663A4-22-202 Install Sprinkler RFI and Responses 05.20.2025.docx

36C26025R0053 | 663A4-22-202 | Install Sprinkler and Water Main Connection to Building 16

1. Drawing Sheet FP001has a block containing (2) Deductive Alternates. The Bid Schedule shows (1) Lump Sum Price. Will the VA clarify if Deductive Alternates apply to this offer?

Answer: This solicitation does not include deductive alternates. However, the VA is requesting that the price proposal include separate prices for the two aspects of work mentioned in the referenced block. All price proposals shall include a total amount, and provide a pricing attachment that provides the pricing for the crawl space fire suppression system and ACM abatement in crawlspace. All work is considered part of this project, the VA just wants better understanding of these items within the total contract price that is being proposed. Any language regarding deductive (or deduct) alternates is hereby removed from the solicitation.

2. Reading through your pre solicitation documentation in 663A4-22-202 Specifications page 361 regarding HurtVets 2023 Hydrant flow testing. One initial concern in the report is the water available. The pressures at hydrant F-25 are bad (F-27 isn't much better).

It is very possible a small pump may be necessary to increase the pressure needed for this project: however, this will be impossible to know until a new hydrant test is performed and the fire protection system hydraulic calculations are completed.?

Answer: The government is aware that the pressures may not be satisfactory from the hydrants and a pump may be required. This will also be dependent on the sizing of the pipes provided with the system. The requirement for a pump will be determined based on the hydraulic calculations completed by the Contractor as required in specification 21 13 13 section 1.4A.

It is expected that the Contractor provide for a potential pump or larger pipe sizes to meet the design requirements appropriately. Contractors should use the hydrant pressure tests provided as a baseline, expecting at least a 20% pressure drop at the hydrant for purposes of bidding.

3. An attachment to this solicitation titled: “Additional Requirements for Asbestos-Lead” states “VA can provide both the current asbestos and lead based paint survey reports to the contractor. However, these reports do not meet the pre-renovation/demolition requirements as described in the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) regulation. Therefore, the impacted areas of the building must be surveyed for asbestos/Lead prior to the start of the project.” To establish both federal and state regulatory compliance, will the VA perform a Hazardous Materials Survey prior to the start of any construction activities for this project, or will this be added to the scope of work for this project?

Answer: Asbestos and Lead survey reports are provided, attached to this amendment and hereby incorporated into the project. Please review reports for locations of hazardous materials. The Contractor will be required to abate areas they will be disturbing (demo, drilling, etc.) during construction.

4. If a Hazardous Materials Survey is added, or currently considered to be included the scope of work for this project, will the VA add an additional 30 days to the Period of Performance to perform the HAZMAT Survey?

Answer: Asbestos and Lead survey reports are provided for review. See response to RFI#3 above.

5. Since the HAZMAT Survey will be likely performed post-award, will the VA consider all areas requiring abatement or encapsulation (as per the future Survey findings) as “Differing Conditions”?

Answer: Asbestos and Lead survey reports are provided for review. See response to RFI#3 above.

6. Will the VA confirm that any holes drilled into the existing glued-on ceiling tiles (assumed to be ACM) will require fire stopping?

Answer: Penetrations through ceilings, walls or floors will require fire stopping as part of this project.

7. Will the VA confirm that all areas requiring asbestos abatement or LBP removal or encapsulation will be emptied of VA personnel and unoccupied during those remediation activities?

Answer: All areas requiring hazardous material abatement will be unoccupied during remediation activities.

8. Will the VA clarify if the majority of the work for this project will be performed during normal working hours, or during night and weekend work?

Answer: As per the specifications, work is planned during normal working hours. Night or weekend work may be approved by the COR, but must be coordinated and approved by the COR prior to occurring.

9. During the Site Visit, access to the attic area was not provided/allowed. Will the VA provide comprehensive photos of this area?

Answer: The VA does not have photos available at this time.

10. During the Site Visit, the crawl space areas were considered contaminated, hazardous to enter, and access was not permitted. Will the VA provide comprehensive photos for these areas?

Answer: The VA does not have photos available at this time.

11. Will the VA clarify the extent of assumed ACM contaminated soil removal in the crawl space areas? Will the VA clarify the requirements, and provide specifications for any soil replacement that may be considered in the scope of work for this project?

Answer: No soil remediation is planned for this project. Please be aware the ground debris in the crawl space beneath the plastic vapor barrier are asbestos. Asbestos particles may also be on top of the plastic vapor barrier. Therefore, a proper training/PPE for asbestos will be required to enter the crawlspace. Proper training/PPE/environmental controls will also be required for any work that can potentially disturb lead-based paint in Building 16.

12. Specification Section 01 00 00, Part 1.2-D states that the Testing Laboratory will be retained by the VA. Will the VA clarify if the Testing Laboratory will be retained by the Va or by the Contractor?

Answer: There will not be any additional testing provided by the VA. Additional testing to verify proper remediation for hazardous materials will be the responsibility of the Contractor’s qualified abatement and testing personnel. Testing of suspicious HAZMAT areas not previously identified on the survey reports will also be the responsibility of the Contractor’s qualified testing personnel.

13. Will the VA clarify if the Site Superintendent, if duly qualified, may also serve in the roles of CQC and SSHO, or will a separate individual be required for either of those two roles?

Answer: Separate individuals must be provided for all three positions. No dual hatting is authorized.

14. Specification Section 01 00 00, Part 1.11-A refers to a Soils Report. Will the VA provide a Soils Report for this project?

Answer: See attached Asbestos Survey report, which is hereby incorporated into the project documents.

15. Specification Section 01 00 00, Part 1.12 requires the Contractor to employ a Professional Land Surveyor or Registered Civil Engineer. Will the VA confirm this will be a requirement for this project?

Answer: Specification Section 01 00 00, Part 1.12 does NOT require the Contractor to EMPLOY a land surveyor or civil engineer. The specifications state “The Contractor shall certify that the land surveyor or civil engineer is NOT one who is a regular employee of the Contractor, and that the land surveyor or civil engineer has no financial interest in this contract.” This is to ensure the land surveyor or civil engineer is independent of the Contractor. Please refer to the exact language in the specifications.

16. Specification Section 01 00 00, Part 1.23-A requires the Contractor to complete a 200 SF storage space for VA use, in an existing VA building and to provide lighting, HVAC, and fire suppression. Will the VA clarify if this will be required for this project, and if so, provide A/E drawings indicating the location and the complete extent of the alterations required?

Answer: This in not required and this amendment hereby REMOVES Specification Section 01 00 00 paragraph 1.23 STORAGE SPACE FOR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EQUIPMENT from the project construction documents.

17. Specification Section 01 00 00, Part 1.25 requires the Contractor to engage a Professional Photographer to document the project thru the various phases of construction. This will add additional cost to this project. Will the Va clarify if the Contractor must hire a Professional Photographer or will in-house photos be acceptable?

Answer: Contractor IS NOT be required to hire a Professional Photographer. The Contractor will also NOT be required to provide digital prints. All pictures of the facilities can be provided DIGITALLY with the daily logs of the project.

18. Specification Section 01 91 00, Part 1.4 makes multiple references to the LEED rating program. Will the VA clarify if there are any USGBC LEED requirements for this project and if so, provide the LEED credits design sheet?

Answer: LEED certification and/or credits are NOT required for this project.

19. Specification Section 01 91 00, Part 1.7 lists the building systems to be formally commissioned for this project. The majority of the building systems listed are not applicable to this project. Will the VA clarify if formal commissioning will be required for this project and if so, provide an edited, project specific list of Systems to be Commissioned?

Answer: This amendment hereby removes commissioning requirements for all systems listed in Specification Section 01 91 00, Part 1.7 except items under “Fire Suppression” and “Electrical Medium-Voltage Systems” and “Electrical Low Voltage Systems”. Contractor is required to commission all “Fire Suppression” and “Electrical Medium-Voltage Systems” and “Electrical Low Voltage Systems”.

20. Specification Section 01 91 00, Part 1.8-C states that the VA will hire the Commissioning Agent (CxA) by separate contract. Will the VA clarify if formal commissioning will be required for this project and if so, will the VA or the Contractor hire the CxA?

Answer: Contractor is required to perform all pre-functional checks prior to CxA conducting final commissioning. CxA will be provided by VA or VA 3rd party (AE).

20. Specification Section 01 91 00, Part 1.8-C states that the VA will hire the Commissioning Agent (CxA) by separate contract. Will the VA clarify if formal commissioning will be required for this project and if so, will the VA or the Contractor hire the CxA?

Answer: Contractor is required to perform all pre-functional checks prior to CxA conducting final commissioning. CxA will be provided by VA or VA 3rd party (AE).

21. Will there be a mandatory site visit or walk-through, or may we schedule one independently?

Answer: The site visit was not mandatory. An additional site visit is not planned at this time.

22. Will Building 16 be fully unoccupied during construction, or should we plan for any coordination around VA staff?

Answer: Building 16 is planned to be fully unoccupied during construction. VA will still have access to the building as needed.

23. Are there any known utility shutdown windows or operational restrictions we should plan around?

Answer: Please see the specifications for shutdown and interruption requirements. As per the specifications, any shutdowns and interruptions must be coordinated and approved by the VA. VA is required 28 days advance notice for utility & operational shut down, and seven days for Hot Work Permit.

24. Is after-hours or weekend work allowed to help minimize impact on campus operations?

Answer: As per the specifications, “The work shall be performed during regular working hours, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays.” The VA may allow work after-hours or weekends if coordinated with and approved by the COR prior to the work occuring.

25. Has the VA conducted asbestos or lead paint assessments, particularly in the crawl space areas? Or should abatement scope be contractor-led?

Answer: Additional testing to verify proper remediation for hazardous materials will be the responsibility of the Contractor’s qualified abatement and testing personnel. Testing of suspicious HAZMAT areas not previously identified on the survey reports will also be the responsibility of the Contractor’s qualified testing personnel. Previous report is attached.

26. Will the VA provide on-site staging or laydown space for materials and equipment?

Answer: The VA will provide an on-site staging space for the contractor. The location of the space has not been determined at this time, but it will be on the VA campus. Contractor should plan to have enough space to support one connex box.

27. There was a lot of information provided during the site visit. If anything was said that is not in the solicitation and attachments is it at all part of the contract and should our bids take it into consideration?

Answer: No. Any information provided in the site visit that is not part of the solicitation or subsequent amendments is not considered part of the contract and should not be considered when providing your price proposal for the project.

28. We noticed that there isn't a box checked in VAAR 852.219-75 (page 67 of the solicitation). On previous solicitations, a box has been checked so we, as a company, knew what limitations we were certifying. Can you please let us know what box needs to be checked?

Answer: General Construction

29. Mentioned on page 9 of the solicitation, it says there is a "Specialized Experience Project Form". I don't see that. There is the Project Information Sheet and a Past Performance Reference form. Is the Project Information Sheet the same thing as the "Specialized Experience Project From"?

Answer: Yes