pipe sprinkler system work? |
| Yes. |
| 18 |
| Will there be a site visit for this project before due date? |
| No site visit is being provided |
| 20 |
| Volume I of the Proposal Submission Instructions directs offerers to "Complete blocks 12, 17a, and 30a, b, and c of the SF1449." Section D, Contract Documents, Exhibits, or Attachments, contains no entries, and no SF 1449 accompanies the posted document. Please post the SF 1449 for offerer execution, or confirm the manner in which the Government wishes offerers to satisfy this requirement. |
| Document has been corrected; the 1449 will be completed upon award. |
| 21 |
| Please confirm that a complete quotation consists of the following and nothing further: (a) Volume I containing the executed SF 1449 blocks, the completed Section B.1 Contract Administration Data and Acknowledgment of Amendments, and the executed VAAR 852.219-75 certification; (b) Volume II containing the three experience references and the personnel resumes with licensing and certifications; and (c) Volume Ill containing the completed Section B.3 price schedule for all line items and option periods. We note that the instruction for Volume II directs offerers to "See E.2 Evaluation for required documentation," while the evaluation criteria appear at E.8 and E.2 is FAR 52.209-7. We have proceeded on the basis that E.8 governs and request confirmation. |
| Correct…Section E.8 |
| 22 |
| FAR 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards, and FAR 52.222-43 are incorporated by reference at C.17, and FAR 52.222-42, Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires, is listed but contains no rates. No wage determination is attached to the solicitation. Because award is made on a lowest price technically acceptable basis and price consists almost entirely of a single blended labor rate, the applicable wage determination is essential to responsive pricing. Please issue the wage determination applicable to Harris County, Texas, together with the corresponding labor category classifications and the completed 52.222-42 statement of equivalent rates. |
| Contractor to make determination of which labor categories apply |
| 23 |
| The Scope of Work describes repair, modification, and installation work on existing fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems, including replacement of piping, valves, actuators, nozzles, and supports, performed in accordance with NFPA 13, 25, 17A, 72, 90A, and 101. Please confirm the Government's determination that this work is subject to the Service Contract Labor Standards rather than the Davis-Bacon Act, and identify the labor category or categories the Government considers applicable to the certified technicians described in the price schedule. |
| Confirmed; this is not a construction requirement. Contractor to make determination of which labor categories apply |
| 24 |
| The Scope of Work establishes work hours of Monday through Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and permits work on federal holidays when authorized. The price schedule calls for a single blended fully-loaded hourly rate. Please confirm that: (a) the single blended rate is intended to apply to all authorized hours, including Saturday and authorized federal holiday hours, with no separate premium-time line item; (b) travel time to and from the facility, parking, badging, and escort or check-in time are not billable and are to be recovered within the blended rate; and (c) the 1,800 hours per period represent billable on-site productive hours only. |
| See #4 |
| 25 |
| The Licensing Requirement paragraph directs the contractor to provide "one (1) person per applicable task that is Honeywell Notifier Licensed and National Institute for Certification in Engineering (NICET) Level 2 qualified." Honeywell Notifier is a fire alarm manufacturer credential, whereas the balance of the Scope of Work, including the repair items enumerated and the references to NFPA 13, 25, and 17A, describes water-based and special-hazard fire suppression work. Please clarify: (a) whether fire alarm system repair, modification, and installation are within the scope of this contract, as the paragraph titled "Repair of Fire Suppression System" and the references to NFPA 72 and 90A suggest; (b) whether the Honeywell Notifier credential is required of technicians performing water-based sprinkler work only; and (c) the NICET subfield in which Level II certification is required, whether Inspection and Testing of Water-Based Systems, Water-Based Systems Layout, Special Hazards Suppression Systems, or Fire Alarm Systems. |
| The fire alarm repair portion requires a technician that has the Honeywell notifier license and nicet level 2 cert. The work needed for the fire suppression system needs to have technicians that meet NFPA requirements. |
| 26 |
| Please confirm: (a) whether the prime contractor is required to hold the TDLR Fire Protection Sprinkler System Contractor registration with a Responsible Managing Employee, and the TDLR Fire Alarm Certificate of Registration if alarm work is within scope, or whether these licenses may be held by a first-tier subcontractor performing the licensed work; and (b) that resumes submitted under Subfactor B may be those of personnel employed by a proposed first-tier subcontractor, consistent with Subfactor A's instruction to provide evidence of experience for "the offerer as well as any planned subcontractors." |
| The prime or sub can hold the certification, that individual will be on site performing the work. |
| 27 |
| FAR 52.216-22, Indefinite Quantity, at C.4(b) obligates the Government to order at least the quantity designated in the Schedule as the "minimum." The Schedule at B.3 designates no minimum quantity and no minimum dollar value. We understand the $2,500 figure at C.3(a) to be a minimum order size rather than the contract guaranteed minimum. Please state the guaranteed minimum quantity or dollar value of the resulting indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract. |
| See Section C.3. The guaranteed minimum is $2,500.00 |
| 28 |
| The Scope of Work limits performance to "the specific items identified in the inspection report, punch list, or site observation log," and no such report, punch list, or log accompanies the solicitation. Please provide the most recent inspection report or deficiency list for the fire suppression systems at the facility, or a representative sample, and state the basis of the 1,800-hour annual estimate. If that estimate derives from historical usage under a predecessor contract, please identify the predecessor contract number and the incumbent contractor. |
| This is an IDIQ establishing hourly labor pricing. Each task order will be derived from an “inspection report, punch list, or site observation log" which the contractor will use to provide a quote to the Government which will include labor at the awarded hourly rate, time frame for performance and any material or rental equipment needed. |
| 29 |
| The Scope of Work states that the "Contractor shall supply all devices and parts," and requires the contractor to furnish all parts and materials necessary to complete the identified repairs. The price schedule establishes a Parts Rider not to exceed $18,000 per period, fixed by the Government and included as-is in every offerer's evaluated price. Please confirm how parts and material costs exceeding $18,000 within a given period are to be funded, whether by separate task order, contract modification, or otherwise, and confirm that the contractor is not obligated to furnish parts beyond the $18,000 rider at its own expense. |
| See #7 |
| 30 |
| The Scope of Work provides that upon COR approval of a Corrective Action Plan, "work shall be completed within 3 working days." Certain fire suppression components, including specialty valves, releasing panels, and clean agent cylinders, routinely carry procurement lead times well in excess of three working days. Please confirm that the three-working-day period runs from the contractor's receipt of the required parts rather than from COR approval, or otherwise advise how the Government intends to treat items whose lead time exceeds three working days. |
| This is applicable in the case of the contractor installing something and it is deemed unsatisfactory the corrective action is required within 3 working days. |
| 31 |
| The solicitation does not schedule a site visit. Given that the deficiency list is not included in the package and that the place of performance is an operating medical center, please advise whether the Government will schedule a site visit or walk-through prior to the quotation due date, and if so, the date, time, and check-in requirements. Please confirm whether floor plans are available to quoters. |
Additionally, please advise whether a site visit will be conducted or whether offerors may request access to inspect the buildings prior to the quote due date.
No site visit will be conducted
