Pirnie Fire Alarm Solicitation Questions and Answers.pdf
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- Pirnie Fire Alarm Construction
- Solicitation number
- 47PC1121R0001
About this file
This document includes a solicitation for fire alarm construction work at the Alexander Pirnie Federal Building in Utica, New York, as well as questions and answers related to the solicitation. The solicitation seeks a contractor to provide all labor, materials, equipment, tools, management, and supervision required to install a new building-wide fire sprinkler and fire alarm system. This includes deactivating and removing the existing fire alarm system once the new system is commissioned. The base work includes demolition of the existing system and installation and testing of the new system. The project area is approximately 93,646 square feet. The contract will be a firm fixed-price awarded to the responsible bidder providing the most advantageous proposal to the government considering price and technical factors. The project value is estimated between $500,000 and $1,000,000. Performance and payment bonds are required. The procurement is set aside for small businesses. The completion date is approximately 272 calendar days from notice to proceed. The solicitation is expected to be issued on December 14, 2020 with bids due on January 26, 2021.
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Pirnie Fire Alarm Solicitation Questions and Answers
1. Could you please tell me if this is a new requirement, or if there is a current or previous contractor who has performed similar services? If available, can you please send along the incumbent contract or task order number?
Answer: This is a new requirement.
2. The specifications make mention of both fire alarm work and fire sprinkler work, yet the plans only reference fire alarm work. Can you please confirm that there is no fire sprinkler work included in this project?
Answer: There is no sprinkler work involved in this project.
3. Do you have any reflected ceiling plans so we would be able to tell where drop and rocked ceilings are?
Answer: All floors above the basement, with the exception of the 3rd floor courtroom and the first floor lobby hallway, are drop. The basement is rock.
4. Please provide the name of the current fire alarm vendor.
Answer: General Security 800-287-4120
5. What is the extent of removal of the existing fire alarm system; fire alarm devices?
cable? raceway?
Answer: All existing devices, equipment, cables, and raceway to be removed
6. Drawing E-001.00, key note #6 indicates using a Fire rated RTRC (reinforced, thermosetting, resin conduit) What is that? Where are we supposed to use it?
Answer: The phenolic conduit, Or RTRC, is used when the vertical rise of the raceway is 10 feet or greater. The minimum wire size is #8 for all wire inside the raceways from the electrical fused distribution panel. EMT conduit is required for all horizontal components of the raceway. The conduit and wire work together to provide a minimum of 2-hours fire protection in accordance with UL-2196.
7. Just to be clear; Signaling Line Circuit cable is to be CI (circuit integrity cable). Is that to be used on all the fire alarm wiring of devices, smoke & heat detectors, speaker / strobe units, etc.?
Answer: All circuits (speaker/audio, SLC, network, and/or power) necessary for the operation of the notification appliances to be 2-hour rated CI cable system for the riser survivability until they enter the evacuation signaling zone (typically the floor).
8. Spec section 260000-11, part 2 2.1 (b) indicate floor signaling circuit will be class “B” wiring, (c) notification circuit will be class “B” wiring, (d) initiation circuit will be class “B” wiring and Combination circuits will be class “X” wiring. (please explain)
Answer: Refer to NFPA 72 Section 12.3 for pathway class designations.
9. Is EMT conduit required for all fire alarm cabling to devices or can plenum rated cable be free air installed above accessible suspended ceilings?
Answer: With response to power wiring, EMT is required for all fire alarm cabling. No substitution allowed.
10. On drawing E-001.00 Fire Alarm Riser; Note #2 “Provide return fire alarm system riser circuits…….) it only shows this return riser from the 3rd floor, should the return riser be from all the floors back to the FACP?
Answer: Reference to E-001.00 is incorrect, should be FA-302.00 and should be answered by FA designer.
11. What are the acceptable brands of the fire alarm system that can be used for the quotation.
Answer: There is no requirement for a specific brand; however JCI/Simplex has been used in the other federal buildings in the area.
12. Noisy work can’t occur while court is in session. What is that schedule? What, if anything, should be assumed?
Answer: Courts provide the schedule for the week each Monday morning. Not every week will have court in session. Averages 3 court sessions a week and usually Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and or Thursdays. Often scheduled 10am to 2pm.
13. Are there limitations to off hours work?
Answer: Contractor shall perform all work at the Alexander Pirnie Federal Building, Utica, New York during normal work hours from 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM except for disruptive work. Off-hours work shall be from 5:00 PM to 1:00 AM, Monday through Friday, and 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekends. All work involving off hours activity shall be submitted in writing and approved on a case by case basis to the Building Manager ten (10) days in advance of activity being requested.
14. There are several locations with tamper and flow switches. The intent is to install a fully functional system and have it active ahead of decommissioning the existing system. This won’t be possible in these cases. There will need to be a full system shutdown requiring building fire watch while those devices are swapped out. Is this acceptable?
Answer: This is acceptable. When devices are swapped out, please limit the amount of time the system will be offline. Provide fire watch while the system is offline.
Phasing plan to be submitted to GSA for approval.
15. Is the intent to surface mount all devices and pathways? Is there a preference for pathway material? Is surface mounting discouraged or forbidden in certain areas?
Answer: Wiring/pathways to be concealed to the maximum extent possible. Exposed pathways are permitted in the basement and other areas where concealing is not feasible. Flash or recessed devices to be provided throughout, except that surface mounted devices may be installed in the basement with architect’s approval.
16. What is the intent for patch locations where decommissioned devices will be removed? Many areas are wallpaper that is most likely not available.
Answer: Carefully remove and if there are holes in the walls carefully fill and paint to match.
17. Will it be possible to use windows for loading materials into the work areas?
Answer: For many locations this will be possible as a last resort.
18. What does the crawl space structure above the 3rd floor courtroom consist of? Is it fully decked or will temporary decking be required for access and staging?
Answer: We do not have an answer for this at this time.
19. Will a detail for creating an opening into the crawlspace above the 3rd floor courtroom be provided (e.g. lintel detail)?
Answer: The AE never expected the space above the courtroom to be used to get the cabling across the room. They planned for it to be brought up from below inside the wall and using the same locations as the existing to preserve the Historical properties of the room. For this reason a detail has not been provided. GSA is open to the possibility of using that space to run cabling.
20. Is the SOW for installation of a new system, test and commission then demo of existing after?
Answer: Yes.
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .