Tech Questions Tracker - DDPO Tomah.pdf

TECHNICAL QUESTIONS AND SOLICITATION #: 36C77626Q0144

RESPONSES TRACKING SHEET PROJECT TITLE: Install DDPO per CSR – Tomah

# RECEIVED ANSWERED CONTRACTOR QUESTION VA RESPONSE

1 Will the government pay for materials stored per VAAR 852.232-70 and FAR 52.232-5? We have experienced PCAC Contracting Officers refusal to pay for materials stored on site during these periods of material shortages and the need to expedite procurement of materials when available to meet schedule obligations and prevent project delays. This is an important factor in preparing Price proposals.

In accordance with contract terms and conditions, Contractors should not submit an offer assuming the Government will approve monthly progress payments for material and/or equipment procured by the Contractor and stored on the construction site, as space is available, or at a local approved location off the site. Payment of stored materials and/or equipment is at the Contracting Officer’s discretion and will be handled on a case-by-case basis during the contract and under such terms and conditions as the Contracting Officer approves.

2 Please confirm that any designers or consultants who provided professional services for the construction documents, including reports, are precluded from pursuing this project as a Prime contractor, Mentor-Protégé partner, or subcontractor.

Any member of the design team of this project is not permitted to be part of the construction team.

3 Please confirm that this project is a competitive SDVOSB set-aside and that any bonding provided by a contractor must be through a SDVOSB or SBA/VA APPROVED Mentor-Protégé partnership under the SBA/VA Mentor- Protégé program in which the partnership has been approved prior to the due date.

This project is set aside for SDVOSBs. The bonding requirements must be met for this project per the applicable clauses, provisions, and instructions to offerors.

4 Please confirm that a large business not part of an SBA/VA APPROVED Mentor-Protégé team under the VA Mentor- Protégé program cannot provide a bid guarantee or a payment & performance bond for a SDVOSB.

This project is set aside for SDVOSBs. The bonding requirements must be met for this project per the applicable clauses, provisions, and instructions to offerors.

5 When visiting the link, I noticed the project was “set aside for Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business” – does this mean that General Contractors cannot bid the project unless they meet that requirement?

Yes, this project is a 100% set-aside for SDVOSBs. The prime contractor submitting the offer must be certified as such in the SBA VetCert database.

6 Is this project tax exempt? If the project is sales tax exempt will the government/VA provide a sales tax exemption certificate?

No. In the state of Wisconsin, it is solely the responsibility of the offeror to include all state and local sales or use taxes for construction materials, and all other applicable taxes, in their bid or proposal price.

7 Will the Government provide detailed written requirements for contractor badging? Please clarify the process for obtaining PIV badges, including required documentation, background checks, and estimated processing timeframes.

Badging and PIV requirements are not required on this campus for contractors working less than 6 months, since the duration of this project is only 95 calendar days, badging is not required.

8 How soon after award is NTP expected to be issued? The Government anticipates issuance within 90 calendar days after award.

9 Due to current potentially significant tariffs being placed on the importation of building materials such as wood or steel by the current Presidential Executive Branch, if a tariff is placed after bid time and before award will the government consider a price escalation on a contract value for products such as steel or wood should the executive branch levee tariffs effecting such materials? Most of these materials would still have been Buy American compliant as the tariffs would increase pricing on all steel or wood materials, regardless of origin.

This will be awarded as a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract and all escalation should be factored in your FFP.

Additionally, FAR 52.216-4 “Economic Price Adjustment – Labor and Material” is not included in the solicitation and will not be added.

10 4-7-26 4-21-26 The Specifications (Div 00) list 30+ drawing sheets across Buildings 23, 400-404, 406-412, and 416. The solicitation only includes 10 sheets plus a legend in the combined drawings PDF. Are there additional drawings not yet issued that define work in the other buildings/floors?

The List of Drawing Sheets in Spec 00 01 15 has been updated to reflect the drawings to be utilized on this procurement.

11 4-7-26 4-17-26 For Building 406, Panel CP-1 has no spare capacity. Has the VA confirmed that routing through circuit CP-4-2-48 (electrical room #1651) is code-compliant and has adequate capacity for the required loads?

Routing through 1651 to get to panel CP-4-2, breaker #8 (in electrical room 2667) is the intent.

12 4-7-26 4-17-26 What is the full scope of the new Telecommunications Rooms in Buildings 402 and 407? Are racks, cooling, power circuits, grounding, and fire suppression included, or does the VA provide these?

Telecommunication rooms in 402 & 407 are fully equipped and built out (racks, cooling, power circuits, grounding and fire suppression systems installed) and functional.

13 4-7-26 4-17-26 For the fiber optic cable runs in Buildings 402 and 407:

What fiber type (single-mode/multi-mode), fiber count, connector type?

No fiber pulls are required. Only terminations in B407 3rd Floor are required. Connection type OS2 LC single mode fiber.

14 4-7-26 4-17-26 Does “demo existing cables” for the 52 analog phone locations mean full cable removal back to origin, or disconnection and abandonment in place?

Demo existing cables for the 52 analog phone locations means full cable removal back to the origin. Abandon in place is not an option.

15 4-7-26 4-17-26 Are there any areas in the buildings where work cannot occur due to active patient care restrictions beyond standard ICRA Level II precautions? Are there any planned shutdowns or known scheduling conflicts during the 95-day performance period?

There are no known planned campus shutdowns or planned clinical/patient care area shutdowns (with exception to federal holidays). This situation can occur.

Additional time will be provided if this occurs during the project, and it is demonstrated the event impacted the schedule.

16 4-7-26 4-17-26 Several data drop locations on the legend note “Existing Data / Power Available” or “Replace Intermacs with Zebra.”

Is the contractor responsible for any device installation, configuration, or cutover coordination, or only the infrastructure (cable, outlet, termination)?

The purchase of any printer device is by others. Connection from the device to the wall outlet/jack is by others.

17 4-7-26 4-21-26 What specific government-furnished equipment (GFE) items will the contractor be responsible for installing, and what is the expected delivery timeline for GFE relative to the construction schedule?

None. GFE items will be installed by others and do not dictate or impact the timeline of construction (I.E. it occurs well after install). Please see the Revised Combined Spec that removes reference to GFE as GFE does not apply to the scope of work for this project for the GC.

18 4-7-26 4-17-26 Is after-hours or weekend work permitted if needed to meet the 95-day schedule, and if so, what is the approval process?

After hours work or weekend work is allowed. Such requests must be provided (in writing) in advance of the scheduled event. COR and the station prefer 2-week advance notification.

19 4-7-26 4-17-26 What is the typical processing time for contractor security badges as this could impact the Project Timeline?

Please see RFI #7 above.

20 4-8-26 4-17-26 For cable pulls routed through or adjacent to active patient care areas classified as High Patient Risk under the ICRA assessments, is the contractor required to utilize HEPA-filtered containment carts (or equivalent mobile HEPA filtration units) during cable installation activities? If so, please identify which specific buildings, floors, or areas require HEPA cart deployment versus standard Level II dust control measures (e.g., water mist, sealed barriers, sticky mats).

Yes. Mobile HEPA carts (or equivalent) are required for cable pulls through high patient risk areas in buildings 400 (all floors & spaces), 402 (all floors & spaces), 403 (all floors & spaces), 406 (all spaces), and 407 (all spaces).

This includes cable pulls for telephone cabling as well.

21 4-8-26 4-17-26 Please confirm whether the fiber optic cable installation scope is limited to Building 407, or whether Building 402 is also included as indicated on drawing sheet DDPO-402-1. If Building 402 fiber work is in scope, please confirm the fiber type (single-mode/multi-mode), strand count, connector specifications, and termination/testing requirements for each building.

No fiber pulls are required in the scope for work. See response to question #13, only terminations in B407 are required.

22 4-8-26 4-17-26 Would the government consider utilizing Analog Telephone Adapters (ATAs) or a POTS-in-a-Box solution at centralized locations to convert VoIP to analog signaling for the 52 emergency phone, elevator, courtesy, and boiler room phone locations? This approach would eliminate the need for 52 individual home-run CAT 6A cable pulls to new TR closets, potentially reducing project cost, schedule risk, and disruption to patient care areas while maintaining equivalent functionality.

No

23 4-8-26 4-17-26 For the 52 analog phone locations where new CAT 6A cable is being pulled to replace existing cabling, please clarify the contractor’s scope of responsibility at each drop location. Specifically: (a) Is the contractor responsible only for providing the physical infrastructure (cable pull, termination at patch panel, and outlet/jack installation), or

(b) is the contractor also responsible for cross-connection, device reconnection, testing of end-to-end analog functionality, and/or coordination with the VA telecommunications team for cutover? Please also clarify whether the contractor is responsible for providing or installing any endpoint devices (phones, handsets, etc.) or if these are government-furnished.

A. Contractor is responsible for providing the infrastructure (cable pull, termination at patch panel, and outlet/jack installation).

B. The VA is responsible for cross connect.

C. The VA is responsible for providing and installing

ALL connected devices (phones, headsets) & equipment. These are government furnished.

24 4-8-26 4-17-26 The Analog Phone List identifies approximately 13 elevator phone locations across Buildings 400-408, including phones inside elevator cabs and at elevator landings. Will the VA be identifying VA’s existing elevator service/maintenance vendor so the contractor can coordinate directly to ensure:

(a) safe access to elevator shafts, machine rooms, and cab interiors for cable installation, (b) scheduling of elevator shutdowns if required for cable routing, and (c) compliance with ASME A17.1 / AHJ requirements for elevator emergency communication circuits.

Yes, contact information will be provided to the awardee.

25 4-8-26 4-17-26 For data and power cable runs where concealed (in-wall) routing is not feasible due to concrete construction, masonry walls, or other non-fishable building materials encountered during installation, is the contractor authorized to utilize surface-mounted raceway (e.g., Wiremold, Panduit surface raceway, or equivalent) to complete the cable path to the designated outlet location?

The contractor is authorized to install surface mounted raceways (wiremold, conduit, panduit, or other approved material) to complete the cable path to designated outlet location(s) on a case by case scenario (where it is determined in wall installation is not feasible). Several locations are known to have this condition.

26 4-8-26 4-17-26 Is off-hours work required if work is performed out of a hepa-cart?

No

27 4-14-26 4-17-26 Could you supply the magnitude of the project in terms of estimated price range?

VAAR Range of Magnitude is Between $250,000 and $500,000.