AMEND 0001_ATTACHMENT_VAGLA Project 152 RFIs Questions.pdf

RFI Questions & Answers

Blue (COR), Red CO, Green A/E

Project Name: 691‐20‐152 Upgrade Server Room and Site Communication Infrastructure

Solicitation Number:

Received 1 question on 08/02/2021

Question 1 [Response by VA]

Q: Who is the existing fire alarm manufacturer?

A: The fire alarm manufacture is EST.

Received 20 questions on 08/05/2021

Question 2 [Miyamoto] [VA to verify]

Q: The structural specification 05 10 00, para 1.5 requires fabrication to be done in an AISC Certified fabrication shop and installation done by an AISC Certified Erector. Will the Government accept a Los Angeles City Certification in lieu of the AISC certification requirement?

A: Suggested response: LA‐certified fabricator and erector are acceptable.

Question 3 [Miyamoto] [VA to verify]

Q: The structural specification 05 10 00, para 1.5 requires fabrication to be done in an AISC Certified fabrication shop and installation done by an AISC Certified Erector. Will the Government accept 3rd party monitoring inspections of the fabrication plant and erection process in lieu of the AISC certification requirement?

A: Suggested response: No; however, the VA will accept a Los Angeles city certification in lieu of the AISC certification requirement.

Question 4 [SC]

Q: Reference Specification 01 91 00, para 1.11.B ‐ confirm that the commissioning of the roof system is limited to penetrations, curbs, housekeeping pads that are installed under this contract and NOT for the entire roofing system.

A: Suggested response: Commissioning of the roof system is limited to penetrations, curbs, housekeeping pads, and any structural work performed that affects the roof system under this project.

Question 5 [SC]

Q: Reference Specification 01 91 00, para 1.11.B ‐ confirm that the commissioning of these identified areas are limited to the items installed under this contract and NOT recommissioning entire systems of the VA.

A: Suggested response: Commissioning under this contract is required for the systems installed under this project and any (leave‐in) other systems that are affected by this project.

Question 6 [Response by VA]

Q: What mechanical controls system is currently installed at this VA campus?

A: WLA Apogee. SACC & LAACC Johnson Controls.

Question 7 [Response by VA]

Q: Verify that the Owner will be responsible for removing ALL equipment, unbolted furniture, personal effects, etc from the affected areas prior to construction.

A: The owner will be responsible to move electronic equipment and personal effects from the area.

The contractor will be responsible to move unbolted and bolted furniture, module furniture, and any other objects that block access to perform construction.

Question 8 [Response by VA]

Q: Has the facilities ICRA team assigned classifications to the affected and adjacent spaces to set the level of ICRA measures to be put in place by the general contractor?

A: The General contractor will have to confirm with the COR and Infection Control (IC) personnel.

Question 9 [Response by VA]

Q: Specification section 01 45 00, 3.4.C states:

In addition to CQC personnel specified elsewhere in the contract, provide as part of the CQC organization specialized personnel to assist the CQC System Manager for the following areas:

electrical, mechanical, structural, environmental, architectural, materials technician, Cx Agent/LEED Specialist. These individuals or specialized technical companies are employees of the prime or subcontractor; be responsible to the CQC System Manager; be physically present at the construction site during work on the specialized personnel's areas of responsibility; have the necessary education or experience in accordance with the experience matrix listed herein.

Is it the intent of the Government for us to budget these personnel to be on‐site during the entire duration of work in each specialty area in addition to the full time QC manager? Consequently, adding $millions to the cost of general conditions over the duration of this project.

A: By hiring the Commissioning Agent firm, they will provide the specialist that will be needed to support this specified requirement.

Question 10 [Response by VA]

Q: Specification section 01 45 00, 3.4.B states:

The CQC System Manager is required to be a graduate engineer, graduate architect, or a graduate of construction management, with a minimum of 10 years construction experience on construction similar to this Contract.

Does this statement require simply a bachelor’s degree or a graduate degree such as a master's or a PhD.

A: Yes, the individual must have the proper qualifications and experience, plus have at least one of the stated degrees above in Engineering.

Question 11 [VA]

Q: Provide sign‐in sheets for the pre‐bid site walk/meeting.

A: See attached.

Question 12 [SC]

Q: Specification section 01 00 00, 1.3 states:

A. ITEM / INCREMENT 1: Work includes all labor, material, equipment and supervision to perform the construction work associated with Increment 1 described on GI003.

B. ITEM / INCREMENT 2: Work includes all labor, material, equipment and supervision to perform the construction work associated with Increment 2 described on GI003. GI003 is an index of drawings. Provide Increments referenced in this portion of the specifications.

A: Suggested response: Delete reference to increment 1 and 2, and change specification section 01 00 00, 1.3 to “Work includes all labor, material, equipment, and supervision to perform the construction work associated with this project.”

Question 13 [SC/EDS]

Q: 12. Reference Sheets GI003‐GI005 ‐ There are several missing plan sheets. Provide missing plan sheets listed below.

‐ VA SACC S.201.M.110: [SC] 1

‐ VA WLA W.220.E‐131: [EDS] 1

‐ VA WLA W.220.E‐101: [EDS] 2

‐ VA WLA W.222.T‐101: [EDS] 1

‐ VA SACC S.1.T‐102: [EDS] 1

‐ VA SACC S.1.T‐111: [EDS] 1

‐ VA SACC S.10T.102: [EDS] 1

‐ VA SACC S.10.T‐111 [EDS] 2

‐ VA SACC S.10.T‐121 [EDS] 2

‐ VA SACC S.201.T‐111 [EDS] 2

‐ VA SACC T‐619: [EDS] 1

A: Suggested response: The status of the referenced drawings are as noted above.

1 Delete drawing reference from drawings index.

2 This drawing will be included in an addendum to follow.

Question 14 [SC/EDS]

Q: Reference Sheets GI003‐GI005 ‐ There are plan sheets provided in the 5 volumes of drawings that are not listed on the sheet index. Confirm if they are to be included in the scope of work.

‐ VA SACC S.201.M‐410: [SC] Confirmed. Refer to sheet index on M‐002. Will be added to sheet GI003.

‐ VA WLA W.337.E‐111: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA WLA W.337.E‐401: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA SACC S.10.E‐101: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA SACC S.10.E‐122: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA SACC S.44.E‐111: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA SACC S.99.E‐101: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA SACC S.99.E‐111: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA SACC S.1.E.401: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA LAACC L.ACC.E‐112: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA WLA W.215.T‐101: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA WLA W.222.T‐121: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA SACC S.10.T.111: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA SACC S.10.T.122: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA SACC S.45.T.101: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA SACC S.99.T‐111: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA SACC S.44.T‐401: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA SACC S.62.T‐401: [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

‐ VA LAACC L.ACC.T‐112 : [EDS] Confirmed. Will be added to the drawing index.

A: Suggested response: The status of the referenced drawings is as noted above.

Question 15 [NM]

Q: Reference Sheet GI007 ‐ Hazmat Notes are provided. Are we to assume that the word "throughout" means 100% of the identified materials in the identified locations are hazardous?

A: Suggested response: If the word “Throughout” is noted in the Hazmat notes, this means that the specific building material is either asbestos or lead‐containing, and anywhere this material is present in the specific building should be considered as such. See additional clarification under “Shop Drawing and Hazmat Notes of G1007. For Asbestos: “SPECIFIC LOCATIONS AND MATERIALS ARE NOTED IN THE SPECIFICATIONS, BUT IF THE SAME MATERIAL IS FOUND TO BE PRESENT IN OTHER AREAS OF THE SAME BUILDINGS, IT IS REQUIRED TO BE TREATED AS ASBESTOS.” For Lead containing materials: “SPECIFIC LOCATIONS AND MATERIALS ARE NOTED IN THE SPECIFICATIONS, BUT IF THE

SAME MATERIAL IS FOUND TO BE PRESENT IN OTHER AREAS OF THE SAME BUILDINGS, IT IS

REQUIRED TO BE TREATED AS LEAD PAINT.”

Question 16 [NM]

Q: Reference Sheet GI007 ‐ Hazmat Notes are provided. Are we to assume that the phrase "may be present" means 100% of the identified materials in the identified locations are hazardous? This must be clarified for bidding purposes.

A: Suggested response: The term “may be present” was noted to identify the potential presence of asbestos‐containing “Thermal System Insulation (TSI)”. Although not observed to be present on our recent fieldwork, reporting documents provided by VA show that TSI is or was present in some of the buildings at VA Sepulveda and VA West Los Angeles. This material presence is noted for awareness reasons for contractors as there is planned above ceiling work for this project. The potential presence of TSI in an older building can be concerning as the material can deteriorate or get damaged over time. If the contractor visibly sees a ceiling area with this material in a damaged condition, work should immediately stop at this location and an Asbestos Consultant should assess the area and provide appropriate response actions which may include sampling and analysis, clean‐up tasks, repairs, or potential abatement needs in order to continue to perform work at the ceiling area of concern. A note for clarification will be added to Reference Sheet G1007 explaining this for VA Sepulveda and VA West Los Angeles. The language added is as follows: “Contractor should be aware that 'Thermal System Insulation' may be encountered in ceiling plenum locations. If the material is observed to be damaged including the presence of suspect insulation debris, work should immediately stop at this location. An asbestos consultant should assess the work location and provide appropriate response actions which may include sampling and analysis, clean‐up tasks, repairs, or potential abatement needs.

Question 17 [Response by VA]

Q: During installation of outside plant cable, is the contractor required to connect to the existing VA fiber/copper network or will VA technicians perform this task?

A: The contractor will be responsible to bring the fiber cable into the building in the TDU box and run the fiber distribution to its appropriate fiber distribution frame in the new rack. All fiber patch cables will be provided by the contractor. The contractor will route the fiber patch cable to its appropriate switches with direction from OIT and land the fiber to the switches. Fiber and CAT 6A must be separate from each other.

Question 18 [VA]

Q: How is the VA going to accommodate the current price escalation being experienced in the marketplace with regards to commodities such as wood, steel, plastics, etc?

A: This procurement is “Firm‐Fixed‐Price". It is still the Contractor’s responsibility to provide all potential price escalation of commodities to be included in all bids submitted.

Question 19 [Response by VA]

Q: How is the VA going to accommodate the current extended lead times and material manufacturing and delivery delays that are occurring in the construction industry?

A: The General Contractor shall allow a proper lead time for ordering material to compensate for manufacturing and delivery delays. Keeping proper communication with the vendors on the stock of construction material that will be utilized on‐site.

Question 20 [VA]

Q: Has a Limited Source Justification (FAR 6.302‐1(c), 6.303) been prepared for any materials identified under this solicitation? If so, identify which systems to which they apply and provide all related documentation, including any required Approval (FAR 6.304) or Certification (FAR 6.303(b)(12)).

A: Not applicable.

Question 21 [VA]

Q: Confirm that the Government will allow proposers a minimum of seven (7) days to respond to the RFP starting from the date that the Government responds to 100% of the RFIs received.

A: The Government will allow reasonable time to prepare RFP following issuance of RFI responses.

Question 22 [VA]

Q:

A:

Question 23 [VA]

Q:

A: